BirdID trip in Bulgaria 2014: day 9, May 2nd

The last day before departure was fairly quiet. We didn’t have much more to see and hoped for some migrants. That’s why we had an earlier breakfast than previous days to be able to arrive as early as possible at a valley which usually holds some migrants. Some people from the group had awoken even earlier willing to see more. And yes they did. A guy from the group had seen an Orphean Warbler right in front of the hotel. That’s a pretty good addition to the local list. Some time ago I had a Crossbill which is another good bird for this coast habitat.

So we headed to the valley. Mist has overtaken the landscape. A lonely Roller was sitting on the wires along the road.

The valley was pretty quiet. We checked the usual place for Black-eared and Pied Wheatears which were important to compare. Shags and Squacco Herons were also around. A couple of Hoopoes were chasing each other with their butterfly like flashing wings. They were going up and down to prove their interest to each other ;)

Balkan Green Lizard, copyright Iordan Hristov

The valley also presented us with a Purple Heron, Barred Warbler, Savi’s Warbler and Alpine Swifts. Just before lunch we headed to cape Kaliakra. The best place to see the Pied Wheatear and see migrating birds. The group seems to have seen enough of the Wheatears and only photographers appreciated them. After enjoying the dramatic landscape and view we decided to go for lunch. One of the group participants had seen a Black-headed Bunting which is one of the first arriving for the year. We decided to search for it before lunch but had no luck.

Pied Wheatear, copyright Iordan Hristov

Lunch was in a small restaurant in Balgarevo we had fish and cream caramel. Although I meant to make a fairly light lunch it didn’t quite happen like this. After lunch all of us felt rather exhausted. Fatigue seems to have taken over after 9 days travelling and birdwatching around Bulgaria. We had a brief walk around the steppe habitat in the area to enjoy the Short-toed Lark, Spanish Sparrows, Calandra Lark and Tawny Pipit. We paid some attention on their ID features and we headed back to the hotel. It was already late in the afternoon so we decided to come back a bit earlier. It was time for some relaxing. Five minutes later most of the people were out again walking by themselves. This is the kind of relaxing people enjoy. What is important is that people have some personal time to themselves.

Spanish Sparrows copyright Iordan Hristov

After a brief walk everyone was expecting the checklist to count the pre-final number of bird species during the trip. We ended up with 92 species for the day and 227 species for the trip. Our way to Sofia might give us a few more birds so the final list will be done tomorrow evening.

BirdID trip in Bulgaria 2014: day 8, May 1st

This was The day. Absolutely fantastic! I don’t know where to start. We saw all the flycatchers you can see in Bulgaria, Arctic Skuas, Yelkouan Shearwaters, Thrush Nightingale, Citrine Wagtail, Ferruginous Duck, Pygmy Cormorant and what not. The number will come later on.

We met in front of the hotel at 7.00 am. Some of the people from the group were up before 6 and had already logged a few newies. We walked around to enjoy the beautiful morning. It was full with sounds. We saw the first for the trip Willow Warbler which was rather exciting for the group since we enjoyed every new species that would take us to the target of 225 species seen during the trip last year.

Barn Swallow, copyright Iordan Hristov

A Collared Dove has made a nice nest on an antenna. A view you would expect but don’t often see. In a minute we heard a strange croaking reminding me of a Thrush Nightingale. It wasn’t difficult to make sure I was right. It was rather exciting for most of the people who hadn’t seen it before. Two minutes later a strange looking flycatcher turned up. Initially we thought it was a Pied Flycatcher but photos proved it was a Semi-collared with evident white sides of the tail which miss on the Pied. Now we were ready for breakfast.

After a superb breakfast we headed to the north searching for a Paddyfield Warbler. We stayed at the site for some time but had no luck. Nevertheless it was still great to see the Glossy Ibis, Purple Herons, Pygmy Cormorant, Collared Pratincole, Savi’s Warbler, Whiskered Terns, etc. We added Bearded Tit and Reed Bunting to the list and off we went.

Birdwatching in Bulgaria copyright Iordan Hristov

After a pleasant coffee we headed to another place further south. We got a few items from the groceries for lunch and had a rather pleasant lunch on a terrace looking at the sea. Arctic Skua and Yelkouan Shearwater were the highlights that broke up our lunch.

Birdwatching in Bulgaria copyright Iordan Hristov

We headed towards a wetland nearby but before reaching it the scrub along the track stopped us for some time. This time they were Red-breasted Flycatcher and Collared Flycatcher. Further along a Pied Flycatcher turned up. After an hour walk for the 100 m we reached the wetland. An excitement overtook when a brilliant looking Citrine Wagtail turned up. It came rather close for the photographers in the group. Grey Plover was also there.

Woodchat Shrike and birders from our group, copyright Iordan Hristov

We already started counting the number of species and realized we were approaching 224 which was only one less than last year’s number. A Lesser Black Backed Gull was the lucky bird to make us even – 225 species seen for 8 days of birdwatching in Bulgaria. We have another day to go and hopefully we will have some surprises.

On the way back home we stopped for the last time for the day. Black-necked Grebes, Yelkouan Shearwaters and Arctic Skuas were the highlights. A couple of Harbour Porpoise also turned up which brought some excitement and put a lovely end of the long day.

We had only two sites but we counted a total of 128 species for the day and 226 for the trip. Not too bad, is it.

BirdID trip in Bulgaria 2014: day 7, April 30th

We woke up in pouring rain. It was pretty dark and cloudy out there. Luckily, we didn’t have any particular aims for the morning. We had breakfast and off we started our trip to the North. Shortly after that we stopped at some salt pans where Sandwich Terns breed. We added Common Ringed Plover and Greenshank to the species list. Luckily we had a shelter so pretty cozy regardless of the rain.

After a few more additions to the list we continued our journey across a mountain pass to the North of Bourgas. The rain hadn’t stopped so we couldn’t see more but once we descended from the mountains we were back to an oak woodland. Participants in the group wanted to see some more Semi-collared Flycatchers and so we did. Males were singing at several sites. A nice surprise was a Wryneck which called in the forest. It is most probably a migrating bird but still nice to see.

Lunch was in a small family run restaurant not far from this Semi-collared Flycatcher place. We had chicken stew with boiled potatoes. After a refreshing coffee we opened our eyes and the results followed. Just as we were talking about Steppe Buzzard, a migrating bird came and showed its diagnostic tale to all the participants. The bird was fairly dark resembling an ordinary Common Buzzard but the tail was definitely different. Then at least a dozen Honey Buzzard and over 50 White Pelicans came together with two Black Storks and a Sparrowhawk. This was only within 15 minutes. Not too bad, is it.

We continued our trip to the next place where we wanted to see an Eagle Owl. Upon arrival, before we got off the van people already saw the bird in its niche. They proved to be two birds. This is a pretty good addition to the list. That’s especially true for my Bulgarian friends who have been trying to see it for quite some time.

The next target was Stone Curlew. We changed the habitat drastically and already were in the pseudo steppe. There was the Stone Curlew. Two birds came around to see us. Ticked! Off we go.

On the way to our hotel 5 Grey Partridges stayed out in the open fields only about 30 m from the road posing for some shots. While struggling to see them on the first day, here they are showing off nicely. A Roller, Red-footed Falcon and a pale Booted Eagle were the other highlights along the road.

Once we arrived at the hotel, everyone was inpatient to go out. The area of the hotel is superb with its pseudo steppe habitat with birds like Calandra Larks and Tawny Pipits. For an hour walk we managed to see Pied Wheatear (a highlight for most people in the group), male and female Red-breasted Flycatcher, Red-footed Falcon, Spotted Flycatcher, Woodchat Shrike, Black-throated Diver to name but a few. We ended up with 112 species for the day and 213 for the trip so far.

Tomorrow morning before breakfast we expect to see more of them and hope for some Yelkouan Shearwaters. 

Looking forward to tomorrow!

BirdID trip in Bulgaria 2014: day 6, April 29th

We spent the day around Bourgas wetlands. Out main target were Dalmatian and White Pelicans and we traveled a bit to see them. From the early morning we started ticking off quite a few species. The highlight before breakfast was a River Warbler. Right after the morning meal we had a huge flock of 500+ White Pelicans, and then a couple of Collared Pratincoles, Penduline Tits, quite a few Curlew Sandpipers, Ruff, Little Stint, Whimbrel, Ruddy Shelduck, Spoonbills, pretty much all the ducks, etc. The day was really good for Honey Buzzards which counted about 50 or so.

We thought we had already seen quite a few pelicans when we saw the next flock of about 2000 White Pecalins. At another spot we had another 2000, so pretty good day for them. We checked several sites for the Dalmatian ones but no luck. We drove around all the Bourgas wetlands and couldn’t see any. Anyway we had some other highlights like the Little Gull, White-tailed Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Collared Pratincole, etc.

At the very last place for the day we ticked off quite a few birds. Finally we managed to get the Dalmatian Pelicans. Three birds were calmly sitting in one of the pools. A few minutes later they just disappeared which was good luck for most of the people who really wanted to see them. Other top species were Gull-billed Tern, Slender-billed Gull, Whimbrel, another Broad-billed Sandpiper and a Kentish Plover.

This was a good end of the day. We now counted a total of 205 species for the trip and we are now at day 6. Hopefully we shall manage to add another 20 or so to beat the record from last year counting for 225 species. See what happens.

Stay tuned…

BirdID trip in Bulgaria 2014: day 5, April 28th

We woke up in the middle of oak woodland with slight rain. Everybody in the group was keen to walk around the new type of habitat so the rain didn’t scare the participants. Even more, some of them had already walked before the time for our meeting and had already seen a Lesser spotted Woodpecker and a Cirl Bunting. After a bite of lovely chocolate we headed towards the woods.

It wasn’t even a 100 m from the hotel when a Middle spotted Woodpecker turned up right next to his Lesser brother. The first came pretty close and everyone enjoyed it. Another 100 m further away we heard a familiar call. Black Woodpecker’s head popped up from a nesting hole. In a couple of minutes the bird took off for everyone’s joy of seeing the whole bird. People in the group really wanted to see it. Another 50 m away a Woodlark called, then the highlight and main reason for selecting this place: a Semi-collared flycatcher! Lovely male was nicely singing.

The walk in the woodland continued with more rain, more Semi-collared Flycatcatchers, Hoopoe, Wood Warbler, Short-toed Treecreeper, an early family of Long-tailed Tits and a couple of Hawfinches. A Grey-headed, Great spotted and Green Woodpecker made it a total of 6 woodpecker species that we had for about an hour and a half before breakfast.

After breakfast it was time to change the habitat. It was time for some waterbirds and we drove to Bourgas. It seems that everyone enjoyed this change. We stopped by a wetland and everyone started shouting out different species names. Some of the highlights were Teminck’s Stint, Glossy Ibis, Purple Heron, White-tailed Eagle, more than 20 Red-footed Falcons, Marsh Sandpiper, Ferruginous Duck, Garganey, White Pelicans, Red-crested Pochard, at least 5 Broad-billed Sandpipers, etc. It was a day of about 120 species which takes us to nearly 190 species for the trip so far. Nor too bad is it?

BirdID trip in Bulgaria 2014: day 4, April 27th

The start of today feels like a very long time ago. All the memories of today’s morning somehow mix up with the birding events from previous days. We drove just about 200 km but because of the dramatic change in habitats and total change of atmosphere it feels like a very distant change. From the Mediterranean areas we now moved to an oak woodland about 40 km from the Southern Black Sea Coast.

The morning started at 7 a.m. with… Nightingales everywhere! Someone couldn’t sleep because of them. Other bird calls could hardly be heard because of the Nightingales’ songs. Before we had even had our eyes fully open we already had the first Black Storks for the day. Cirl Bunting called from the bushes nearby and a strange looking sparrow posed nicely for some time. Well this is a good candidate for an Italian Sparrow. It had brown nape with dots of grey which make it look like a young bird so it has to be confirmed by the authorities.

After a nice breakfast we took off. We had a long way to go. Driving along narrow countryside roads made us witness the wilderness of the area. Hares, and Turtle Doves were running and walking along the roads. The road took us to a high watchpoint surrounded by dry Mediterranean bushes. We were aiming at Sub-alpine Warbler and Olive-tree but the it proved to be a little bit early for the second one. The Sub-alpine played shy for some time but turned up sitting nicely on the top of a bush and everyone managed to see it.

Our next stop was accidental but not a surprise. We changed the hilly terrain with the open farmland and rolling hills. An area good for Lesser-spotted Eagles. Two of them were soaring just by the road for the luck of everyone who hadn’t seen them before. The birds came straight over nicely displaying all their ID features suitable for the group. Another stop this time for a break gave us another Lesser-spotted. Well it turned to be a migration and we had another 10 or so together with a few Black Storks.

We continued the journey to our next stop where Imperial Eagle was going to be our main target. We bought a few things for lunch from a local store and off we went to a hillside with a nice overview to the valley where the Imperial Eagle had to be. During lunch an Orphean Warbler was constantly singing. Isabelline and Northern Wheatear also distracted us from our lunch. Within an hour or so the Eagle didn’t appear so we had to go. We slowly started walking towards our van. For the luck of all photographers in the group, several Greater Short-toed Larks, Tawny Pipits, Linnets and Isabelline showed pretty well and close by.

During our stop we had an interesting conversation with a local guy who was rather concerned that the Imperial Eagle does a lot of damage to him. I wasn’t quite sure how and what, but the person was suggesting that an eagle with a white head regularly dives and picks up fish from his reservoirs. So the guy was saying that we don’t do anything about this he will kill the Eagles. I kindly explained that the Eagles don’t take fish and it would be rather unlikely but the person didn’t want to hear. It is really difficult communicating with a person like him. I suppose the only thing that he would expect from conservationists is to just get some money. This can be rather stressful and depressing situation if you start thinking about it.

Our way to the hotel was filled up by more emotional stops. A pair of Montagu’s Harriers displayed really nicely and close by the van. The elegant and buoyant flight of the birds was rather memorable. Just when we thought we had finished with the emotions, someone shouted out from the back of the van “Imperial Eagle”. A young second year bird was flying in the distance together with another Montagu’s Harrier. What a view. The bird was really pale with rather evident features on both upper and under wing.

Upon arrival at the hotel, a male Common Redstart welcomed us. Well this would be last bird for the day I think.

BirdID trip in Bulgaria 2014: day 3, April 24th

The day started with a Scops Owl. Just before breakfast we walked to the park in the town where we spotted the Owl. We went back to the hotel and quietly had breakfast. Then a proposal came to give it a try for Scops Owl in the local park. Some people looked a bit skeptical. It wasn’t long before my colleague Boris spotted the Owl. There it was. Sitting on a branch in a nice daylight view. It isn’t often to have that view. Pretty good start.

Then we headed to our place from last night. We still had to see the Rock Nuthatch. The morning was superb so we slowed down towards the place where we expected to see the Nuthatch. A gorgeous Chukar was proudly sitting on the top of an old building only a couple of meters away from the road and the van. What a view! Never been this close to a Chukar. Later on during the walk we saw at least five more birds. This was quite a place for them.

Rather than shouting out every minutes Stop, Stop, we decided to just walk along the road and enjoy the lovely landscape and birds around. Golden Oriole, Hobby, Rollers, Sombre Tit, Black-eared Wheatears were just a few of the birds we spotted along the road. A Black Stork nest was nicely hidden in the middle of the cliffs. Once we approached the Rock Nuthatch place someone shouted out. There it is! A proudly sitting birds was nicely positioned on the very top of a picturesque rock. It wasn’t a minute when a male Black-eared Wheatear landed next to it. Well this becomes some sort of a trademark of the trip to have two superb species in the frame. Soon we had to go. It was already about 10,30 but we had about 30 species or so. We headed to the North towards Madzarovo where the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of birds had a visitors Centre. We were aiming to lunch there so we had to go.

Woodchat Shrike copyright Iordan Hristov

Along the way we stopped at two more places to log more Rollers, Bee-eaters, pale Booted Eagle and other nice birds. After lunch we went to the oak woodland just next to the centre for the Eastern Bonneli’s Warbler. It took us some time to find it but there it was. Logged. There was still a lot to go so we headed to the cliffs around. Along the way we wanted to see a Barred Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Eastern Orphean Warbler and yes we did. They weren’t really obliging but we did see them. The walk further along produced some of the other highlights for the day: Egyptian Vulture, Rock Bunting, Ortolan Bunting, and Blue Rock Thrush.

Time flied past quickly and we really had to go if we wanted to go back to the hotel before it gets dark. On the way I just couldn’t stop myself. There were these large birds right above the cliff. The birds were pretty big, V-shaped wings with long tail. This must be Golden Eagle. Immediately the group was out of the van again. Although it was miles away, everyone agreed it was the Goldies. Well this has got to be the last bird for the day. We headed back to the hotel.

Our place for the night is situated in the middle of a small valley right at the foot of a cliff complex in the middle of nowhere. That’s what we like! After a nice meal with chicken stew we counted a total of 81 species for the day and about 120 for the trip so far. This was just day 3 so a lot more to come I hope :)