Hungarian Wine

A fantastic week in Hungary courtesy of http://birdholidays.co.uk/ - the two guides certainly found the birds.........and some excellent restaurants!

We started the week in the forests searching for owls and woodpeckers

 

This Ural Owl might have its back to me but it knew I was there...

The Woodies were difficult to photograph but just about managed to get this middle-spotted one in focus

We then moved to Hortobagy - a fantastic area with plenty to see and do - and very traditional farming

         with tree frogs  and penduline tits called everywhere posing occasionally

 

eagle owls were found on a housing estate

and an Asian wolf spider was a tad scary!

Greater Horseshoe Bats provided a distraction from the thousands of cranes flying in to re-fuel

Watch the video to share this amazing experience of circa 60,000 coming in to roost at dusk

the wetlands were amazing with white-tailed eagles flying over

serin obligingly posed in the sun whilst the cows were herded across the vast plains

and so to the Cranes - very jumpy but fantastic spectacle..

  

occasionally dancing even though it was autumn

 vines as far as the eye can see  - the wine tasting evening was great fun

Zoltan's hairy pigs are helping to restore the wetlands...

and so return home with a quick sightseeing tour of Budapest

and another Gannet fest....

another gorgeous day with sun and wind so where else to go but Bempton Cliffs....

Bempton in September

After the disappointment of a cancelled Skua cruise (if you had seen the waves crashing over the yachts...........)  another great sunny warm day at Bempton.  Puffling Lucky Jim paid a visit to the Visitor Centre, posed beautifully and appeared to be in danger of becoming a butterfly eating Puffin.  The Fulmars were fantastic at Roll-up with the photographer slightly distracted by radio announcements of an imminent yacht sailing into the cliffs at Bartlett (ie do I run and catch the incident or stick with the birds) and the Gannets at Staple entertaining with wing stretching and close landing on the cliff top added yet more to the collection.  Lunch was to the accompaniment of the young Swallows also being fed.   I was even entranced by a butterfly (but yet to appreciate moths).

The Skua/Shearwater cruises have started...

The first of the season today - and not a bad start it was....

and not forgetting the puffins....