Nature Photography camp in Baks
On Monday, we arrived at noon at the Szeged Community House. We started the opening of our nature photography camp with a delicious fish soup and goulash soup at the Fehértói Fisherman’s Tavern. After a delicious lunch we went to the Chronicler’s inn in Baksi to take our accommodation. After a short settling in, we discussed our weekly camp schedule and set off for Mórahalom on Lake Nagyszéksós. To our biggest surprise, we were treated to an incredible sight. The lake was full of birds. In huge flocks, summer geese, storks, waders, waders, terns, guillemots were herding, feeding and flying their chicks. The peaceful and idyllic scene was only broken by the appearance of a male Peregrine Falcon, graceful and lightning-fast in flight. On the mirror of the lake, the waterfowl, feeding peacefully and calmly until then, rose up in several waves, head over heels, trying to distract the hunting predator.
The next half hour brought another surprise. Among the many white shorebirds, a black batla joined in. Batls are very rare nesters in Hungary. It was a special pleasure for us to meet such rare birds on the first day of our camp.
The next days will be equally busy, we will visit the Atka Gorge, Lake Chai, and the Forest Gorge.
We started the second day of camp with a breakfast at 8:00 am. After everyone was well settled in, we headed to our first stop, Chanytelek. On the local lake, Lake Chay, we were able to watch a fish kill, which was an important moment for the birds. Thanks to this we managed to catch Dwarf Egret, Little Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Scaup, Wheatear, Guillemot, Spoonbill and even Meadow Eagle. After 4 hours of killing time at the aforementioned spots and photographing nature’s most beautiful creatures, we headed to Tiszaalpár for a well-deserved lunch.
In the afternoon, the group was split into two parts. Three of our students were given the opportunity to spy and scan the skies in Lakitelk by using a bird observatory, this time managing to take pictures of more than one hornbill, cherry woodpecker, sliders and wild eagle. The others, meanwhile, tried their luck in another part of the forest. Lots of macro shots were taken to give the children a better understanding of this world of photography. Among other things, these pictures were of local plants and animals, but most importantly, everyone enjoyed the fun and excitement of working together. Finally, we also visited the Tiszaalpar Loess Hills for a beautiful view, which includes an earthen castle and a Church Hill with a Roman Catholic church. We had dinner in a restaurant in Svetes, after which the next stop was the well-known Baks. We ended the day with an evening of retouching, of course, but this was combined with a well-deserved melon eating and conversation.
On the third day of the camp we got up a little earlier, and after breakfast at 7:00 we had to leave for our first stop, as they were waiting for us at the Bird House. Here, the children were allowed to sit in threes in one of the artificially constructed bird nests, the primary purpose of which was to catch a glimpse of the wheat buntings. At the same time, another three pupils tried their luck in a nest with a bird feeder, where we were treated to wagtails, horned titmice and wood finches. During this time, the others were able to further develop their macro skills, tracking woodland rabbits and deer, and unleashing their photographic imagination in the nearby woods. After a tiring morning, we travelled to Kistelek for lunch and then on to the next location, the Atka Gorge.
Here again, there were several options for the youngsters to choose from, with a large number of people going boating, but there were also some who opted for fishing. We spent three hours scouring the foams in order to see and photograph as many little egrets, great egrets, buckeyes, silky herons, grey herons, mallards, teal and kingfishers as possible. After touring the site by water, we continued on land. We joined our anglers, spent the evening on the jetties, catching both carp and catfish. We chose the Fehérto Fishermen’s Tavern for dinner, where we ended the day with fish soup and goulash soup.
Our Thursday day consisted of 3 main activities. Breakfast at 8:00 am was followed by a departure for the Mártély Lagoon an hour later. After a short drive we arrived at our first destination. Here we first divided the children into three groups, as there were 3 rounds of the much anticipated boat ride. After 1,5-1,5 hours of paddling and taking photos, we went out on the open water with two or three ladis of 4-4 people.
During this time we managed to approach and photograph a lot of birds. After a long, tiring day of work, we decided to take advantage of our accommodation for the second part of the day in the afternoon. First, we took a dip in the pool in the middle of the courtyard, where we continued to collect funny moments that could be linked together. After getting soaked, we had a nice barbecue party where everyone ate whatever they wanted, be it sausages, meat or salad. And we needed the energy, as the last part of the day was spent out on Meggyes Lake near Baks, where the youngsters could go fishing, just like the day before. The main attraction, however, was the late night star photography, which of course meant cameras pointing at the sky. After returning to the hostel, there was also the opportunity for a game of désa so that everyone could go to bed with the best possible experience and prepare for the last day.
Zalán Győző, Szabolcs Turuczki
Group 3 from Nagybajom, Group 2 from Szeged
More pictures are available in the gallery: