Day-trips / excursions

For those guests with an individual arrangement, we costumize one-day-trips and shorter outings from a couple of hours. The day-trips are either specialized bird trips, butterfly or botanical trips. Often they are a mixture of these. During the shorter trips, we focus on mammals, reptiles, amphibians and special insects other then butterflies. Species that can be seen or targeted are listed below.

Bird excursions
Bird trips are either into the hills or to the plains, depending on what species we are after. Most bird watchers aren’t big walkers, but sometimes some km’s must be travelled by foot, in order to get to the best spots. Ural Owls do not live near a busy road or village. Trips, guided by Rob are either in the Bukk hills or in the Little Hortobagy. Most target species live here. The fishponds in the Hortobagy can be worked independently by most bird watchers. The steppes in the Hortobagy need to be done with a local guide. He will try to show you Great Bustards, Stone Curlew, Aquatic Warbler, Dotterel and other birds. We will fix an appointment with him for our guests.
Some possible bird target species: Great Bustard, Saker Falcon, Red-footed Falcon, Eastern Imperial, Lesser Spotted, White-tailed and Golden Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, Ural Owl, Eagle Owl, Short-eared Owl, Long-eared Owl, Roller, Bea-eater, Hoopoe, White-backed, Black and Grey-headed Woodpecker, Collared and Red-breasted flycatcher, Great White Egret, Squacco Heron, Night Heron, Black Stork, Pygmy cormorant, Aquatic Warbler, Barred Warbler, Moustached Warbler, Rock Bunting, Common Crane, Penduline-, Bearded Tit, Whiskered-, Black- and White-winged Black Tern, Stone Curlew, Dotterel and many more.

Ural Owl in the central part of the Bukk hills

Butterfly excursions
In general, we travel to a certain location from which we know that certain species live there or because we know that many butterflies puddle there. Most excursions take place in the National Parks Bukk and Aggtelek. Sometimes some walking is involved. Usually, those walks are no longer then 5 or 6 km. Often shorter because we are overwelmed with butterflies at the first good field with flowers. Walking distances are negotiable anyway.
Butterfly target species: Southern Festoon, Clouded Apollo, Common and Scarce Swallowtail, Hungarian and Common Glider, Purple Emperor, Lesser Purple Emperor, Camberwell Beauty, Large and Yellow-legged Tortoiseshell, Cardinal, Pallas’s, Scarce, Dark Green, High Brown, Weaver’s, Knapweed, Marbled, Lesser Marbled, Queen of Spain, Lesser Spotted and Twinspot Fritillaries, Duke of Burgundy, Woodland Brown, Woodland, False, Great Banded Grayling, Dryad, Large, Scarce Large, Alcon, Green-underside, Chequered, Geranium, Anomalous, Osiris, Eastern short-tailed, Turquoise, Meleager’s, Chalk-hill, Eastern Baton Blue, Large, Lesser Fiery, Purple-edged Copper, Orbed Red-inderwing (or Hungarian), Safflower, Chequered Skipper and many more.

a group at a large party of mud-puddling butterflies

Butterfly and moth festival
Since this region is so rich in butterflies and moths we dedicated a special event to them. Because of the great succes we call it the moth and butterfly festival. We invite anybody with a wish to observe a large variety of moths and butterflies to stay over for a week or a fortnight. The first weeks of July are traditionally the best weeks for lepidoptera. A very promising happening with each year many English rarities and migrants among the moths. For special butterfly species that are not found in the garden or the near surrounding, there will be special day trips with guidance. Observation lists are available on request. Read the trip reports.

Blue-spot Hairstreak, a localized species that requires some help finding

Botanical excursions
Because plants don’t move, a botanical excursion doesn’t involve much walking. This is more like strolling, although some spots are a bit remote. Most good locations are within a km walk from the car. Most botanical trips are either in the central part of the Bukk hills (the limestone grasslands) or the Southern verge of the hills (dry rocky fields with pannonian endemics).
Plants target species: (depending on time of the year): Orchis coryophora, Orchis morio, Orchis purpurea, Cephelanthera longifolia and rubra, Neottida nidus-avis, 5 Epipactis species. Cypripedium calceolaria. Special species from stream valleys, such as Clematis integrifolia and Iris spuria. Several protected, dry grassland Iris species (graminaea, variegata, sibirica), several Feathergrass (Stipa ssp) species and other species that are rare in Europe: Lilium martagon, Campanula sibirica, Echium russicum, Allium flavum, Dictamnus albus, Centaurea pannonica, Cirsium pannonica, Aconitum anthora etc. Our direct surroundings are well known for the Pannonian Flora.

Clematis Integrifolia, a not-climbing Clematis

Mammal trips
These evening trips and short outings involve very short walks and usually no more than 1 to 3 hours. There is a chance to see Edible Dormouse, Hazel Dormouse and Forest Dormouse, Marten, Badger. We also go out in the evening to scan the air for bats with a bat detector.

a European Wild Cat (Felis silvestris)

Other
We regularly visit a traditional lek of Tree Frogs, where literally thousand of individuals gather for courtship. We sometimes go searching Fire Salamanders on a rainy day and observe raids of the Amazon ant. Some trips lead to fascinating insects: Stagbeetles (check our special stag beetle page)and the most beautifull Long-horn beetle Rosalia alpina.

Fire Salamander

Moth trapping
Mothers can use our mothtraps or use their own equipment. We have a Skinner and a Robinson trap, which are free to use. No costs involved. A species list would be much appreciated. In the library we have identification works for all the local macro moths and most of the micro’s. When required we can offer some assistance in identification. Especially regarding local specialties.

a Giant Peacock in an apple tree

Photography
Photography can be done independently or with guidance. When you want to use our hides just ask for availability. On the Wildlife Holidays/Photography page you can read more information about the hides.

When guidance is aquired we customize workshop-like excursions with technical support, either macro or bird photography. Equipment is for rent (tripods, DSLR’s, macro, wide and tele lenses from 11 till 800 mm). After a consult and depending on the subject, we travel to a good spot or to one of our hides and start working. Back at Farm Lator we can discuss the results when displayed on a monitor.

a Scarce Copper that nicely posed for the camera

Walking/hiking
Walkers and bikers are supplied with detailed maps and written directions. We have developped a series of routes in the hills and also on the plains. We have very good bikes for rent. This activity is without guidance.

hiking through the fields

Culture
There are ofcours options to undertake cultural activities, such as visiting lime burners, the baroque town Eger, thermal baths, wine cellars and the caves in the Bukk hills and Aggtelek National Park. But for these option we do not offer guidance. Naturally, we do supply you with detailed information.