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birding...
Hungary
Hungary, like much of central Europe has cold winters and warm summers as the climate is profoundly effected by the continental landmass. Although it was always among the most developed and affluent of the old soviet block it is still relatively under developed and agricultural practices have not yet been so intense as to ruin the land`s potential for wildlife. The birds which were once familiar all over European farmland still thrive including Turtle Doves and Tree Sparrows, Corn Buntings and red-backed Shrikes, White Storks and Hoopoes. A supporting cast of Golden Orioles, Bee-eaters and Serins are a delight to birders from the UK. The most interesting areas, from the birders point of view, include the Puszta and the wooded Bukk Hills. The former is the remnant of the great grassy steppes formerly used to run cattle – notably Hungarian Grey Cattle. These grassy areas are still home to the highest densities of Red-footed falcons and Eastern Imperial Eagle in Europe and high populations of Great Bustard and Aquatic Warblers. The most well known area being Hortobagy, although it is not the only area of Puszta left, and is also renowned for its Autumn accumulation of Common Cranes by the thousand. The Bukk Hills and surrounding copses, villages, farmlands are home to Wryneck and all but one of the species of European Woodpecker. The woodlands are alive in spring with Hawfinches and Collared flycatchers and, if you are lucky you may spot a day-flying Ural owl. Ponds, lakes, marshes and fishponds abound and are home to the three marsh terns, many wildfowl, and sought after passerines such as Bluethroats and Savi`s Warbler, as well as other goodies such as Pygmy Cormorant, Night Heron and the like. What is more Hungary remains a relatively cheap destination with low cost accommodation and restaurants and a pleasant landscape of neat villages and attractive farms, good wine and bird friendly people with no tradition of hunting of small birds. The woodpeckers alone are sufficient reason to take a trip. |
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National Bird - Great Bustard Otis tarda
useful reading |
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Finding Birds in Hungary
D Gosney Series: FINDING BIRDS SERIES 32 pages, maps. Gostours 1993ISBN: 1898110085
Buy this book from NHBS.com
The Birds Of Hungary
Gerard Gorman - 1996 (Helm)ISBN: 0713642351
Buy this book from NHBS.com
useful information |
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Proact
Coordinator: none (why not apply?) see http://www.proact-campaigns.net/coordinators
Members: 3 Join us at http://www.proact-campaigns.net/team
clubs |
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Birder's Association of Budapest (PKMK)
http://www.pkmk.hu/The Birders Association of Budapest (PKMK) was founded in October 1994 by young environmentalists living in the capital or on its outskirts. PKMK worked as an unregistered NGO until 24th of April 1998, when the Capital Court of Registration admitted the organisation as a corporate body...
Birding.hu
http://www.birding.hu/The objective of birding.hu is to provide quick, helpful information to field-birders in Hungary. Our aim is to give quality information in hopes of improving field-birding, so anyone anywhere can get up-to-date news about interesting birds. Aside from anything in connection with birding (pictures, expositions of areas and groups, news, trip reports, links, classified ads etc) that can be presented on our site, we welcome suggestions...
Hungarian Ornithological & Nature Conservation Society
http://www.mme.hu/(MME) Kolto u. 21, 391, H-1536Budapest. + 36 1 275 6267 mme@c3.hu
Hungary Rarities Committee
http://www.c3.hu/~mme/nb/hcrc.htmComprehensive lists of Hungarian avifauna plus rarity submissions etc.
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Hungarian Bird Ringing Centre
http://www.euring.org/meetings/general_assemblies/strasbourg_2005/hungary05.htmHungarian Bird Ringing Centre - MME/Birdlife Hungary, H-1121 Budapest, Költo u. 21., Hungary. Tel.: +36-1-275-6247 Fax: +36-1-275-6267 E-mail: ringers@mme.hu
reserves |
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Hortobagy National Park
http://www.hnp.hu/Mostly in Hungarian...
Hortobagy National Park
http://www.nps.gov/badl/exp/hortobagy.htmHungary`s first national park, Hortobágy National Park, encompasses roughly 72 square miles (115 km2) of almost completely flat saliferous, semi-arid grasslands, pockmarked with rivers, lakes and wetlands containing remarkable biological diversity of plant and animal species and habitats...
Wetlands
http://www.ramsar.orgHungary presently has 21 sites designated as Wetlands of International Importance, with a surface area of 154,147 hectares...
trip reports |
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Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!
2000 [May] - Pat & Judy Hayes
http://www.realbirder.com/Hungary2000.htmThe trip was booked through a specialist birding company (Birding) and was lead by Gerard Gorman. Gerard has lived in Hungary for many years and is arguably the foremost authority on birds of Eastern Europe...
2000 [May] – David & Amanda Mason – Hungary
http://www.realbirder.com/Hungary.htm…in the Aggtelek region our highlights were Lesser Spotted Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Black Woodpecker (a nesting pair in the woods behind the hotel), River Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Barred Warbler and a nest-building male Penduline Tit...
2001 [June] - Jon Hornbuckle
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/hungary/hungary3/hung2001.htmRoy Frost and I visited Hungary and Slovakia for a week at the invitation of my Sakertour friends, Zoltán Ecsedi and János Oláh. The timing was a little late, mid-April – end May being the optimum, because they were occupied with guiding bird tours till then, but was very successful...
2002 [April] - David Pearce - Hungary and Romania (Transylvania)
http://www.birder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Hungary&Rumania2002.htmWe drove along the M3, which took about three hours stopping twice for Eastern Imperial Eagle in artificial nests in solitary large trees in arable fields. There were birds on nests and flying. They looked huge with very rectangular wings with trailing straight edges. The wings were generally held flat or drooped as they banked. I could see yellow brown head and nape and small areas of white on shoulders. Zoltan said they had moved out of their traditional pusta habitat...
2002 [October] - Christopher and Alison Hall - Hortobágy, Danube
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/hungary/hungary4/hun-oct-02.htmOur second autumn visit to Hungary in two years reminded us of the magic of this special time and place. Zsolt Végvári, our local guide to the wonderful Hortobágy National Park, recommended we start with the difficult species. Within minutes we were scoping a Saker Falcon, followed by a stream of other raptors; Sparrowhawk, Common and Rough-legged Buzzards, Marsh Harrier, Hen Harriers galore and three White-tailed Eagles flashing their white tails with each soaring turn. What a start...
2003 [October] Shena Maskell
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/hungary/hungary5/hun-oct-03.htmDawn saw the group watching a Great White Egret fly past the hotel, while a Kingfisher darted along the stream. After a tasty buffet breakfast, the group boarded their Ford Transit minibus, complete with packed lunches. Our initial exploration was along the western bank of Tisza Lake, where we saw the first Great Grey Shrike, Gadwall, Teal, Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Yellow-legged Gulls, Grey Herons and Little Grebe. By a small farm we had close views of Little Owl, while the local farmyard pigs and chickens ran around us. Then heading to Hortobagy we encountered our first flocks of Cranes...
2003 [September] dba
http://anytimetours.co.uk/hungary2003.htmAfter the DBA's long distance trips to Kenya, Canada and India over the past three years it was a pleasant diversion to go on a week's birding trip to Hungary...
2003 [Summer] Kasper Hendriks &Rob van Bemmelen
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/poland/eurotour/e-europe-sum-03.htmPoland – Hungary – Croatia - Austria
2004 [March] - Bob Swann
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/hungary/hungary6/hun-ap-04.htmThis report gives details of the birds seen and the sites visited during a week`s holiday in eastern Hungary. This was an organised tour run by Ornitholidays and led by local guide Sandor Konyhas. It is the first time I had gone birding on an organised tour...
2004 [May] - Neil Arnold
http://www.travellingbirder.com/tripreports/default.phpEverything went smoothly until we discovered that three bags had failed to arrive in Budapest. After a session of form filling we met Sándor, our local leader. We then set off for our hotel in Sárospatak. The most notable bird species en route were two Common Kestrels, five Marsh Harriers and some twenty-five Common Buzzards...
2005 [April] - Fatbirder
http://anytimetours.co.uk/hungary2005.htmChasing woodpeckers with Gerard Gorman...
2005 [April] - Peter Wells - Kiskunsági-Nemzeti Park
http://www.forewood.co.uk/hungary.htmThis page describes the Kiskunsági-Nemzeti Park in Hungary as I found it during a visit from 18 to 22 April 2005...
2005 [July] - Ed O'Hara & John O'Hara
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/hungary/hungary9/hungary-july-05.htm...Dr. Teleki and Antal Bagdi, our guide for the first two days met us after breakfast and we went for a walk in the woods around the hotel for woodpeckers. Within a few minutes we were observing Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Short-toed Treecreepers, Green Woodpeckers, Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, Syrian Woodpeckers and perhaps the most impressive of all the genus, Black Woodpecker. Several other woodland species were also seen Tree Sparrow, Golden Oriole, Nuthatch, Hawfinch Collared Flycatcher, Marsh Tit, Common Buzzard, Sparrowhawk...
2005 [June] - Jim & Sandi Ruch
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/hungary/hungary7/hungary-june-05.htm...We met out first local guide, Lazlo, and on our first afternoon in Hungary, hiked the canal banks and the marsh habitat at the southeast corner of Lake Ferto. Geese, Black-headed Gulls, Lapwings, Great White Egrets, Grey and Purple herons and numerous ducks and shorebirds abounded including a Little Ringed Plover and an up close visit with the, new to us, Ferruginous Duck...
2005 [May] - Ian Kinley & Dave Thexton
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/hungary/hungary8/hungary-may-05.htm...It proved a good choice with highlights including stunning views of a pylon-perching Eastern Imperial Eagle, several hundred dancing and trumpeting Cranes, a huge Eagle Owl silhouetted atop a quarry at dusk and a dazzling flock of almost 1000 White-winged Black Terns as well as eight species of woodpecker, regional specialities such as Saker Falcon and Aquatic Warbler and much, much more. In addition, it was a pleasure to find that species such as Cuckoo, Tree Sparrow and Corn Bunting were still very common...
2005 [September] - Honeyguides - Eastern Hungary
http://www.honeyguide.co.uk/pdfs/hungary_2005.pdf2006 [April] - Chris Hall
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/hungary/hungary10/eastern-europe-april-06.htm...The weather had been unseasonably cold, just as in Britain, and so the wintry leafless landscape of the wooded Zemplén hills, the setting for our first birding day, did not look promising. Nevertheless we soon had a Lesser Spotted Eagle in flight and also perched for a scope view. Alongside Zoltán today, we had an extra local guide, Zoltán II aka ‘Woodpecker Man’, who new every tree hereabouts and had an amazing rendition of Black Woodpecker, which came in handy later in the day...
2006 [June] - Rob Macklin
http://www.honeyguide.co.uk/pdfs/2006Hungary.pdfHoneyguides tour - pdf
2006 [September] - Honeyguides - Eastern Hungary
http://www.honeyguide.co.uk/holidayreports.htm2008 [July] - Kerry Gardner - Kiskunsag National Park
http://www.naturalist.co.uk/reports2008/hungarybats08.pdfI was gong to be in Budapest for three days at the end of an organized tour and decided to try for the Great Bustard. I went online and booked a one-day birding trip to the Kiskunsag National Park area with Hungarian Birdwatching...
2008 [March] - Gerry Westdean
http://www.travellingbirder.com/tripreports/view_birding_tripreport.php?id=367...The temperature gauge of the car showed minus 15C and upon our return it had become a pleasant plus 5C. Even allowing for false readings it was very cold at first. One Black, two Middle Spotted, and two Grey-headed Woodpeckers were seen very well...
2008 [May] - Ken Musgrove & Wayne Geater
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/hungary/Hungary-11/Hungary-may-2008.htm...We found the birding difficult and apart from a few Buzzards, one Golden Oriole, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, Magpie, Hawfinch, Chiffchaff, Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer, the odd Cockoo and numerous Red-backed Shrikes and Starlings, the morning was something of a disappointment...
2008 [September] - Attila Steiner
http://www.ecotours.hu/birds/europe/hungary/hungary04/raptorreport08We saw 2 adult Imperial Eagles and a Saker within 5 minutes. At another place in the Little Hortobágy we watched 3 immature White-tailed Eagles, a juvenile Imperial Eagle and 3 juvenile Montague's Harriers circling over the lake. The Zemplen Hills were productive too with 2 Golden and 3 Lesser Spotted Eagles, a white phase Booted Eagle, Goshawk, Hobby and Peregrine. The number of raptors was also amazing. We counted over 40 Marsh Harriers during a day in the Hortobágy, but Common Buzzard, Kestrel and Red-footed Falcon was also numerous...
tour operators |
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Birdfinders
http://www.birdfinders.co.uk/tours/hungary.htmWith excellent pensions, superb scenery, wonderful birds and the country`s top bird guide and author of the much acclaimed books Where to Watch Birds in Eastern Europe and The Birds of Hungary, how can you go wrong with a visit to Hungary, one of Eastern Europe`s most visitor-friendly countries? This tour is specially timed with the school summer holiday in mind.
Birding Pal
http://www.birdingpal.org/Hungary.htmLocal birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...
Caligo Ventures
http://www.caligo.com/europe/hungary.htmlWe visit the fabulous steppes, lakes, and marshes of the Hortobágy and the Hungarian forests at the very best time in the birdwatching calendar. Join us for some of the best birdwatching in Europe...
E-Tours
http://www.etours.cz/We have been organizing the birdwatching tours since 1991. We work for leading UK and world birding tour operators and various associations. We have three main criteria in designing the BW holidays: Professional competence and personality of expert group leaders and the local ornithologist Choice of the most interesting sites Smooth organization and a comfortable environment to ensure customer enjoyment and commercial success. E-mail us for a detailed itinerary and birdlists! info@etours.cz
Ecotours Hungary
http://www.ecotours.hu/Our company was formed with the intention of popularising Hungary as a perfect ecotouristic destination both for amateur naturalists and for those with a more academic interest in plant and animal species, habitats and geology...
Green Eye Ecotours
http://greeneye.org.uk/home.htmToday we provide outdoor-oriented tours, adventures, expeditions...
Honeyguide Wildlife Holidays
http://www.honeyguide.co.ukIf you are looking for a quality natural history holiday, this is a great place to start. The Honeyguide programme offers a mix of the very best of wildlife in fascinating parts of Europe...
Hungarian Bird Tours
http://www.hungarianbirdtours.com/Hungarian Bird Tours is run by Roy Adams, a retired police wildlife crime officer who served almost thirty two years with the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. Staying at the newly opened Villa Volgy Hotel in Eger, visitors take advantage of the Crystal clear air, a quiet environment and a calm atmosphere. Relax in this high-quality, three-star hotel. There are two, three and four-bedded rooms, each with a bathroom, phone, refrigerator and colour tv...
Hungarian Birdwatching
http://hungarianbirdwatching.comHungarianbirdwatching.com organises birding tours and birdwatching holidays in Hungary. Tours are mainly bespoke tours for small groups (4-6 people). You just decide what kind of birds you would like to observe, what kind of meal and accommodation you require Hungarianbirdwatching.com Team does the rest. Our English speaking experienced tour leaders guarantee that you will see the birds you wish to observe without disturbing them in their living environment. We also assist you to visit the cultural heritages of Hungary if you are interested in architecture, rural life or theatres...
Hungarobirds
http://www.hungarobirds.com/Our Birdwatching trips cover almost the whole year and we also organize special tours focusing on special occasions such as great bustards display or crane migration...
Probirder
http://www.probirder.com/Hungary`s most experienced birding guides are available year-round to assist individuals, groups of friends, bird clubs & tour companies. From a few hours, one day, one week, to as long as you request. Save time & effort and let Birding Hungary guides show you the regulars, rarities and hard-to-find species. With 15 years of experience in Hungary our guiding skills and services are second to none!
Sakertour
http://www.sakertour.huEstablished in 1994 by Prof. J. Oláh and field ornithologists. Specialising in bird tours in The Carpathians, covering Hungary, Slovakia and Transylvania...
Travelling Naturalist
http://www.naturalist.co.uk/tours2006/hungaryspring.phpWe visit the fabulous steppes, lakes, and marshes of the Hortobágy and the Hungarian forests at the peak of the breeding season. Join us for some of the best birdwatching in Europe!
Wings
http://wingsbirds.com/tours/view/50Hungary is known as the land of the Great Bustard and the steppe of raptors, as well as the homeland of Lizst, Bartók and Kodály. Some 100 miles from the famous Hortobágy National Park, itself a small piece of Asia inside Europe, and nearly midway to the high Carpathian Mountains, sleeps a quiet and forested landscape, the Zemplen foothills of the Carpathians...
places to stay |
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Fábián Panzió (Fabian Hotel)
http://www.panziofabian.huThe Fábián Panzió (Fabian Hotel) is in Kapolna Street, Kecskemet. ...a British Birder says: the hotel is superb, Mrs Fabian and her daughter speak fluent English, and Mrs F is an accomplished birder...
Farm Lator
http://www.farmlator.hu/Farm Lator is specialist and host in the mountains, wetlands and plains of NE Hungary. With two restored, idyllically situated farmhouses and a natural campsite in the Bükk Mountains as a base, we travel with our guests through the region and show the best of nature and culture. We compose personalised trips, but there is also an excursion program. Yearly events are the spring and autumn birdtours, and summer butterflytours. The programs of the tours are either readymade or tailored to the exact wants of clubs, companies and societies...
Golding Tanya Farm & Holiday Cottage - Kiskunsag National Park
http://www.holidayhomes.org/hungary/fulophaza/golding_tanya_farm-8761.htmlOur home and holiday cottage are situated in 10 acres of glorious countryside, apart from the garden, we have fields, copse, forest and meadow. We hope you will find the photographs of interest. Hungary is a fantastic country for observing birds and other wildlife. Our visitors come from far and wide, to enjoy our garden life. They are enthralled with the bee-eaters and their nests in the side of the roads, the very elusive Golden Oriel, who sings from the treetops, but is too shy to be photographed...
Hotel Villa Volgy
http://hungary.egerhotels.com/hotelvillavolgy.phpWith a brand new building, an elegant and friendly atmosphere this hotel guarantees relaxation in a natural environment. The hotel is made up of 37 rooms, a restaurant with a balcony, an exclusive wine cellar and a conference room with a capacity to hold up to 60 persons. The restaurant with its Hungarian gastronomical specialties, great tasting traditional dishes and remarkable wines is capable of catering to 70 hungry guests with appetites of all sizes. The terrace is ideal for grill parties and barbecues on hot summer days. It is also customary to taste the wines of the region, and lest we forget goulash...
Ickle Haz Cottage - Fulophaza - Bacs Kisgun National Park
http://www.travel-library.com/cottages/europe/hungary/fulophaza/ickle_haz.htmlThe cottage is typically Hungarian in its structure and size, and is single storey. It comprises one bedroom, lounge, bathroom and kitchen.
Nomad Hotel
http://www.nomadhotel.hu/Traditional Lodge with great Hungarian food - often used by birders in the Bukk Hills... Fatbirder Recommended
Smith Vendégház
http://www.magyarvendeglatas.hu/index.php?page=main&hid=564&lang=enWe have got a small (2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen-diningroom) guesthouse). Leslie Smith 00-36-70-585-7614
other links |
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Birding Hungary
http://www.birdinghungary.com/Why go birding in Hungary? Well, good reasons include Saker Falcon, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Pygmy Cormorant, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Ferruginous Duck, Great Bustard, Corncrake, Ural Owl, Aquatic Warbler and nine speciesof woodpecker. With such birds, plus much unspoiled habitat and a good and value-for-money tourist infrastructure, Hungary is now firmly established as one of Europe's very best birding destinations. And another good reason is that WE are here to help you find and see these birds...
Birds of Hungary
http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/birdsofhungary/Birds of Hungary by Thomas Miko, of Pasadena...
BLOG - Webmadarász
http://golyakamera.blogspot.comA blog about nestcams from Hungary
Checklist
http://www.birdinghungary.com/birdlist.htmlList of Regular Hungarian birds...
Common breeding bird monitoring in Hungary
http://www.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/science/report/2002/monitoring/monitoringinhungary.asp?&&;MME/BirdLife Hungary, in cooperation with the RSPB and the European Bird Census Council, began a common breeding bird monitoring scheme in Hungary in 1998...
Green Spider Network
http://www.zpok.hu/Environmental campaigns.
Hungarian Birds, nature photography, digiscoping
http://cirlus.huBirding BLOG and photos from an Hungarian birder...
Hungarian Important Bird Areas (IBAs)
http://www.hungarianbirdwatching.com/areas.htm...describes the 43 Hungarian Important Bird Areas (IBAs)...
Report of Budapest Ringing Scheme
http://www.euring.org/meetings/general_assemblies/chemnitz_2003/scheme_reports/hungary.htmThe Hungarian Bird Ringing Centre is run by Birdlife Hungary (MME, Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society) since 1976. Bird ringing started in Hungary in 1908...
White stork webcam - Nagyhalász
http://golya.mme.hu/golyakamera/kamera.php?c=halaszLive camera on stork’s nest in Hungary….
artists |
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BirdphotographyHungary
http://birdphotography.huSite showcasing a number of Hungarian photographers of birds…
NicoleB - Birds Photography
http://www.surfbirds.com/blog/nicolebHungarian photoblog
Photographer - Alex Rakó
http://www.rakoalex.huFine wildlife images from this Hungarian photographer…
Photographer - Csaba Lóki - Naturephoto Gallery
http://www.lokicsaba.huHungarian photographers excellent gallery of bird pictures…
Photographer - Eduardo Balogh - Birdwatcher
http://bird-watcher.ning.comExcellent photographs from this Hungarian birder...
Photographer - Lantai-Csont Gergely
http://www.lantaifoto.huLantai-Csont Gergely's online photo galery - This website is about publishing wonderful photos about nature, mammals, birds ...
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