Birding in Hungary

A cold front reached Hungary 2 weeks ago with rain and low temperatures and it stayed for more than a week. It came unexpectedly for the hundreds of thousands of migrating Barn Swallows, House and Sand Martins. They could not find any flying insects and without food they died during the cold nights. Thousands were reported dead along the roads of Hungary trying to hunt low over the roads and got hit by the vehicles. Many flew into buildings and factory warehouses to escape the cold nights. They moved into cities for warmer temperatures and food, many were seen hunting over downtown buildings in Budapest. The same happened last year in September in Hungary.

Other birding news from Hungary in the blog Birdwatching in Hungary and Eastern Europe.