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Click
here to read a detailed report from our trip in May 2011
Day 1 Saturday 11 May 2013
We depart London Heathrow on a scheduled flight to Budapest. On arrival in Budapest we'll meet our local guide and drive for about three hours to the Hotel Trofea near Hajduszoboszl - home for the next four nights. Our hotel is situated in the heart of the World-famous Hortobágy National Park and upon arrival, we'll undertake some initial exploration of these superb wetlands.
Days 2 - 4 Sunday 12 May - Tuesday 14 May 2013
Hortobágy National Park became Hungary's first-ever national park in 1973. It encompasses approximately 72 square miles (115 square km) of almost completely flat saliferous, semi-arid grasslands, pockmarked with rivers, lakes and wetlands that contain a remarkable biological diversity of plant and animal species and habitats. A famous wind-swept region, the Hortobágy ranges from the River Tisza to the edge of the Hajdsg region, where via the smaller Hajdht region it borders Debrecen. This landscape has been primarily shaped by water, mainly by the huge floods of the River Tisza, which once seasonally covered this part of Hungary. Today, remnants of these ancient floods are preserved in grassland sediments and in the vast wetlands, which are now revitalised through artificial water supplies. In 1979, protection increased further and Hortobágy National Park was established as a biosphere-reserve by the UN.
We have three full days to explore Hortobágy National Park and its enormous mosaic of marshes, fishponds, wooded river valleys and wetlands The vast reed beds are alive with the songs of 'wet' warblers such as Moustached, Marsh, Great Reed, Savi's and Grasshopper Warblers. Bearded Tits are fairly common and the willow thickets are home to Penduline Tits and white-spotted Bluethroats. Black, Whiskered and White-winged Black Terns perform amazing aerobatics as they hawk insects over the marshes, which also hold good populations of Great White and Little Egrets, Spoonbills, Purple Herons, Night Herons, Squacco Herons, Bitterns, Little Bitterns and Glossy Ibis. The vast Cormorant colonies hold around 300 pairs of the diminutive Pygmy Cormorant and a wide variety of ducks will include resplendent Garganey and mahogany-coloured Ferruginous Ducks. Red-necked and Black-necked Grebes are also a feature. Tussock habitat in the marshy meadows is the favourite nesting haunts of the rare Aquatic Warbler.
An abundance of birds often means lots of raptors and the Hortobágy is no exception with White-tailed Eagles and Ospreys regularly hunting over the marshes. The grassland is full of Souslik (a close relative of the marmot) and it is here that Eastern Imperial Eagles, mighty Saker Falcons and Long-legged Buzzards can be found. Goshawks may appear above the forested patches and with luck we may also see Lesser Spotted Eagle. One of the highlights of our visit to the Hortobágy will be witnessing a superb colony of Red-footed Falcons. Another feature of the region at this time of year are drained fishponds and their attraction to migrant shorebirds. We would expect to encounter Ruff, Wood and Green Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank and Collared Pratincole - and maybe something even rarer like a Marsh or Terek Sandpiper!
The ancient grassland plains ('puszta') are still guarded by Csikos
horsemen who herd the Hungarian Grey Long-horned Cattle and bizarre-looking
Racka Sheep and it is here that we will search for one of the park’s
most famous residents - the enormous Great Bustard. Montagu's Harriers
and Stone Curlews add to the 'steppe-feel'. Dapper Lesser Grey Shrikes
are also a feature of the region and Red-backed Shrikes are common.
Adding a splash of colour are plenty of Bee-eaters, Rollers and
Hoopoes.
Days 5 - 7 Wednesday 15 May - Friday 17 May 2013
After our final birding on the Hortobágy, we check out of our hotel and drive to the ancient woodland near Debrecen. Here we'll be searching for woodpeckers including the giant Black along with Great Spotted, Middle Spotted, Lesser Spotted and Green. We should also see plenty of piebald Collared Flycatchers, Short-toed Treecreepers, Hawfinches and Honey Buzzards. Continuing on, we'll make a stop for the very localised Short-toed Lark before reaching the Zempln Hills and our hotel at Komlska - home for the next three nights. Simply put, the Zempln Hills are truly beautiful and are set in a quiet, forested landscape with mosaics of small peaks, forested slopes and beautiful river valleys, dotted with tiny villages and castles. Oak and beech woods clad the northern slopes, coniferous forests cover the tops, and the wineries of the famous Tokaj wine stretch out to the south.
One of the key birds here is the beautiful Ural Owl, which usually nests in old Goshawk nests. To see this secretive species, we will make a special excursion to the older forest region with Zoltn Petrovics - a man who knows more about Ural Owls in this part of the World than anybody else! The region also boasts good populations of Eastern Imperial, Lesser Spotted, Golden and Short-toed Eagles, Goshawk and Hobby. Woodpeckers also feature and should include the highly localised White-backed and Grey-headed and we also have an excellent chance of seeing Syrian Woodpecker. The dry thickets and hillsides support Serin, Northern Wheatear, Woodlark, Red-backed Shrike, Black Redstart and Common Nightingale. Local quarries are not without their ornithological attractions and here we can find Rock Thrush, Bee-eaters and the mighty Eagle Owl. Adding even more diversity are the floodplains of the River Bodrog which are home to Grasshopper, River, Barred and Marsh Warblers as well as ‘rasping’ Corncrakes.
Day 8 Saturday 18 May 2013
After some early morning birding we sadly have to leave this remarkable area and head back to Budapest where we take an afternoon flight back to London Heathrow.
Holiday Information
2013 Operating Dates
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Sat 11th May
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Sat 18th May
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COST
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£1595
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Single Supplement
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£150
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DEPOSIT
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£300
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Group Size - maximum 12 travellers
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Need more Information?
No problem! We'd be delighted to discuss this holiday with you.
Please call us on 01950 422483 or drop us an e mail.
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