During our trip we will guide you into the heart of the Great Hungarian plain and we will discover the snowy harsh Puszta (the Great Hungarian Plain). Around Túrkeve and Kisújszállás there are nice and quite little towns in the country, where the base of our tour will be. These towns have many natural resources: steppes, forests and marshes, where we can find many interesting subjects for our wildlife photographer visitors. During our tours we combine the hide photography, the hiking and the outdoor photography, so warm clothes and hot tea will be an important part of our equipment.

Day 1:

Arrival

We will meet at the Budapest Airport, and after a two hour drive we will arrive at Kisújszállás, 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.

Day 2:

Over the frozen lakes

During the morning from the reeds over the frozen lakes we are going to spot and take photos of the Bitterns gathering by the open waters. During the harsh winter, these usually tiid birds become unaware of their surroundings and their fear of humans is replaced by their survival instinct because they are concentrating on capturing their prey. This is why it is possible to take the desired images of these wonderful birds from only 4-5 meters away. We can also spot Kingfishers, Grey Herons, Great White Egrets, Moorhens, Coots and even Little Grebes by the lake. If we are extremely lucky we may be able to take a pictures of Otters running around the frozen lakes.

During the afternoon we will take photographs of the Long-eared Owls which roost around the main square in town. During this time we are going to visit the traditional winter spots for the Long-eared Owl, sometimes we can observe hundreds of these birds. Among the Long-eared Owls we can often see Short-eared Owls also.

Day 3:

Eagle photography

During the 3rd day we are going to visit our Eagle Hide, where we will have the opportunity to take photos of birds of prey

Based on previous years’ experience we can photograph White-tailed Eagles, Imperial Eagles, Buzzards, and Crows in front of the hide. Beside these the following birds can also appear here: Hen Harrier, Raven, Rough-legged Buzzard, Saker, Golden Eagle and often foxes can be seen too.

Day 4:

Garden Hide Day

During our 4th day we will stay in our Garden Hide. The winter bird feeder and the heated drinking-trough is visited by hundreds of birds daily. During the morning we will have the possibility to take pictures of the Syrian Woodpeckers and other daily guest include the Goldfinch, the Greenfinch, the Brambling, the Chaffinch, the Blue and the Great Tit. Occasionally we can spot the Green Woodpecker and the Sparrow hawk.

In the afternoon we will take a drive to the plains around Túrkeve, where with a bit of luck we can see and picture some Great Bustards and Great Grey Shrikes. In the evening licensed bird ringers will do a demonstration for us by ringing Long-eared Owls. Our guest can participate if they wish.

Day 5:

A day in the mountains

During our mountain trek we will do a little round trip in the Northern Hungarian Mountains. We will visit the remains of a medieval castle, where Alpine Accentors spend the winter and they offer a wonderful photo theme for the visitors. At one of our wonderful waterfalls we will search for the Dipper and for the Grey Wagtail, they also spend the winter here. We will take a short walk to a nearby quarry in the hope to capture the Wall Creeper here. During the day with a bit of luck we can also take pictures of the following birds: the Middle Spotted Woodpecker, the Grey-headed Woodpecker, the White-backed Woodpecker, the Marsh Tit, the Willow Tit, the Raven.

Day 6:

The Woodland Hide

We will spend the morning in our Woodland hide, where we will observe the birds coming to the bird feeder and drinking-trough. Woodpeckers, Tits, and Finches are the main visitors and among them can appear such rare species as Black Woodpecker, Bullfinch, Treecrepers and White Headed Long-tailed Tit.

In the afternoon we will try to spot and photograph the Hawfinch coming to the feeder from a different hide. We will see some Tits, Woodpeckers and other Finches as well.

Day 7:

Departure home

If we have enough time on our way to the airport we will stop in some places to take pictures of the Crested Lark.

All guests will be accommodated in a local hotel or a guest house.

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.

 

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