Vig Károly: Zoological Research in Western Hungary. A history (Szombathely, 2003)
206 Phylum Vertebrata Kőszeg Landscape Conservation Area in the winter of 1980-81, of which occurrences of the hen harrier (Circus cyaneus), dipper (Cinclus cinclus) and firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus) are worth mentioning (VARGA and KIRÁLY 1981b). These observations were continued by VARGA in 1982. During his work so far, he has observed 109 bird species, of which 78 were breeding as well. The most significant finding was a whitebacked woodpecker (Dendrocopos leucotos), which no one since ISTVÁN CHERNÉL had seen in the area (VARGA 1982b). On October 26, 1985 at Velem, he managed to see in one flock all six of the Paridae that breed in Hungary: 8 great tits (Parus major), 3 blue tits (P. caeruleus), 5 coal tits (P. ater), 2 marsh tits (P. palustris), 2 crested tits (P. cristatus) and 1 willow tit (P. montanus), along with six long-tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus), a tree-creeper (Certhia familiáris) and a nuthatch (Sitta europaea —VARGA 1986a). He gave a detailed account of breeding in Vas County by the crested tit (VARGA 1987b). RÓBERT KIRÁLY (1986) summarized the breeding results observed in Vas County in 1986. PÉTER BÁNHIDI conveyed a love and knowledge of birds to hundreds of young people at camps he began to run in 1984 (BÁNHIDI 1986 and 1988). At the camp in August 1985, the birds netted and ringed included two examples of the thrush nightingale (Luscinia luscinia), which had only been recorded in Vas County once before, at Körmend (BÁNHIDI et ai. 1985). The purpose of the Tömörd Natural Protection Camp held on April 26-May 5, 1996 was to do rehabilitation work on the Nagy-tó (Great Pond) there. At the same time, participants observed the spring migratory birds. They ringed 240 specimens of 28 species in ten days. Among the birds netted were the firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus), grasshopper warbler (Locustella naevia) and whinchat (Saxicola rubetra —BÁNHIDI 1996b). Two camps were run in 1987. At the ten-day ringing camp, 258 specimens of 36 species were ringed by the participants, the most interesting record being of a ruff (Philomachus pugnax), not hitherto known in the area. The main purpose of the autumn camp was to mark thrushes and finches. Altogether 438 examples of 29 species were ringed in eight days. The Tömörd Bird Observatory was built during the camp. In 1997, the István Chernél Vas County Branch of the Hungarian Ornithological Society bought the Nagy-tó and environs with assistance from the Pro Vértes Foundation (BÁNHIDI 1997; BÁNHIDI and GYURÁCZ 1997), so that a piece of property once on the CHERNÉL estate came into the hands of expert environmentalists and ornithologists again. The findings of the ornithological examinations of the Nagy-tó area at Tömörd were summarized by PÉTER BÁNHIDI (1999). The occurrence of riparian species fluctuates with the level of the lake. This is less obvious with the songbirds inhabiting the reeds. During the spring migrations, the wading birds become dominant. The avifauna is poorer during the breeding season. In the autumn, warblers and thrushes can be found in quite large numbers. The proportion of the seed-eating species varies with the crops cultivated in the surrounding fields. The raven (Corvus corax), firecrest (Regulus ignicapillus) and goldcrest (R. regulus) are growing more abundant, but the magpie (Pica pica) and partridge (Perdix perdix)
