In the first two weeks of May several mobile hides were positioned to capture some of our most colourful birds!

Our Hoopos Hide is very good since the first few days of May. Check out some more pictures: http://www.sakertour.com/hidegallery.php?hide=25

Photo: János Oláh

Our Roller Hide is starting to be in action. Best activity is in the next two weeks. Check our some more pictures: http://www.sakertour.com/hidegallery.php?hide=26

Photo: János Oláh

Spring is in full swing with more and more birds arriving now to the Carpathian Basin!

Our tour in co-operation with Liberty Bird ended succesfully. This tour was covering the Hortobágy in Hungary and Transylvania in Romania.

We had fantastic weather throughout the tour and recorded 195 species plus seen 6 Brown Bears in the dark Carpathian pine forest!

Photo: Carl´Antonio Balzari /Birdlife Switzerland

There were several highlights on this tour from the displaying Great Bustards to the displaying Wallcreepers.

Our full report will be available on our partners website (www.liberty-bird.com)!

Three-toed Woodpecker; Photo: Zoltán Baczó

Southern Festoon; Photo: Carl´Antonio Balzari/Birdlife Switzerland

Sakertour team

From 14th to 19th of April, 2009 our friend Jack Clark was back to Hungary for the 3rd time. His main aim was to photograph Great Bustard, Ural Owl and White-backed Woodpecker.

The action packed few days were spent mostly in different hides for Great Bustard and stalking Ural Owl and WbW.

As things were going very well there was chance for some extras like visiting our Pygmy Cormorant Hide and also two visits to our Passerine Drinking Hide where 22 species was photographed. Best birds Jack was able to take good pictures were Ferruginous Duck, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Collared Flycatcher and Hawfinch.

Photographs: Attila Szilágyi

Attila Szilágyi

During a short, three and a half days trip in the weekend of Easter, the main aims were to see White-backed Woodpecker and the lekking of the Great Bustrad.

In the Zemplén Hills we managed to see no less then three of these woodpeckers with excellent walkaway views. On the same spot we also saw Gray-headed, Middle Spotted and Black Woodpeckers. During this day we also saw 3 Lesser Spotted Eagles, 2 Eagle Owls and a Ural Owl.

In the Hoertobágy we saw a spectacular, action full early morning Great Bustrad lekking with seven males involved. We also had several superb views of Ferruginous Duscks, while we also saw a Saker Falcon, a pair of Stone Curlew and some Mars Sandpipers in different locations, while Moustached Warblers were realy active and surprisingly easy to see. We also had time to twich a recently (the day before) found Dalmatian Peican, which is a real local rarity (see below).

On the last day we went to a forest patch near Debrecen to find Collard Flycatcher. We saw two singing males together with some femails.

The weather was nice and sunny during the whole trip and the temperature stayed usualy over 20 Celsius degree.

Gábor Simay

On the 11th of April one of our partner tours is starting. This is a special early Spring tour in the Hortobágy and Transylvania. Focusing on Great Bustard display, Lesser White-fronted Goose and Brown Bears.

Check out the tour itinerary: http://www.liberty-bird.com/index.php?language=de&menu=destinationen&submenu=destinationendetails&dest_id=78

Will keep you updated about the tour!

the Sakertour team

Dalmatian Pelican is a rare vagrant in Hungary with the last record dates back to 1998. Since 1857 there were only 10 accepted records to date. The last twitchable was in 1997 so this Spring invasion was a very welcome event for the young birder generation!

Following the strong southerly winds of March 27th afternoon the first bird appeared at Csaj Lake on the 28th of March. The following day another breeding plumaged bird was found on the Hortobágy. Both birds were last seen on the 31st March. Then one was reported at Rétszilas Fishponds on the 1st of April and a few hours later another was seen in flight at Marcali near Lake Balaton. The bird at Rétszilas was seen again on the 3rd of April and then on the 4th of April one but probably two were seen in flight over the Gerecse Hills as they were flying west.

It is not clear yet how many birds were involved in all the sightings (at least two). The Hungarian RC will take care to sort out these records. One thing is for sure: it was a superb week for this very rare bird in Hungary. Especially as they were all in wonderful breeding plumage!

Photo: Csaj Lake, 29th March, 2009 by János Oláh

The Tengmalm´s Owl is a very rare breeder in Hungary and a vagrant. In the last 15 years most observations were kept in secret so as the only ever breeding in the Zemplén Hills (1997).

On the 15th March a calling male was found by László Nehézy in the Bükk Hills. He organized the first twitch which was unsuccessful. In the next few days the bird was seen again and now it seemy to occupy an artifical nestbox (placed out by the founder) and there might even be a female bird. Later everybody got to see the bird without much disturbance!

So we all hope they will breed and also very happy that could see this bird in Hungary finally!

Many thanks to László Nehézy!

Photo: János Oláh

The I. Raptor Workshop by Imre Tamás took place in our hides from 26th of February to 1st of March, 2009.

This 4 days event included 2 full days in different Eagle Hides and a half day in our winter feeding station at our Passerine Drinking Hide. In the evenings sessions the participants heard different lectures and they also analysed the taken pictures and prepared for the next day.

The weather was horrible throughouit the workshop. The first day with continous rain, the second with fog and the third day was simply overcast. In previous years this weekend had the best activity, but the winter was more severe and longer in 2009. Hopefully next year even the weatehr will contribute!

Still the 9 photographers managed to capture 22 species and some really nice shots were taken. Some of these visible in our hide gallerys and a few right here!

János

Photo: András Zumpf

Photo: Balázs Bíró

Photo: Csaba Hercegh

Photo: Attila Kelemen

Photo: Gábor Szabó

The second ever Pine Bunting (Emberiza leucocephalos) for Hungary was found on the 24th of February near Lake Balaton again by Szabolcs Gál!This is the first ever twitchable following the trapped bird in 1986.

His amazing row of findings continous in 2009 after finding the first Rustic Bunting and Purple Sandpiper at the end of 2008.

The Rustic Bunting was very close to the location of this Pine Bunting.

It looks like a first winter male bird and on behalf of all hungarian birders I would like to say thank you to Szabolcs!

Photographer: János Oláh

The 2009 started well for Hungary with yet another new bird for the country (following the Purple Sandpiper in November).

A second year Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) was found by Bence Kókay at Dunaújváros along the Danube on the 28th of January and was seen at the same spot until the 30th morning when it was seen flying southward.

This observation was probably linked with the gale (or hurricane) forced wind which hit France and Spain a few days earlier. There were up to 30 records of Iceland Gull in France following the storm.

Here is a picture of the bird, but unfortunately it was mostly raining and the quality is hence not the best!

Photographer: Gábor Simay