News and reviews

Having left London in the usual London weather: rain, grey skies and temperature hovering around 10 degrees, we hoped that the super hot weather forecast for Debrecen would come true. Indeed, on landing at a small Debrecen airport, we were greeted by clear skies and beautiful sunshine. In fact, the sunshine stayed with us for almost the entire time in Hortobágy National Park.

It was the first time in Hungary for all of us. We all hoped to photograph the rare species of bird which choose Hungary to be their breeding ground. We also were very curious about the famous hides which utilise the unique glass windows through which you photograph. I must admit I was a little anxious about it, but the following few days proved my worries to be completely unfounded.

Our accommodation turned out to be a stunning Eco lodge built on the edge of the very nature reserve. As we arrived we probably saw more species of birds in one hour than a few months prior to that! Egrets, whiskered terns, storks, herons, and many many more were simply flying right in front of our stunned eyes. What’s more, in effect that was our ‘back garden’!

As we didn’t want to waste any time we were taken to one of the Hoopoe Hides for a brief afternoon session. It turned out to be absolutely brilliant. The birds were nesting, and some chicks were about to fledge. We were manically photographing the action happening right in front of our eyes. Adults flying to and fro feeding the chicks. The braver little ones peeking their heads through the crevices and screaming for food. We even had a Kestrel just casually passing by!  We also saw one of the chicks braving it and leaving the nest on its own. I must admit that by any standard that was quite a lot to experience within the first few hours in Debrecen. Just a few words on the very hide itself. Clearly, a lot of thinking and planning went into constructing this and other hides. The standard of the hides is higher than anywhere else I have experienced. The special glass technology works fantastically well. No reflections in your images, no degraded image quality at all. The birds are not in any way anxious about people’s presence as the hides blend with the environment perfectly well. You do lose some light but as the weather was so good, that wasn’t our worry at all. On my first day I concluded that there is nothing to worry about as far as photographing through the glass is concerned.

Upon our return to the lodge we were greeted by the incredibly loud cacophony of sounds of nature, which can only be a testament to the richness and abundance of wildlife in Hortobágy.   Owls, frogs, insects and birds gave us an orchestra like performance! After the first few hours in Hortobágy, we were full of expectations for the days to follow.

We certainly were not disappointed! Our first day was in a great tower hide called the Red-footed Falcon Tower Hide. Certainly one of the best (if not the best) hides I have ever been to. You are sitting in a tower (which is rock solid by the way) facing tree tops and surrounded by nesting boxes for Rollers, Red Footed Falcons, Jackdaws as well as a Long-eared Owl. All you do is watch and photograph the fervent activity from which there are no breaks for the first few hours of the day. We were greeted by a mating display of Rollers followed by Falcons. What’s more, some nesting boxes are attached to the tower, so you literally get quite a shock when a Falcon lands in it and the glass shakes. If you really wanted to, you could open the nesting box from inside the hide and put your hand in it (not a good idea though, of course)! It was a super hot day, and I must admit we did find it a little exhausting, but also incredibly rewarding in terms of photography. The bird activity was really fervent in the morning, and so staying focused in the heat of the Hungarian summer was a little challenging.

The days that followed were all as good. We photographed from the Forest Drinking Pool Hide, Heron Pool Hide, Shore Hide, Roller Hide and a very comfortable local hide, which, by the way, even has air-conditioning!  The Forest Drinking Pool Hide was a great experience as the bird activity yet again was manic, however, the light conditions were quickly changing which was a challenge to us throughout the day. As challenging as it was, it was also an opportunity for the more creative shots.

In the Heron Pool Hide the bird activity was also manic with birds coming and going constantly. To me the highlight of the day included birds coming so close to the hide, I had to use a wide-angle lens to be able to photograph them. The Black Storks at a Heron Hide were clearly interested in the hide and kept coming very close pecking at a window from time to time. At one point we counted around 16 herons in the pool. This gave us some opportunities for ‘bickering’ shots and made us work hard as it almost became impossible to isolate one or two birds on their own.

To me personally, the Bee-eater hide was the icing on the cake. There were roughly twenty mating pairs constantly flying around, looking for the right nest hole and catching all sorts of insects either for themselves or for courtship. These stunning birds are a challenge to photograph as they fly in rather erratic paths and are super fast. This was the first time I had a chance to photograph them and what an experience that was. Again, there was no break from it for the entire morning we were there. We witnessed courtship, a lot of fighting and even a Hoopoe trying to nest amongst the Bea-eaters.

With the weather absolutely scorching and photographic opportunities as they were, this was one of the best photographic trips to me ever. One of the participants, John Earnshaw, made a list of all the bird species we saw: 67. However, we are pretty sure that list is not completely exhaustive. If you are after shots of European Rollers, Hoopoes and Bea-eaters, this is definitely your destination. What made the trip even better was the fact that it is relatively close to home. A two and a half hour flight from Luton takes you straight to Debrecen, and from there it is only about a 30 minute drive to the Lodge.

Finally, I must say a few words about our hosts: they are all ornithologists who can answer any question regarding the reserve or wildlife inhabiting it. In fact, anyone we dealt with had been involved in transforming the area so that it would become this incredible nature reserve it is today. Their hospitality, knowledge and warm welcome made it all a trip that exceeded our expectations. Now after the first edit, there are around two thousand images for me to sift through to pick the ones that truly capture the beauty of the birds in Hortobágy.

Sylwia