Vig Károly: Zoological Research in Western Hungary. A history (Szombathely, 2003)

Phylum Vertebrata 221 which has contributed to the drastic fall in the Hungarian population of barn owls in the last ten years. Some improvement in the situation in church towers could be made with correctly aligned nest boxes (GYURÁCZ et al. 1997). At an Őrség Mobile Camp for Bat Research held in 1995 by the Friendly Circle of Hungarian Bat Researchers" and the Zala Branch of the Hungarian Ornithological Society,

100 attention was also paid to barn owls when the Őrség churches were examined. Unfortunately, no potential sites were occupied and a site at Kerkáskápolna occupied the year before was empty (FEHÉR 1996). Hungarian occurrences of the osprey (Pandion haliaetus) were summed up by PÉTER BERETZK and ANDRÁS KEVE (1973). The first report in the West Hungarian border region came from RUDOLF ZIMMERMANN (1943), who had not seen the bird himself at Fertő, but quoted an undated report by JUKOVITS. Others to report occurrences have been LAJOS MOLNÁR (through JÓZSEF CSABA) in the Vas Ridge (Vasi-Hegyhát), ISTVÁN CHERNÉL (reported by TSCHUSI and DALLA-TORRE 1888) and ISTVÁN BECHTOLD at Gyöngyös near Kőszeg, and several others from the Hanság and Fertő (BAUER et al. 1955). It has also been observed more recently above Fertő and near Sopron (HADARICS 1998c). A new line of ornithological research in recent decades has been to examine the bird fauna of towns. Several new types of urban habitat have developed, which explains why such research could not be carried out before. JÓZSEF GYURÁCZ, ZSOLT PIRI and IMRE SZÉLES began to study the avifauna of Szombathely in 1990 and published their findings three years later (GYURÁCZ et al. 1993). They observed 65 bird species within the borders of the town, of which 43 were breeding. The relatively high number of species was similar to the figures for other provincial Hungarian towns studied. The highest species count was in Kámon Arboretum, whose bird-life was the subject of an earlier study (JÓZSA 1990). Evidence of the ornithological activity in the West Hungarian border region was the choice of Sopron for the first scientific session of the Hungarian Ornithological Society on March 27-8, 1982,

101 and Szombathely for the third one of its successor, the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society,

102 on March 1-3, 1991.

103 The first register of the bird species in Hungary was published by JOSEPH 99 Magyar Denevérkutatók Baráti Köre. 100 Magyar Madártani Egyesület Zalai Helyi Csoportja. 101 KÁRPÁTI, L., and L. HARASZTHY 1982. A Magyar Madártani Egyesület I. Tudományos Ülése (First Scientific Session of the Hungarian Ornithological Society). Madártani Tájékoztató (October-December 1982):201-3. 102 Magyar Madártani és Természetvédelmi Egyesület. 103 GYURÁCZ, J. 1992. A Magyar Madártani és Természetvédelmi Egyesület III. Tudományos Ülése, Szombathely, 1991 (Third Scientific Session of the Hungarian Ornithological Society). Madártani Tájékoztató (January-June 1992):33-4; idem 1992. 3rd Scientific Meeting of the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Society. Omis Hungarica 2:33.