As a boarder at ‘prep’ school I could look forward to occasional Saturday evening entertainments. A conjurer maybe, history lecture or even a musical recital. This time it was to be a lantern slide show titled ‘The World of the Whitethroat’, based upon pre second World War visits to the Hungarian (Magyar) steppe lands. Dismal, faded, sepia tone pictures of pancake flat landscapes – endless, featureless and unbroken to a hazy horizon. Distant smudges in the sky were either flights of Cranes or Geese – then yet more Cranes. It mattered not; they all looked the same anyway! Finally came the ‘piece de resistance’, a small and indistinct bird in the middle of a thorn bush. Apparently it was a Whitethroat, and a ‘most fascinating species’ – whatever that was supposed to mean. However, worse was to come, our lady ornithologist threatened to return again very soon and take us on further ‘nature romps’ across the Magyar Plains. The lucky lads were those on detention and therefore unable to attend the entertainment. Well, after around 60 years I’ve just about forgiven the Whitethroat. In fact I’ve even taken a Naturetrek holiday to those fabled Hungarian steppes.
The Hortobagy National Park is a World Heritage Site that covers some 90,000 hectares (think three Black Isles and add some). There are two principle habitats. Firstly, the ‘puszta’ – vast semi-natural grasslands that seem to go on for ever. Here are occasional cattle farms, and isolated shepherds huts, also patches of thorny scrub and areas of wet sedge. Grazed by both sheep and herds of large Hungarian Grey cattle – handsome beasts of a breed centuries old. Both shepherds and herdsmen use small puli dogs to work their stock.
The other habitat consists of vast areas of reed beds and fishponds, alongside some impressive stretches of open water. Periodically (on a rotational basis) the fishponds are emptied when they then provide areas of rich mud that is attractive to a variety of waders. The whole landscape must resemble that of our own fens before they were drained in the 17th century. Here and there at Hortobagy are cultivated fields and mixed farms. The whole area is sympathetically managed by the Park service and its rangers. This National Park is no closed nature reserve – it is a working landscape, where agriculture and fish rearing is undertaken in a manner totally sympathetic to wildlife. Indeed, remove these activities and the environment would become much less attractive for birds, mammals, butterflies and a variety of other creatures. A situation we can only dream of for our own often industrially farmed landscape.
Cranes are the ‘jewel’ of an autumn visit to Hortobagy, and some years in excess of 60,000 have rested here during their journey to wintering grounds as far away as East Africa. Most of the day is spent on the grasslands, whilst the birds roost overnight in the safety of the reed beds. Some 45 minutes before sundown we position ourselves under their flight path. Skein after skein pass over – our guide estimated the evening total at perhaps 10,000 birds. It was magic to watch them flying into a beautiful rosy sunset, and. hear their constant trumpeting chorus as they make ready to settle for the night. Apart from the Cranes thousands of geese – mainly the eastern race of the Greylag, with lesser numbers of White-fronted and Bean Geese, either pass through or winter at Hortobagy, and were also present in some numbers.
Common Cranes by Paul Marshall
I could probably count my ‘Scottish’ Dotterel on the fingers of one hand. So, what a birding moment to see a group of 93 on the ‘puszta’. Mind you, they were a considerable distance from any track, and involved a very bumpy ‘off road’ drive to the location near an isolated shepherd’s hut. Most were in autumn dress, but the white crescents across the chests stood out distinctly.
Where the grasslands meet cultivated areas it is worth looking for Great Bustard – the heaviest flying birds in the world. The herd we watched were very variable in size, with some six fine male birds and a number of smaller hens. These birds take at least five years to reach their full size. Another desirable species from this habitat were small groups of Stone Curlew – with those big staring yellow eyes.
The Hortobagy has ‘raptor’skies. Almost common were White-tailed Eagles (the same bird as our Scottish ‘Sea Eagles’, but in a very different habitat). There were also records of fine Eastern Imperial Eagles, and both Hen and Marsh Harriers ‘patrolled’ the steppe lands and marshes. Elegant Saker Falcons prey on both birds and the Susleks (Ground Squirrels) that abound in Hortobagy.
On the wetlands were large groups of Pygmy Cormorants and Great Egrets also a few Ferruginous Ducks and Red-Crested Pochard plus all the ‘usual’ waterfowl. Top wader sighting was one of 100+ Spotted Redshank on a muddy bar. Smaller birds included Bearded and Penduline Tits as well as Great Grey Shrikes.
The second part of the holiday was spent in a totally contrasting location – the wooded foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Great stands of Oak, Beech and Hornbeam forest, broken here and there by grassy meadows. The whole was made especially attractive by the early autumn colours. This is woodpecker land, and some eight species were recorded, including the desirable Black and very scarce White-backed Woodpeckers. Then there were Goshawks and lovely little groups of 3-5 Hawfinches. The holiday produced a lengthy bird list, and in this ‘scree’ I’ve tried to cover the highlights.
Of course being October it was rather too late to hope for a Whitethroat – pity really as I think I deserved one!
Mike Strickland (tour particpant)
Mike travelled to Hungary on our Hungary in Autumn tour. For more details of this and other tours visit the Wildlife Holidays in Hungary page.