Birding Tours - Raptor Day 2005

Raptor day in Hungary (one day)

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Gerecse and Vértes Mountains

These Saturdays we will devote to the most impressive and powerful birds the raptors. We will visit different reviers and feeding areas in order to see Imperial Eagle and Saker. If weather is favourable we will have a reasonable chance to see other raptor species like Honey Buzzard, White-tailed Eagle, Short-toed Eagle and Montagu's Harrier.

Scheduled dates: 17 May 2008, 2 August 2008

IBAs visited: 13, 15

During this special birdwatching, we are going to visit such attractive raptor reviers and feeding areas (on the edge of the protected areas of Danube-Ipoly National Park), where we have a very good chance to see the fascinating and enormous Imperial Eagle as well as the simple plumaged, but beautiful and appealingly self-confident Saker. (Please note that our observation spot can change even in the last minute, depending on the weather and the bird-movements.) Close to the observation places we can see the main prey of these raptors: the suslik that is already close to extinction in many European countries and its population has strongly decreased in Hungary, too. Beside the two target bird species mentioned above, we can observe other species like Short-toed Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Montagu's Harrier, White and Black Stork.

There is a great difference between spring and summer trips, so it worth to try both for raptor fans.

During the trip in spring the eagles are still in the last phase of the hatching, while falcons are already feeding their nestlings. In this period the parent birds show and extreme activity, protecting the revier or fetching food continuously. We can see spectacular revier fights, food passing and if we are really lucky, also prey catching.

At the time of our summer trip if nesting was successful, the young eagles leave the nest in these days, while the falcon nestlings had left the nest for over a month and they are already learning the art of flight. It is exciting and captivating to see the birds' first and at the same time determining movements in the nature. In this period the parents are very active: they defend the revier, fetch food and teach the young birds to fly.

The success of this one day trip depends mainly on the right weather conditions, as the spectacular movements of raptors are greatly influenced by the strong wind or rainfall. If the weather is suitable, our birds of prey are going to move continuously in the air and will provide a whole day's spectacle. It is advised to have suntan oil and a cap or hat with you for this day.