The Hortobagy - Cranes, Geese and Owls

As is tradition, together with birding pals Gareth, Dan and Johnny, a plot was hatched for an October birding trip. Rather than the usual east coast escapade, we agreed upon something a little different, yet potentially still very rewarding - a trip overseas to Hungary and to the Hortobagy National Park, with the lure or large numbers of Geese, Cranes and several other specialities.

So early morning on Saturday 22/10, having all stayed the night at Stansted, we set off. Dan and I decided on just the 4 days (Saturday to Tuesday), while Gareth and Johnny would do the full week.

The journey all went smoothly and after sorting our car hire (a jazzy red Nissan Juke), we grabbed some provisions from a local supermarket and left the Budapest suburbs behind us, heading roughly south to find some decent-looking habitat. A roadside Great Grey Shrike was a good start, one of a few brief stops where we also picked up Crested Lark and a few common bits and bobs for the trip list.

We stopped in an area of farmland, reedy bits and rough grassland just SE of the small settlement of Bugyi, which ended up producing a really nice selection of birds.

A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker immediately gave good flight views as it went over our heads, flying up from a nearby reedy ditch, where a Stonechat in evidence. At least 5 Hen Harrier were quartering the general area, including a 2w? male, that Gareth and I flushed from the edge of the track. Other notables included calling Penduline Tit, a flyover immature White-Tailed Eagle, a Great Grey Shrike, fly through Merlin, a couple of distant Crane flocks, Kingfisher and Snipe. Dan and Johnny also saw a late Hobby, hunting Goshawk and a juvenile Eastern Imperial Eagle.

Being now mid afternoon, it was time to make progress east, still being a couple of hours from our accommodation. The journey produced plenty of Buzzards, however standout highlights were a couple of adult Eastern Imperial Eagle on some roadside pylons, quickly followed by a Saker Falcon in flight. Exciting stuff and double lifers for me!

Light was fading as we got close to the accommodation, near the town of Hajduszoboszlo. However, there was still time to take in a few Crane at closer quarters in roadside fields, as well as a brief Woodcock, Stonechat, Gadwall and Great White Egret. At our accommodation, both Little and Tawny Owl were also heard. 

Day 2

The day began with much anticipation, however team morale took a bit of a hit with the sight of thick fog as dawn broke. Still, we persisted and headed out along the track some 200m to check out the large, nearby fishponds.

A few things seen, but we were predictably hampered by the fog. Birds included several Caspian Gulls, flyover Dunlin, Curlew, calling Penduline Tit, Marsh Harrier and a squealing Water Rail. Walking back to the house, brought a group of Woodlark, seen only by Dan & Johnny. We all though got onto the first Syrian Woodpecker of the trip, a vocal bird in trees dead opposite the house, on the opposite bank of the water channel. The trip had barely begun and I already had x3 lifers!

Searching the Hortobagy plains was a no no in this weather, so we decided to try Hortobagy village itself, in case any roosting Long-Eared Owls were about in the centre of the village. This didn't work out exactly as planned, however would help us out big time! On arrival we were greeted by good views of at least 3 Black Redstarts including a cracking male - something I've not seen for years. No owls were to be found, however we luckily bumped into a couple of Maltese birders, Johnny had previously met sometime ago on another European birding trip. They gave us some solid gen for roosting LEOs in a town called Balmazujvaros some 20 mins away, as well as directions for an excellent area for Geese nearby. Needless to say we headed there next!

On route, we were distracted by a swarm of White-Fronted Geese, Greylag Geese and Cranes. They were a little too far away to grill them properly, however Johnny skillfully picked out a Saker which landed in an adjacent ploughed field.

As the goose site was just before we reached Balmazujvaros, we gave this a go first - conveniently a roadside viewing tower provided ideal views, even if it was still pretty murky! There was indeed a lot of geese, though majority were rather distant out in the gloom. We couldn't pick out anything notable amongst the swathes of White-Fronts and Greylags, although it was encouraging to see a good number of juveniles - it appears to have been a good breeding year! Crane numbers here were very impressive, with regular groups going over, as well as a good number grounded out on the marshy areas.

There was a huge sea of Mallard - more than I think I've ever seen before! Smaller numbers of Teal, Wigeon and Shovelers were also to be seen, while the only wader was a lone, flyover Ruff, as well as a few Lapwing.

Raptors were well represented with 2 White-Tailed and 2 Eastern Imperial Eagles, fly-through Peregrine and Sparrowhawk. My highlight though, was a juvenile Goshawk hastling a flock of Feral Pigeons across the road, over some farm buildings.

Next up...the owls! We arrived at the fairly non-descript cul-de-sac and parked up in great anticipation. We didn't have to wait long as there, next to the car, in a tall spruce were a lovely pair of orange eyes looking back at us - Long Eared Owl!

As it turned out, this was one of 4 in this tree and we hadn't even looked at THE tree yet! This held even better numbers with double figures and one particular owl super close above our heads, looking down as we quietly watched from below - absolutely magic! Another tree further into the garden held at least another 9 while another tree held at least 2 so approximately 25 minimum LEOs!

To finish things off - a vocal Syrian Woodpecker sat on top of a nearby spruce 'clipping' away, allowing far better views that the one earlier on.

Buoyed by the owlfest, we decided to have another crack at the geese from a different angle, on the south east side of the town. After grabbing some crisps from a local shop to keep us going, we found a a good spot to view the geese, albeit at some distance again. This soon paid off as Gareth picked out our first Red-Breasted Geese of the trip, with two together amongst the masses.

We moved onto the road heading east out of town where we spent some time at the roadside picking through the geese again, in an increasingly chilly breeze. Initially, it was all about the Cranes, as we were treated to wave after coming in, directly over our heads with the air filled with there bugling calls and squeaky juveniles. An amazing spectacle! 

Our first Pintail of the trip cruised in from up high, while several Curlew were closeby. It was then that I got onto two seemingly different geese at some distance. Zooming in at x60 with the scope, they stood out as a shade darker, together with a shorter-billed appearance. It then became clear there was a striking white blaze behind the bill - they were adult Lesser White-Fronted Geese; one of our main targets! I got Dan on them to confirm I wasn't going mad - this was swiftly followed with a high five as he peered down the scope. Bingo!

We all got onto them and watched them for a while, before they melted away, so we agreed to finish the day at the Viragoskut Fishponds, for hopefully more Cranes coming into roost and perhaps something else.

Having added Brambling on route, it was a pleasant hour and half ish at Viragoskut Fishponds, particularly as the sun decided to make a short appearance late in the day. Good numbers of Cranes were in the area, with waves of flocks coming past and a couple of large flocks viewable in distant fields, spied from up high on the viewing tower.

Other birds seen were a trickle of Caspian Gulls, the odd Yellow-Legged Gull and first Common Gulls of the trip, all coming into the vast lake to roost. Up to 4 Marsh Harriers were also cruising about.

Day 3

Already in what seemed like no time, it was the last full day for Dan and I! Thankfully the fog had not returned and so we all agreed it was ideal to head across to the Hortobagy plain itself, or puszta, to look for Great Bustards and raptors, north west out of Nádudvar.

It was a lovely still, crisp clear morning, ideal conditions! The road gradually became a track as we headed past a few farms and out onto the plain. We were soon greeted by good numbers of Tree Sparrows and Corn Buntings. The Corn  Buntings in particular afforded some nice views from the car.

We parked up in a likely area and had a good scan. A ringtail Hen Harrier was soon picked out, as well as a distantly-perched Eagle and a flighty bunch of some 30 Golden Plover. Scrutiny of the plovers revealed a smaller, greyer individual that caught our eye. It soon became clear, particularly after Dan and then all of us walked over for a closer look, that this was likely one of the two Lesser Golden Plover species. Dan was pretty convinced he caught sight of a dusky underwing and given the grey appearance, prominent supercilium and apparent smaller and slender appearance, I was veering toward American Golden, however it was still very distant and just impossible to be 100% certain unfortunately. As it turns out, an American Golden Plover was reported in the general area on 21/10 so looks the most likely candidate.

We failed to find any Bustards here and so moved our way along the track, stopping every now and then for a scan, until the track petered out to nothing. Birds encountered included Great Grey Shrike, a smart juvenile Eastern Imperial Eagle sat in a field, more Corn Buntings, Skylark and Meadow Pipit. It was generally very quiet to be honest! We slowly made our way back along the track and decided to try the area from a different track and angle from the other side. This didn't quite go to plan as the track we wanted was closed, however we did encounter another 3 Hen Harrier (including a smart male), another Great Grey Shrike, juv White Tailed Eagle, Crested Larks, calling Bearded Tit and best of all, an adult Rough-Legged Buzzard (pic below).

Our quest for Bustard had drawn a blank and so it was a time for a change of scenery. We decided on some fishponds that had recently held a Pacific Golden Plover.

On the way there were plenty of raptors on the wing with distant Hen Harrier and both eagles species noted. We then had a brilliant stop near Hortobagy to take in 100s of Geese put up by a couple of roaming immature White-Tailed Eagles. While the geese dispersed, it then became apparent that there were more than two eagles about - in fact 7 White-Tailed and 2 Eastern Imperials all in the air together. Truly an amazing sight!! A Peregrine also joined these magnificent beasts for a short while.

The fishponds at Fenyes-to held plenty of Great White Egrets, Grey Herons and Caspian Gulls. The further down the track we went however, it became more and more deeply rutted and so Gareth had to skillfully reverse the car for some distance to turn the car around before we reached where we were looking to get to. Thankfully he nailed it! Yellowhammer, 3 flyover Penduline Tit, a Clouded Yellow and 2-3 White-Tailed Eagle were seen while this was going on!

We did in the end give some of the complex better scrutiny, back near the entrance. Here we picked up our first Pygmy Cormorant, a lifer for 3 of us. Other birds noted included Bearded and Penduline Tit, several Curlew, Teal, Tufted Duck, a Great Crested Grebe and a juv Whitefront.

We finished the day at the very large, nearby fishponds at Arkus. The track came to an end and so we had to walk the final c400m or so into the heart of the site which with any luck would have some lakes drawn down to provide some wader habitat. On getting out of the car, we were treated to a group of 4 Hen Harrier circling around closeby, including 3 males - what a sight that was, as were the 3-4 immature White Tailed Eagles cruising around too!

The walk down to the fishponds or rather huge lakes brought a Black Redstart, plus a few Gadwall and Great Crested Grebe. We then saw our first 2 Ferruginous Duck, as well as a good-sized flock of Pochard. As we'd hoped, one of the lakes, had indeed been drawn down, creating one enormous mudflat -  and there were indeed lots of distant waders to go through. These included 1 Black-Tailed Godwit, several Ruff and Grey Plover, c10 Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Ruff and a few Snipe. 

A Red Fox put in a brief appearance, while some more good views of White-Tailed Eagle were had, including a cracking adult. Other birds here and on the way back to the car included Bearded Tit, Chiffchaff, first Canada Geese of the trip, Little Grebe, Great White Egrets, a Fieldfare, calling Water Rail and Marsh Harrier. On the drive back to the house, we encountered an amazing flock of quite literally 1000s of Crane in a roadside field in near darkness - incredible sight and very distracting when behind the wheel!

Day 4

Already, the final day of the trip had arrived for Dan and I - sad times! The plan was to go back for the owls, perhaps a bit of a look again at some geese and then hopefully have a nose at one or two sites on the way to the airport, in time for our early evening flight.

As it turned out, the morning weather decided to not play ball and we were greeted by the dreaded fog again! Still, we headed for the Long-eared Owls and again enjoyed another special encounter. Interestingly several were in exactly the same spots as before. A bin lorry appeared right under THE tree and unfortunately flushed 3 of the owls which scattered across some gardens to some other, hopefully less disturbed spruce. A couple of Syrian Woodpeckers also put on a good show here.

The fog was just too dense to do any goosing so we made the decision to crack on W/SW towards a promising wetland site called Kaba-földesi gyepek, that had relatively recently held a Sociable Plover. A wrong turn and a couple of brief Rough-Legged Buzzards later and we had a arrived at what looked like a very promising site indeed - full of birds!

After a short initial scan, we made our way a short distance to a viewing tower and began searching through the masses of Wildfowl and waders. New birds for the trip were soon added with a decent-sized flock of Avocet and a fly-by Water Pipit. Gareth did very well to pick out a couple of Tundra Bean Geese and I was chuffed to dig out 2 Red-Breasted Geese in amongst the 100s of White-Fronts and Greylags.

Dan then picked out 'the big one', getting onto a/the Sociable Lapwing in flight with a group of Lapwing, distantly on the far side of the site. After a frustrating wait I eventually got onto it when again, the flock were disturbed by a White-Tailed Eagle. It went onto show a bit better thereafter, albeit again, a long way off on the far side with the Lapwing flock. Appalling phone-scoped pic below!

Other birds on site included a 1w Little Gull, several White-Tailed and 1-2 juv Eastern Imperial Eagle, a couple of Black Redstart, Pintail, Spotted Redshank, excellent number of Ruff, a perched Peregrine, Dunlin and Snipe. A brilliant place but after a good couple of hours, we had to drag ourselves away and hit the road again in order to get to the airport on time.

There was though time for one last short stop, scanning a large, open farmland landscape at Kecskeri puszta, a short way off the main road. Ringtail Hen Harrier, a White-Tailed Eagle, a very distant Rough-Legged Buzzard, a couple of Great Grey Shrike, Crested Lark and good numbers of Buzzards were the best. Not bad for a random stop!  

The last decent bird(s) were a couple of Eastern Imperial Eagles in a similar spot to the first day's journey, again sat up on pylons, seen from the motorway. That then drew the trip to an end for both Dan and I, with Johnny and Gareth then heading back to the Hortobagy for another few days.

A successful trip really with 6 lifers - Lesser White Fronted Goose, Saker, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Syrian Woodpecker, Pygmy Cormorant and Sociable Lapwing and a total of 110 species. Missing out on Great Bustard was a shame and better views of Lesser Whitefront would've been nice, but you can't have it all!

The fog was a pain and would hamper Johnny and Gareth a bit for the rest of the week too - but when you go for such a short trip, you're always at the mercy of the weather I guess. Some fantastic birding is to be had though and the numbers of Cranes and geese in particular were spectacular, the numbers of raptors was pretty impressive too, losing count of how many Hen Harrier, Eastern Imperial and White-Tailed Eagles seen during the 4 days. Finally, the Long-Eared Owls were just unforgettable - for the right reasons!