Eastern European Explorer

Hungary, Slovakia and Romania

May 9 - 26, 2011

With Simon Thompson

Please contact the Ventures office to register.  Your place on this Venture will be reserved as soon as a deposit of $300 payable to Ventures, Inc. has been received. You can pay by check or call the office with your VISA or MasterCard #. This Venture is limited to 10 participants.

Eastern Europe is a great destination for US birders – it holds some highly elusive birds such as Wallcreeper, Great Bustard, and White-backed Woodpecker; birds that even many western European birders crave to see. On this Ventures tour we'll travel through the plains and marshes of Hungary, the farmlands and forests of Slovakia and the spruce woods of Romania seeing an amazing wealth of woodpeckers, hawks, owls, tits, and Old World warblers. We will search for Black Stork, Black Woodpecker, Wryneck, Tengmalm's (Boreal) Owl, Sombre Tit, Eastern Imperial Eagle and many, many more species. There is also some excellent wine and food to be had in this part of Europe.

With the 2010 update to the classic Birds of Europe, there is not a better time to visit these three beautiful countries. Our accommodation will be comfortable and convenient to the best birding spots. The food is excellent and the people very friendly. If you have never been to Eastern Europe before, this trip to Hungary, Slovakia and Romania will open your eyes to the beauty and diversity that is Eastern Europe.

Cost of Eastern European Explorer Venture
$TBA per person double occupancy from Budapest, Single supplement:
$TBA Price includes:  All internal air and land transportation, all accommodations, meals, service charges, information packet & bird checklist, leader/guide service throughout
Not included: Air to Budapest, alcoholic beverages, gratuities, and any items of a personal nature

Some of the Birds we hope to see:  
White and Black Storks, Pygmy Cormorant, White-tailed and Imperial Eagles, Honey Buzzard, Capercaillie, Collared Pratincole, Corncrake, Great Bustard, Eagle, Ural and Tawny Owls, White-backed Woodpecker, Alpine Swift, Wryneck, Red-backed Shrike, Rose-colored Starling, European Roller, Wallcreeper, River, Aquatic and Moustached Warblers, Sombre and Penduline Tits, and many more

Eastern Europe Explorer Itinerary: May 9-26, 2011

You may wish to arrive in Budapest a few days early to spend time enjoying this fine European city. Please let us know your final plans. Please plan to arrive in Budapest by Monday, May 9 as we’ll have dinner and spend the night in Budapest.

Day 1: (Tuesday, May 10)                                  Budapest

Drive to Zemplén Hills (Tokaj). We can except to see White Storks, Marsh Harrier and Red-backed Shrikes along the roadside. We will arrive in time for some initial exploration of this superb area. Night in Komlóska at the Sólyomvár Hotel

Day 2: (Wednesday, May 11)                             Zemplen Hills

We’ll bird the Zemplén Hills where most of the Hungary’s raptor and woodpecker species occur, in particular, Black, Grey-headed, White-backed and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers inhabit the beech and oak forests, while Syrian Woodpecker inhabits orchards in most of the scenic villages. The Zemplén Hills are also home to the following raptors: Golden, Lesser Spotted, Short-toed and Imperial Eagle, Honey Buzzard, Goshawk. We’ll also look for Eagle Owl in abandoned quarries where Common Nightingale is particularly numerous. Bee-eaters should already be nesting in the quarry’s steep clay walls and Ural Owl in old beech woods. Wryneck, Corncrake, River Warbler, Rock Bunting, Dipper, Hawfinch and Long-tailed Tit are all also possible. There will be some wine tasting with dinner tonight in Tokaj (World Heritage Site).  Night in Komlóska at the Sólyomvár Hotel

Day 3: (Thursday, May 12)                                Slovenski Raj National Park

Drive to Slovenski Raj National Park and bird in the afternoon. We can stop in Szádell Gorge on the way. Eastern Imperial Eagle, along with Saker Falcon is possible on the drive. Night near Dobsina at the Sáfrány Pension

Day 4: (Friday, May 13)                         Slovenski Raj National Park

We’ll bird the Slovenski Raj National Park which is inhabited by a good number of Carpathian species. Breeding raptors include Golden and Lesser Spotted Eagles, Honey Buzzard and Goshawk, while over a 150 pairs of Hazel Grouse occur. In addition, Pygmy, Tengmalm’s (Boreal) and Ural Owls are regular breeders, over the years an extensive owl nest box scheme (organized by our local guide) for Tengmalm’s Owl has yielded several breeding pairs. At least 20 pairs of Three-toed Woodpeckers call the Rejdova Spruce Forest home while other interesting spruce forest specialties are common like Nutcracker, Firecrest, and Crested Tit. Night at the Sáfrány pension

Day 5: (Saturday, May 14)                                 Hortobágy National Park

Drive to Hortobágy National Park birding on the way. We will stop to look for the localised Short-toed Lark and for Short-toed Treecreeper at Debrecen Great Wood and if we lucky we’ll also see Collared Flycatcher. Night in Nádudvar; Trófea Lodge

Day 6: (Sunday, May 15)                                   Hortobágy National Park

Birding Hortobágy National Park is like birding a little piece of Asia inside Europe. In fact, Hortobágy is the western fringe of the Asian Steppe and is undoubtedly among the finest birdwatching areas of Europe with over 340 bird species recorded. Great White Egret and Eurasian Spoonbill, Little Egret, Purple, Squacco and Black-crowned Night-Herons, Great and Little Bitterns, and Glossy Ibis all inhabit the reed beds. In the noisy cormorant colony we can observe the Pygmy Cormorant, which now numbers over 300 breeding pairs. While exploring the various wetlands we will certainly see Bearded and Penduline Tits. Singing Bluethroats are also common. Hortobágy National Park is home to over 20 pairs of Saker and more than 200 pairs of Red-footed Falcons breed. Other breeding raptors include White-tailed Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, and Montagu’s Harrier. Some 130 Great Bustards and hundreds of Little Crakes inhabit the Park, while Hoopoe, Bee-eater and Roller are all regular breeders and several spectacular warblers are also abundant breeders (Aquatic, Moustached, Marsh, Savi’s, Grasshopper). We will also make a special effort to find the scarce Stone Curlew.  Night in Nádudvar at the Trófea Lodge

Day 7: (Monday, May 16)                                   Transylvania, Romania

We’ll drive to Transylvania, birding en route. We hope to see Scops Owl, Alpine Swift, Crag Martin, Woodlark and Ortolan Bunting. It is about four hours drive and we will visit some reservoirs on the way where we hope to see Red-necked and Black-necked Grebes. Night in Torockó in the World Heritage Village Houses

Day 8: (Tuesday, May 17)                                  Transylvania, Romania

We’ll bird around Torockó and drive to Székelyudvarhely in the late afternoon. Torockó is a tiny village at the foot of the Székelykő Mountain - it is a truly spectacular limestone valley in Transylvania. This World heritage village is a great base to explore the surrounding hills, where in the afternoon we can see the display flight of the Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush with a supporting cast of Woodlarks and Rock Buntings. While Golden Eagle is possible, we can also find both Lesser and Great Grey Shrikes breeding side by side - another unique experience in this area. In the evening we will search for Eurasian Scops Owl. En route we will stop in Segesvár (Sighisora) to visit the house where Dracula lived. Night in Székelyudvarhely

Day 9: (Wednesday, May 18)                             Hargita Mountains

We’ll bird the Hargita Mountain where breeding raptors include Golden and Lesser Spotted Eagles, Honey Buzzard and Goshawk, while several Capercaillie lekking grounds occur and Hazel Grouse is also possible. Again Pygmy, Tengmalm’s and Ural Owls are regular breeders and ten species of woodpeckers breed, with Black, Grey-headed and Three-toed Woodpeckers relatively easy to see. Other interesting spruce forest specialties include Ring Ouzel, Nutcracker, Firecrest, and Crested Tit. In the afternoon we’ll bird the Szentpál fishponds where Thrush Nightingale, Great Grey Shrike, Common Rosefinch and Ortolan Bunting all breed. Night in Székelyudvarhely at the Küküllő Hotel

Day 10: (Thursday, May 19)                               Bekas Gorge

To day we will do some birding in the Békás Gorge (two hours from Székelyudvarhely). This is an easily accessible Wallcreeper breeding site, although the birds can still be very difficult.  Other limestone species occur, such as Craig Martin, Alpine Swift, Rock Thrush and Rock Bunting. If we have time we will visit Csalhó National Park. Night in Székelyudvarhely

Day 11: (Friday, May 20)                                   Brassov           

Drive to Sinaia near Brassov. Birding in the area and night in Sinaia at the Hotel Cota 1400

Day 12: (Saturday, May 21)                                Danube Delta

We’ll drive to Constanta and in the afternoon bird the lagoons to the north. Hopefully we’ll see some of the following smaller passerines including Pied Wheatear, Woodchat Shrike, Sombre Tit, Red-breasted Flycatcher, European Roller, European Bee-eater and Wryneck. The road between Istria and the Greek and Roman ruins of Histria is one of the most productive birding areas in Europe. We will spend most of the day birding this very rich area, looking for Eastern Imperial Eagle, Red-footed Falcon, Collared and Black-winged Pratincole, the striking Woodchat Shrike, Little, Spotted and Baillon’s Crakes, as well as Calandra Lark, and Paddyfield Warbler. Night in Mamia Splendid Hotel

Day 13: (Sunday, May 22)                                 Danube Delta   

We will bird around the lagoon system south of the Danube Delta. The forests around Tulcea are an excellent area for raptor watching with some of the oldest beech forests in Europe. Birds of Prey could include Lesser Spotted, Booted, Imperial and Short-toed Eagles, Long-legged Buzzard, Levant Sparrowhawk and maybe even the very uncommon Pallid Harrier, with a real outside chance for both Egyptian and Black Vultures. Night in Tulcea at the Hotel City

Day 14: (Monday, May 23)                                 Cheia and the Mucin Mountains

Today we will bird in the looking for Booted Eagle, Levant Sparrowhawk, Sombre Tit, Isabelline and Pied Wheatear. In the afternoon we’ll board our floating boat which will be our home for the next 3 days. Three nights on board the floating hotel boat

Days 15-16: (Tuesday, May 24 and Wednesday, May 25)         Danube Delta

We’ll spend two full days inside the Danube Delta, where we will sail down the old arm of the Danube, explore Lake Bogdaproste, the bird-rich floating reed islands, through Litcov Channel, and pass Isac Lake, before getting to Murighiol. Note: On one of these days, we might visit the Letea-Caraorman Forest, where a small number of White-tailed Eagles nest, with a population of about 8-10 individuals. Target birds in the Danube Delta include: Pygmy Cormorant, White and Dalmatian Pelicans, Little Bittern, crakes, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Great Reed, Savi's and Reed Warblers, Garganey, Eurasian Cuckoo, Bearded Tit, Roller, Penduline Tit, Rose-coloured Starling and many migrants. Nights on the floating hotel boat

Day 17: (Thursday, May 26)                   Bucharest and home

Drive to Bucharest where we will finish the tour. You can either spend the night in Bucharest or fly home the next morning.

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