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Trip Reports
Butterfly - watching Holidays
Hungary
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"Birds and Butterflies"
June 2006
a group tour
with Sunbird Tours
led by Richard
Lewington, butterfly illustrator
trip report by
Sunbird Tours
After meeting our Hungarian hosts Gabor and Safi at Budapest Airport, we set off on Sunbird’s first Birds and Butterflies tour of Hungary. After a brief stop near the airport to watch vulnerable European Sousliks, a squirrel-like rodent, we left for our first destination, the Hortobágy Puszta to the south-east. On the way we stopped to scan for the Imperial Eagle, with one appearing majestically giving excellent views directly overhead. Chestnut Heaths were the first butterflies recorded and 20+ Painted Ladies were seen, having arrived from the south. By the following morning, a few interesting moths had been attracted to the moth trap, including the Orache Moth, Water Ermine and Essex Emerald, all rare if not extinct in Britain. The morning was spent at the fishponds on the Hortobágy Reserve and although the rain continued, we found Large Coppers and Silver-studded Blues as well as many caterpillars of the Southern Festoon and Swallowtail. This was an excellent place for water birds, including Great White Egrets, Little Bittern, Squacco and Night Heron as well as several Red-footed Falcons and Marsh Harriers. However, the biggest surprise of the trip was in the afternoon, when a Great Bustard was seen flying and then settled in an area known as ‘The House of the Angels’, the first time this magnificent bird has been recorded in this area for several years. The next day we left the Hortobágy area, stopping at Little Hortobágy to look for Saker Falcon, of which we had a distant view. We then stopped at a sandy quarry where an active colony of stunning Bee-eaters mixed with many Sand Martins. The nearby flowery bank had Reverdin’s, Green-underside and Little Blues and a single Large Wall. Our mid-afternoon arrival at Aggtelek saw more rain but this did give us the opportunity to see a beautiful Fire Salamander, the symbol of the national park. Because of the rain we decided to visit the famous caves for the rest of the afternoon. The sun eventually appeared late in the afternoon and after checking into our comfortable accommodation, we walked in the nearby hills and saw many butterflies, notably Turquoise and Chequered Blues and the first Woodland Ringlet. The fourth day was spent in the hills around Josvafo with some great butterflies including Large Blues, Assmann’s Fritillaries and a Fenton’s Wood White. After lunch we went to some hills a few kilometres from Josvafo where Hoopoe and Hawfinch were seen and a Syrian Woodpecker was heard. Nightingales, Cuckoos and Turtle Doves were our constant companions, seen and heard here and throughout the trip. Next morning we took a walk along a wooded valley in the hope of seeing the Poplar Admiral but were unsuccessful due to dull weather. However the lake at the end of the walk had White-legged and Blue-tailed damselflies and a lovely male Beautiful Demoiselle. A group of caterpillars found feeding in the willow trees we first were thought Large Tortoiseshells in fact proved to be those of the much rarer Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell. Many others were later found, some stranded and pupating in the vegetation due to the high water level. The sunny afternoon was spent in the hills where, as well as lots of Large Blues and a Spotted Fritillary, we had good views of Chapman’s and Osiris Blues. During breakfast on our last day in Aggtelek, a Black Woodpecker flew across the wooded valley and later in the nearby hills the sun shone and our first Eastern Baton Blue was seen. A lake at the bottom of the hillside was active with several new species of dragonfly, including an impressive Emperor. After lunch and a fairly long and invigorating drive to the Bükk Hills we split, with one group looking for woodpeckers and owls and the other for butterflies. One Ural Owl was heard and of the butterflies, the most noteworthy were more than a dozen Clouded Apollos. A bright and sunny morning on our seventh day took us into the Bükk hills and on a roadside stop we saw our first Purple-shots Coppers and plenty of Large Wall Browns. Later in the morning two Imperial Eagles were seen, one with a buzzard for size comparison. Before lunch a walk in the flowery fields surrounding us produced plenty of butterflies including Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries and Scarce Swallowtail. Several lizards scurried through the grasses and a large female Sand Lizard posed cooperatively for photographs. Brightly coloured males were also frequent. After lunch and a bumpy drive along a tree-lined valley White-backed Woodpeckers and Hawfinches appeared. Further on at some damp meadows, Large Coppers, Clouded Apollos and Mazarine Blues were seen in good numbers. Our final full day started rainy and during a walk around the village of Nosvaj and a nearby wooded valley, we saw Middle-spotted Woodpeckers, Collared Flycatchers and Hawfinch. The rest of the morning was spent in the historic town of Eger, where a charming group of traditionally dressed women entertained us with their singing. Lunch was in a small restaurant in a nearby village, after which we drove into the mountains stopping at various places on the way. Before our flight home and after saying goodbye to Safi, we headed for the Kiskunsag National Park for a short visit and stopping off on the way we added two new butterflies to our list - Queen of Spain Fritillary and Essex Skipper, as well as Scarce Emerald and Southern Emerald Damselflies. Finally on the last leg of the journey, as if to order, we had good views of a Hoopoe and Golden Oriole by the roadside. The hospitality and enthusiasm shown by Gabor and Safi, and the cultural and environmental diversity of Hungary ensured that this enjoyable trip is a must for the future. Species list, Hungary, late June 2006. The following list of butterflies, dragonflies, damselflies and birds was compiled by Richard Lewington and the tour participants. Column 1 = number of days recorded Column 2 = greatest daily countButterflies
Dragonflies and damselflies
Birds H = heard only
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