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четвъртък, 6 март 2014 г.

Rock Partridge trip in Bulgaria

This time I got him. Regardless of the miserable weather at the start of the day with rain and low temperatures I managed to see the Rock Partridge today. As a part of the preparation for my coming visitor I decided to explore the area around the mountain where Rock Partridges occur. I spoke to several people and everyone was saying that the birds do not appear in bad weather whatsoever. Moreover, it is still quite early in the season for the bird's display. Well, I wanted to see the site and get some more experience with it so I decided to give it a try.

I started fairly late in the morning regardless of any recommendation for Rock Partridge observation for early start. The trip wasn't long and shortly before I arrived at the area the rain stopped. "That's a good sign", I said to myself. Bright sky showed over the mountain tops. "I might be lucky".

Soon I was on the trail to the spot where I knew the birds should be. Big bird turned up in the distance. No it wasn't the Rock Partridge. A Golden Eagle was circling right over the spot where the Partridges should be. He must be searching for a meal. The big bird disappeared for a while but then it just turned up round the hill. It was sooo close. I quickly leaned down to hide myself. The bird didn't seem to have seen me and calmly continued gliding. What a bird! And of course I had left the big lens at home. Why would I need it in this miserable weather. Well the light wasn't good but the bird was so close that it would probably not fit in my frame. It was at eye level which additionally brought the respect which this bird deserves. Beautiful adult! It circled a couple of times and off it went. I didn't really feel any pressure to go further but wanted to have a look at the Rock Partridge spot.

Rock Partridge habitat by Iordan Hristov

In about 10 minutes I was there. Superb view from the top of a hillside revealed a 360 degrees view. Cliffs all around with meadows and scrub. That's what they like. I sat down for a while to enjoy the view. It wasn't a minute when a Rock Partridge called. Yes I know it is still early for them to breed but there it is calling from the bushes. I waited for a bit more but the bird didn't come out. Then I went round the corner to change my location. There it was. Ohh my.. The bird took off noisily only about 30 m away from me and gently glided down the hillside. Well, I got him this time.

Rock Partridge Habitat by Iordan Hristov

With a smile on my face, I happily went down the track towards the car. Several Sombre Tits made the pleasure even bigger.

Well I think this would be the spot. If we are this lucky, the trip will start really well with rather relaxed schedule and travel. Looking forward to its start.

петък, 28 февруари 2014 г.

Photography and bird survey trip

Photography or should I say non photography trip started rather early this time. I wanted to go to a site about 1,5 hours drive from home and then another 1,5 hours climbing up the mountains. Since I wanted to be in the hide before first light which means 6.30 a.m., I needed to wake up at 3 a.m. This is perhaps the earliest start I have ever had for birds. I have been up at 4 a.m. but at 3, never.

It wasn't that hard in the beginning. Had a nice coffee and it kept me awake while driving along the mountainous roads. During the hike I didn't really needed coffee. There was some really thick mist with about 50 m visibility which made driving a bit of an excitement. I nearly missed the layby.

I arrived at the beginning of the mountain track shortly after 5 a.m. It was - 5 degrees C. I dressed up well, got all my gear and off I went. Along the mountain track two Tawny Owls scared the hell out of me in the pitch dark. Two more were calling further along. Their breeding time approaches so they are keen to announce their territories :).

I arrived at the hide just as planned. 6.30 a.m.The first day light was already coming through so it was time to go in. It is on the top of a hillside above the treeline in one of Bulgaria's national parks. The hide is meant to be used for photographing birds like Golden Eagle, Goshawks, Ravens and Red Fox. That's what attracted me. Rather cosy place with wood coating inside and rocks from outside making it look as a typical habitat feature. There is even a small foae and a chemical toilet for the long photography days. Well there has been a few photography sessions here.

The first birds that started singing were Wood Larks. Their lovely fluty song is sooo pleasant and tuning.

The first Raven called at 6.51. Still not enough light for a good shot but the bird didn't land anyway.

Sun started to light up my perches shortly after 7. Now birds can land. I am ready and light is good.

Landscapes in Bulgaria © Iordan Hristov

At 9.27 nothing has landed so far. A Roe Deer call came from the valley bellow which made me think about it coming up here. But why would it? The bait was not for it :)

At about 8.30 an interesting call came from outside. It reminded me of my initial intention to come and explore this area. It was not that much to photograph something but to see a Rock Partridge. The bird call was a Partridge indeed but it was Grey, not the one I was after.

Landscapes in Bulgaria © Iordan Hristov

9.35 A strong wind came out and it became rather cold regardless of the sunny weather. This makes the waiting a bit more challenging but see what happens. I plan to stay until lunchtime and then go to do a few other things I wanted to do in the area.

10.30 bits of excitement: one Raven flied quite low over the bait. No. It didn't land. It needs some more time.
11.00 nothing in front. A distant Wood Lark sings actively. Catching up with emails...
12.00 still nothing. Well I think it is time to go.

Packed my stuff and off I went. It was beautiful sunshine out there which warmed me up a little bit. There was no sign of any bird in the area which explains their behaviour. I started descended from the hillside towards the village nearby where I wanted to check some areas for White backed Woodpecker and book a hotel.

Landscapes in Bulgaria © Iordan Hristov

Along the track several birds made my day. Couple of Goldcrests were singing here and there. A very pleasant surprise was a Sombre Tit which was actively announcing its territory. But the highlight was a male Goshawk dashed between some trees chasing the birds around.

In the rest of the day I didn't have much luck either. Didn't find any woodpecker but a Great spot. At another location I found three more Sombre Tit Parus lugubris which were chasing each other. The hormones are playing their role :)

After enjoying a lovely view to some cliffs I headed towards home. Not much luck today but this is why surveys are important. Not just to find the birds, but to see where birds are missing. So I would say it was a very useful day.

сряда, 29 януари 2014 г.

Common Buzzard photography in Bulgaria

In the middle of the week I decided to take some time off and use the snow. It's been fairly dry winter which did not offer many opportunities for bird photography. However, the snow is already here and birds are now regularly coming to the feeding sites.

Since the forecast for today suggested snow, I decided to give it a try and go to a hide for Buzzards. At this spot there are also Ravens, Magpies, Red Fox, Golden Jackal and occasionally Golden Eagle. What I wanted most was a Long-legged Buzzard but ...you never know what will turn up. Birds are wild so, let's give it a try.

I set the alarm for 5,30 a.m. The road to the place was about 1,5 hours so I wanted to be there as early as possible. So I did. Everything was according to the forecast. Snow! Well this sounds optimistic. I drove the distance in the dark and arrived just when a fox was hunting in the fields not far from the hide. This could be a good sign. I left the car by the main road and walked for about 20 min along a snowy road to reach the hide.

A Common Buzzard took off from the tree right behind the hide. Hmm, this looks really optimistic. I set up the feeding site and entered into the hide. It wasn't even 10 minutes when a Raven landed about 20m in front of me. Then a second bird arrived. Magpies started coming. One, two, three... At certain point there were ten Eurasian Magpies Pica pica. And finally there goes the Buzzard.

A Common Buzzard landed on the perch specifically set for it. Right where I wanted it. What a beauty. It wasn't a minute before it started feeding on the bait. The birds looked pretty calm. Later on a second Buzzard arrived. At certain point i had 2 Ravens, one Common Buzzard and 10 Magpies at the same time. Well, here are some shots: