Hungary & Slovakia – Eastern Europe at its Very Best
19 – 28 May 2010
- Price per person £1250 (provisional)
- Deposit per person £300 (provisional)
- Suggested flights: The low cost airline Easyjet runs daily flights to Budapest from London Gatwick and Luton. Ryanair run a service from Liverpool, Jet2 from Manchester and Wizz from Luton.
Our tour takes in two superb Eastern European birding destinations, Hungary and Slovakia, two countries which compliment and yet contrast each other very well. In Hungary we visit the grasslands and fishponds of the Hortobagy and the woodland slopes of the Zemplen Hills. In Slovakia we explore the Volovske Mountains and the karst landscapes of the Slovensky Kras National Park. Of course, we will also visit numerous sites in-between these great areas as we go.
Eastern Hungary is largely flat and dominated by the grasslands (puszta) and farmlands of the Great Plain. Special birds here include Saker Falcon, Eastern Imperial Eagle, colonies of Red-footed Falcons, Long-legged Buzzard, Great Bustard, Stone Curlew, Roller and Lesser Grey Shrike. Large fishfarms and their adjacent marshes and reedbeds host a rich range of breeding and passage wildfowl, herons, egrets, crakes, terns and warblers.
The Hortobagy National Park is also home to a key population of the endangered Aquatic Warbler. In sharp contrast to this Slovakia is essentially a land of mountains. This tour takes in two of the country's eastern ranges, the heavily forested Volovske, an area largely unknown to "western" birders and the lower, karstic, more open, Slovensky kras.
All ten European woodpecker species are possible on this tour and indeed, some of them, such as Black Woodpecker, occur in most of the areas we visit. We will also visit specific habitats for two rarer species White-backed and Three-toed Woodpeckers. Hazel Hen is not uncommon in Slovakia and we will search for this much sought after bird, too. Forest owls will also be on the agenda as Pygmy, Ural and Tengmalm’s Owls are resident.
Day 1
The tour starts at Budapest Ferihegy Airport. From here we head by road (about 3 hours) to Tokaj. We will make a roadside stop for raptors, including Eastern Imperial Eagle, on the way. After checking into our hotel there will be the option to visit any nearby active Eagle Owl sites.
Night in Tokaj
Day 2
Today we explore the Zemplen Hills. This is rolling country rather than montane, blanketed in forests and dotted with pastures, vineyards and orchards. We will spend the day making short drives to key spots interspersed with short walks. Raptors include Short-toed Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle and Honey Buzzard.
There are several Bee-eater colonies and most villages have nesting White Storks. Red-backed Shrike, Barred Warbler, Collared Flycatcher, Wryneck, Common Nightingale, Cuckoo, Golden Oriole and Hawfinch are all fairly common. Local woodpeckers include Black, Grey-headed, Syrian and Middle Spotted.
Night in Tokaj
Day 3
After breakfast we drive north for about one hour to cross the border into Slovakia and then on a short way to the little known gem of the Volovske Mountains. Here we will make several forest walks along marked trails in areas good for our target birds. We will need to walk several miles and almost certainly be the only birders here.
These rugged mountains are blanketed in mature beech forests where White-backed, Lesser Spotted, Grey-headed and Black Woodpeckers all reside. Areas of mixed forest are home to Hazel Hen, Pygmy Owls and Ural Owls, whilst Tengmalm's Owl prefers the old spruce-larch-pine stands. Songbirds include Crested and Willow Tits, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Common Crossbill and Ring Ouzel.
Night in Ranc Sugov
Day 4
Today we will concentrate on finding some of the more difficult forest species, those we may have not seen yesterday. It will be a day of longish walks in some fine mature stands. If it is a good owl year we will visit some breeding territories in the company of a local guide who will have done his best to stake-out the key owls in advance of our visit.
Areas of mature conifer are the home of Three-toed Woodpecker and we will spend time tracking down this rather tricky species. Other birds here include Nutcracker. Besides forest birds we will scan the skies for Black Stork and birds of prey. These forests are also home to large mammals such as Brown Bear and Wolf. Although they are very difficult to catch a glimpse of we may well come across the tracks and signs they leave.
Night in Ranc Sugov
Day 5
Today we drive south to the Slovensky Kras Narodny Park, the Slovak Karst National Park, passing through areas with Lesser Spotted Eagle. The best limestone habitats in the country are here as well as fine oak-hornbeam-beech woods.
All in all, the terrain here is more Mediterranean-like, more rolling and gentle, than the places visited in previous days. Slovensky Kras offers us additional chances of some of the woodpeckers and owls, in case we missed any on previous days. Middle Spotted and Syrian Woodpeckers are particularly common here.
Night in Roznava
Day 6
Today we will continue in the various habitats of this scenic National Park. There is an impressive gorge, Zadielska Dolin, as well as meadows, pastures, hill-steppe, limestone pavement, stream valleys and scrubby hillsides. Birds of prey here include Eastern Imperial Eagle, Honey Buzzard, Goshawk and Saker.
Eagle Owl is another possibility whilst Black Redstart, Wood Warbler, Collared Flycatcher, Woodlark and Rock Bunting are fairly common. With a little luck we may also find Rock Thrush. This is also an excellent area for bats, butterflies and moths. There will also be an optional evening excursion for Nightjar and owls.
Night in Roznava
Day 7
Today we cross back into Hungary and leave the uplands and enter the very flat lowland of the Great Plain. We will stop as the roadside birds demand. Crossing the River Tisza we will soon start to encounter typical Hungarian lowland species such as Crested Lark, the blue-headed race of Yellow Wagtail, Lesser Grey Shrike, Corn Bunting and probably our first Rollers and Red-footed Falcons.
Our final destination today will be the fabulous Hortobagy region, much of which is a National Park.
Night at Hortobagy
Days 8 & 9
We have two full days in this justifiably famous birding region. The grasslands of eastern Hungary, called the puszta, are perhaps most famed for their Great Bustards and we will spend time in search of these magnificent birds. Other puszta birds include Grey Partridge, Common Quail, Tawny Pipit, Crested Lark, Corn Bunting, the blue-headed race of Yellow Wagtail, Little Owl, Stone Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Roller and Lesser Grey Shrike. Raptors include Long-legged Buzzard, Montagu’s Harrier, Saker and Red-footed Falcons which nest in colonies and are often very photogenic. A few wet grasslands are home to Aquatic Warbler and we will visit the best site in the company of a ranger. On our travels we will also no doubt come across the special livestock of the Hortobagy such as the mangalica (a woolly pig) and long-horned Hungarian Grey Cattle whose grazing is part of the habitat management of the area. Numerous large fishpond systems in the area are alive with birds.
We can expect to find Pygmy Cormorant, Red-necked and Black-necked Grebes, Great White and Little Egrets, Squacco, Night and Purple Herons, Common and Little Bitterns, Spoonbill, Yellow-legged and Caspian Gulls, Bluethroat (white-spotted race), Penduline and Bearded Tits, Icterine, Moustached, Marsh, Savi's and Great Reed Warblers and hordes of Whiskered Terns. The Hortobagy also has some marshes and smaller brackish lakes with Garganey, Ferruginous Duck, Black and in some years colonies of White-winged Black Terns. Collared Pratincole can be uncommon, but we will visit any areas where they have been reported. Water Rail and Little Crake will almost certainly call and may even show.
Nights at Hortobagy
Day 10
Optional birding before breakfast. After breakfast we will visit sites to search for any species that may have been missed in the proceeding days or those we may want to see again. Later we head for Budapest airport (about 2.5 hours) or to your hotel in Budapest if you are staying on, where the tour ends.
The cost is based on 2 persons sharing twin/double rooms which have en-suite facilities. Single rooms are available available for an additional supplement of £150 per person. Breakfast is included. The services of local guides, rangers and drivers and permit fees are also included.
This tour is run in partnership with our friends at Probirder, experts in Eastern European birding.
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