Gyöngybagolyvédelmi Alapítvány

Ambios Ltd. (UK) and the BOF (Hungary) were recently successful with an application to the EU Leonardo Mobility Programme to host three volunteers (David Barker, Simon Dicks and Nicholas Price) from the UK for six weeks in Hungary. The main objectives of this international co-operation is to support participants in training and further training activities, in the acquisition and the use of knowledge, skills and qualifications to facilitate personal development, employability and participation in the European Labour Market.BOF/Ambios 6 Week Leonardo Mobility Voluntary Experience – Hungary

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Diary by David Barker, Simon Dicks and Nicholas Price

Nick begins the story…

Day 1, 11.05.09: The trip began with a very pleasant flight with no major or even minor mishaps. We even had a little violent turbulence to spice things up. With Mike as our guide we had no problems skipping across Budapest to find the very cool ‘Homemade Hostel’. We headed straight out to fill our bellies with meat, dark beer and a Pálinka to toast the adventure. After a short walk up the Danube we settled down to a noisy nights sleep.

Day 2, 12.05.09: Our second day of travel. A tram ride and a shoulder crunching walk got us to Budapest train station. Our 4 hour train ride along Lake Balaton took us through miles and miles of holiday homes overlooking the water. When we were clear of those we experienced for the first time the wide open expanse of the Hungarian country. Ákos met us off the train and ferried our bags back to Orosztony and we followed shortly after on the bus. Dave had a baptism of fire to driving in Hungary through an electric storm returning from Tesco’s. Back for bread, cheese, sausage and sleep.

Day 3, 13.05.09: Our first day of work with Ákos. Up early and a trip to the meadows to hunt for Orchids. Saw loads of different butterflies and flora and eventually tracked down our prize. We did a quick survey for Military and Lady orchids. Back to base to finish the Scops owl boxes that will be put up for nests at some point. Then in to town to follow up a call about an injured and lost Long Eared Owlet. We translported him back to where Ákos suspected the nest was and left him there keeping our fingers crossed that his parents would rescue him and nurse him back to health.

Day 4, 14.05.09: We spent all day trecking through the protected reserve at Csörnyeberek. There was some amasing wetland there which at some points crept over the tops of our wellies. Tonnes and tonnes of things to look at and photograph. A really good chance to see what can happen when you leave nature to its own devices.

Day 5, 15.05.09: A full day working on the aviary digging for a trench for the containing fence and a bit of amateur carpentry making the mating boxes. Ákos rewarded us for our hard work with Hugarian soup with all the bits of a chicken that you DON’T eat. It was great.

Day 6, 16.05.09: Shopping trip to Nagykanizsa for food supplies and materials for the aviary. We picked up wood from the timber yard that was just about too much for Ákos’ suspension but he made it home with no worries on his part. Spent the rest of the day working on the aviary.

Day 7, 17.05.09: A well deserved day off on the day of rest. Had an easy morning reading and doing not much then had a stroll in the woods down the end of our road. We stopped at the lake and saw a Night Heron on our way to a restaurant for meal of fine Hungarian cuisine.

DAVE continues

Day 8, 18.05.09: Another day starts early and up ‘n’ out to the aviary for more construction fun. Had a short site meeting to discuss the issue of the predator fence and decided to carry on with the buried plastic fence to deter small rodents from digging into the flight pen. Dave Ramsden & Simon arrive late am to inspect the handy work so far and meet the team. Back to the Ranch to make lunch for everyone and have a Pow-Wow about the 1st big event of Dave R n Simons visit  – Capturing the Owls for radio transmitter fitting! So, after lunch its off to the Felsőrajk church nest site to see if we can trip the trap door and get both the adult Barn Owls in the box. Fingers, toes and every other limb crossed that we are successful. Alas only the female was inside the nest box with 5 eggs and one recently hatch chick. As quick as a flash the female was brought down, biometric data collected in the form of weight, general condition, wing size & leg measurements and she is fitted for her radio transmitter and returned to the nest box. It’s decided to re-set the trap door and try to return later that evening and wait for the arrival of the male bird and try and capture him as he returns to feed the female. Onsite again by 7.30pm and all in place to wait the arrival of the male Barn Owl! We have managed to set up a 3point communication system that involves the following:

a) Dave is in a position to view the entrance of the nest box with low light binoculars. He is in communication with Nick via a rope that he will pull once the male is sighted entering the nest box. Thus starting the process of Bird Capture!

b) Nick is positioned between Dave and Mike. He is sited just below the bell tower entrance and as such has taken up a reclining poison to be super still n quiet & not to scare the returning male away. As such, he has the communication rope from Dave tied to his ankle. He is also in touch with Mike via another rope that he has in his hand; ready to pass on the message that the male bird has entered the nest box. This rope runs to the church entrance and up a flight of stairs to where Mike awaits.

c) Mike is in the stairwell to the bell tower. He now awaits the signal, a tug on the rope from Nick to tell him that the Owl has entered the Nest Box. He then will cut the string holding the trap door open. Once cut this will fall into place trapping the male in…

After a few hrs the male Barn Owl is heard screeching from the South and very soon after he is seen alighting on the exterior of the bell tower. After a few sense seconds he walks to the box entrance and jumps in. Dave pulls his rope – Nick pulls his rope and Mike cuts his rope! This equals one captured male Barn Owl and many Big Grins from the Team… Dave R dashes up and soon returns with a Male Barn Owl in a hold bag. After the same routine equipment fitting and measurement taking the male is soon returned to the nest box all dandy with his new radio transmitter fixed.

We all wait for the raising of the trap door and as expected the male bird flies out and into nearby Lime trees in the churchyard. The team quietly retreats home for the night after a great team effort and 2-tagged birds ready for tracking and data collection.

Day 9, 19.05.09: A day of training with Dave R and Simon! We spend the morning trying to figure out how the Radio Scanner works. This seems a lot trickier than first thought… We practice using it with a spare transmitter in the garden. Seems to be workable but we all agree that further study / familiarisation is needed to be fully competent in its use. We also find that one of the cables for the aerial is faulty. So, for the time being we have only one working set to train with. Another is ordered via the UK that day. Simon and Dave R brief the Team on the Barn Owl study program, why we are undertaking it and radio telemetry methodology. We move out of the classroom and into the field for a practical afternoon session. So, back to Felsorajk for radio receiver training using the female in her nest to establish tracking protocols and discuss issues and problems we my face during the data capture period. We also start to look at the topography of the area and best locations for tracking! Whilst out n about we observe a White Tailed Eagle flying over. What an awesome bird… After a very intensive day of instruction we all head off to the Kis-Balaton for dinner! Nick orders a crazy fish dish with some Horseradish & Blueberry Moose dressing – interesting! I order the chefs special of the night – Deer Stew – FANTASTIC. Dave R and Simon share a meat platter for 2 – an awesome amount of food. The rest of the team order a selection of Hungarian dishes – All is GUD All this food is washed down with a few glasses of the lovely Dreyer Bak. A great end to a fantastic day and it all ends with another thunderstorm! 

Day 10, 20.05.09: Back to work on the aviary again today. Nick, Simon and I get busy fixing support beams to the flight pens ridge beam. We also start to set out and fix the wire that will support the flight pen netting. We say a good bye to Dave R and Simon today. They are returning to the UK after 3 intense days in Hungary. They will be training the UK team in Devon soon, so a comparative study can be made between UK n Hungarian Barn Owls! Amazingly, I see a pair of Alpine Swifts over Orozstony – large swifts with a white belly… AWESOME!

Day 11, 21.05.09: Today Nick, Simon and I finish the wire cage for the flight pen. This is now ready for the netting! We see another White Tailed Eagle flying over Orozstony. This individual is flying very high but is still easy to spot with the naked eye, which just shows how massive these birds are… In the evening we head out to try and locate the male study bird! We manage to track it to a Farm just south of the village of Felsőrajk. At this time I had an amazing view of a flying Stag Beatle. Never seen this before and such a amazing wildlife moment. We head back to the church and take up position to view the male retuning to the nest site. As on the night of it’s capture it returns around 21.20. We track him into the church grounds but there is no confirmation from anyone that he has actually entered the nest box! SO, Simon is sent around the church to see if the bird is actually in the bell tower using the radio signal as guide & indication of location. It is quickly discovered that he is not in the bell tower but is perched in a nearby tree. Obviously he is still spooked from his capture a few days before and so flies off. The team retreats to a ridge site so we can observe the male returning again. After 1/2hr wait we are rewarded with the male returning and staying in the nest / bell tower for 15 minutes and then he flies off North West. We finally lose contact with the male, so home for the night – beer n bed!

Day 12, 22.05.09: Off to check the Male roost location this morning and see if he returned last night? Yep – he is there and that’s great news. Maybe this is a regular day roost site for him? Off to Nagykanizsa to do a big grocery shop and try to buy a new fridge / freezer for the ranch! Great chance for me to brush up on my trailer driving skills – all is gud! Back to Orozstony late afternoon to darkening clouds and the prospect of another thunderstorm seem on the cards. We all decide its best practice to venture out and see what the birds are doing! When we get to Felsőrajk the weather has broken and a good clear and calm night seems in the bag. Spent 4 hrs tracking the male tonight. Still not able to keep him in constant tracking range! Total of 4 hrs tonight and the most data gathered seems to suggest he is hunting North West of the nest site and returning on the hour to feed the female and chick(s). Saw a few Long-Eared Owls tonight also. One was sitting on a Power Line and the other flying across a meadow! Great spots.

Day 13, 23.05.09: More work today on the aviary and worked with Si on the timber cladding to the aviary building. Nick was on door making duty again. This evening we venture out again to do some radio telemetry again on the male Barn Owl. At one fixed point tracking location a local lady with a massive bag of fresh cherries welcomes us! So nice to be welcomed in such a way by one of the locals. We track the male until 01.15 and he is still returning to the nest site every hr or sooner – maybe more chicks have now hatched! Looks like the beginning of a behavioural pattern – we shall see! Saw another Long-Eared Owl tonight sitting on a bail of hay tonight!

Day 14, 24.05.09: Day OFF today and a very chilled morning after a late rise from bed. Off to Lake Balaton and the town of Keszthely! Had a look about and walked down at the lakeside. Spent the evening having a few beers and pizza and doing a spot of people watching with a few laughs along the way. On the way home we stopped off at Kis-Balaton again to see what birds where about as the sun set. The usual loud Great Reed Warblers with the addition of Grasshopper Warblers and my first spot of a Penduline Tit in the reeds. Another great day in this fantastic country. Over to Simon for week 3’s adventures…!

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