Trip Report – Spring Tour of Bulgaria 20/05/06 to 31/05/06.
A little background may be useful. In December 2005, I booked a birdwatching trip to Bulgaria & subsequently arranged & paid for the flights & recommended vaccinations. 4 days before the tour was due to commence, I received notice that the tour was cancelled.
Via email I contacted Branta-Tours. They responded speedily to my last minute request & agreed an itinerary which broadly matched the programme offered by the original tour operator.
20/05/06
Departed Gatwick 10.30am on direct flight to Sofia. Arrived 15.30pm local time & met Pavel Simeonov, the principal of Branta-Tours Company.
After a swift introduction we were on the road south via the Kresna Gorge. Some
birding was done en route and within the few hours of daylight remaining, we were able to explore part of the Kresna Gorge. It became clear immediately that Pavel is not only a very skilful birder but is also tenacious in his quest to find the birds.
Level ground is at a premium in this area & although of limited duration, the first session was tiring but yielded 36 species. The highlights were White Stork(4), Long-legged Buzzard(1), Lesser-spotted Woodpecker(1), Red-rumped Swallow(30), Tawny Pipit(1), Black-eared Wheatear(2), Spotted Flycatcher2) & a single Red-backed Shrike.
At 10pm we arrived @ Melnik .Clean & comfortable accommodation in traditional
guesthouse. Welcomed by proprietor with a carafe of his own wine & the local cheese. Excellent dinner @ a local restaurant with Pavel. A grand first day which ended @ 1.00am!
21/05/06
Up @ 6.30am for breakfast with our host. Early start in vicinity of Rojen Monastery.
Beautiful landscape & birds galore. An early lunch was taken whilst birding.
Long but enjoyable drive into Western Rhodope Mountains.
Arrived @ Trigrad Gorge in early evening with Wallcreeper in mind. Unfortunately, the bird had not read the script so at dusk we departed for a night @ Devin.
However, the day yielded 45 new species which included Honey Buzzard, Black Kite, Alpine Swift(50), Middle-spotted Woodpecker, Calandra (6) & Short-toed Larks(12),
Black-headed Wagtail(1),Dipper(2), Lesser Whitethroat(2), Olivaceous, Subalpine, Orphean(2)& Barred Warblers(1), Sombre and Crested Tits, Golden Oriole(8), Rock Sparrow(2), Hawfinch(2),Cirl(2), Rock(2), Corn(40) & Black-headed Buntings(30) & the only Crossbill of the trip.
Night @ Devin. Small family hotel where we had a pleasant meal with the owners.
Retired @ 12.30.
22/05/06
Up @ 6.30am & again, breakfast with hosts.
Off to the Trigrad Gorge once more. We stayed in the Gorge until mid-day but despite the combined efforts of our host Vlado , who coincidentally is a ranger in the local reserve, and another Trigrad resident, the Wallcreeper did not show. No problem!
During the afternoon we travelled into the Eastern Rhodope Mountains, where we were to meet Lupy, a friend of Pavel.
We arrived later than planned but for the best of reasons. The birds & flora en route kept us busy.
The day provided 12 new species & included Black Stork, Short-toed Eagle, Little & Scops Owls, Crag Martin(60), Isabelline Wheatear(2), Blue Rock Thrush, Olive- Tree
Warbler & Ortolan Bunting
The night was spent @ Madjarovo. From the exterior our accommodation was less than promising but it provided a perfectly adequate base, convenient for the sites which we were to visit during the following 2 days.
Dinner @ local restaurant to the accompaniment of Scops & Little Owls.
Retired @ 1.30am
23/05/06
Up @ 6.30am. With Lupy, we explored the Arda River valley & Studen Kladenetz Dam en route to a raptor feeding point where we had brunch.
On returning to our vehicle, we had close views of Griffon & Egyptian vultures which had temporarily left their feeding station after being disturbed by wolves.
With the temperature in the high 30s, the remainder of the day was spent exploring the Dam area & Dolna Kula at a leisurely pace.
17 new species were seen including Booted Eagle, Hobby(2), Chukar, Pallid Swift(2),
Roller(2), Hoopoe(2), Syrian Woodpecker, Woodlark(2), Sardinian Warbler(2),
Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper and Rose-coloured Starling(6).
Second night @ Madjarovo .Dinner with table for 8 @ local restaurant with friends of Pavel.
Retired around midnight.
24/05/06
An early start to look for Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush in the mountains around Madjarovo. Success!
Much of the morning was spent in Byala Reka area close to the Greek border. The 4WD came into its own but the terrain eventually defeated us. Back on to tarmac, we headed north via Ivaylovgrad Dam.
Around Yerusalimovo in Sakar Mountain, Pavel`s determination to find Masked Shrike(2) was rewarded after an extensive search. Red-backed(60), Lesser Grey & Woodchat Shrikes(10) were easier to find.
Near Pastrogor, we found Eastern Imperial Eagle relatively quickly.
Continuing our northerly passage, we stopped occasionally & heard Quail singing at one venue.
The day yielded 9 new species including Goshawk, Lesser Spotted Eagle and Black Woodpecker (heard). In addition, we saw(or heard) good numbers of Black Stork(12), White Stork(20), Honey Buzzard(4), Common Buzzard(30), Swift(40), Turtle Dove(60), Crested Lark(30), Woodlark(16), Nightingale(20), Golden Oriole(12), Cirl (12), Corn (40) & Black-headed Buntings (12).
Arrived @ Burgas after dark & said goodbye to Lupy. Continued to Pomorie where we stayed @ Byalata Kashta , a small comfortable hotel overlooking the Black Sea.
Dinner in a nearby restaurant with Pavel.
Retired shortly after midnight.
25/05/06
Excellent breakfast taken @ leisurely hour of 7.00.
A morning tour of lakes & saltpans around Burgas (Atanasovsko, Burgas& Mandra)
provided a huge contrast to previous days and as expected produced a high number of new species. For sheer volume, Great Cormorant (500), White Pelicans (100), Black-winged Stilt (120), Avocet (250), Little Stint (200), Curlew Sandpiper (80), Common Tern(120) and Little Tern (40) took the honours.
Our activity for most of the afternoon was concentrated around Ropotamo River. This
area has a variety of habitats and included wooded mountains in addition to more wetlands.
During the last hours of daylight, we returned to the saltpans around Burgas.
New species for the day totalled 42 and included Little Bittern(2), Night Heron(12),
Squacco Heron, Little Egret(12), Great Egret, Glossy Ibis(6), Spoonbill(4), Collared Pratincole (20), Kentish Plover(6), Yellow-legged (80) & Slender-billed Gulls(2), Red-crested Pochard (2), Great Reed Warbler (2) & Penduline Tit (2).
Overnight again @ Byalata Kashta, Pomorie & a fish dinner in the local restaurant in the company of the hotel owner.
Retired after midnight.
26/05/06
Fuelled with another super breakfast, we paid a final visit to the local saltpans to find more waders. More of the same plus Wood Sandpiper.
During the day we drove approximately 120 miles to Shabla. Our route took us close to the coast & we stopped frequently.
At Goritsa, I was introduced to Pavel’s father who accompanied us into the local forest to search successfully for Semi-collared Flycatcher (3).
By mid-afternoon we had reached the Kaliakra peninsular and new species came thick & fast. Most notable of 11 new birds were Black-throated Diver, Black-necked Grebe(4), Mediterranean Sheerwater (5K), Shag(20), Red-footed Falcon, Stone Curlew, Tree Pipit, Pied Wheatear (30) & unquestionably the bird of the day, a single Finsch’s Wheatear.
A heavy shower curtailed our birding for the day so we drove to Pavel’s home in Shabla & met his wife Tatyana & son Pavel jnr. & to sample their excellent strawberry crop.
It was then a short journey to the Yanitza Hotel @ Krapetz where dinner was taken with Pavel’s family & the hotel owners.
To bed @ midnight in a comfortable room overlooking the Black Sea.
27/05/06
Breakfast @ 7.45am
After resolving some problems with transport, we made our way to Durankulak Lake.
The highlight of the day arrived early in the shape of Paddyfield Warblers. A small group of birds sang & displayed in the reed bed at close range for an hour or more.
At the same time, Savi’s Warbler & Bearded Tits (2) were showing well.
Lunch was taken @ a renowned fish restaurant overlooking the lake.
During the afternoon, we continued our tour of Durankulak Lake including the fledgling Branta visitor centre , & finally visited Lake Shabla & the adjacent beach.
Only 5 new birds today but most enjoyable & relaxing. New birds included Great-crested Grebe(3), Montagu’s Harrier, Grey Plover & Whiskered Tern(2).
Back to Pavel’s home to unwind & a little light entertainment on the piano by the maestro. For a birder, Pavel is a great musician, or should that be vice versa?
Tatyana capped the day with an excellent meal which included more of those delicious strawberries.
A second night @ Yanitza Hotel,Krapetz.
28/05/06
Breakfast @ 7.30am
An hour was spent around Yailata, an excellent archaeological reserve packed with wildflowers & blessed with a stunning coastline. Full of larks, particularly Calandra.
By now we had forsaken our 4WD & replaced it with a saloon car.
We said goodbye to the Black Sea & made our way in a North Easterly direction towards Srebarna Biosphere Reserve. A short lunch break en route enabled us to watch Long-legged Buzzard (3) & Lesser Spotted Eagle (6).
Srebarna has extensive reedbeds & large expanses of open water. There are many vantage points around the lake but because the reserve is huge, we were often watching birds at a long distance & heat haze can be a problem.
Nonetheless, we had good views of some Srebarna specialities, namely Dalmatian Pelicans (80) & Pygmy Cormorants (12).
During the latter part of the day, we visited Garvan Lake & after some serious lakeside exploration through thick undergrowth, Pavel was able to locate our target bird, Ruddy Shelduck with 12 chicks.
10 new birds in the day included Red-necked Grebe, Greylag Goose(2), Black Tern(4)
& Rook (30).
Arrived @ Srebarna Guest House, adjacent to reserve @ 8.00pm. Very comfortable accommodation & friendly owner, Luba, who dined with us.
Bed @ around midnight.
29/05/06
Awoke to calls of Cuckoo & Golden Oriole…then to breakfast…& on the road by 6.30am.
A long session of driving was interrupted by a Corncrake which flew across our path. We had earlier stopped to listen in suitable habitat to no avail!
Arrived @ Boatin Reserve in Balkan National Park late morning where we met Stoyan, the Reserve ranger. He accompanied us for the remainder of the day which basically involved searching the forest for a few target species.
Over the course of 6 hours, we had our first sighting of Black Woodpecker & also saw the following new birds:- Red-breasted Flycatcher(3),Common Redstart (heard), Marsh Tit, Pied Flycatcher, Serin(4) in addition many others seen elsewhere during the trip.
Ural Owl was seen by the Ranger, heard by the guide but not by your reporter so the bird does not make the list!
We lodged in the National Park in large comfortable rooms with fine views & no passing traffic.
Dinner was taken @ the lodge & we were joined by Sasho, another ranger friend of Pavel. Any man who brings his own salami, chilli pepper & rakhir as a prelude to dinner as Sasho did, is certainly a welcome guest.
Our main course @ dinner was trout raised 25 metres from the kitchen so was still quite fresh. You have probably guessed that this was an enjoyable evening.
Late to bed.
30/05/06
After the usual early breakfast, we drove to the Tsaritchina Reserve, a distance of 20kms., to meet up again with Stoyan who was to provide our 4WD transport & local knowledge.
Once aboard the 4WD, we climbed ever upwards until the track expired. Our quest for the morning was Nutcracker & after what seemed like hours but was probably only one, Stoyan located the bird. At first, we had only calls & a brief flight view but over the next hour, we enjoyed good views of the perched bird & were able to take photographs.
After a picnic lunch, we searched an open area of pine forest where we were able to add Ring Ouzel, Dunnock, Bullfinch(2), Treecreeper, Goldcrest & Sparrowhawk to our list.
Pavel then revealed his master plan to deal with our remaining time. He & I were to walk down through the beech forest & Stoyan would take the 4WD & meet us 5kms down the track.
The usual suspects were around but we had to wait some time for our first Wood Warbler which sang well & initially hid equally well.
Continuing our downward track, we finally heard a welcome sound which was followed shortly afterwards by a fleeting glimpse of a woodpecker, a White-backed Woodpecker. By this time we had been joined by Stoyan who had tired of waiting& walked up the track to meet us.
Over the course of the next hour or so, we had fine views of two White-backed Woodpeckers & again were able to take photographs.
There was just time left for me to take a short fall on the steep track but a good days birding & a cool mountain stream took any pain out of the situation.
On the drive down to our car, we met more of Pavel’s friends @ Ribaritsa where we enjoyed a cooling yoghurt based drink.
After thanking Stoyan, we were off to Sofia by the most direct route.
Checked in @ Hyundai Hotel & whilst packing I discovered my hotel minibar. The sun was still up, I was still warm & a cool beer cost 60p.
What would you have done? So did I!
Our final meal was @ a Chinese restaurant & to be perfectly frank, the only one of the trip that I did not enjoy.
That single experience pales into insignificance when set against the variety & quality of meals & the friendship that I had enjoyed during the previous 11 days.
31/05/06
Pavel arrived bright & early to transport me to Sofia for a 7.45am flight to Gatwick.
To summarise:
Total species seen or heard (few)…201 of which 16 were new to me.
(Pavel & others undoubtedly heard a few more.)
Itinerary: Pavel & I discussed this on a daily basis & made adjustments to his basic itinerary where necessary.. I had target birds that I was anxious to see& incidentally Wallcreeper was not one of them, although I would of course love to have seen one.
We travelled close to 1200 miles & ideally an extra few days would have made it a more leisurely trip. If I’d had 20 days, I would still have wanted more.
Nonetheless, there was ample opportunity to enjoy the countryside and in some areas, the condition of the roads is simply not conducive to high speeds. Both Pavel & I took plenty of photographs during the trip & after editing, I have over 640 examples to help me to look back on 12 days well spent.