On late Friday afternoon, we arrived from Nagybajom at our Foundation’s Szeged Community House. We settled into our accommodation, had dinner, and explored the basement, where we could see algae production, crayfish farming, carp fry, sturgeons, and pikes. It was fascinating to see the entire ecosystem.
The next day, our friends from Szeged and Szentes arrived, and after breakfast, we headed towards Mórahalom. From the birdwatching tower, we observed a multitude of waterbird species. Greylag geese were guiding their goslings, black-winged stilts, avocets, and gulls were feeding their chicks. Mute swans were turning their eggs in the summer heat. In the distance, domestic buffaloes lay peacefully in the cool water of the lake. At our next location, we had a mid-morning snack at the base of an observation tower.
In the afternoon, we headed towards a bee-eater colony. We had to endure very strong winds with our telephoto lenses. Initially, the bee-eaters were very timid around our group, but after they became accustomed to us, they started to display their natural behavior for our young photographers.
In the afternoon, we crossed over to the shore of the Atka backwater. We selected a large enough dock to accommodate all of us. Half the team took photos, while the other half fished and chatted. We captured interesting moments: a night heron flying with a dwarf catfish in its beak, a brown kite, or a mallard herding her ducklings. The idyllic scene was abruptly ended by a strong storm front, which brought unexpected excitement among us.
As evening fell, we packed up and headed to the Fehértói Halászcsárda to crown our already eventful day with a real fish soup. After a hearty dinner, we returned to the Szeged Community House and fell asleep to the evening “song” of the green toads.
Roland Szabó
mentor
More photos can be viewed in the gallery: