Debrecen4U September 30, 2025

Bird watching days will take place this weekend

Bird enthusiasts across Hungary have reason to celebrate: the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Association has announced that birdwatching opportunities will be available in 16 counties and in Budapest.

According to a statement sent to MTI by the association, the program was launched by the International Council for Bird Conservation, BirdLife International, in 1993.

Central Asian partners have also joined the event, so the event, traditionally announced for the first weekend of October, is now collecting data on the autumn bird migration of two continents with the help of the public. The Hungarian coordinator of the program is MME (Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Association).

This year, the MME is waiting for interested parties at more than fifty locations in 16 counties across the country and in Budapest over the weekend. In Hajdú-Bihar county, Debrecen, Bocskaikert, and Hortobágy will be the locations. For example, there will be a bird ringing demonstration in Debrecen.

The event is also a playful competition between countries, where the virtual podium places are decided based on the locations, participants, and the number of observed birds. Hungary usually ranks in the top five, and last year it achieved podium places in two categories.

According to the announcement, it is not only possible to contribute to the overall Hungarian result at organized locations: anyone can count the birds in the garden, street, or nearby park.

Participants are asked to note the settlement and county where the observation took place, the number of participants, the total number of observed birds, the names and numbers of the three most common birds, and possibly the appearance of rare or interesting birds. This data must be sent by 4 p.m. on Sunday using an electronic form that can be downloaded from the program website and filled out on a smartphone.

“The submitted participation and observation data will be compiled by MME staff and then forwarded to the international coordination center. The association is expected to announce the overall results on October 6. Last year, more than 3.5 million birds were observed by 24,614 participants at 984 locations in 36 countries,” they said.

Information about the locations and participation can be found on the association’s website.

Source:dehir.hu | Photo credit:Pixabay