Month: February 2015

Dear Photographers!

We have just uploaded the May dates for the 2016 season for our Danube Delta tours. As usual the group size limit is 4 person for the 8 days 'Danube Delta and Dobrudja Bird Photography Tour in Spring' and it will fill up quickly.

Please take a look at the tour itinerary and look at the galleries of the tour.

If you would like to book any of these tours, you can do it HERE.

Glossy Ibis in the Danube Delta in May 2014 by tour participant Richard Steel.

Fighting Common Terns in the Danube Delta in May 2014 by tour participant Richard Steel.

Sakertour team

It came as a great Valentine's Day suprise when the Birdline reported a Snowy Owl in western Hungary. The bird was found by Baráth Tamás in the village of Bóly as it was perched on a house. Later more birders has arrived to confirm the observation (the founder was not a birder – great thanks for him to report it to local birders) and then the news was broadcasted.

The bird flew off west from the original place and has been relocated by arriving birders on a different house on the edge of town. It was perched at this location until 17:20 when it was last seen to fly out of the settlement.

A handful of birders managed to arrive in time to see this much sough-after rarity. The last officially accepted record dates back to 1891. There were a few undocumented observations in the 20th century but lately none of these were accepted by the Hungarian Rarity Commitee. In the Carpathian Basin there are also several observations from Slovakia but none of those were documented either.

So all in all this is the first fully documented observation of the species in Hungary and the Carpathian Basin for 124 years.

No doubt it was a very special treat and a great luck to see this magnificent bird in Hungary.

Snowy Owl at Bóly, Hungary 14th of February 2015 (Photo:János Oláh).

Snowy Owl at Bóly, Hungary 14th of February 2015 (Photo:János Oláh).

Snowy Owl at Bóly, Hungary 14th of February 2015 (Photo:János Oláh).

János Oláh