Cranes under the Sun

National Park Hortobágy in East-Hungary lies on the migration route of the common crane (Grus grus). Every autumn and spring hundreds of thousands spend a few weeks on the grasslands of the Hungarian Plains before travelling further to Africa or to Scandinavia, respectively. In the past cranes used to breed in Hungary but due to the regulation of rivers their habitats faded. But since the national park is being revitalized they tend to stay longer and were even observed breeding in very occassional cases. The crane is a traditional symbol of the Hungarian Plain; for example, herdsmen decorate their hats with a crane feather.