Saturday, May 10, 2008

HUNGARIAN BIRD FESTIVAL... birds

I have just finished guiding birders who participated in the HUNGARIAN BIRD FESTIVAL, organised by WILDWINGS, UK and based on the Hortobagy. We recorded 185 species which is a great total. Highlights included... Montagu's Harriers displaying, around 10 different Eastern Imperial Eagles, 6 Sakers, 3 close Lesser Spotted Eagles, a superb hunting Long-legged Buzzard, masses of Red-footed Falcons, Little Crake, daily Great Bustards, a vagrant Terek Sandpiper, Collared Pratincoles, a confiding Ural Owl, daily Wrynecks and Syrian Woodpeckers, about 5 Black Woodpeckers, Aquatic Warblers... etc, etc, etc. The group voted Red-footed Falcon the "bird of the trip"... a deserved "winner" as besides being a cracking bird, it it also is very much a bird of eastern Hungary's lowlands, a real typical "puszta" species.

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