HUNGARY -  SPRING 

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I spent a week in late April 2016 in the Hortobagy National Park, which is about 200km east of Budapest. 

As in the UK, Spring was late and some migrants were only just arriving in Hungary, but

there were still plenty of birds to photograph, and a selection is shown below.

Red-footed Falcons & Kestrel

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Several pairs of  Falcons were nesting in an area where nest boxes had been provided.  The images below

show birds pairing up and flying around this site.  The male Red-footed Falcon is dark grey, and

the female is paler with an orange chest.  The male Kestrel has a greyish head

and a chestnut-coloured back.

Hoopoe

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A pair of Hoopoes were nesting in a hollow log and were regularly bringing food items to their young.  These images were taken from a nearby hide.

Wading Birds

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The images below were taken from a low hide at water level on the edge of a marsh.  Ruff, Stilts and Wood Sandpiper were among several wader species that fed and nested here.

FISHPOND BIRDS

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A large pond containing Carp and Catfish attracted  a number of Herons, Egrets, Spoonbills and Storks.

The large image below show several of these birds around the pond.

Grey Heron

Great White Egret

Spoonbill

White & Black Storks