Month: May 2011

We spent eight days (six full and two half) with the Travelling Naturalists group in the Zemplén Hills and the Hortobágy during the last week of May. We recorded well over 170 species during this time, with all 9 species of woodpeckers, Ural and Eagle Owl, Eastern Imperial, Lesser Spotted, Golden, White-tailed and Short-toed Eagles amongst others.

Lesser Spotted Eagle                                            Photo: Simay Gábor

We managed a good list of different warbler species with close and prolonged views of River and Moustached warblers as well, while a confiding male Little Crake fed just a few meters away for several minutes.

Singing River Warbler                                             Photo: Simay Gábor

Male Little Crake                                                     Photo: Simay Gábor

Besides the breeding and more regular migrant species, this time we also recorded a mega raritiy – not just to Hungary, but to Europe as a whole – a beautiful  breeding-plumaged Sharp-tailed Sandpiper! Fantastic!

Sakertour team

Amazingly the northern Hortobágy site: Rókás is still producing more rarities. There has been a Pectoral Sandpiper as well as a Terek Sandpiper in addition to the Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and the Buff-breasted Sandpipers.For more information please visit rarebirds.hu!

Pectoral Sandpiper                                                                                         Photo: János Oláh

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper                                                          Photo: János Oláh

The two rare waders in the same field of view!                                                  Photo: János Oláh

Sakertour team

In the last couple of days an amazing number of rare birds were found on the Hortobágy. The best one was a first for the Carpathian Basin (and Hungary) – a summer plumaged Sharp-tailed Sandpiper. It was found by our team member János Tar (aka ´Mannu´). Congratulations! This fantastic bird was seen by visiting birdwatching groups such as the Travelling Naturalist tour and by the Terres Oublies tour as well.

Sharp-tailed Sandpiper (bottom left)                                       Photo: János Oláh

The following day the sharpy was joined by Hungary´s first ever spring Buff-breasted Sandpiper, which is also only the 10th record of the species in the Carpathian Basin. This was found by Tamás Zalai another of our team members.

Buff-breasted Sandpiper                                                                                 Photo: János Oláh

In addition to these a Dalmatian Pelican, a subadult Pallas´s Gull (Great Black-headed Gull), Cattle Egret and Ruddy Shelduck were also seen at the remarkable wetland of Rókás in the Northern Hortobágy.

Sakertour team

Please take a look at our growing photo-gallery of the 2011 Wild Images photo-tour on the Birdquest facebook page!

Bee-eater male giving a present to female               Photo: János Oláh

The Wild Images tour had fantastic weather and a great selection birds from our hide network. About 93 species were seen from the hides and a good portion were captured on memory cards too! Favorites were mating Rollers and Red-footed Falcons, Hoopoe flight shots, Bee-eaters, a wide range of waterbirds and woodpeckers (Black and Middle Spotted)!

The gallery is coming to our Facebook page soon but a few images can already be seen in our hide gallery and below!

There is one or two places left for the 2012 tour!

Ferruginous Duck  Photo: János Oláh

Red-footed Falcon Photo: János Oláh

Pygmy Cormorant Photo: János Oláh

Hoopoe Photo: János Oláh

Sakertour team

Our Wild Images partner photo-tour from U.K is well underway. It started with a rainy day but ever since it has been fantastic and so have all the hides and birds!

A gallery of the tour will be soon available on our Facebook page!

Bee-eater is a great photo subject in May and June                                       Photo: János Oláh

Sakertour team

Our friend and client Richard Smith has been back to the Zemplén Hills for a few days before he starts his photo-tour with us later this May. He had a wonderful time yet again and you can read more about his experience here.

Amongst the many highlights was a stunning Ural Owl. It is probably the worst breeding year for the species in the last 25 years so it has been very difficult to see. It is still possible with Sakertour though!

Ural Owl in the Zemplén Hills 2011 May (courtesy of Richard Smith)

Sakertour team

Our friends at Shetland Wildlife have just finished their pho-tour and now back with a birding group! This is a week birding in the World Heritage Hortobágy National Park and the World Heritage Tokaj Region of Hungary (Zemplén Hills).

Check out the tour itinerary here.

Watch this space to see how it went!

Black-necked Grebe in the Hortobágy in May 2011!   Photographer: János Oláh

Sakertour team

Our friend Roger Barnes returned for a Hungary & Transylvania tour in May 2011. This is one of our classic tours nowadays with a wide range of interesting birds and also Brown Bears in the Carpathian mountains. This year tour was no exception, the group had a wonderful time and lots of birds! Great Bustard, Wallcreeper, Rock Thrush and Ural Owl was just a few of the highlights!

Please visit the BirdHolidays webpage for their next tour to Hungary!

Wallcreeper in Transylvania                                                                        Photo: Gabriella Tóth

Sakertour Team

Our friend Hugh Harrop took a devoted group of bird photographers to Hungary in 2011. The weather was perfect and the activity around the hides was brilliant! They even managed to break the total number of species in a single day at our drinking hide with an outstanding 32 species seen & photographed in a single day! The Red-footed Falcon and the shorebird hides were also very popular!

For a selection of images from the tour click here. If you like to join Hugh next year book early!

Male Red-footed Falcon

Breeding-plumaged male Ruff!

Drake Ferruginous Duck

Nightingale

All images by Hugh Harrop!

Sakertour team

During the last week of April we had a memorable three days in the Translylvanian mountains. The main aim of this trip was to take photos of Brown Bears. In two evenings we saw and photograhed no less than five bears – some big males and some smaller youngsters as well. Some of them were only a few dozen meters away, which was an unforgetable experience. 

Brown Bear in the Carpatians                                                                      Photo: Simay Gábor

Beside the bears there were a lot of birds to watch, such as Lesser Spotted and Golden Eagles, Marsh Sandpipers, Thrush Nightingale, Rock Bunting and a beautiful pair of Rufous-tailed Rock Thrushes.

Female Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush                                                              Photo: Simay Gábor

Sakertour team