A storm arrives on the plain in Hortobagy National Park

© Rob de Jong

The map shows the lie of Farm Lator and the surrounding National Parks.

The hills and mountains (Bukk National Park, Zemplen Protected Landscape and Aggtelek National Park)

With a maximum height of 1000 meters it is obvious that the Hungarian hills are just bordering the Carpatian Mountains. The influence of the Carpatians is best shown in the flora, although Ural Owl, White-backed Woodpecker and Pallas's Fritillary show that the Carpatians are nearby. Bukk (45,000 ha), as well as Zemplen (27,000 ha) and Aggtelek (20,000 ha) are remote and forested areas. The forests seem endless, but there are rich open spots, with meadows, vineyards, orchards and arable land. Partly because of these open spaces, Zemplen is the best raptor area in Hungary. Bukk and Aggtelek are mainly built up from sediments (chalk) and have a rougher structure. Here, in the abandoned, uneven aged forest, woodpeckers and flycatchers are numerous. These areas are remote and unspoiled enough to have Black Stork, Saker Falcon, Imperial Eagle, Golden Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Booted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle and Hazel Hen breeding. Nine species of Woodpecker live here and birds like Hawfinch, Collared Flycatcher and Barred Warbler are rather common.

Butterflies are represented by numerous blues, whites, coppers, graylings and fritillaries. Some, like Pallas's Fritillary, Hungarian Glider and Anomalous Blue are rare (but traceable), others like the Dryad, the Great Banded Grayling and the Silver-washed Fritillary are common and can be encountered on any good spot.

The flora is abundant almost everywhere. Open areas are covered by extensively used meadows. Sheep or cows find their way here between the bushes and trees. This traditional use of the land guarantees a high diversity of plants. The oak forests have rich herb and shrub layers. In Bukk and Aggtelek a special type of grassland developed on the chalky soils. The so called doline-limestone-grasslands are rich in rare, protected and endemic species.

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The plains and wetlands (Hortobagy National Park, Borsod-Mezoseg Protected Landscape)

Quite a long time ago (300 million years) a large part of the Carpatian Basin was egalised by the Pannonian Sea. The sediments of the river Tisza completed the job. Now, the Great Hungarian Plate is almost totally flat. Although flat land is easily cultivated a lot of salt in the toplayer of the bottom prevented large surfaces from being cultivated. The so-called Hungarian Pusta or plain could only be used extensively, for crops did not produce enough. Herdsmen with sheep and cows still characterise the landscape. Extended dry steppe and marshes are still where they were ages ago. Together with the fishponds, they form an extremely valuable and eye-catching mosaic. Nowadays, many birds still benefit from the exhausting work of the Pannonian Sea and from the forces that put salt in the surface layers. And, not to forget, from Hungarian Nature Conservation. With more than 500 square kilometres, The Hortobagy is one of the best birding places in Europe. 320 Species of birds have been spotted here (3/4 of European birds!). One of the greatest attractions of the park is of course the Great Bustard. In the marshes and fishponds herons can be seen in unbelievable, almost funny numbers. Even Squacco Heron and Little Bittern are not too difficult. Glossy Ibis also breeds irregularly. Pygmy Cormorant and White-winged Black Tern have breeding colonies as well. Raptors, like Saker and Long-legged Buzzard have their private places.

Borsodi-Mezoseg (30.000 ha), the local people call it the Little Hortobagy, has more or less the same birds as Hortobagy, although there are no fishponds, which decreases heron-numbers. At the same time, birds like Roller, Hoopoo, Saker and Lesser Grey Shrike are more numerous. Black Stork, Imperial Eagle, Red-footed Falcon and Great Bustard and many waders are all possible. Bustard and Red-footed can be seen displaying here, during the spring bird tours.

Our autumn bird tours are highlighted by the Common Cranes. More then 70,000 Cranes forage in the Hortobagy. But also raptors, like Pallid Harrier, Long-legged Buzzard and White-tailed eagles can be seen in autumn, together with many other passengers.

Interesting butterflies in these landscapes are: Large Copper, Lesser Fiery Copper, Bath White and some Clouded Yellow's. One of the most beautiful butterflies of Europe, the Southern Festoon can be very numerous in the spring.

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The floodplains (of the rivers Tisza and Bodrog)

Two of this type of biotope belong to our travel destinations: Kesznyeten Protected Landscape and Tokaj-Bodrogzug Protected Landscape, both app. 7000 hectares. Keznyeten consists of an old floodplain with oxbows and riverbeds, colourful marsh meadows, wet grasslands, willow shrubberies, groves and marsh forests. The diversity of these wetlands provides living sites for a wide range of birds. Black Storks breed here and all herons can be seen together with waterfowl. Saker Falcon and Lesser Spotted Eagle have several couples. Black Kite is rare but possible. Tokaj-Bodrogzug is the present floodplain between the rivers Bodrog and Tisza and has a more or less original landscape. With its gallery forest (along both rivers), oxbows, marshes, grasslands, sedges and willowgroves, it looks how comparable riversystems in Western Europe must have looked like a while ago. This area is of major importance for Corncrake. It has a large population of this species. White-tailed Eagle, Black Stork and Black Kite are regularly spotted as well.

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