Wildlife of Hungary

"Where babies come from"......... Many small villages have inhabitants high in the power lines right by the highways that runs through town. These storks are huge. Can stand a good 4 foot tall. Larger than a Sand Hill Crane or a Pelican. In this photo, the father stands guard as the mother sets on the eggs. Nests are built on platforms provided by the villagers on the power poles. It is considered good luck to have a visiting stork near by. In Hungary a peony is called a gólya rózsa -- stork rose -- because peonies bloom when the storks return to nest in Hungary. The stork in this picture was out in the field hunting for food. We saw them often in the farmers fields. They probably are valued for their pest control appetite. It would take a lot of bugs, grubs, or what ever they eat to fill up those big birds!

Couldn't pass up a shot of these future mousers. Speaking of which, we have yet to see a mouse here in Hungary. Did see a rat that had had an encounter with a Michelin in a gutter. (Sorry no picture). Saw what looked like a mink in the street close to the apartment. While driving we see fox quite frequently, a badger and one time while returning from Kaposvar in the dark, a pack of wild boar crossing the road in front of us. Would not want to run over one of those in a Skoda. Expect that would give you quite a ride.

Saw egrets today but otherwise there are not a lot of bird varieties here. No robins, no hummingbirds, but maybe an occasional magpie and lots and lots of pigeons.