During this eight days tour we were extremely lucky weatherwise, as we had full sunshine all over the week and a nice, above the average temperature. We visited the Zemplén-hills as well as the Hortobágy, where we did see all the possible woodpeckers, including White-backed and many great views of Middle-spotted. We also saw 5 species of owls, like Ural and Eagle Owl. Thanks to the nice weather, Dotterels were still around and Great Bustards and Lesser White-fronted Geese were also seen extremely well. One of the main attraction of the season are the Cranes, which were present in huge numbers with more then 40.000 seen one evening flying to roost. We even recorded some local rarities, like Lesser Yellowlegs, Grey Phalaropes (2 different individuals – one found by the group) and Herring Gull.  

Ural Owl

Flock of male Great Bustards

Dotterels

Long-eared Owl roosting

Common Cranes flying to roost (Photos: Simay Gábor)

Sakertour team

The Crane migration is a great event in the Hortobágy National Park. Every year tens of thousands arrive and gather in this grassland park. The numbers are monitored with weekly counts on the roosting sites. Usually the highest count is in the middle of the month. A total of 80 200 Cranes were counted today evening (18th of October) at 7 different roosting areas. The biggest one is the Kondás pond in the Hortobágy-Fishpond complex with 46 200 birds present.

Cranes flying to roost in the Hortobágy National Park in October 2012 (Photo: János Oláh)

Following the very good breeding succes of the Lesser White-fronted Geese in 2011 we had a very promising count in 2012 Spring. We were somehow all secretly expecting an even higher number in 2012 autumn but it did not happen. The highest count of the autumn of 2012 was 43 (45) birds (9 juvenile). Although we all know that some of the unsuccessfull breeders would not take the same migration root. Also a few birds (12 ind) already arrived to Kerkini Lake when the highest count was on the Hortobágy so the autumn total is minimum 55 birds. If you want all the recent observations of this endangered geese please visit the LWfrG portal!

Lesser White-fronted Geese flock in the Hortobágy in October 2012 (Photo: János Oláh)

Sakertour team

Autumn birding in the Danube Delta always has it`s own, different feeling, especially in September when thousands of birds are on the way to wintering areas in Africa, India or Middle East. 

This year we have had again a very enjoyable and successful trip with our partner company, Limosa Holidays.

We have recorded 180 species whitin 9 days. Highlights were 18 raptor species among them Lesser Spotted Eagles, Booted Eagles, Saker Falcons, Lesser Kestrel, Red-footed Falcons, Levant Sparrowhawks; 29 wader species such as Broad-billed Sandpiper, Mars Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalaropes, Bar-tailed Godwits, Collared Pratincoles; lots of passerines amongst them plenty Red-breasted Flycatches;  Pied and Isabelline Wheatears in fresh, autumn plumage; nice selection of woodpeckers including fabulous, prolonged view of a Black-, Grey-headed and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers; Arctic Skuas and a friendly, first year Great Black-headed or Pallas`s Gull.

The full trip report with more pictures will be available soon in our Danube Delta blog.

Sakertour team

Red-breasted Flycatchers migrates high number through Danube Delta (Photo: Zoltán Baczó)

First winter Pallas`s Gull  (Photo: Zoltán Baczó)

The trip report of our longest and most comprehensive tour is now available online in our ´trip reports´ section! It is an excellent value for money tour and covers most of the important habitats with a wide range of special birds!

You can read more about this fantastic tour here!

There is still available place for the 2013 tour. More info here!

Bearded Tit (Photo: János Oláh)

Sakertour team

The late summer tour in the Hortobágy National Park and the Zemplén Forest Reserve by Limosa was as action packed as usual! Tour highlights were four Ural Owls and two Eagle Owls in the Zemplén and a wide selection of raptors in the Hortobágy. This included the magnificent Saker Falcon and many Red-footed falcons. Seeing 1000 Redfoots coming to roost is an unforgettable sight! Report will be available soon. For next year Hungary dates please visit the Limosa website!

Saker Falcon (Photo: János Oláh)

Sakertour team

The trip report of Hungary and Transylvania spring tour with Ribble Bird Tours now available on our website. It was a very successful birding tour where we saw a great selection of special birds. W3e have also had good views of at least 2 adult and 3 young Carpathian Brown Bears in Transylvania!

You can read more about this fantastic tour here.

Breeding Eurasian Scops Owl in one of our nest box  (Photo: Brian Field/tour participant)

Sakertour team

In mid June, our partner company Wild Images had their first bird photography trip to the Danube Delta. It was a really enjoyable 8 day long holiday where more than 50 bird species were photographed by each participant! 

The Danube Delta´s birdlife was really eventful and with our custom built photo boat we had lots of nice subjects in the frame daily. Star species were the breeding plumaged Red-necked, Black-necked Grebes, Dalmatian and White Pelicans,  Black Terns, Kingfisher, friendly Squacco Herons, Night Herons, Little Bitterns, Glossy Ibises amongst many others.

In the Macin Mountain National Park area Sombre Tit and a Wryneck were the highlights at our drinking hide while at the lagoons of the Black Sea a wide variety of bird species gave us an excellent tour end. 

You can read the complete trip report under our Danube Delta Blog. 

Sakertour team

            Squacco Heron (Photo: Peter M. Beesley)

Sombre Tit (Photo: Fraser Symonds)

We had a fantastic 8 day long holiday guided by Chris Hall from NEW HORIZON.

Highlights in the Delta part was Dalmatian Pelicans, thousands of fishing White Pelicans, Grey-headed-, Black- and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Thrush Nightingale while around the lagoons Red-breasted Flycatcher, Rosy Starlings, Broad-billed Sandpipers, Collared Pratincoles, Bluethroat, Saker Falcon and three Eastern Imperial Eagle!

Dalmatian Pelican in the Danube Delta  (Photo: János Oláh)

Sakertour team

The report of our 2012 Danube Delta Spring Tour is now available in the trip report section. This 9 day long birding holiday were organized together with our partner companies, Limosa Holidays and The Travelling Naturalist.

This spring we had again a very enjoyable visit with such star species observed like Great Black-headed Gull, Saker Falcon, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk, Dalmatian Pelicans, Paddyfield Warbler and so on. Read more about this tour here!

Paddyfield Warbler on the 2012 spring tour (Photo: Zoltán Baczó)

As the breeding season finishing around the Falcon Tower in 2012 we were thinking to give some statistics about this magnificent hide. The breeding success of Common Kestrels and Red-footed Falcons is remarkable for five consecutive years now. When we have built the tower (2008) we were just hoping that redfoots will use the artificial nest boxes placed close to the hide and it was a very pleasant surprise when the first arrival birds straight occupied a box by the tower in April 2008! In fact in 2009 we had one pair of redfoots actually breeding successfully on the tower itself which was the first ever record of the species breeding on artificial building (anywhere in the World – please let us know if you have heard any unpublished breeding record like this one)!

Juvenile Red-footed Falcons in the nest box (July 2012). Photo: János Oláh

Male Red-footed Falcon brings a Great Green Bush-Cricket (July 2012). Photo: János Oláh

Male handles the food to the female (July 2012). Photo: János Oláh

Breeding birds at the Sakertour´s Falcon Tower:

2012:

3 pairs of Common Kestrels successfully bred on the tower itself

3 pairs of Red-footed Falcons successfully bred around the tower (within 10m)

1 pair of Long-eared Owl successfully bred around the tower

plus 2 pairs of Starlings and 1 pair of Tree Sparrow

Already fledged juvenile (July 2012). Photo: János Oláh

2011:

2 pairs of Common Kestrels successfully bred on the tower itself

4 pairs of Red-footed Falcons successfully bred around the tower (within 10m)

1 pair of Roller successfully bred on the tower

plus 2 pairs of Starlings and 1 pair of Tree Sparrow

Female Red-footed Falcon (July 2012). Photo: János Oláh

2010:

2 pairs of Common Kestrels successfully bred on the tower itself

1 pair of Red-footed Falcon unsuccessfully bred on the tower itself

3 pairs of Red-footed falcons successfully bred around the tower (within 10m)

Female Red-footed Falcon in flight (July 2012). Photo: János Oláh

2009:

1 pairs of Common Kestrel successfully bred on the tower itself

1 pair of Red-footed Falcon successfully bred on the tower itself

2 pairs of Red-footed falcons successfully bred around the tower (within 10m)

Female Red-footed Falcon in orange (July 2012). Photo: János Oláh

2008:

1 pairs of Common Kestrel successfully bred on the tower itself

1 pair of Red-footed Falcon unsuccessfully bred on the tower itself

2 pairs of Red-footed falcons successfully bred around the tower (within 10m)

Lets hope we will have the same fantastic experience in the coming years as well. It is always delightful to see as many as 12 juvenile redfoots being raised right in front of our watchful eyes!

Come and visit our Falcon Tower which is truly a unique place as nowhere else in the World you can photograph Red-footed Falcons in such a setup!

Sakertour team