Seventh Wild Geese Festival 

23 – 25 November 2007

Patron: József Michl, Mayor of Tata

Friday, 23 November 2007

Hotel Öreg-tó Klub

18⁰⁰ Registration for the Bird Race begins for adult and junior teams

20⁰⁰ Opening of the Bird Race – László Musicz, MME

20⁰⁵ Rules of the Bird Race – Péter Csonka, DINPI-MME

20¹⁰ Introduction of Danube-Ipoly National Park Directorate – Presenter: Katalin Sipos

20⁵⁰ Iceland , the land of geysers – Presenter: Ferenc Dömsödi

21¹⁵ Birds of North East India – Presenter: Attila Steiner

Saturday, 24 November 2007

Bird Watching Tower at the lakeside

6⁰⁰ Start of the Bird Race (team registration in adult and junior categories at the Bird Watching Tower)

From 7⁰⁰ Observing the departure of thousands of wild geese with unique technical solution! – Narrator: Árpád Zsoldos

8⁰⁰ – 8¹⁵ Special welcome to children with Lajos Áprily’s poems

8¹⁵ Official opening of Festival – József Michl, Mayor of Tata; Dr Attila Bankovics, President of MME

8⁴⁰ “Photo the Festival!” photograph competition starts

9⁰⁰ – 10⁰⁰ Nature walks for group of children registered in advance

15⁰⁰ – 16³⁰ Observing the arrival of wild geese to the lake with unique technical solution! – Narrator: Árpád Zsoldos

18⁰⁰ Closing the Bird Race

18³⁰ Dinner for Bird Race participants

18³⁰ – 20⁰⁰ Astronomy with Balázs Zágori

10³⁰ Ornithological values of the county – Presenter: László Pénzes

11¹⁵ Introduction of Danube-Ipoly National Park Directorate – Presenter: Katalin Sipos

13³⁰ The Nature in pictures – Presenter: János Szekeres

Other events:

Whole day events:

–         Playhouse “Cincér”: Creative environmental education tent

–         From 7⁰⁰ to 9⁰⁰ and from 15⁰⁰ to 16³⁰ professional narration on the movement of wild geese

–         From 7⁰⁰ to 9⁰⁰ and from 15⁰⁰ to 16³⁰ beaming of the events on the lake in the Big Tent

–         Showing of Ornithology and Nature movies in the big Tent between 9⁰⁰ and 16⁰⁰

–         Painting of Tatai Öreg-tó genere painting on the lakesideThe painting is for biding

–         Bird Watching with telescopes

–         Bird Ringing demonstration

–MME Shop and Bird Friend garden stand with advising

–         VIP tent: meet with nature protection experts (e.g. Egon Schmidt)

–         Hot refreshments, dried fruits, bird paintings and natural history books on sale

–         Nature protection advice

–         Exhibition of local craftsmen

–         Continues showing of pictures about the natural values of the county

Location: Pálma Ház (Tata, Angolpark)

10⁰⁰ Nature photos exhibition, László Nehézy (nature photographer) – Opening by János Szekeres, nature photographer

Hotel Öreg-tó Klub:

20⁰⁰ Results of the Bird Race – Dr Attila Bankovics, President of MME

20¹⁵ Report of the Nomenclature Committee – Presenter: Tamás Zalai

20⁴⁵ Birds of Papua and New Guinea – Presenter: Tamás Zalai

21³⁰ Birds of Alaska – Presenter: Dénes Laczik

Advanced registration is required!

7⁰⁰ Whole day excursion to the Danube , travel by own transportation – Excursion lead by László Pénzes and Norbert Riezing

7⁰⁰ – 9⁰⁰ Observing the departure of thousands of wild geese

Sponsors of the Festival:

Tata Város Önkormányzata

Swarovski Magyarország

Által-ér Szövetség

Duna-Ipoly Nemzeti Park Igazgatóság

Észak-dunántúli Környezetvédelmi és Vízügyi Igazgatóság

Old Lake Holding ZRt.

Tatai Többcélú Kistérségi Társulás

Öreg-tó Klub Hotel

Tatai Mezőgazdasági ZRt.

Tatai Városgazda Kht.

birding.hu

Kókay Szabolcs, www.kokay.hu

Nagy Gyula

Zsoldos Márton

Know-How Audit Kft.

www.zakkpakk.info  

Wild Geese Festival 2007

“This magnificent and particular geese-watching occurence will take place at the Old Lake Tata (Old Lake Club Hotel) and be held at the weekend on 23-25th November 2007, from Friday evening to Sunday noon. It is organised by BirdLife Hungary .

On Saturday there will be the 7. Birdrace and Birdwatchers Meeting and other foreign competitors are warmly welcome.

The whole three-day long event attracted 4500-5000 people last year and we do hope this number is going to rise from year to year.

It is a unique occurence nearly over the world that the very cautions wild geese come in large numbers to spend the wintertime on Lake Tata which is surrounded by the town with its pulsating noise and lights. This natural place of interest can be seen together with a hundreds of years architectural inheritance and a unique historic backgrounds which makes this lake and the surrounding city more particular.

Ornithologists have observed more than 210 birdspecies on the Old Lake Tata so far. There are numerous curiosities among these species, the international importance of the lake is the staging, resting and wintering wild-fowls. On a winter day even 30-40 thousand wild geese, especially Bean Goose, White-fronted Goose and Greylag Goose is the most common species, but every year Red-breasted Goose, Barnacla Goose and some indivudals of Lesser White-fronted Goose are also found. Ducks and other watergames also appear in significant numbers, such as Mallard, Wigeon and Teal.

In addition large numbers of gulls, Balck-headed Gulls and Yellow-legged Gulls are coming to spend their night on the lake as the sun getting down. 

So If you would like, make a decision and take part in the birwatching contest or just come and visit this great and memorable event. 

If you are getting interested in this fascinating programme please do not hesitate to ask further information from   zsombor.berenyi@mme.hu   about the details.”