Trip Report - Bulgaria - David Jenkins(posted by Andrew Chick)
This was a week's guided tour, from 1st-8th September, of the Black Sea coast from the Turkish to the Romanian border with Spatia Wildlife. It was a prize I won from Birdwatch Magazine – lucky me!
What a fantastic bird-filled country, with a trip total of 186 species – 17 raptor, 7 woodpecker and 31 wader species. I think this country is overlooked in favour of places like Lesvos and Israel. The trip was mainly aimed at the spectacular wader passage which peaks in the first week of September. Raptors tend to go through in the last two weeks of September, therefore we did not see large numbers of any raptor species. Only 8 Levant Sparrowhawk, 8 Honey Buzzard and 12 Lesser Spotted Eagle. These can number in the thousands towards the end of September.
Based around Burgas for the first three days, we concentrated on all the lakes, marshes and salt-pans in the area. IT IS ESSENTIAL to have a knowledgeable, local guide – with a 4x4! Our guide, Dobry, is not only an accomplished birder but also has vast knowledge of butterflies, insects and plants too. He also knows how to access certain sites and the location of hidden marshes etc.
Day four was spent to the south of Burgas towards the Turkish border in the Strandja National Park for Woodpeckers, then moving to our second base, to the north, near Sablemsko Ezero Marsh and Durankulak Lake. The latter is the wintering site for Red Breasted Geese and has the best tower hide I have ever seen!
Below is a list of some of the highlights and week totals for that species, but the general vast numbers of common waders was staggering. There were 20-30 Wood Sand's on almost every pool. Commonest passerines were Red Backed Shrike and Red Breasted Fly', so that sets the tone right away.
WHITE PELICAN 3000+**
DALMATIAN PELICAN 100+**
PYGMY CORMORANT 70+**
LITTLE BITTERN 2
SQUACCO HERON 30
NIGHT HERON 70+
GLOSSY IBIS 8
WHITE STORK 160+
BLACK STORK 6
OSPREY 4
WHITE TAILED EAGLE 1
SHORT TOED EAGLE 7
EGYPTIAN VULTURE 1 juv
MONTAGU'S HARRIER 46
LEVANTS SPARROWHAWK 8
STEPPE BUZZARD 1
LONG LEGGED BUZZARD 1
HONEY BUZZARD 8
BOOTED EAGLE 2
LESSER SPOTTED EAGLE 12**
LITTLE CRAKE 8
SPOTTED CRAKE 1
COLLARED PRATINCOLE 7
TEMMINCKS STINT 6
BROAD BILLED SANDPIPER 30+
MARSH SANDPIPER 20+
TEREK SANDPIPER 1
RED NECKED PHALAROPE 13
SLENDERBILLED GULL 24
CASPIAN TERN 4
GULL BILLED TERN 5
WHITE WINGED BLACK TERN 40+
WHISKERED TERN 50+
EAGLE OWL 1
ALPINE SWIFT 10
ROLLER 19
GREY HEADED WOODPECKER 3
SYRIAN WOODPECKER 2
WHITE BACKED WOODPECKER 3**
MIDDLE SPOTTED WOODPECKER 4
LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER 3
CALANDRA LARK 60+
THRUSH NIGHTINGALE 1
PIED WHEATEAR 10+
PENDULINE TIT 12+
LESSER GREY SHRIKE 2
WOODCHAT SHRIKE 4
GOLDEN ORIOLE 20+
HAWFINCH 30+
** Five of these were new for the WP for me.
The Egyptian Vulture we found was a juvenile with a radio transmitter that had been fitted at a site near Ruse that year, some 180 miles from the coast were we were. With only 27 pairs now nesting in Bulgaria, they are being monitored to try to help this dire situation. As a consequence of this bird being in the area, all the local wind farms shut down for that day, and then further south as the bird made its way down the coast! I wonder if this would happen in the UK?
We also saw 18 butterfly species, a Golden Jackal and a family of Wild Boar.
So, all in all, I had a fantastic time. Dobry was a great host and could not do enough for you. This, together with the superb accommodation, great food and a carefully planned itinerary, made a fantastic week's trip. I cannot recommend Spatia Wildlife enough! They are very professional and run trips to Jordan, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia and many more trips in Bulgaria itself including birding, butterflies and Brown Bears. Many take in specialist photographic hides, including a week in December photographing Golden Eagle in the snow!
For further information including trip reports:-
website:
http://www.spatiawildlife.comemail:
office@spatiawildlife.comcontact: Dobry Domuschiev
Regards
David Jenkins
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Andrew Chick Website:
http://www.forktail.co.uk/
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