The land of the ravens
This week we visited a place very close to nature; our destination was Somogyfajsz. We woke up at 4:00 a.m., set off at 4:40, and arrived at the Kund Mansion in Somogyfajsz by 6:30. Along the rolling roads of Inner Somogy, surrounded by dense fog, we covered the kilometers until we reached the wild streamside landscape. Our host, Tibor Tömösváry, welcomed us; together we discussed the plan for the day and loaded our equipment onto the back of a pickup truck.
Our route led along muddy roads in the early morning twilight, through an alder grove where a herd of Hungarian grey cattle regularly grazes. After crossing one of the bridges over the Boronka Stream, we caught sight of our photography hide at the edge of a wooded pasture. In front of it lay a shallow pond, followed by an embankment and then a large body of water dotted with tree stumps. Next came the placement of bait on the embankment soil, which was scattered with molehills. Entrails served as the main attractants for our target birds. We cleaned the hide’s glass windows and then took our positions. Inside the hide, the temperature measured just 1°C.
After saying goodbye to our host, the departure of the off-road vehicle was marked by the curious calls of ravens. Ravens are remarkably intelligent birds; gathered at a safe distance in the fog, they carefully observed what was happening. Two bold common buzzards hopped from branch to branch, moving closer to the target area. One bird’s hunger overcame its curiosity, and it flew straight down to the bait and began feeding. The second buzzard soon followed suit, landing and eating as well.
Meanwhile, the ravens grew increasingly impatient and hungry, calling loudly around us and circling above the small pond. One of them boldly landed and crept toward a buzzard, which spread its wings stiffly to signal that it had no intention of sharing this delicacy. Then another raven arrived, and another, and more followed—circling, landing, and flying off with tasty morsels. There were many of them, and they carried away the portions around the buzzards at a rapid pace, until the buzzards had had enough and, perhaps well fed, left behind what remained. That was the moment every black-feathered bird had been waiting for.
Each raven carried off scraps in whatever direction it pleased. Minutes passed amid the quiet clicking of camera shutters. At moments like this, a photographer realizes just how small a 64 GB SD card can be. The fog, the dim light, the birds’ dark plumage, and their rapid movements put the ideas and skills of Zalán Győző, Kristóf Tóth, and Kristóf Kámán to the test. ISO and shutter speed were the key values to be adjusted in order to create compositions close to what had been envisioned.
As the food supply dwindled, the number of these noble “songbirds” also began to decrease. Larger bones remained until the end—perfect objects for squabbles. In the background, a black woodpecker tried to pry a caterpillar from beneath the tree bark, completely undisturbed by the photographers. Later, mute swans arrived on the large water surface dotted with tree stumps. The weather did not improve; dense fog and temperatures of 1–2°C stayed with us. We grew cold and waited shivering for our host to return.
On the way home, we also met Berci the shepherd, who was in a hurry to let his sheep out onto the meadow. With a handshake at the Kund Mansion, we said goodbye to Tibor Tömösváry, and with beautiful memories and valuable experiences, we set off toward Mezőcsokonya, Somogysárd, and Tapsony along the foggy, bumpy roads of Somogy.
More photos can be found in the gallery.