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

Phylum Vertebrata 207 have largely vanished from the area. Compared with what CHERNÉL observed a hundred years earlier, the avifauna of the lake had changed, but could not be called poorer. Bio-monitoring surveys recently began at the Tömörd observatory, aimed at following the population trends of the species in the Nagy-tó area, along with changes in relative occurrence and the reasons behind these (GYURÁCZ 2000b). The ringing camps held in 2000 marked 193 birds of 34 species in the spring and 4576 birds of 72 species in the autumn. During the spring, a black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) was ringed at Tömörd for the first time. The species composition in the autumn was strongly influenced by the fact that the summer drought had dried out the lake completely (BÁNHIDI and POLOVITZER 2000). Records of the birds breeding at the nesting sites were published by ZOLTÁN LEPOLD (2000a). Two 'Actio Hungarica' ringing camps were held at Tömörd in 2001. At the spring camp (April 29-May 6), 198 specimens of 34 species were ringed, with 56 recaptures. In the autumn, between August 5 and November 18, 4367 examples of 74 species were ringed. Again there were significant numbers of birds ringed in the previous year recaptured and two birds ringed abroad were also found (BÁNHIDI 2001). The orientation of the migrating birds was also examined using the Busse cages developed by the Polish scientist PRZEMYSLAW BUSSE (LEOPOLD et al. 2002). Two camps were again held in 2002, with 200 specimens of 34 species ringed in the spring and 5109 specimens of 82 species in the autumn. An interesting specimen caught was the yellow-browed warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus), in only its fifth occurrence in Hungary (BÁNHIDI 2002; Kiss 2002). The bird-ringing camps at Horvátnádalja were described by SÁNDOR JENE (2000 and 2002). Ornithological data about the districts along the River Repce have been provided by ISTVÁN FEHÉR (1996; FEHÉR and MESTERHÁZY 1996). He and ATTILA MESTERHÁZY have reported many instances of breeding in Vas County by the honey buzzard (Pernis apivorus), black stork (Ciconia nigra) and raven (Corvus corax), and charted the stick nests in the county (FEHÉR 1997; FEHÉR and MESTERHÁZY 2000 and 2001a). Other scattered records can be found in shorter communications (MOLNÁR 1996; FEHÉR and MESTERHÁZY 2001b). CSABA NÉMETH made a survey of the population of red-breasted flycatchers (Ficedula parva) in the Kőszeg Hills. A significant finding was that the Western border of the bird's range runs through Central Europe, so that any fall in population would be apparent in Hungary first, while a reduction in the breeding stock could also signify habitat destruction. The number on the Hungarian side of the border in 1996 was put at a maximum of ten pairs (NÉMETH 1996). He also examined the habitat choice of the species in the Kőszeg Hills (NÉMETH 1999a), and in a later communication (NÉMETH 2000) gave records of observations there and on the lower Kőszeg slopes in 1995-2000. NÉMETH (2001) has also published observations of the behaviour and diet of the eagle owl (Bubo bubo) in the Kőszeg Hills. Recently, in mid-July, 2003, he managed to observe a breeding pair near Cák. The eagle owl feeds mainly on hedgehogs and birds on