SOCIETY LIFE

Looking back on 1999

Events in 1999: General Assembly; the 1st issue of “Vasi Szemle” (Vas County Review) dealt with our projects and our society; “Watch the Stork” exhibition; jubilee assembly on the 25th anniversary of the Hungarian ornithological and Nature Conservation Society; Nature Conservation Camp in Tömörd in May; surveys of white storks, bee-eaters and amphibians, collecting data on flora; placing out nesting boxes for barn owls (Tyto alba); visiting the Biharugra ponds; annual ringing camp in the Rába valley in July; work of the Tömörd Bird Observatory from August to October and further expanding of the building; international birdwatching day on October 2nd; conferences in Gdansk (Poland), Helgoland (Germany), Budapest; winter feeding and Birds’ Christmas.
 

25 Years of the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society – J. Gyurácz

Our national society was founded in 1974.  Protecting birds leads to many other tasks to be done in our environment.  Birds are popular in our country because of their interesting life, mysterious migration, their ability to fly, their colours etc.  Protecting natural habitats and biological diversity is essential to harmonious human life.
 

Letter – L. Haraszty

The deputy chairman of the national society congratulates on the high-level works published in “Vasi Szemle” (Vas County Review) by our society.
 

NATURE CONSERVATION

Saving Frogs near Balogunyom – T. Kelemen

Some members of our society decided to save the frogs migrating to their breeding places across a highway near Balogunyom every year.  The project was carried out between march 20th-30th.  A 200 m long nylon foil stopped the frogs frogs and they fell into the plastic buckets in the earth.  Motorists and villagers were understanding.  679 individuals of the following species were saved: Bufo bufo, Bufo viridis, Rana dalmatina, Rana temporaria, Pelobates fuscus, Hyla arborea, Rana esculenta, Triturus vulgaris.
 

Conservation Projects for Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) and Barn Owls  (Tyto alba) – J. Gyurácz, P. Polovitzer, Cs. Németh

Two new breeding sites of bee-eaters have been discovered.  An estimated number of 139 couples nested in 15 sites.  A conciliation meeting was held about the Bozsok site with the result that the breeding of bee-eaters is safe there.  (For a chart of sites and number of breeding couples in Hungarian version.)  After checking 20 nesting boxes for barn owls it seems it would be better to put the boxes in agricultural buildings.
 

BIRD RINGING

Bird Ringing Camps in 1999 – P. Bánhidi

The spring camp in Tömörd was held between May 1st-8th when 175 individuals of 31 species were ringed.  The autumn ringing camp lasted 10 weeks from Aug 22 to Oct 31.  29 nets were used and 3186 individuals of 72 species were ringed.  (For a list see Hungarian version.)  The most common species were: robin (E. rubecula) – 530, black cap (S. atricapilla) – 364, tree sparrow (Pas. montanus) – 364.  A Swedish-ringed reed bunting (E. schoeniclus) was recovered on Oct 30.  Students of hunting and environment protection at the Hermann Ottó Secondary School had practice in groups of five in the area.  We had about 400 visitors.
 

FAUNA AND FLORA

Dippers (Cinclus cinclus) Breeding under the Factory – Z. Lepold

After discovering the feeding dippers on the Gyöngyös stream, the nest was also found with the help of the factory under which the nest was built in the wall of a water-tunnel.  Both adults and 5 youngs were ringed in April and May.  The adults brought food mostly from about 100-300 meters from the regulated section of the stream.  They picked up mostly Trichoptera larvae.
 

Nesting of the Raven (Corvus corax) in the Kőszeg Hills – Cs. Németh

Ravens had been seen in the Kőszeg Hills earlier, too, but since 1997 it has been probable that they are nesting as well.  After considering the needs of ravens and the characteristics of the area, the most likely sites were checked.  Only in March 1997 was the nest found in a northern hill-side at 420 m above sea-level on a beech tree at a height of about 15 m.  Later 4 youngs were discovered and by May they had left the nest.
 

Nesting of the Raven (Corvus corax) and the Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) in the North Vas – A. Mesterházy, I. Fehér

On March 13 1992 a raven’s nest was found 21 m high on an old oak tree.  In April 2 youngs were seen in it.  In the same forest a saker (Falco cherrug) was seen flying in April.  In another North-Vas forest a black stork’s inhabited nest was found on April 24, 1999.
 

Occurrence of the Alpine Swift (Apus melba) over Kőszeg Hills – Cs. Németh

An Alpine Swift was observed in the Kőszeg Hills, Western Hungary, on 27 September 1998. This was the 2nd accepted record of the species for Hungary. The author assumes the bird originated from the nearby Alpine population and was driven into the Carpathian Basin by a strong meteorological front on the previous day.
 

New Data on the Flora of the Répce Valley – B. Keszei

After considering the results of recent botanical and zoological research, the Minister of Environment attached the swampy fields along the Répce to the Fertő-Hanság National Park.  This helps conservation work a lot.  The list of plants (see Hungarian version) is a complementation of previously published studies.
 

EDUCATION

Birdwatcher School – T. Kelemen

The children have had practical tasks, lectures, competitions and an exhibition.  We look after 40 nestboxes in the Arboretum of Kámon.  The members of the group were successful at national competitions as well.
 

Birdwatcher Kindergarten – Cs. Lőrincz

In our kindergarten a great emphasis has been laid on environmental education for 10 years already.  The mainstream of our
programme is based on folk traditions which are closely related to nature.  Children of  5 take part in the activities with great enthusiasm.  There is an inside an outside activity every month.  Outside programmes include visiting the botanical garden or the boating pond in Szombathely, Chernel Garden in Kőszeg, the flower-carpeted forests in Horvátnádalja in spring and camping at the Tömörd Bird Observatory, too.
 

National Competition  on the Day of Birds and Trees – Cs. Lőrincz

The regional lap was organized in Szombathely with 25 teams of children aged 10-14.  The first 7 places were won by teams from our county, the first and second of which took part in the national final in Dombóvár coming 7th and 11th.