Birdwatching and photography trip around Bulgaria and Greece: 24.05-2.06, day 10

The last day of the trip was devoted mainly to travelling. We woke up just on time for a lovely breakfast and early morning sunshine. Some of the group had already had an early morning walk in the village where we stayed and had seen Dipper and juvenile Grey Wagtails. “This is what a village should look like” he said when leaving the place.

Soon it became rather misty and wet again. I wanted us to stop but the weather didn’t really allow it. Moreover our guests had already packed their gear so we just drove to Sofia. We arrived at the airport a little bit earlier but had enough time to say goodbye with wishes for new adventures in the future. It was a great pleasure and honour meeting you guys.

So that was it. It is over. I think the trip was rather successful. Indeed we didn’t have many photography opportunities but it wasn’t meant to be a photography trip. The checklist of bird species seen counts a total 160 species and quite a few photos to go through but i shall post them once I finish post processing them. In addition to the birds, we also saw some other wildlife. Here are the relevant checklists:

Other wildlife:

1. Balkan Chamois

2. Red Fox

3. Hedgehog

4. Herman's tortoise

5. Roe Deer

6. Wild Boar

7. Souslik 

8. Brown Hare

Bird checklist

1	Graylag Goose	Anser anser
2	Mute Swan	Cygnus olor
3	Common Shelduck	Tadorna tadorna
4	Gadwall	Anas strepera
5	Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos
6	Garganey	Anas querquedula
7	Common Quail	Coturnix coturnix
8	Little Grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis
9	Great Crested Grebe	Podiceps cristatus
10	Black Stork	Ciconia nigra
11	White Stork	Ciconia ciconia
12	Great Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo
13	Pygmy Cormorant	Phalacrocorax pygmaeus
14	Great White Pelican	Pelecanus onocrotalus
15	Dalmatian Pelican	Pelecanus crispus
16	Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis
17	Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea
18	Purple Heron	Ardea purpurea
19	Little Egret	Egretta garzetta
20	Squacco Heron	Ardeola ralloides
21	Black-crowned Night-Heron	Nycticorax nycticorax
22	Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus
23	Eurasian Spoonbill	Platalea leucorodia
24	European Honey-buzzard	Pernis apivorus
25	Eurasian Griffon	Gyps fulvus
26	Short-toed Eagle	Circaetus gallicus
27	Booted Eagle	Hieraaetus pennatus
28	Imperial Eagle	Aquila heliaca
29	Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos
30	Eurasian Marsh-Harrier	Circus aeruginosus
31	Montagu's Harrier	Circus pygargus
32	Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus
33	Black Kite	Milvus migrans
34	Common Buzzard	Buteo buteo
35	Steppe Buzzard	Buteo buteo vulpinus
36	Long-legged Buzzard	Buteo rufinus
37	Eurasian Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus
38	Eurasian Coot	Fulica atra
39	Northern Lapwing	Vanellus vanellus
40	Little Ringed Plover	Charadrius dubius
41	Black-headed Gull	Chroicocephalus ridibundus
42	Yellow-legged Gull	Larus michahellis
43	Caspian Gull	Larus cachinnans
44	Whiskered Tern	Chlidonias hybrida
45	Common Tern	Sterna hirundo
46	Feral Pigeon	Columba livia
47	Common Wood-Pigeon	Columba palumbus
48	European Turtle-Dove	Streptopelia turtur
49	Eurasian Collared-Dove	Streptopelia decaocto
50	Common Cuckoo	Cuculus canorus
51	European Scops-Owl	Otus scops
52	Little Owl	Athene noctua
53	Pallid Swift	Apus pallidus
54	Common Swift	Apus apus
55	Common Kingfisher	Alcedo atthis
56	European Bee-eater	Merops apiaster
57	European Roller	Coracias garrulus
58	Eurasian Hoopoe	Upupa epops
59	Lesser Spotted Woodpecker	Dendrocopos minor
60	Middle Spotted Woodpecker	Dendrocopos medius
61	Great Spotted Woodpecker	Dendrocopos major
62	Syrian Woodpecker	Dendrocopos syriacus
63	BlackWoodpecker	Dryocopus martius
64	GreenWoodpecker	Picus viridis
65	Grey-headed Woodpecker	Picus canus
66	Eurasian Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus
67	Eurasian Hobby	Falco subbuteo
68	Red-backed Shrike	Lanius collurio
69	Lesser Gray Shrike	Lanius minor
70	Woodchat Shrike	Lanius senator
71	Masked Shrike	Lanius nubicus
72	Eurasian Golden Oriole	Oriolus oriolus
73	Eurasian Jay	Garrulus glandarius
74	Eurasian Magpie	Pica pica
75	Eurasian Jackdaw	Corvus monedula
76	Hooded Crow	Corvus cornix
77	Common Raven	Corvus corax
78	Calandra lark	Melanocorypha calandra
79	Greater Short-toed Lark	Calandrella brachydactyla
80	Crested Lark	Galerida cristata
81	Skylark	Alauda arvensis
82	Wood Lark	Lullula arborea
83	Sand Martin	Riparia riparia
84	Eurasian Crag Martin	Ptyonoprogne rupestris
85	Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
86	Red-rumped Swallow	Cecropis daurica
87	Common House Martin	Delichon Urbicum
88	Sombre Tit	Poecile lugubris
89	Crested Tit	Lophophanes cristatus
90	Marsh Tit	Poecile palustris
91	Willow Tit	Poecile montanus
92	Coal Tit	Periparus ater
93	Great Tit	Parus major
94	Blue Tit	Cyanistes caeruleus
95	Eurasian Penduline-Tit	Remiz pendulinus
96	Long-tailed Tit	Aegithalos caudatus
97	Eurasian Nuthatch	Sitta europaea
98	Rock Nuthatch	Sitta neumayer
99	Wallcreeper	Tichodroma muraria
100	Common Treecreeper	Certhia familiaris
101	Eurasian Wren	Troglodytes troglodytes
102	Dipper	Cinclus cinclus
103	Goldcrest	Regulus regulus
104	Firecrest	Regulus ignicapilla
105	Cetti's Warbler	Cettia cetti
106	Common Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus collybita
107	Eastern Bonelli's Warbler	Phylloscopus orientalis
108	Olivaceous Warbler	Iduna pallida
109	Olive-tree Warbler	Hippolais olivetorum
110	Marsh Warbler	Acrocephalus palustris
111	Eurasian Reed-Warbler	Acrocephalus scirpaceus
112	Great Reed-Warbler	Acrocephalus arundinaceus
113	Blackcap	Sylvia atricapilla
114	Barred Warbler	Sylvia nisoria
115	Lesser Whitethroat	Sylvia curruca
116	Sardinian Warbler	Sylvia melanocephala
117	Subalpine Warbler	Sylvia cantillans
118	Greater Whitethroat	Sylvia communis
119	Spotted Flycatcher	Muscicapa striata
120	European Robin	Erithacus rubecula
121	Common Nightingale	Luscinia megarhynchos
122	Rufous Bush Robin	Cercotrichas galactotes
123	Semicollared Flycatcher	Ficedula semitorquata
124	Common Redstart	Phoenicurus phoenicurus
125	Black Redstart	Phoenicurus ochruros
126	Blue Rock-Thrush	Monticola solitarius
127	Rufous -tailed Rock Thrush	Monticola saxatilis
128	Whinchat	Saxicola rubetra
129	Northern Wheatear	Oenanthe oenanthe
130	Isabelline Wheatear	Oenanthe isabellina
131	Ring Ouzel	Turdus torquatus
132	Eurasian Blackbird	Turdus merula
133	Song Thrush	Turdus philomelos
134	Mistle Thrush	Turdus viscivorus
135	European Starling	Sturnus vulgaris
136	Rose-coloured Starling	Sturnus roseus
137	Dunnock	Prunella modularis
138	Black-headed Yellow Wagtail	Motacilla flava feldegg
139	Grey Wagtail	Motacilla cinerea
140	White Wagtail	Motacilla alba
141	Tawny Pipit	Anthus campestris
142	Tree Pipit	Anthus trivialis
143	Yellowhammer	Emberiza citrinella
144	Cirl Bunting	Emberiza cirlus
145	Rock Bunting	Emberiza cia
146	Ortolan Bunting	Emberiza hortulana
147	Black-headed Bunting	Emberiza melanocephala
148	Corn Bunting	Emberiza calandra
149	Common Chaffinch	Fringilla coelebs
150	Eurasian Bullfinch	Pyrrhula pyrrhula
151	European Greenfinch	Chloris chloris
152	European Goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis
153	Eurasian Linnet	Carduelis cannabina
154	European Serin	Serinus serinus
155	Siskin	Carduelis spinus
156	Hawfinch	Coccothraustes coccothraustes
157	Common Crossbill	Loxia curvirostra
158	House Sparrow	Passer domesticus
159	Spanish Sparrow	Passer hispaniolensis
160	Eurasian Tree Sparrow	Passer montanus

Birdwatching and photography trip around Bulgaria and Greece: 24.05-2.06, day 9

Today I wanted us to try again for the Rock Partridge although the weather was really nasty. Same as yesterday but at least there wasn’t any rain and wind was fairly minor. We drove up to the top of the hill but the fog was just too thick. Nothing turned up on the way up. We spend half an hour or so up there and decided to leave. On the way down we saw an interesting rufous morph of the Common Cuckoo.

Our next stop was going to be in a totally different habitat – beech forest. We wanted to see some woodpeckers and flycatchers. We drove up a pretty rough terrain. Luckily we changed vehicles so the new one was able to go off-road and did really well with it. Once we arrived in the area we managed to hear our first Semi-collared Flycatcher. Not well seen by everyone we continued looking for it. An hour later we had that too, and then another and another but the forest was quiet. Absolutely superb beech with lots of dead wood. Signs of woodpeckers were everywhere. Here we were hoping to see White-backed, Black, Grey-headed and Middle-spotted Woodpeckers. Well, we so none. The forest was really quiet. Other than the Semi-collared Flycatcher, I head one Red-breasted Flycatcher but no one managed to see or hear it so that may not count. There were a few Common Tree-creepers, Nuthatches and lots of Chaffinches but no word about the woodpeckers. Well it isn’t going to be today.

 

beech forest in Bulgaria, copyright Iordan Hristov

beech forest in Bulgaria, copyright Iordan Hristov

beech forest in Bulgaria, copyright Iordan Hristov

On the way down from the mountain we saw a lovely hedgehog walking along the track and heard Tawny Owl chicks. This sounds like a reasonable end of the day.

Birdwatching and photography trip around Bulgaria and Greece: 24.05-2.06, day 8

The day was pretty quiet bird wise. Well at least in its first part and then the excitement came.

We started at 6,30 willing to give a try for a Rock Partridge which is seen in the area. We drove half way up a mountain road and then started walking hoping to see these lovely birds. There was also a chance for a few other birds but the weather was just nasty – rain, wind and mist with visibility of about 30 metres. Not the best time for Rock Partridge, is it? Well we had to try. That’s what we are here for.

We managed to see a Black Woodpecker blown up by the wind. Rather brave bird to fly in this weather. There was some activity of song birds though. We had a Rock Bunting and a Skylark was singing. Well not enough activity really. Soon we decided to go down the hill and change the place.

Along the way we had what we wanted to have. An Eastern Imperial Eagle was gracefully watching for prey about 50 m over the road. Then suddenly a Steppe Buzzard came over not happy of having it in its territory. Then a Kestrel came for support. It was quite a show after the morning quiet birding.

The next stop for the Partridge was even worse than the first – fog with 10 m visibility, wind and rain – beautiful weather. We made up our minds reasonably enough and went into a hotel for a hot capuchino, tea and lunch. In an hour or so doing not much we decided to change the location and go away from the mountains. Weather was slightly improving but still not enough for the mountain tops where the Rock Partridge was supposed to be.

view from the mountains

We stopped a few locations to enjoy the view and the Ring Ouzels feeding on the meadows. Red-backed Shrikes also had some activity but the live began once we were down in the lowlands. I decided to stop for some Sousliks. Upon our stop a Barred Warbler called so we had that. Then the birds started turning up – Isabelline Wheatear, Bee-eaters, Long-legged Buzzard, Little Ringed Plover, Black-headed Buntings, etc. Quite an excitement brought a calling Quail and our target for the place – the Souslik. We spent quite some time for it but I was really happy to do it.

Shortly we were already at hour hotel enjoy the drinks and the photos from the last hour of the day.