2nd stop
2nd stop
The valley below was shaped by the wild flow of the Laskó creek until the 1970s-80s, when the complete water management of the village happened: pipe systems were installed into the valley floor below us, and the wetland got drained.
Today a part of these wet hay meadows are again utilised for regular mowing and grazing, due to which many rare bird species reappeared in the past few years.
Corn crake
A highly endangered bird species, native to wet pastures. In May and June it makes its nest in the high grass. In that period we can often hear the special, grating krek-krek sound of the males, which inspired the Latin name, Crex crex.
Eurasian hoopoe
This colourful bird feeds on insects, its preferred habitat is the grazed meadows, pastures. It is attracted by farm animals, because its main food are the worms living in manure. It builds its nest in the holes of old trees, or the attics of stables or barns. Its nestlings protect themselves against predators with a foul-smelling secretion, which is reflected upon by the folklore names of the bird. It is called büdösbanka [smelly banka], ganajmadár [shitbird], and other similar names.
European bee-eater
The gorgeous bird digs its 1,5-2 m long tunnels into sandy walls, at the end of which the the breedchamber hides the nestlings, that are at first completely naked. Being a social bird, it breeds in settlements. It mainly eats dragonflies, butterflies and grasshoppers, which it cathces and eats in flight. It also catches wasps and bees, and eats them after removing their sting. Remembering this particular habit, the bird is also called beekeper-bird in the folklore, even though in reality bees only constitute a few percents of its food, and it only eats bees and wasps in cold weather, when other insects don’t fly.