Birdwatching Trip with Neophron Tours

14th – 27th June 2019

Steve and Sue Wilce

Friday 14th June 2019

We left a rainy UK at Heathrow Airport on the 8.05 BA flight to Sofia

which took about 2½ hours. Vlado (short for Vladimir), our tour guide for

the next 5 days was waiting for us at ‘Arrivals’. A wall of heat met us as

we exited the building - we were rather overdressed for these

temperatures which were in the high 20s.

Vlado packed our luggage into his car and whisked us away for lunch at a

local café, we tried a delicious local pastry dish and some very good

coffee which we both soon became addicted to.

After lunch Vlado drove us to our lodgings for the night – the Vitosha

Tulip Hotel and after we’d dropped off our suitcases and changed to

lighter, more suitable clothing for the hot temperatures, we met Vlado to

take us to Vitosha Mountain and begin our Balkan adventure.

We drove along a cobbled road that twisted and turned up the

mountainside towards the ski station and Nature Park. The road was very

dusty from the sand used in the winter to help vehicles grip in the snow,

and every time we passed another car we had to raise the windows

quickly.

Vitosha Nature Park, on the outskirts of Sofia, is the oldest in the

Balkans and used for hiking, alpinism and skiing in winter - but our

interest was in the wildlife it sustained.

As we got out of the car Swifts screamed overhead, some Alpines Swifts

were amongst them. We walked towards the ski station buildings and

encountered a Black Redstart and a Grey Wagtail and then suddenly we

saw our first Spotted Nutcracker in one of the Larch trees next to the

path. However, it did not hang about long enough to satisfy us because

we had tried and failed to see this bird on a holiday in Poland and it was

one of our ‘target birds’.

There were also Coal Tit’s and Common Crossbills in the Larches.

Taking the main trail towards the foothills we saw Dunnocks, Bullfinch,

Yellowhammer, Blackcap and a Kestrel. An Agile Frog was sitting in the

middle of the path, and Vlado moved it into the grass so it would not be

accidentally stepped on.

We walked higher: the air felt fresh and clean, the grass was studded with

wild pansies and other wild flowers and we had a great view of Sofia

through the trees. Numerous butterflies; Painted Ladies, Small

Tortoiseshell, a Swallowtail and Ringlets fluttered at our feet – every step

through the grass disturbed more butterflies: it was a beautiful place.

We encountered more Nutcrackers along this path and got much better

views and some good photographs, but we were both tired and decided to

return in the early morning to try again.

We dined that evening in the gardens of the Vitosha Tulip, choosing our

meals with the help of a friendly waitress. The dessert far outstripped the

main course though – it was home-made ice cream and contained

honeycomb, nuts and figs. It was delicious, the best ice cream we had

ever had and although we found it on another menu elsewhere it was no

comparison to this version. The hotel itself was very good, the en-suite

room with a balcony was very clean and smartly decorated, it had

everything we needed; a comfortable bed, a fridge stocked with drinks

and chocolate, a hairdryer and best of all, for us, good air conditioning.

Saturday15th June 2019 Sunny and hot 30.5 degrees

We were up early and were on Vitosha Mountain by 7.00am hoping to

avoid the majority of people who like to visit the nature park on the

weekend.

We walked up the same path as the previous evening, we saw some

Goldcrests in the Larches, several Black Redstarts, Linnets, Bullfinch and

3 Nutcrackers which were more tolerant of us this time and we had plenty

of time to observe them and hear their raucous calls, but it was still quite

difficult to get unobstructed photos because of their environment, and the

fact they liked to perch high in the trees most of the time. However, on

occasions the Nutcrackers did descend and Steve got some shots. It was

a bird well worth waiting for.

As we walked back towards the ski stations Vlado said ‘Black Woodpecker’

– it was flying below us at the edge of the pine/larch forest. Luckily for us

it alighted on the side of a tree and we were able to watch this amazing

looking bird (a male) for some time before he took flight again. We

followed his route as long as possible before he disappeared behind

another tree.

Just before the ski station there were Blackbirds and two Ring Ouzels

(ssp. alpestris) on the path in front of us. We were hoping to see this race

of Ring Ouzel having only ever seen the torquatus race found in N & W

Europe. Our views were brief though because a jogger ran past and

disturbed them. We located them again but higher up the hill and too

away far to photograph. However we had seen them!

As we drove back down the road to Vitosha we saw a Red Squirrel and a

Red Fox, the first mammals of the trip.

We had already loaded our suitcases and checked out of the hotel after

breakfast and were now ready to start our journey to our next destination

- the Rhodope

Mountains.

We stopped at different

locations on our journey

towards the Rhodope

Mountains. The first

stop was in the

Besapari Hills, an area

full of butterflies,

typically Red Banded,

and Spotted Fritillaries,

Eastern Banded

Grayling, Swallowtail,

Clouded Yellow, Orange Tip, and numerous white and blue butterflies.

Later on, nearer

lunchtime we pulled off

the road to eat the rolls

purchased from a local

garage. While we were

discussing butterflies

with Vlado a beautiful

white and black insect

caught our attention. We

did not know what it was

but Susan thought it was

a type of Lacewing. Vlado

contacted one of his colleagues who confirmed it as a Spoon-winged

Lacewing. Sadly this beautiful insect never came close enough to

photograph.

At another location, above a quarry on a mountainside, we had good

views of a Stone Curlew in flight, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (ssp.

Melanoleuca), Northern Wheatears, Black–headed Bunting, Spanish

Sparrow, Crested Lark, Long Legged Buzzard and Short-toed Eagle.

There was a Lesser Grey Shrike, Red Rumped and Barn Swallows,

Ravens, and on the dam over the Vucha reservoir, unexpectedly there

was a Blue Rock Thrush perched on some rusty railings.

We had planned to visit Trigrad Gorge (the famous Wallcreeper site) the

following morning, but because we had made good time we dropped our

luggage at our hotel at the fish farm and decided to go straight to the

gorge that afternoon.

The Trigrad Gorge is a

spectacular location,

with waterfalls and

vertiginous cliffs

bisected by a long and

winding mountain road.

We stopped at one of

the few available

parking places to scan

the rock face opposite.

Quite quickly Vlado

located a Wallcreeper

high up, navigating the

rock face, probing cracks and crevices for spiders and other insects.

We were very

pleased to obtain

good views of this

much sought after

bird. In addition to

the Wallcreeper

there were Black

Redstarts, Alpine and

Common Swifts,

Crag Martins and

Grey Wagtails.

Sunday 16th June 2019

We returned to Trigrad Gorge early this morning for a last look at the

Wallcreepers. We spent a few hours watching these fascinating birds and

then went for coffee in Trigrad village where there was a stall selling rock

crystals from the local area - we couldn’t resist buying a couple of nice

specimens. In the centre of the village a Common Redstart was singing

from a small tree, the only one of the trip. In addition to the ubiquitous

White Storks nesting on every available platform we saw a couple of Black

Storks flying overhead. As we drove along we kept a lookout for the

numerous orchids which grow along the roadside, such as Fragrant, Marsh

Fragrant, Military and Lizard Orchids and Red Helleborine.

We stopped at a small village called Grohoena and in a roadside café we

enjoyed a local speciality – White

Bean and Sausage Soup with local

bread, which was very nice indeed.

Red Rumped Swallows were in

abundance in the village, even

drinking from muddy pools at the

side of the road.

After lunch Vlado drove us to

various locations in the area where

we saw numerous birds, butterflies

and dragonflies including Red Backed Shrikes, Bee Eaters, Golden Oriole,

Turtle Dove, Black Eared Wheatear and Great Reed Warbler. Insects

included Black Pennant and Bulgarian Emerald dragonflies and

Swallowtail, Black Veined White, Clouded Yellow, Spotted Fritillary,

Marbled White and numerous Humming Bird Hawk Moths.

These lovely little

insects cross the

channel to the UK in

varying numbers

each spring but are

most numerous in

warm countries on

the European

continent. They

hover like a

Hummingbird -

hence their name -

and when hovering

their wing beats can be clearly heard.

A Praying Mantis

flew across the

meadow and landed

in front of us – a

most unusual

looking insect when

viewed up close.

The Praying Mantis

has distinct human

features.

After an excellent

day, seeing a variety

of wildlife we

checked into our pre-

booked hotel which

had nice gardens and

was situated

adjacent to the River

Arda.

17th June Madzharovo area

Vlado had arranged a packed breakfast for us so we could have an early

start and as we drove through an agricultural area Vlado pointed out a

tobacco crop. We had never seen tobacco growing before so it was

interesting to us. We came to a rough track that ran along the banks of

the river Arda.

We walked along

this track for

some way seeing

some fantastic

birds such as Red

Backed Shrike,

Golden Oriole,

Cirl Buntings and

Nightingales and

then, to our

surprise and

delight we

encountered two

Lesser Spotted

Woodpeckers in a

low tree.

One flew off but

the other stayed

long enough for

good views and

photographs. It a

bird that’s hard

to find in the UK

so we were very

pleased to see

them.

Also along this track were Corn Bunting, Hawfinch, Middle Spotted

Woodpecker and Orphean Warbler

We saw some lovely butterflies, mostly Painted Ladies but also a few

Marbled White. A Huge Purple Dung Beetle made its way through the

undergrowth and we also saw Marsh Frog.

Further along the

track we came to

a disused gold

mine. Vlado

found a grass

snake trapped in

a deep pit. It was

too deep to get

into so Vlado

found a long

branch to put in

the pit, hoping

that the snake

would use it to

climb out.

We returned to the car and Vlado drove us to a picnic area overlooking

the River Arda so we could eat our breakfast.

On the river we

could see Black

Storks, Grey

Herons and

Cormorants.

There was a

Sombre Tit in a

tree along with

Cirl Buntings

and Crag

Martins

skimmed the

cliffs. We also

notice a Roe

deer on the

hillside looking

down at us.

We’d had a

fabulous morning

but were

unprepared for

what came next:

Vlado drove us to

another site he

knew where he

said we might see

Wrynecks (a

particular favourite

of ours and a bird

we don’t get to see

very often). As we

walked along a

path we noticed a

Red Backed Shrike in one of the bushes, closer examination showed there

were two young shrikes with the adult and there was a Cirl Bunting in the

same bush.

There were some birds on the pathway at a bend in the track and we

edged forward to see what they were – 4 Wrynecks – an adult and 3

young! We watched them for a while before they moved off so we

decided to walk around the back of the shrubs into some arable land and

located them again, we watched them for a long time and they seemed

quite at home with us being there. This was a great area for birds – we

also saw two Woodchat Shrikes, Marsh Harrier, Black Kite, Turtle and

Collared Doves, Pied Wagtail and Corn Buntings and House Sparrows.

We stopped

in a small

village for

lunch. We

were quite

late because

we had spent

so much time

at the

Wryneck site

and the

resaurant

was about to

close, but

Vlado

persuaded them to serve us and the meal was delicious – spiced

meatballs and rice..

There was a lovely perfume in the air which Vlado said came from the

Silver Linden trees.

Aflter lunch we explored an area leading to the river. There was a big

emergence of Black tailed Skimmers in on one the ditches and numerous

butterflies. There was a White Stork with young in its nest at the top of a

pole and Red Rumped Swallows and House Martins flying overhead and

there was also a Lesser Whitethroat, but it was just too hot out in the

open so we went down to the river. It was very overgrown but we

managed to find a path to the riverbank. The water was alive with Banded

Demoiselles dancing in the sunshine, There were numerous other

dragonflies but they rarely landed for us to get good enough view to

identify, but we did see a small Pincertail. It was so hot, about 33

degrees, we decided to go back to the hotel for a break and meet up

again about 5.00pm when hopefully, it would be a little cooler.

On the way to and from

our hotel we passed

cliffs carved with

Thracian niches. The

Thracians were and

ancient and ethnic

Bulgarians. These

niches are quite an

enigma – experts have

put forward theories but

no one knows for sure

what their purpose was.

In the late afternoon we drove around the area, stopping at various sites

Vlado knew. Up on a hillside we saw Short Toed Eagle, Eleonora’s Falcon,

Common Buzzard, Egyptian Vulture, Little Egret, White Storks and several

Grey Herons and Hooded Crows flying overhead.

As we drove

through a

small village a

White Stork

stood in the

middle of the

road,

completely

unconcerned

with the

traffic.

While we were there black clouds were gathering and we had some

thunder and lightning and a few big drops of rain, but fortunately the

storm passed us by and we were able to spend some time searching for

Olive Tree Warbler which we could hear calling, and eventually we did see

the bird. There was also a Sardinian Warbler in the same area, along with

Red Backed Shrike, Black Headed and Corn Buntings, Bee Eaters on the

overhead wires and two very nice Wood Larks.

It was getting late by now and we did not want to miss our evening meal

so we made our way back. On the way a Fallow Deer Stag ran across the

road in front of the car - it was a beautiful animal.

18th June 2019

Transfer to the Southern Bulgarian Coast via the Sakar Hills &

Thracian Plains

We checked out of our hotel early with a packed breakfast. It had been

raining in the night and this brought enormous Edible Snails out on the

pathways of the garden.

Our first stop was in a woodland glade where we saw Subalpine Warblers

with their young. We heard Olive Tree Warbler, but as usual did not see

the bird. Walking through some trees we encountered a Fallow Deer stag

and hind.

Vlado knew a site off

the beaten track

where we were able

to see Levant

Sparrowhawks which

were nesting in

some riverside

Poplar trees and we

saw both male and

female birds flying

to and from the nest

site.

This site was near a bridge over a tributary of a much larger river. The

bridge was a good

vantage point and as

we ate our packed

breakfasts we saw two

kingfishers flying

under the bridge

before disappearing

up-river. In addition

there were Rollers,

Bee Eaters, Hoopoes,

Golden Orioles and

Turtle Doves perched

on riverside trees from

time to time.

Out on the main river we had distant views of a Caspian Tern fishing. We

spent a couple of hours in this idyllic location, but it had now become

unbearably hot in the mid-day sun.

Because of the high temperatures we did not feel like eating a cooked

lunch, so Vlado took us to a café in a nearby small, vibrant town and we

sat at one of the tables outside, in the shade of some trees, enjoying cold

drinks, a delicious ice cream cake and watching the local people shopping

and going about their business.

After a pleasant

interlude here the

afternoon was spent on

the Thracian Plains, an

extremely hot and arid

environment. As we

drove the many tracks

across the plains we

were saw an Imperial

Eagle’s nest and two of

these magnificent birds

were flying high above

us.

Other notable birds of prey were Short Toed Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle,

Long Legged Buzzard and Montague’s Harrier. All these raptors will hunt

the rodents such as the abundant Sislicks.

We saw

distant

Isabelline

Wheatears on

a rocky

outcrop and

as we slowly

drove the

dusty track

we located

two of the

classic birds

of this type of

environment -

Calandra Lark

and Tawny

Pipit.

Pallid and Common Swifts screamed through the air and Barn Swallows

and House Martins were seen near some farm buildings.

In the late afternoon we travelled on towards the southern Bulgarian

coast, passing some wetlands and saline lakes which Vlado said we would

be exploring with Dimiter the following day, when he would take over

from him.

We arrived at our hotel, the Lazuren Briac in Sarafovo, which is a on the

outskirts of Bourgas. Our room was very pleasant with good air

conditioning, fridge (vital in these hot conditions) and a small balcony

with a nice view of Bourgas Bay and the Black Sea. After a quick shower

and change of clothing it was time to meet up with Vlado. He took us to a

very pleasant restaurant where we ate dinner in a garden hung with

coloured lights. It was our last night with Vlado, who had been a great

guide and very pleasant company for the last four days.

Wednesday 19th June 2019

Kableshkovo Woodlands near Bourgas

We had breakfast in

the hotel this

morning – plenty of

choice and delicious

yogurt. Then it was

time to drive to a

woodland near

Bourgas where we

would meet Dimiter,

our quide for the

rest of the trip.

There was a lot of

bird song when we

arrived and the first

bird we saw was a

Masked Shrike – a great start. We moved into the shade because

although early the temperature was already 32 degrees.

We noticed some birds splashing in some water under the trees and went

across to explore. The birds flew off at our approach but we could see the

water came from a natural spring. We retreated behind some trees and

the birds stated returning. First a Great Tit and then Nightingale,

Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch and then, to our delight, a family of

Hawfinches came down to bathe. Neither of us had seen a young

Hawfinch before so we were very excited.

A jeep drew up – Dimiter had arrived and we went over to meet him and

transfer our luggage to his vehicle. We were sorry to say farewell to

Vlado, who had been great company and was experienced and

knowledgeable in the history of the local area and about wildlife in

general, not just birds.

We had seen the potential of the natural spring site so we suggested

going back into the woods. Dimiter positioned his car at a good angle

near to the stream in order to view the birds close up, using the car as a

hide. This worked really well and almost every bird in the woodland must

have turned up over the next hour or so. As well as common woodland

birds coming to bathe, such as Starlings, Blackbirds and Blue and Great

Tits, there was also a pair of Ortolan Buntings.

Nightingale and

Sombre Tit also

came to bathe.

Numerous Hawfinches splashed in the pool - we had never had such

intimate views of their family life. There was at least one pair of Semi-

collared Flycatchers in the bushes around the spring and we also saw

Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Golden Oriole and Woodchat Shrike.

Thursday 20th June 2019

The stream in Kableshkovo woods had provided such good birding the

previous day we decided to pay a brief return visit before going on to our

pre-planned tour of the extensive pools and wetlands near Bourgas.

All the birds we saw at the woodland stream yesterday were again

present and this is obviously a very reliable top class birding location.

One extra and very pleasant spectacle were adult Hawfinches feeding

their young right in front of our vehicle.

Along with many other Dragonflies we witnessed a Turkish Golden Ringed

Dragonfly ovipositing her eggs in the streambed.

We reluctantly left the woods to explore the Bourgas wetlands.

At the first lake we saw Collared Pratincole, Pygmy Cormorants,

Whiskered Terns, Avocets and other typical water-birds. Dimiter then took

us through an extensive reed-bed; the reeds were towering over our

heads and it was a particularly hot and humid environment.

Many insects were flying and we soon

picked up a few bites despite the

insect repellent we had copiously

applied. We stopped at a particular

spot where Dimiter pointed out our

target - a Penduline Tit’s nest hanging

precariously from a thin branch of a

willow.

You can see the

Penduline Tit at

the nest entrance

– these lovely

little birds produce

the most amazing

nests and,

remarkably, they

fly in and out of

the nest without

pausing, so you

have to be very

quick to

photograph them

Amongst other

dragonflies in the

reed-bed were

the vivid Scarlet

Dragonflies,

which are quite

stunning to look

at. Another

stunning insect

was a Scarce

Swallowtail

butterfly.

Larger Dragonflies

often prey on

their smaller

cousins as can be

seen here.

After watching the Penduline Tits we left the reed-bed ‘jungle’ for a less

claustrophobic atmosphere. Our next stop was another large wetland with

massive reed-beds, probably containing a huge amount of unseen birds.

Immediately visible were three Ferruginous Ducks, Great Created Grebes,

Coots and Moorhens with young, Squacco Herons and Little Egrets. In the

trees surrounding the wetland Golden Orioles could be heard singing, but

we had typically brief views. A Stock Dove (an uncommon bird for this

area) was also present.

Bourgas Saline Park was our next stop and Dimiter set up his scope to

for us to view the Dalmatian Pelicans. This large wetland contained

Spoonbills, Glossy Ibis, Little Egrets, Avocets, Black Winged Stilts,

Curlews, Lapwings, Redshanks, Little Ringed Plovers, Black Tailed

Godwits, Shelduck, Common and Little Terns.

We had packed a lot of birding into the morning so we were glad to stop

for lunch near Bourgas. As we ate our lunch in the garden of the

restaurant a Syrian Woodpecker flew into some trees near our table.

After lunch we drove to the foothills of the Eastern Balkan mountain

range. Near Dyulinski Pass we were able to see one of our real ‘bogey’

birds – the elusive Olive Tree Warbler. We had been trying for over ten

years to get good views of this bird, which has proved very elusive for all

birders even on the island of Lesvos where there are many birds in the

olive groves. There were also Turtle Doves, Black Headed Buntings and

Woodchat Shrikes in this area.

The enigmatic Barred Warbler was another of our target birds and Dimiter

knew a possible site where birds had been seen in the spring. These birds

proved to be very elusive but after much hard work by Dimiter we

eventually tracked down a couple of birds.

In this area were Red Backed Shrikes, Black Headed Buntings with young,

and Corn Buntings.

We made a one off stop at a local cliff face to look for an Eagle Owl and

we had good scoped views of this magnificent bird.

Balgarevo

Steppes was our

next destination

and this proved

to be a very good

area with Lesser

Grey Shrikes

(Photo), Golden

Oriole, Roller,

Bee Eater, Wood

Lark, Tawny Pipit,

Isabelline

Wheatear, Corn

Bunting Red

Rumped and Barn

Swallow, Red

Backed Shrike and 6 Hoopoes

In the Kamchia River Valley we observed Black Kite, Lesser Spotted

Eagle, Marsh Harrier and 32 White Pelicans flew overhead.

After a very long, but productive day we headed for our accommodation –

the Venara Hotel, Kavarna, near Cape Kaliakra cliffs which had

beautiful views of the harbour and cliffs.

Friday 21st June 2019

Today we were going

to cross the border

into Romania but

before that we paid

an early morning visit

to the Cape Kaliakra

cliffs. There were a

few birds around the

ruins of the old fort

and the cliff-side

vegetation, these

included Bee Eater,

Hoopoe, Turtle Dove,

Linnets, Alpine and

Common Swifts.

Out on the sea were

two Black throated

Divers and Pygmy

Cormorants

However, our main quarry was Pied Wheatear and we were pleased to

find several of these beautiful birds amongst the ruins of the old fort.

We returned to the Balgarevo Steppes because of the good variety of

birds there the previous evening. We drove slowly along the main track

and managed to view one of several Hoopoes feeding in the vegetation.

We moved on to

a nearby village

and stopped for

breakfast and

coffee in a small

roadside café.

Opposite the

café was a

fruiting Mulberry

tree, as we

watched

Starlings

gorging on the

fruit a Syrian

Woodpecker

flew into the

adjacent tree.

A Garden

Warbler sang from bushes behind the tree but did not show well.

We now started to

travel along the coast

towards Romania,

however, Dimiter had

one more surprise for

us as we stopped

near some marshy

ground just off the

road. In this small

area we could

immediately hear

unfamiliar singing

which Dimiter said

were Marsh Warblers.

We stopped and

stood in high

vegetation watching

these birds darting from stem to stem. At last a bird climbed up to the top

of a plant and we had good views and photographs. The song of these

birds is remarkable – it is totally based on mimicry and although they

resemble a Reed Warbler in appearance, that is where the similarity ends;

they avoid reed-beds (which the Reed Warbler is exclusive to) and their

song is totally different. There were Whitethroats and Greenfinches in the

vegetation and two Cuckoos flew past.

After crossing the Romanian border we had brief stops at a number of

sites and it was refreshing to see the amount of quality birds in the local

countryside. These included Hobby, the ubiquitous Red Backed Shrike,

Bee Eaters, Golden Orioles, and Barred Warblers.

We booked into our hotel in Tulcea, Romania and had an hours break

because it was very hot and we’d been out since early morning. Feeling

much refreshed after our rest, we were ready for more birding.

Dimiter took us to a

wetland on the

outskirts of Tulcea

where we saw Marsh

Sandpiper, several

Ruff still in breeding

plumage, Green

Sandpiper, Two

Spotted Redshanks,

Black Tailed Godwits,

Greylag Geese,

Shelduck, Black Wing

Stilts and Avocets.

Sinoie wetlands

Dimiter drove us along one of the roads leading to the Sinoie wetlands.

There were Common Terns, Black Terns, Little Gulls and Redshank on a

nearby pool. On the path were Northern Wheatear, several beautiful Black

Headed Yellow Wagtails including a Dombrowskii sp. and a couple of

Sislicks, (Squirrel – like rodents), who entertained us with their antics.

We spent a couple of hours in this bird-rich environment seeing a good

variety of species: Marsh Harriers, Cuckoos, Bee Eaters and Hoopoes flew

over the reed-beds, whilst in the reeds were Reed Bunting, Reed Warbler,

Great Reed Warbler and Savi’s Warbler. We resolved to come back the

following day to explore further, it was time to go back to the hotel for

dinner. On the way back we spotted a Little Owl sitting on top of a water

tower.

We returned to the pond we had passed earlier and to our amazement

there were 6 Red Footed Falcon, 2 males, 4 females sitting around the

edge of the pond. We had great views through Dimiter’s scope. A Hobby

flew over and we passed 2 Rollers on the way back to the hotel.

Saturday 22nd June 2019

This morning we returned to the Sinoie Wetlands to look at an area

where we could see some Pelicans. We had to drive through an area

where some reed-cutters were working and Dimiter asked them if it was

alright to go through their camp to

an area where we could see

Pelicans on an area of open water.

We parked at a good distance from

the birds because we did not want

to disturb them. Dimiter set up his

scope so we could have close up

views. Most of the group were

White Pelicans but there were three

or four Dalmation Pelicans with

them. As with any area of water

there were gulls to be found:

Caspian Gulls, Great Black Backed Gulls etc., but a particular bird stood

out - a Pallas’s Gull. A beautiful gull and a new tick for us. Along with

these birds were Whiskered Terns, Mute Swans, Great White and Little

Egrets. We had several birds fly over us while we watched the Pelicans:

Kestrel, Red Footed Falcons, four Cuckoos and a Marsh Harrier gave

particularly close views.

As we

returned

through

the reed

cutting

area we

noticed

four

Hoopoes

looking

for insects

on one or

the reed-

stacks.

We

passed

more

stacks - each with at least one attendant Hoopoe – they must have been

a good source of food for them.

We stopped at another area with a wide path leading through tall reeds.

Great Reed Warbler was first heard and then seen, Bearded Tits put in an

all too brief appearance before they darted off into the reed-beds, Reed

Warblers were abundant and we had good views of a Paddyfield Warbler –

another good tick.

We moved on to the end of the track, the same place we had parked the

previous day, and ate our packed breakfast while we watched Yellow

Wagtails, Northern Wheatears, Bee-Eaters and a Red Backed Shrike. In a

nearby pond were Spoonbills, Ruddy Shelduck, Marsh Sandpiper, Spotted

Redshank and Greenshank.

What a morning and it was only 10.00 a.m.! We had got up for an early

start because we knew that temperatures would be very high out in this

area. (By mid-day the thermometer showed 37 degrees and we had to

spend some time sheltering in the car to cool down).

After our late breakfast we moved on to a more open area in the hope of

seeing some Purple Herons flying over the reed-beds.

This was a good area for Dragonflies and

Damselflies and we spent some time looking

at numerous different species including

Bulgarian Golden Ring, Scarlet Dragonflies

and Black Pennants while we waited for

flyovers

Dimiter had chosen an ideal, if very hot place for this, and many birds

flew over – a group of Glossy Ibis, a few individual Little Egrets, a flock of

White Pelicans, Grey Herons and best of all, our target bird, the Purple

Heron.

Steve was resting in the car because he was feeling unwell but when

Dimiter shouted “Steve! Purple Heron” he shot out of the car and took

some shots of the bird as it passed over us, then he returned to the car

and started to fall asleep in the heat.

It was not long before the Purple Heron flew back again so Dimiter,

knowing Steve really wanted some shots, shouted “Steve! Purple Heron”

– and so the scene repeated itself, not once, but several times. It was

quite funny to watch, but Steve did get his photos.

Other fly-overs were White Stork, Short Toed Eagle, Marsh Harriers, Red

Footed Falcon, Kestrels, Spoonbill, Bee-Eaters and Hoopoes. Reed and

Great Reed Warblers and Yellow Wagtails were present in the reeds, and

a Pheasant wandered up the road to see what we were up to.

By this time the heat was exhausting all of us so we decided to return to

our hotel to have a late lunch, rest and cool down for an evening bird-

watching outing.

Our first evening stop was at the wetland on the outskirts of Tulcea,

visited the previous day where there had been 6 Red Footed Falcons

around the water’s edge. They were not there this time – only Marrsh

Harrier, Greylag Geese, Ruffs, Ferruginous Ducks, Ruddy Shelduck.

Spotted Redshank, Lapwings, Common Sandpiper and a Savi’s Warbler in

the vegetation fringing the pond. Dimiter took us into the woodland area

behind where we had parked and this was very productive: there were

two Syrian Warblers, Bee-Eaters, Golden Oriole, and the missing 6 Red

Footed Falcon in the trees and also flying over. Unfortunately, the wood

was full of biting mosquitos so we did not stay as long as we would have

liked. Dimiter suggested we look for Collared Pratincoles in nearby

ploughed fields. This proved quite difficult as the birds blended in so well

with the soil but once we got our ‘eye in’ we eventually found ten of

them, too far away for photos though. It had been a long day and we

were hungry so we made our way back, to the hotel, passing Rollers on

the wires and a Little Owl on a chimney in the village itself.

Sunday 23rd June 2019

We were up at

first light with a

packed breakfast,

travelling towards

riverine forests

and reed-beds in

the vicinity of

Tulcea. Being up

at this times pays

dividends because

we caught sight,

albeit briefly, of a

Golden Jackal, a

predominately nocturnal animal. Our target today was Black Woodpecker

and we drove to a dense forest, parked up and waited in the car.

Unfortunately the Black Woodpeckers didn’t show but their smaller

cousin, the Middle Spotted Woodpecker did. In addition there were small

flocks of Hawfinch flying around, six Golden Orioles in the trees and

numerous Red Backed Shrikes. Marsh Tits and Short-toed Treecreeper

moved through the trees.

We moved on to a nearby quarry where we could see the recently used

Bee Eaters nests and some of them were still flying around. We also saw

four Wrynecks, Yellowhammer, Northern Wheatears and the ubiquitous

Red Backed Shrike.

After leaving the quarry we arrived at some wetlands where we saw some

Ferruginous Ducks and a variety of other species, namely Red Crested

Pochard, Common Pochard, Garganey, Shelduck, Mute Swans and

Greylag Geese. Waders included Black Tailed Godwit, Spotted Redshank,

Green Sandpiper, and Little Egret. A small flock of Dalmatian Pelicans flew

overhead and landed towards the rear of the marsh.

As we drove along a straight road towards our next location the overhead

wires were peppered with Rollers, Bee Eaters and Lesser Grey Shrikes. At

a small wetland near a busy road there were Little Bittern, Purple Heron,

Great Reed and Savi’s Warblers and a fly-by Marsh Harrier. This little area

of reeds contained more quality birds than an area ten times the size back

home in the U.K.

Again, it was an extremely hot day so we returned to our hotel in Tulcea

for lunch and a break from the heat. After a few hours rest we met

Dimiter to visit another local wetland area.

As we approached

the location we

spotted a Roller low

down, perched on a

stick at head height,

this was a golden

opportunity,

because Rollers are

very wary birds and

are normally only

seen, as mentioned

previously, on

overhead wires.

Steve relished this

rare opportunity for a photograph, only to find, after examining the shots

on the back of the camera, that they were grossly over exposed. He was

really disappointed, but all was not lost – because when we got back

home he was able to recover the images as detailed in his blog ‘Raw is

Best’ (Breconbeaconsbirder.com).

At the wetland

there were

Whiskered and

Common Terns,

Caspian Gulls,

Mediterranean

Gulls, Night Heron,

Black Winged Stilt

and Ferruginous

Duck with two

ducklings, Great

Reed Warbler and

several Red Footed

Falcons flying over

the wetlands towards some ploughed fields.

We decided to drive up

to the ploughed fields

and it was the right

decision because we

could see the Falcons

flying to and from

their nest in some

trees across the field.

We slowly drove the

field perimeter and we

could see several

Falcons on the ground

amongst Rooks and

Jackdaws.

A nice end to the day,

but because light was

fading fast we made

our way back to the hotel for dinner and an eagerly anticipated cold beer.

Monday 24th June 2019

Today was transfer day to the Carpathian Mountains and on the way

we visited the Macin Mountains National Park to look for mountain

birds, principally, Rock Thrush. However, as we tried to climb uphill along

a forest track we were engulfed by mosquitos and discretion being the

better part of valour, we turned back - who in their right mind would want

to be covered in mosquito bites? We could hear a flock of Hawfinch

‘ticking’ away in the trees but they remained in the canopy.

We drove further along until we came to a track leading up to an old

quarry and this was a good vantage point for viewing passing raptors

flying over the flat farmlands. From here we saw two Honey Buzzards,

Common Buzzard, Long Legged Buzzard and Lesser Spotted Eagle. An

added bonus was a Pied Wheatear on the rocks above us and a Levant

Sparrowhawk making a number of low passes over the quarry.

We proceeded eastwards to make our ferry crossing over the impressive

Danube.

As we approached

the river we could

see a White Tailed

Eagle high above

us.

We continued our journey further into Romania passing through an area

of rice fields. There were many wetland birds to be seen here: Gadwall,

Lapwing, Greenshank and Green Sandpiper. Eight Glossy Ibis, White

Stork and five Ruddy Shelduck flew over - Great Reed Warbler, Marsh

Warbler and Skylarks were singing and five young Yellow Wagtails were in

the vegetation and a Tawny Pipit ran across the path in front of us while

two Kestrels hovered overhead. As we continued our journey, the skies

became increasingly darker the higher we went into the Carpathian

Mountains, The architecture began to change from ordinary styled

buildings to vernacular, ornately carved wooden structures. Our

destination was Predeal, a mountain resort town in the Prahova valley.

Predeal is the highest town in Romania, at an elevation of over 1000m.

When we booked into our hotel, Maya House, almost immediately a huge

thunderstorm erupted with massive thunderclaps echoing through the

valley followed by forked lightening and heavy rain. The daylight changed

to an inky blue twilight and we half expected to see Dracula at any time!

We went out for dinner to an impressive looking restaurant which was

decorated like something from Dracula’s castle with swords, axes and

shields mounted on the walls. However, the quality of the house wine did

not live up to the surroundings and it was immediately sent back by

Dimiter after he had given the waiter a flea in his ear. He then told the

waiter to bring an unopened bottle of quality red wine back for us.

(Throughout our whole trip Dimiter would not put up with second rate

food or wine and we were only served quality).

We passed

this small,

beautifully

decorated

chapel at

the side of

road.

Similar

religious

buildings

can be seen

in the

countryside

throughout

the Balkans.

Tuesday 25th June 2019

After a very tasty breakfast we left the hotel under low-lying cloud, a

remnant of last night’s storm and there was rain all the way up to our

destination of Vale Cocorie in the southern Carpathians. On the way

there we had a brief glimpse of a Ring Ouzel (ssp.alpestris) as it flew low

in front of the car.

We arrived at a Wallcreeper nest site, known only to Dimiter and almost

immediately we could see two birds active on the rock face presenting

good views through binoculars.

We spent some time at this site, just enjoying the Wallcreepers going

about their business and before we knew it, it was time to go for lunch.

Dimiter took us to a lovely restaurant perched high on the mountainside

and surrounded by wild Pansies and other flowers.

After lunch we explored the banks of the river below seeing Dipper, Grey

and Pied Wagtails, Common Redstarts, Linnets and a Red Squirrel.

Dimiter told us that he’d had information that the pass to the high

Carpathians had finally opened. With this in mind, we cancelled the

booking with Maya House in Predeal for the second night in order to travel

to the high Carpathians early the following morning.

We returned to Maya House and wandered the gardens at the rear of the

hotel, where we found Garden Warblers, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaff.

That evening we returned to the restaurant we had visited the previous

evening and not taking any chances we paid for a nice bottle of wine. We

retired early that night as we had to leave at 3.00 a.m. the following

morning.

Wednesday 26th June 2019

It was still dark when we left Maya House and made our way to a 24 hour

service station where we bought coffee, croissants and a filled roll for

later. Our journey took us across country, travelling along twisty, bumpy

roads and hairpin bends which took us up and down hills and through

many sparsely populated rural villages where we often saw villagers

walking to work carrying scythes and sickles – an indication of how

farming is still carried out in this part of Romania. We finally got on to

some reasonable roads and passing through the town of Bran (on the

Transylvanian/Wallachian border) we saw the famous Bran Castle which is

the mythical dwelling of Count Dracula, in Bram Stokers’ famous novel. It

looked sinisterly impressive, shrouded in the early morning mist and it’s

easy to see why it’s a major tourist attraction.

We finally started

to climb towards

Fargaras

Mountain in the

high Carpathians,

driving through

deeply forested

valleys and then

onto more open

terrain. We

negotiated endless

hairpin bends as

we climbed up

through recently

snow cleared roads

until we final

reached the highest point on the road. However, the tunnel through the

mountain was still closed to traffic and deep snow was piled either side of

the road and was being cleared by bulldozers.

While we enjoyed our breakfast rolls we took in the spectacular view

around us and Dimiter pointed out Marmots sunbathing on rocks below.

We immediately saw one of our main target birds – the Alpine Accentor –

another new species for us. There were four birds present but they were

flighty and mobile.

Other birds in this area were Northern Wheatear, Kestrel, Grey Wagtails,

Raven, House Martins and Swifts.

However, another target bird, Water Pipit was much more obliging and

showed quite close for decent photographs.

On the mountainside Dimiter pointed out some rare wild flowers – wild

Rhododendrons and Gentians and there were several Black Redstarts on

the rocks above us.

We all needed

a rest after our

early start so

we went back

down the

mountain to

the hotel that

Dimiter had

booked for the

night – the Bel

Rosa, which

was set in

deep forest.

The hotel was

very nice and

the owner, Robert and his family were very pleasant and welcoming.

Steve had a cold beer, on the house and I had an unusually sounding

Rhododendron flower juice, which was delicious. Dimiter ordered some

home-made polenta, which is a common dish eaten in Bulgaria and

Romania, so we tried some too, ours was filled with melted cheese, but

Dimiter preferred his topped with cane sugar.

After a couple of

hours rest sitting

on our balcony

enjoying the

views, we met up

with Dimiter for

another trip up to

the top of the

mountain where

there were many

butterflies flying

in the afternoon

sunshine: Painted

Lady, Comma,

Large White,

Peacock, Red Admiral and Mountain Ringlet.

After some scanning Dimiter located four Chamois on the ridge opposite

and we had good views through his telescope.

We had given up any hope of getting close views of the Alpine Accentors

but after we had driven down the road, near an old building, incredibly

two birds came right down to the roadside, giving great views and

photographic opportunities and even mating at one point. We had spent

some time trying to see these high mountain birds further up the ridge

and here they were down near the road – we had to smile at the irony of

the situation! After a very pleasant day we made our way back to the

hotel for dinner, enjoying a nice meal and a few glasses of wine to end

the trip.

Thursday 27th June 2019

Our last day and we were up early for the journey to Bucharest Airport.

As we approached the city the traffic was heavy and full of impatient

drivers – a reminder of why we try not to drive in foreign cities. Because

we had made good time we did a little birding in a local woodland rather

than spending time in the airport. Finally it was time to say goodbye to

Dimiter and after thanking him for a great trip we caught our flight and

had an uneventful journey home.

Bulgaria and Romania Bird List 14th – 27th June 2019

Mute Swan Cygnus olor

Greylag Goose Anser anser

Shelduck Tadorna tadorna

Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos

Gadwall Mareca strepera

Garganey Spatula querquedula

Pochard Aythya farina

Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina

Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca

Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus

Yelkouan Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan

White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus

Dalmatian Pelicon Pelecanus crispus

Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

Pygmy Cormorant Phalodrocorax pygmeus

Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus

Night-heron Nycticorax nycticorax

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides

Little Egret Egretta garzetta

Great White Egret Ardea alba

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea

White Stork Ciconia ciconia

Black Stork Ciconia nigra

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia

Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus

Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus

White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla

Lesser Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga

Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus

Black Kite Milvus migrans

Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus

Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo

Rough-legged Buzzard Buteo lagopus

Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus

Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus

Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes

Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

Red Footed Falcon Falco verspertinus

Hobby Falco Subbuteo

Eleonnora’s falcon Falco eleonorae

Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

Coot Fulica atra

Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus

Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus

Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus

Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola

Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula

Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius

Lapwing Vanellus vanellus

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

Redshank Tringa tetanus

Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus

Greenshank Tringa nebularia

Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa

Curlew Numenius arquata

Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus

Ruff Calidris pugnax

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus

Slender-billed Gull Chroicocephalus genei

Mediterranean Gull Ichthyaetus melanocephalus

Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans

Pallas’s Gull Larus ichthyaetus

Great Black-backed Gull Larus marinus

Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus

Little Tern Sternula albifrons

Common Tern Sterna hirundo

Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida

Stock Dove Columba oenas

Woodpigeon Columba palumbus

Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur

Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto

Cuckoo Cuculus canorus

Little Owl Athene noctua

Swift Apus apus

Pallid Swift Apus pallidus

Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba

Hoopoe Upupa epops

Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Bee-eater Merops apiaster

Roller Coracias garrulous

Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius

Grey Headed Woodpecker Picus canus

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dryobates minor

Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopus syricus

Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus medius

Wryneck Jynx torquilla

Skylark Alauda arvensis

Crested Lark Galerida cristata

Woodlark Lullula arborea

Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla

Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra

Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica

House Martin Delichon urbicum

Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris

Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta

Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis

White/Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba

Yellow Wagtail Motacilla feldegg and thunbergi

Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea

White throated Dipper Cinclus cinclus

Dunnock Prunella modularis

Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris

Robin Erithacus rubecula

Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos

Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros

Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe

Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina

Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka

Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus

Blackbird Turdus merula

Ring Ouzel Turdus alpestris

Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitaries

Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria

Garden Warbler Sylvia borin

Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla

Whitethroat Sylvia communis

Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca

Eastern Orphean Warbler Sylvia crassirostris

Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala

Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans

Savi’s Warbler Locustella luscinioides

Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus

Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris

Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola

Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus

Olive Tree Warbler Hippolais oliveorum

Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida

Willow Warbler Phylloscophus trochilus

Chiffchaff phyllosophus collybita

Goldcrest Regulus regulus

Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficadula semitorquata

Great Tit Parus major

Coat Tit Periparus ater

Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus

Crested Tit Lophophanes cristatus

Sombre Tit Poecile lugubris

Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus

Penduline Tit Remiz pendulines

Wallcreeper Trichodroma muraria

Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor

Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio

Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator

Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus

Magpie Pica pica

Jay Garrulus glandarius

Spotted Nutcracker Nucufragus caryocatactes

Jackdaw Corvus ( soemmerringii)

Rook Corvus frugilegus

Hooded Crow Corvus cornix

Raven Corvus corax

Starling Sturnus vulgaris

Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus

House Sparrow Passer domesticus

Spanish Sparrow Fingrilla coelebs

Linnet Carduelis cannabina

Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis

Greenfinch Chloris chloris

Serin Serinus serinus

Bullfinch Pyrrhula pyrrhula

Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes

Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra

Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus

Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana

Yellowhammer Emberiza citronella

Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus

Black-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps

Corn Bunting Militaria calandra

Rock Bunting Emberiza cia

Mammals

Red Squirrel

Red Fox

Golden Jackel

Fallow Deer

Roe Deer

Souslik

Hare

Marmot

Chamoix

Reptiles/Amphibians

Grass Snake

Spur-thighed Tortoise

Spur-tailed Tortoise

Balkan Green Lizard

Common Lizard

Agile Frog

Insects

Misc

Huge Purple Ground Beetle

Nine Spot Moth

Spoon-winged Lace wing

Maybugs

Dragonflies and Damselflies

Small Pincertail

Black tailed Skimmer

Banded Demoiselle

Scarlet Dragonfly

Lesser Emperor

Norfolk Chaser

Black Pennant

Butterflies

Pearl Bordered Fritillary

Spotted Fritillary

Green Fritillary

Black Veined White

Clouded Yellow

Small White

Marbled White

Eastern Banded Grayling

Common Blue

Painted Lady

Small Tortoiseshell

Red Admiral

Peacock

Comma

Flowers

Orchids

Marsh Fragrant Orchid

Military Orchid

Fragrent Orchid

Lizard Orchid

Red Helloborine

Other flowers

Blue Flax

Wild rhododendrum

Wild Sage

Haberlea rhodepensis (Orpheus flower)

Verbascum

Bugloss