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Every year during the first week of March, as the Hortobágy National Park begins to stir from its long winter ‘sleep’, hordes of grey geese return to these vast Pannonian lowlands. A vital stop over on their migration to the north, this would be an exciting spectacle in its own right. But among the thousands of Greater White-fronted Geese arriving at this time, the flocks regularly include numbers of the charismatic and beautiful Red-breasted Goose and the increasingly rare Lesser White-fronted Goose, too. The geese have an established daily routine of resting up at midday. But, as they switch roosting sites between the various wetlands day by day, the trick is to know where to look! Our main goal on this action-packed short break will be to find and enjoy both of these special birds.

Following the migrating geese, White-tailed Eagles also arrive in great numbers. Early March is excellent for these magnificent creatures, when as many as one hundred and fifty individuals patrol the Hortobágy! The sudden appearance of this massive bird of prey over the lakes sends waves of panic through parties of loafing waterfowl. As winter’s ice loosens its grip on the lakes, so the region’s many wetland birds start to return. A few Pygmy Cormorants should already be back, and restless troops of Bearded Reedlings and Eurasian Penduline-tits add further to the magic to our visits to the reed-beds. If the weather is fine, the first Moustached Warbler could also be singing quietly to itself in anticipation of the wakening of spring.

As our attention switches to the Hortobágy’s sweeping grasslands, we’ll head out across the steppe in search of that aristocrat of the plains, the Great Bustard. With the breeding season starting in a just a few short weeks these immense birds come together now in small flocks or ‘droves’ to prepare for the spring display. Here there are more exciting raptors to watch for, our travels across the steppe being punctuated with excited shouts of Rough-legged and Long-legged Buzzards, Hen Harrier, Merlin and Saker! And with a bit of luck, the park’s regularly wintering Greater Spotted Eagle will put in an appearance, too.

On one day we will visit a remarkable Long-eared Owl roost in a nearby small town. Up to three hundred birds can gather here in winter and large numbers should still be present at the time of our visit in early March. Another morning will be spent exploring the Great Forest at Debrecen, with Black, Syrian and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers to search for along with Short-toed Treecreeper and flocks of Hawfinches.

If you are seeking a spectacular birding break in early spring, then look no further than this cracking long weekend to Hungary’s celebrated Hortobágy National Park. Born and raised in the Hortobágy, our guide - the excellent János Oláh - knows its secrets better than anyone!