Journal of a Sabbatical

August 15, 1999

in search of the bird paradise

Bird Sightings
Lake Velence

6 coots (Fulica atra)
2 house sparrows
1 great crested grebe(Podiceps cristatus)
1 black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus)
1 little gull (Larus minutus)
1 magpie (Pica pica) 

Az Alcsúti Arboretum
2 common buzzards (Buteo buteo)
2 blackbirds (Turdus merula)
a billion barn swallows

It was autumnally cool this morning, quite refreshing actually. I slipped on jeans and a T-shirt and brought my jacket along with my binoculars and bird book for an expedition to Lake Velence in search of whatever birds frequent this "bird paradise" that István mentioned to me and Keith a few nights ago.

After driving all the way around Lake Velence and locating the Dinnyes-Ferto bird sanctuary, I discovered it was closed to the public and guided bird tours of the adjacent areas only happen on Saturday - that would be yesterday, darn it.

I pulled into one of the ubiquitous boat docks and found a flock of coots (European ones, not the American coot) and a great crested grebe immediately, but no sign of the herons and egrets the lake is famous for. Of course, if I were a heron I'd be hiding too. The lake is swarming with people in all kinds of inflatable water craft. I spotted a common black-headed gull, which I realized is exactly that, common, here unlike at home where word goes out on the rare bird alert for them. A little gull flew by too. My first. So there were birds around for sure. By this time the refreshing morning temperature had definitely worn off and I was getting hot. Guess I didn't need that jacket after all.

I drove around checking out the lake from all directions. It's smaller than Lake Balaton by a lot. And it's a different color green- much darker. Balaton is a kind of celadon color.

I stopped at an overpriced restaurant (I didn't know it was overpriced until I got the menu) for a strange lunch of an open-faced grilled cheese sandwich (from the breakfast menu) and a giant plate of French fries (from the side order menu). There were enough fries for a party of six! If that's a side order, it must be for the table not the individual.

In the "where's the camera when you need it" department, as I was sitting outside munching my giant plate of fries, a horse and cart pulled into the gas station across from the restaurant. It stopped right in front of a gas pump! I sprinted for the camera but by the time I got to the cart, the horse and cart were gone.

Thatched roofs are fairly common around Lake Velence, as opposed to the tile roofs I've mostly seen.

I drove home through the hills and stopped at a small arboretum that wasn't in any of the lists of Hungary's natural places, nor in my guidebook: Az Alscúti Arboretum. The forest was beautiful and the trails were easy. The air was filled with the sound of woodpeckers, though I saw not a single one. It felt good to be in the shade after the relentless sun of Lake Velence. I enjoyed my walk tremendously.

In mid afternoon, I thought it would be fun to call Nancy from a phone booth on a country back road - we have a tradition of my doing that on trips. The phone booth was an adventure. It didn't take cards, so my little 800 forint phone card I'd gotten at the post office was useless. I fished in my pocket for the requisite coins and was able to get to the MCI operator and have her place my call. Well, every few minutes when the coins ran out we got disconnected. I'd hang up and the coins would come back. I'd put them in again and call back. I did this four or five times before the coin slot finally jammed. But it was good to hear Nancy's voice.

I'm the only one in our apartment now. Isabel left this morning on the minibus to the airport. When I got home tonight there was a note from her with a copy of Salman Rushdie's The Moor's Last Sigh for me to read if the TV gets boring. Since I haven't finished either Green Mansions or Eugene Onegin, which I brought with me, I don't think I'll need it.