Overview
Hungary has been one of the best places in Europe for Bird photography for many years now and we have been running trips to this wonderful country since those early days too. This is a trip that has always produced an array of wonderful opportunities and there’s enough in our itinerary to whet the appetite of any bird photographer. A fantastic array in a truly diverse combination of settings and species to work with and with careful attention to the timings of the trip itself to maximise our options across the various breeding cycles. The opportunities include a spectacular tower hide surrounded by nesting Red-Footed Falcons and Kestrels who will be pairing up and breeding at the beginning of the Spring season, reed bed and pool hides offering returning specialities such as Ferruginous Duck, Spoonbill, Black Stork, and Pygmy Cormorant. A woodland drinking pool offers local specialities such as Collared Flycatcher and Hawfinch among its wide array of species, with the iconic and colourful central European speciality species of Hoopoes, Bee-Eaters and Rollers and even late season waders very much on the agenda from further hide options. This is always a jam-packed bird photography week in some of the best hides and set ups that this rich and diverse country has to offer.
Itinerary Open +Close -
Day 1: Morning flights from the UK should arrive at Budapest Airport early in the afternoon where we will be met by our Hungarian colleagues. We will then travel east to our base in the Hortobagy National Park where we will check in time for dinner over which we can discuss what to expect over the coming days, get an update on what precisely is working best in the previous few days and plan our priorities accordingly. We will advise you on the flight recommendations nearer the time.
Days 2 – 6: Each morning will involve early pre-dawn starts to ensure we are in position in any one of a variety of hide options that we will get the chance to work from over the coming days. All these hides work on the innovative glass-fronted approach developed here in Hungary and one which affords an extraordinary view of what is happening in front of you so that not only are you able to achieve some amazing images but experience the habitat and activities in a far more involving way.
Among the options are a tower-hide surrounded by nesting kestrel and red-footed falcons, perfectly positioned for front-lit, back-lit and flight/landing images, a reed bed hide where the glass is down to water level allowing eye-level images of egrets, pygmy cormorant, ferruginous duck and an array of other water-based birds, and a classic woodland infinity pool where literally anything might turn up but with hawfinch a key target but sparrowhawk, nightingale, collared flycatcher and turtle dove all just as likely any day: we have even had Honey Buzzard and Black Woodpecker visit on recent trips. A pool area that has been setup for black storks, egrets, heron (including night herons) and spoonbills is yet another option. Dependent on how the Spring has progressed a water-level hide at a classic wader scrape may still be working, and we should have the chance via mobile hides for hoopoe, roller and bee-eater: each year really is different here in terms of flexibility and all to a high standard of quality too, so it’ll be tiring, absorbing, and rewarding photography.
Day 7: After breakfast we will make the journey back to Budapest Airport to catch our return flights back home.
What our customers say
“It was excellent. Lots of varied species, well organised and excellent guides and accommodation.”
“Structure and content very good and very well organised.”
“Exceeded expectations – very satisfied with the array of photographic opportunities.”
“I expected it to be good, but in the end it was fantastic.”
“I enjoyed everything we photographed but my favourites were the bee eaters.”
“Completely packed days, but anything less would be a waste.”
“The opportunities were very good and we certainly weren’t short on time in the hides”.
“The trip was perfect – it achieved everything I had wanted”.
“Thank you again for one of the best wildlife photographic holidays I have ever been on“.
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