Red Squirrel

I could hear a few calls of Syrian Woodpecker in our garden, through the bathroom window, so I stepped out to look. A female was in the big robinia tree, pecking away, chipping away. Then I noticed some movement in the bushes below and spied a Red Squirrel. That's the first one I have ever seen in our garden though actually, they are not uncommon here in Buda. For example, my kids see them regularly in their school yard.

Bargain Birding Tours in 2008

Next year is going to be another busy year of guiding for me. My agenda is already pretty full with tours for companies, clubs, couples and individuals already inked in, and I am not finished with 2007 yet! My own budget, bargain, birding tours for 2008 include:
HUNGARY 14th-17th February (rare geese, raptors and Great Bustards, maybe Wallcreeper)
ROMANIA 23rd-30th August (Danube Delta, wonderful)
POLAND 25th-31st October (birds and large mammals)
These trips are all definitely running, just one of two places left on each, so if you are tempted, then drop me a line pretty soon.

Rosalia longicorn

I am almost sure this is going to be a new one for you... I was in the Bukk Hills in NE Hungary the other day, a quick trip to check a nice beechwood out. Crawling along a rotting fallen log was a long-horned beetle, a rosalia longicorn. There are hundreds of species of long-horned beetles (Cerambycidae) and their larvae are experts at nibbling into tree-bark and timber in mature forests, a habit which does not endear them to foresters, but woodpeckers just love them, especially White-backeds and Three-toeds. In their adult stage many long-horned beetles are large, attractive insects with males in particular sporting impressive long antennae. The beech forests of the region (such as the one in the Bukk I visited) are home to rosalia longicorn (Rosalia alpina) a really handsome member of the family with its light blue body, legs and antennae all dotted with black. Though both sexes have long antennae those of males, at between 3-4cm long, are twice the length of their body. No photo, sorry, but Google the name and I'm sure it will be on the net somewhere.

Tchik, Tchik

For once the first woodpecker I heard this morning in the garden, from the balcony, was NOT a Syrian. No, as I stepped out I heard the sharp, harsh tchik, tchik of a Great Spotted Woodpecker coming from the hazel that borders the neighbouring garden. I suppose this call, one of its most regular and familiar calls, could be written as chick, chick or even kik, kik ... much is in the ear of the beholder. It takes a little time to differentiate this call from a similar one made by Syrian, which is softer, less sharp, less harsh, but after a while, having heard both species regularly, one gets one's ear in.

Quiz woodpeckers

I have been working steadily on my new WOODPECKER BLOG. I have got a lot of basic info down, and plenty of fine photos from all over Europe. Now I have started to include photos of "quiz" woodpeckers, that is, so-called "mystery bird" photos. Actually, the ones I have uploaded so far are not that difficult to ID to species, though getting sex and ages right has been harder. I will add a few more tricky ones in the next few weeks. Please take a look: http://woodpeckersofeurope.blogspot.com/

Common Cranes

The mass migration of Common Cranes (Grus grus) through eastern Hungary will soon be starting. In fact, the first few early arrivals are here, joining the few that now oversummer. Numbers will really start to build up as October gets underway. In recent years over 70,000 cranes have ended up resting and feeding in the east of Hungary, mainly in the Hortobagy region. A great sight indeed, but the noise they make often impresses people, too, sometimes more so than the spectacle. October is going to be a very busy month for me and my team of birding guides. We have groups, families and individuals to show around and most want to see the Cranes... but we won't neglect the other birds, geese, ducks, Great Bustards, Saker, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Black Woodpecker, etc, etc... There is still a little time for you to get over here and on board to see all this wonderful stuff, but if you are tempted please get in touch very soon.

Kiskunsag again

I went to the Kiskunsag again for a day, this time guiding a keen birder from San Diego in Southern California. It was interesting to compare the sightings from two consecutive days. More or less the same number of species, the 2 Rollers we saw in the same places as the day before, the Great Bustards more or less in the same spots but the Monday Red-footed Falcons half a mile away from the Sunday ones, and more of them! An addition yesterday was two White-tailed Eagles, one adult, later one immature. Another difference was that yesterday we really struggled to see Bearded Tits! Though they called and called, they would not show themselves... finally a male did, but it was hard work. Maybe because this was one of the species that my guest really wanted to see? You know, Murphy's law and all that? Or is it some other kind of law?