Birdwatching and thermal bathing in Hungary

The birdwatching during this tour is taken from early morning till 10 am and from 4 pm till sunset, avoiding the summer days’ hottest hours. During this midday break we visit the local SPAs where we can rest and relax after the morning tour and gather strength for the afternoon. Our birds are busy with breeding and taking care of young ones, while our green steppe turns into a golden yellow colour. At the end of the summer the first bigger flocks of storks are appearing and the birds are moving in increasingly large flocks in preparation for migration.

We meet at the Budapest Airport, and after a two hour drive we will arrive to Túrkeve, where your accommodation is located. After you have settled in we will go for lunch or dinner depending on the time to a local restaurant. If we have time we will have a walk around the town with our cameras and binoculars.

Birds in the garden of your accommodation often include Golden oriole, Red-backed shrike, Syrian Woodpecker and Nightingale.

We will visit the surrounding fishponds and the Kisújszállás SPA. We will observe the birds of the area’s swamps, marshes, lakes and reed beds. On the open water surfaces we are going to meet with Ferruginous ducks, Pochards, Mallards and Great-crested grebes. Whiskered, Black and Common terns will be dipping under the water's surface. Near the reed beds we can often hear the voice of the bittern and if we get lucky we can also spot quite a few of these secretive birds. The Purple, Night and Squacco herons, Little bitterns and Pygmy cormorants can be also spotted on these areas. If we are lucky we may find one or two of the Gull-billed tern, Mediterranean and Great black-headed gulls.

Today we will visit the world-famous Hungarian Puszta and also the famous Túrkeve SPA. During our trip we will visit different grasslands. It is likely we will come across Saker and Red-footed falcons, Kestrels, Hobbies and Imperial eagles. In the steppe Rollers, Hoppoes, Lesser grey and Red-backed shrikes are looking for prey. We will see Great bustards, with a bit of luck Short-toed Eagle and the secretive Stone curlew. In the barns we will see Barn and Little Owls.

We will visit the Great Bustard Reserve and the SPA in Dévaványa. You will learn about the Hungarian Great Bustard Conservation Programme. We will visit the Folklore Museum located within the Reserve and the surrounding birdwatching places. In the morning we will observe the Imperial eagle, Saker falcon, Short-eared owl, Great bustards and Hoopoe on the Puszta, whilst later that day we will visit the rice fields where herons, ducks and swamp warblers live and which provide good feeding sites for other birds as well. During our tours we are most likely to see Bearded and Penduline tits as well as Bluethroats.

We will explore the biggest reservoir and the nearby Puszta in our local area where we can admire Red-footed falcons, Hobbies, Corn buntings as well as Lesser grey and Red-backed shrikes. From the Puszta we drive to see a Bee-eater colony, where we can observe Sand martins as well. During the midday break we visit the Berekfürdő SPA, where we observe Great White egrets and Little bitterns. Whilst later that day we will visit the Lake Tisza, where we explore the lake with a boat. We will observe here Purple Heron, Night Herons, White winged black terns, Black terns, Ospray. In the evening we arrive to the Northen Hungarian mountains, where we spend the last two nignts. This evening after the dinner we will taste a wide selection of Hungarian wines in a cellar.

During our mountain trek we will do a little round trip in the Northern Hungarian Mountains. During the day with a bit of luck we can observe of the following birds: the Middle Spotted Woodpecker, the Grey-headed Woodpecker, the White-backed Woodpecker, the Marsh Tit, the Willow Tit, the Raven and Lesser Spoted Eagle . On the rocks we will look for Eagle Owl, Rock Buntings. In the evening we try to find Scops owl and Nightjar.

If the timing of your return flight allows, we can visit the fields around our guesthouse. During this walk we are most likely to see Jay, Woodlark as well as Black Woodpecker.

During our tours we are expected to see 100-120 different bird species.

All guests will be accommodated in the Kevirigó guest house, for more information please visit www.kevirigo.hu.

Meals:

Breakfast: will be provided at the guest house

Lunch: packed lunches during the day

Dinner: will be in a local restaurant

The daily programs are subject to the weather conditions. We reserve the right to change the order of the programs or the programs partly or in whole.

All programs can be tailored to your interest and needs based on prior arrangement.

If you need further information about this tour, please contact us!

Cost: 240.000 HUF