Weekend in Hortobágy National Park

When I visited Hortobágy National Park in October 2011 I immediately fell in love with puszta and their precious autumn guests. Tens of thousands of migrating Common Cranes use the steppe region of Hortobágy as a migration stop. They feed on mowed cornfields and night roost in the wetlands or local fishponds.

I didn't want to miss the great spectacle of migrating cranes this year as well. With friends, Erik and Zuzana, we spent a weekend in puszta, vast lowland area eastwards from Budapest. As it was their first visit there I wanted to show them my way of enjoying Hortobágy puszta in the autumn. It is a beautiful combination of local culture, traditions, amazing nature and last but not least, delicious local cuisine.

Instead of reading about it, check the photos from this weekend.

cloudy morning in the Hortobágy National Park

muddy roads after Friday's rain

Common Cranes (Grus grus) were feeding very close to our guesthouse

visit in local animal breeds zoo

typical sight in puszta - Hungarian longhorned grey cattle

it was also St. Dömötör feast - great oportunity to spot all the local animals and their herdsmen

herdsmen in colorful costumes

horse carriage and famous nine-arch bridge behind

on our way to fishponds - it's birdwatching time!

instead of walk we chose narrow-gauge train

Kondás fishpond from the watching tower

one of the birdwatching hides

it was early afternoon, so we spot only few Cranes, but there was plenty of geese, ducks and waders

Curlew (Numenius arquata)

Great Egret (Ardea alba)

change of birding site - waiting for Cranes flying to their night roost site

one of a few informations translated to English

large cloud over puszta

not an ordinary shed - Little Owl (Athene noctua) occupies its chimney

delicious catfish stew - "Harcsa halászlé"

traditional dessert - "Somlói galuska"

in addition we visited Lake Tisza Ecocentre in Poroszló

man can find here large freshwater aquarium

fish swim over your head

List of recorded bird species:
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
Greater White-fronted Goose (Anser albifrons)
Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
Eurasian Teal (Anas crecca)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Great Egret (Ardea alba)
Pygmy Cormorant (Microcarbo pygmeus)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug)
Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)
Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
Common Crane (Grus grus)
Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
large Gull (Larus cachinnans/michahellis)
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia )
Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor)
Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica)
Western Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
Northern Raven (Corvus corax)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Bearded Reedling (Panurus biarmicus)
Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
European Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Eurasian Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
European Greenfinch (Chloris chloris)
European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella)

Not enough? Watch my videos from this weekend:

Weekend in Hortobágy National Park

We have spent last weekend in Hungary. Our main target was Common Crane (Grus grus) migration stop in Hortobágy National Park. Beside it we have visited Hungarian Grey cattle fair. We tasted famous local cuisine and explored vast steppe country also known as puszta. Two of the bird highlights we spotted from bus while driving on highway. On Slovak-Hungarian border we observed flock of c30 Great Bustards (Otis tarda). Adult Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca) was flying next to the highway 85km east from Budapest. The count of Common Cranes in the area was one of the largest in the last years - c85000 birds were counted in Hortobágy NP. The best moment came during Saturday sunset. About 15-20000 Common Cranes landed on Kondás fishpond while we were observing them from hides and platforms just 1km away. Aside of the Cranes we spotted during the weekend 5 White-tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla), Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), up to 50 Bearded Reedlings (Panurus biarmicus), tens of Pygmy Cormorants (Microcarbo pygmeus), Curlews (Numenius arquata), Spotted Redshanks (Tringa erythropus) or Little Owl (Athene noctua) - other pair was calling just few metres apart of our accomodation in Patkós csárda. Complete list of observed bird species you can find in the end of this post.

flock of Common Cranes flies over our bus

my parents also enjoyed the hundreds of Cranes that flew overheads

morning walk near our accomodation (temperature was below zero)

Patkós csárda road inn - place where we were accomodated

interesting birds in every direction

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata) was singing in the small local animals zoo

herdsmen with Hungarian Grey cattle

the most famous road inn in the region - Hortobágyi csárda

nine-arch bridge - one of the region milestones

Common Crane counts in the national park information center

Shovelers (Anas clypeata) on Kondás fishpond

first hundreds of Cranes are landing on the fishpond

Common Cranes kept landing till sunset - more than 15000 birds appeared there

List of observed bird species during the weekend:

Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
Greylag Goose (Anser anser)
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor)
Gadwall (Anas strepera)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
Teal (Anas crecca)
Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)
Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Great Egret (Egretta alba)
Pygmy Cormorant (Microcarbo pygmeus)
Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)
Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca)
Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
Great Bustard (Otis tarda)
Water Rail (Rallus aquaticus)
Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
Coot (Fulica atra)
Common Crane (Grus grus)
Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)
Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)
Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus)
Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)
Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
large Gull (Larus cachinnans/michahellis)
Feral Pigeon (Columba livia f. domestica)
Stock Dove (Columba oenas)
Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus)
Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)
Little Owl (Athene noctua)
Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)
Syrian Woodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacus)
Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
Black Woodpecker (Dryocopus martius)
Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis)
Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
Common Magpie (Pica pica)
Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
Rook (Corvus frugilegus)
Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)
Great Tit (Parus major)
Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)
Penduline Tit (Remiz pendulinus)
Bearded Reeding (Panurus biarmicus)
Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
Common Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
Sand Martin (Riparia riparia)
Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
House Martin (Delichon urbicum)
Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
unidentified warbler (Acrocephalus sp.)
Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes)
Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Robin (Erithacus rubecula)
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Common Redstart (Phoenicurus phoenicurus)
European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola)
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Tree Sparrow (Passer montanus)
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra)
Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus)