Varga Zs. (2010): Madártani monitoring az Aggteleki-karszt területén (1986-2006) - Ornithological monitoring on the Aggtelek karst (1986-2006). ANP Füzetek VII.

Varga Zsolt: Madártani monitoring az Aggteleki-karszt területén (1986-2006) - Ornithological monitoring on the Aggtelek karst (1986-2006)

Summary:
Zsolt Varga (1959-2006) was studying the bird fauna of the Aggtelek National Park and its surroundings between 1986 and 2006. After his death in 2006 his relatives made his field notes accessible to the Aggtelek National Park Directorate, so they can be studied and the results published. 12,873 ornithofaunistical data from the Aggtelek Karst region, collected on 1,600 field days by Zsolt Varga between 1986 and 2006, are published in this volume of the ANP Füzetek vol. 7.
His research area includes the entire Aggtelek Karst and parts of the Rudabánya Mountains, the Szalonna Mountains, the Bódva Valley, the Tornai Hills and the Putnok Hills. The southern border of the regularly surveyed area stretches from Szuhafő to Szalonna, then turns northereastward to Hidvégardó. The northern and the western borders of the research area follow the state border between Hungary and the Slovak Republic. The research area, which covers the administrative area of 23 settlements, is 30,000 hectares.
Most of the research area, namely the Aggtelek National Park (20,188 hectares), is under legal protection. Due to the significant breeding populations of Hazel Grouse, European Honey Buzzard, Short-toed Snake Eagle, Corn Crake, Ural Owl, Grey-headed Woodpecker, White-backed Woodpecker, Woodlark, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush and Red-breasted Flycatcher, the territory is a designated Natura 2000 site (Aggteleki Karst SPA, 23,375.8 hectares). The whole territory of the Aggtelek Karst, and a part of the Bódva Valley is an Important Bird Area (IBA code: HU43, 28,600 hectares).
Zsolt Varga's aim was primarily to fully survey the populations of birds of prey by nest and territory mapping, but he investigated the breeding success of these species as well. He also surveyed the populations of Black Stork, Ural Owl and Northern Raven with the same methods. He also took notes on the distribution data of "more interesting" species by forest sections. These reported the occurence - and breeding - of 158 other bird species.
Each of Zsolt Varga's records can be considered as full faunistical data because they contain all of the three most important items of information (exact time and place of collection/observation, observer).
The name, as well as the taxonomy of the species follow the system of the Nomenclator Avium Hungariae (MME Nomenclator Bizottság, 2008).
Zsolt Varga's observational data are listed under the species name by settlement, following the rules of full-scale data publication. All data are tied to the administrative areas, and besides the settlement name, the precise topographic location of the observation is given. The latter is based on the digital cadastre system used by the Aggtelek National Park Directorate to record biotic data. Location is followed by the time of occurence (sighting) in temporal order in case of multiple data. Then the number of individuals in [], and finally if it is known, the sex and age of the birds are given. Immediate reference to nesting is not provided, however this and breeding success are indicated as follows e.g. [4 juv]; [2 juv, 1 male, 1 female].
In case of some of the species, survey results are also represented in maps. If nest and territory mapping yielded lots' of data, these two features appear in separate maps, whereas territory and other characteristics with little data are provided in a singular map.
Nest and territory mapping data are from period 1997-2006, while breeding population data were taken between 1996 and 2005. Thus, altogether 3,479 breeding and territory data are published from the studied and analysed period.
The faunistical data collected between 1986 and 2006 on the "more interesting" (altogether 158) species are also published in this volume.