After a swift flight to Budapest we were met by Gabor and Andrea and set off
into the vast Hungarian landscape of grasses, fields and dry and wet forests.
Scarlet Poppies and fat purple nodding Thistles dotted the landscape.
We stopped first at the wet forest of Ocsa where the scent of Privet was heavy
in the air and Cardinals passed between blooms.
There were familiar woodland songs with Blackbirds, Song Thrushes,
Robins, Wren, Marsh Tits and Blackcaps but these were interspersed with the liquid
tone of Collared Flycatchers and rambling melodious Icterine Warblers. With
some patience we saw both species.
The
Middle Spotted Woodpeckers did not attend their nest and a Short-toed
Treecreeper was heard once we were back at the van. There were dragonflies too with Hairy Hawkers
and both Azure and Blue-tail Damselflies.
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| Privet |
 |
| Cardinal |
 |
| Green Veined White |
 |
| Hairy Hawker |
 |
| Comma |
 |
| Chalcosyrphus nemorum |
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| Anthidium
manicatum or similar |
 |
| Myathropa florea |
 |
| Pyrochroa serritacornis |
 |
Icterine Warbler
|
 |
| Stag Beetle |
Moving onto the plains of the Kiskunság Puszta
delivered with two Great Bustards, two Eastern Imperial Eagles, Short-toed
Eagles, hunting Saker, graceful male Montagu's Harrier, Hobby, Red-footed
Falcons, Red-backed Shrikes and Collared Pratincoles along with some cracking
butterflies.
 |
| Red-footed Falcon |
Med and Black-headed Gulls
hawked over the fields where Brown Hares lolloped and Roe Deer watched our
every move. Curious high pitched squeaking
came from the Sousliks in their burrows all around us and by watching the road
we saw a couple zipping back and forth like little sandy sausages; stopping
occasionally to stand up and survey for threatening raptors. Our first Roller was seen but better was to
come.
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| Med Gull - Neil Colgate |
 |
| Brown Hares |
 |
| Souslik in habitat shot... |
 |
| Migrant (Southern) Spreadwing |
 |
| Blue Featherleg |
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| Chestnut Heath |
 |
| Meadow Brown |
 |
| Large Skipper |
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| Green Underside Blue |
 |
| Small Heath |
 |
| Glanville Fritillary |
 |
| Queen of Spain Fritillary |
 |
| Queen of Spain Fritillary |
 |
| Silver Studded Blue |
 |
| Common Blue |
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| Small Heath |
 |
| Pale Clouded yellow |
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| Wild Clary |
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| Larkspur |
 |
| Woolley Thistle |
 |
| Galls on Elm |
 |
| Vervain with Honey Bee |
 |
| A Potentilla species I think |
Down the road we drowned in colour at Kunpuszta with wires and posts dripping
in Bee-eaters and Rollers which were joined by Turtle Doves, Wood Pigeons,
shiny Starlings, Cuckoos and Little Owls while Golden Orioles whistled and
Hoopoes probed the sandy paths where the Bee-eaters were digging tunnels in the
track sides.
 |
| Bee-eater |
 |
| Bee-eaters and Little Owl |
 |
| Bee-eaters, Rollers and Cuckoo |
 |
| Bee-eater |
 |
| Bee-eaters |
 |
| Roller |
 |
| Roller |
 |
| Bee-eaters and Roller |
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| Bee-eaters with nests in the path side |
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| Hoopoe |
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| Bee-eater - Neil Colgate |
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| Bee-eater - Neil Colgate |
 |
| Bee-eater - Neil Colgate |
 |
| Roller - Neil Colgate |
At Kondor Tanya we had a fine first dinner with our hosts and a short tour of
the gardens gave us Redstarts, Hawfinches and Golden Os outside and churring Nightjars,
three Scops and hooting Tawny Owls on a dusk time stroll with a Golden Jackal being
spooked by Clara the neighbours huge chocolate Labrador that came for a walk
with us. I also saw a cat in the horse
paddocks that felt and behaved very much like a Wild Cat. It pressed itself to the ground in the gloom
and then quickly belly crawled back into the woods.
 |
| Blood Vein |
 |
| Small Fan Footed Wave |
 |
Silver Y ish -
Names to come |
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