Dalmatian and White Pelican photography

This weekend wasn't just as expected. For one of the days I wanted to do some work at home and for the other day I wanted to visit a site for a Rock Partridge and White-backed Woodpecker not far from Sofia. These are two species that a friend from the Netherlands wants to see and I wanted to make sure we increase our chances of seeing the birds. I did the whole preparation for the trip and then a colleague called with a rather tempting suggestion. Pelican photography! Huge temptation. I decided the trip will have some really practical positive sides because I do not go often there and wanted to learn some new sites and accumulate more information about the area. Anyway I wanted to go to this site with my friend too. I decided to take the opportunity and go for this photography trip.

The day started at 4 a.m. About 5 hours later we were at the site. The weather was pretty miserable with some mist but at least it wasn't cold. Rather quiet as a start. Then some Mute Swans swam past followed by quite a few Gadwall, then Pygmy Cormorants, Great Cormorant, Wigeon, Little Grebe, Great Heron and Great White Egret. A gorgeous male Red-crested Pochard has passed by my colleagues but too far for a good photo. Most of the birds were pretty distant for a picture. We stayed birdwatching for a bit and off we went to a spot where we knew was good for Dalmatian Pelicans.

Mute Swan and Gadwall © Iordan Hristov

A large silhouette projected its shade on the track. We quickly jumped off the car from either side. It was a Great-spotted Eagle! Rather obligingly it circled overhead a couple of times to show its glory. It filled up our frames nicely.

Great spotted Eagle © Iordan Hristov 2014

Great spotted Eagle © Iordan Hristov 2014

Great spotted Eagle © Iordan Hristov 2014

Further on  a dozen Bewick Swans was calmly feeding in the shallow water of the lake. Then we spotted a White-tailed Eagle and a flock of several hundred Great White fronted Geese. On the other side of the road above the fields a young Peregrine was streaming towards a group of Mallards. It tried a surprise but it was too obvious. Did not seem quite skillful. Mallards survived this time. A couple of Kestrels and loads of Collared Doves made our way to the Pelican site rather pleasant and we managed to relax after the bits of exciting birding.

Then...there they are. Dalmatian Pelicans in fully adult and breeding plumage. What a bird. Couple of them were waiting by the local fishermen to give them some fish. I don't know about the fishermen buy we shall certainly give them.

We quickly got a basket of fish and started feeding the Pelicans. The birds were not afraid afraid. The bravest were coming up to about 1 m from our cameras. We had to use wide-angle lenses. The light was just right. Lovely soft light was nicely lighting the birds to give this highly desired shine in the eye.

Dalmatian Pelican photography © Iordan Hristov

Dalmatian Pelican photography © Iordan Hristov

Dalmatian Pelican photography © Iordan Hristov

Dalmatian Pelican photography © Iordan Hristov

Dalmatian Pelican photography © Iordan Hristov

Dalmatian Pelican photography © Iordan Hristov

Dalmatian Pelican photography © Iordan Hristov

With the Dalmatians there was one different bird. A White Pelican. Actually it was pink :) strange name for this bird. The White (Pink) Pelican looked so unreal. It was soook pink. I have never seen such a bird this close. The Dalmatians didn't like him very much and he often stayed hungry somewhere behind the crested Dalmatians.

White Pelican photography © Iordan Hristov

White Pelican photography © Iordan Hristov

White and Dalmatian Pelican photography © Iordan Hristov

We gave all our fish and the light wasn't good for photography any more so we decided to go.

Well this was a lovely weekend. Although I couldn't make most of the Saturday and had to start early on Sunday I hope the images will make it worth it.

Here is a checklist of all the birds we saw for the day in a systematic order without really putting much effort. have in mind this was meant to be a photography trip:

1. Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
2. Great crested Grebe
3. White Pelican
4. Dalmatian Pelican
5. Cormorant
6. Pygmy Cormorant
7. Great White Egret
8. Grey Heron
9. Black Stork
10. Flamingo
11. Mute Swan
12. Whooper Swan
13. Bewick's Swan
14. White-fronted Goose
15. Greylag Goose
16. Shelduck
17. Mallard
18. Gadwall
19. Wigeon
20. Teal
21. Pochard
22. Red-crested Pochard
23. White-tailed Eagle
24. Great-spotted Eagle
25. Hen Harrier
26. Common Buzzard
27. Sparrowhawk
28. Common Kestrel
29. Peregrine
30. Coot
31. Lapwing
32. Green Sandpiper
33. Common Snipe
34. Black-headed Gull
35. Yellow-legged Gull
36. Feral Pigeon
37. Collared Dove
38. Little Owl
39. Kingfisher
40. Green Woodpecker
41. Grey-headed Woodpecker
42. Skylark
43. Crested Lark
44. White Wagtail
45. Grey Wagtail
46. Robin
47. Blackbird
48. Cetti's Warbler
49. Great Tit
50. Blue Tit
51. Nuthatch
52. Magpie
53. Jay
54. Hooded Crow
55. Common Starling
56. House Sparrow
57. Tree Sparrow
58. Chaffinch
59. Goldfinch
60. Corn Bunting

Wader photography in Bulgaria

It's been a long time since I last posted something on this blog. Well here I am, hope I will manage to post more often. I finally managed to get some time from my busy schedule and post process a few images. Here they are: a few images of Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago, Dunlin Calidris alpina, Redshank Tringa totanus, Spotted redshank Tringa erythropus and Greenshank Tringa nebularia. 

Common Snipe © Iordan Hristov

Common Snipe © Iordan Hristov

Common Snipe © Iordan Hristov

Dunlin Calidris alpina was the other bird species that turned up in the pond.

Dunlin © Iordan Hristov

Dunlin © Iordan Hristov

Dunlin © Iordan Hristov

Redshanks Tringa totanus were the most abundant birds in the pond and ... the tamest. Some were coming less than 3 m away from me.

Redshank © Iordan Hristov

Redshank © Iordan Hristov

The other species in the pool was Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus. Unfortunately most of the time it was quite far for a decent shot:

Spotted redshank © Iordan Hristov

Greenshank Tringa nebularia comes next.

Greenshank Tringa nebularia © Iordan Hristov

The shots are done during my September session on wader photography. You can see the other images here. Feel free to comment on the images. Happy to hear any constructive feedback.

Photography weekend

The past weekend wasn't meant to be quite as what it turned out to be :) I meant to just go to my grand parents and do some work there but plans always change. I scheduled something different for the Saturday and spent the day with the family. We did a lovely walk in Vitosha mountain which resulted in a few sunset images. I really missed going into the high mountains so the nearest and the easiest to do was the one next to our place - Vitosha. We started at lunch time and quickly ascended into the mountain tops. It wasn't long before we started walking in the lovely autumn forest enjoying large flocks of Bramblings counting at least 30 birds in a flock. These are the first for this winter that I see. Really pleasant. Also enjoyed some mossy deadwood stumps with little spruce trees starting from it to demonstrate the function of deadwood in a forest. Weather was quite warm understand about 15 degrees C, so we got ourselves a drink and spend couple of minutes on a meadow that was well lit by the Sun. Shortly after that we headed to a mountain top where I wanted to do some sunset shots. The area is quite pictures and presents superb opportunities for landscape photographers. I would image it would be great in pretty much any season. Here is a taste of it:

sunset from Vitosha mountains 

sunset from Vitosha mountains 

Since trekking up to the mountains for the sunsets took some time we had do go to the car in the darkness. It was rather pleasant actually. We enjoyed Sofia by night from the mountain top.

Sofia by night

On the Sunday I went to a large lake to the south of my place where I intended to spend the day in bird  photography and then go to my grandparents. The day at the lake was beautiful. Rather muddy terrain made the joy even grater :) By the time I reached the place for photos I got really muddy up to my knees. The tripod, the jacket, the backpack were all in mud. The shoes were not even visible what make they were. Anyway, I laid down and spent about 8 hours waiting for birds to approach me.

The result is satisfying. Birds didn't quite approach me as much as I wanted, but anyway I managed to get shots of about 10 bird species. The nearest that came was this nice male Teal:

Teal photography

Flamingo photography

Shoveler photography

Grey Heron photography

Avocet photography

Avocet photography

Avocet photography

Also a couple of Common Snipes were often landing in less than a metre so I couldn't get many shots of them. However, there was one which stayed in a good distance but amongst some rocks showing only its head. So the other birds I managed to photograph were a few Mallards, Shoveller, nice male Pintail, Great white egret, Grey heron, Greater Flamingos, Black-headed Gull, and a White Wagtail. A water pipit did land relatively close but it stayed amongst the stones nearby so wasn't good for a shot.

Anyway, it was nice to spend some time in the mud. I remember when I was about to start photographing I was pretty sure I will never do this. This heavy gear and laying in the mud is just not what I wanted. Now after I spent some time wading in the mud and seeing the results, I might be more inclined to do it in the future. See what happens.

NOTE: Please feel free to comment on the images. I am happy to receive feedback. Please be constructive and suggest practices or approaches to change what you don't like.

Waders photography in Bulgaria

Some time after the September session on Waders photography in Bulgaria, I managed to get some time and post process a few images more. Here are the first ones:

Redshank photography

Redshank photography

Little ringed plover 

Hope I will manage to get some more time and post-process a few more images.

Buzzard photography session coming up

This weekend I went to a site near Sofia where Buzzards are attracted with bait. There is a photography hide there and I hope that soon we'll be able to show some shots. As a part of its maintenance, a friend and I went to the spot to prepare it and put out the first pieces of bait so that the birds can start learning it. Also we mowed the meadow and set up a few new perches for the birds. In a couple of days I shall go there again to see what the results are and will put out some more bait. Looking forward to seeing the results.

In the meantime, I also managed to go to a reservoir nearby which has some extensive shallow flooded spots. There were quite a few Common Snipes which might be another idea for more photography opportunities. Birds will be there throughout the winter so even a tent might do.

Morning birding in Sofia

The end of autumn shows lovely colors not just in the mountains but also in city parks. The nice sunshine today made me walk to work rather than driving. So I got my bins and started a bit earlier than usual. It was great. Just walking and looking at the tree tops was really pleasant. The birds were pretty active. Although there weren't many species it was still rather pleasant. Great Tit, Nuthatch, and Great Spotted Woodpecker were the few species I registered.

Sofia city park

Hope I will continue doing this and perhaps get more work for my company www.NatureMonitoring.com

Bear watching in Bulgaria, Belitsa

The past weekend was rather exciting. This time the trip was to an area where I have only driven through but never had the time to really wander around. The area is in between three of the major mountains in the country Rila, Pirin and Rhodopes. We visited friends of ours in a village called Belitsa.

Wildlife watching and trekking is super in the area too. The village of Belitsa is situated at the foot of Rila mountains. Thus the area presents superb opportunities for walking, trekking, photography or just leisure. You wake up and enjoy the nearly three thousand peaks of Pirin mouintains.

We arrived late on Friday evening. The plan for the next day was to do some trekking in Rila mountains. So we did. Since it was a weekend, we decided to make a walk rather than a serious hike. We left the house at about 12 and soon we were at our starting point in Semkovo resort. A place which people want to promote and convert into a ski resort. Quite a strange idea having in mind the slopes have southern orientation and the infrastructure there is not quite right. Moreover one of the biggest resorts in the country is just next door and this place doesn't even have basic grounds for comparison.

From Semkovo, we started our trip to Macedonia chalet. Lovely little place on the top of the mountain situated at about 2200 m above the sea level. This height presents opportunities for open view to the valley of Blagoevgrad. The area to the north of the chalet is quite wild with spots for Hazel Grouse and Brown Bears.

Landscape photography, Macedonia chalet

The trail to the chalet goes along a small river with a few small waterfalls. Right next to the chalet is one of the best biosphere reserves in the country called "Parangalitsa". The reserve has the biggest populations of the endemic plant called Primula deorum. Unfortunately some poachers were cutting the trees in the National Park. The most ridiculous thing is that a guard from the Park Administration was at the place.

Waterfall photography in Bulgaria

Loads of Nutcrackers everywhere along the way. Apparently the juveniles are quite noise but pretty shy to stay for a nice shot. A few Crested Tit, Siskin and a single Black Redstart. I was aiming for a Pygmy Owl but were not successful.

On the Sunday we went to a sanctuary for bears. The place become known for its funding from the well known Brigitte Bardot and its international charity foundation "Four paws". The bears are just so fantastic. I wish I see them more often in their wild environment. Most of the animals were not feeling well but a few of them had pretty glossy fur. They seem to be getting ready for winter.

Bear watching in Bulgaria

All of these sightings and landscapes were along the autumn colors of old growth beach forest. It really is a place to be.

I did this trip as a part of the activities of my company. See more information about its acitivities on my website here: www.NatureMonitoring.com See more of my photos in the gallery here.

Weekend walk in Plana, Sofia, Bulgaria

Weather in the last couple of days stays still warm before the coming winter. This made me go out for a walk to a village not far from our capital Sofia. Didn't quite know where to go. What I knew was that I want to explore new areas I hadn't visited before. A few arrangements and here we are on the road to the Eastern Part of Vitosha mountain just next to Sofia.

Lovely autumn colors. Even managed to do some birding in an area with conifer trees. The highlights were Black Woodpecker, Crossbill, Nutcracker, Crested Tit, Marsh Tit, Woodlark and that's about it. But it was great. A lovely and relaxed Sunday. On the way back to the car we had a great end of the day with this marvelous sunsets over the landscape. Hope I have managed to show at least a fraction of the beautiful scene.

Autumn in Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria

The past weekend was a marvelous autumn experience for landscape photography ... Enjoy.

On Friday afternoon we made our way to the Eastern Rhodopes to establish a bird photography hide. We arrived late in the afternoon and met some friends who suggested there is carrion in front of one of the vulture feeding sites and place for photographing them. Excitement took over and we quickly made the arrangement to go into the hide. Recent news suggested there was opportunity to photograph wild wolves so I didn't want to miss this chance. After a few drinks with our friends we decided to go into the hide during the night and spend it there. This is expected to increase our chances for photographing wolves and vultures.

We arrived shortly after 1.00 am and a pack of not wolves but dogs met us at the site. We entered in full excitement and quickly went to bed. The cozy bunks and our sleeping bags made the night quite warm and pleasant. We woke up at about 6,30. It was still pretty dark but a fox was feeding on the carcass. What a place. It would be great if it stays until its bright sun. Unfortunately it disappeared with the coming sunlight. A raven turned up presenting nice opportunities for some art photography shots. Here it is:

Raven photography in Bulgaria

After a few hours in the hide we ended up with nothing but this raven. We observed about 25 species but no photos. Amongst the birds observed are a young Goshawk chasing the birds around, a young and an adult Golden Eagle which we wanted to land but no luck, also Cirl Bunting, Wood Lark, Peregrine Falcon, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, etc.

The sun broke through the mist and wonderful landscapes tempted us to leave and spend our time for landscape photography. Here are some of the results:

We had wonderful time in photographing the autumn landscapes of Eastern Rhodopes. Totally recommended to everyone who wishes to do it.