WINGSPAN BIRD TOURS Bird Watching Holiday BULGARIA. MAY 24 th June 1 st 2018 TRIP REPORT

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1 WINGSPAN BIRD TOURS Bird Watching Holiday To BULGARIA MAY 24 th June 1 st 2018 TRIP REPORT

2 Places Visited THURS 24 TH Bessapari hills Krichim orchards Yagodina village FRI 25 TH Yagodina village Trigrad gorge - Krumovgrad SAT 26 TH Krumovgrad Dolna Kula valley Potochnica - Madzharovo SUN 27 TH Madzharovo Mezek Levka Topolovgrad Bourgas MON 28 TH Bourgas wetlands: Vaya and Madra TUES 29 TH Burgas Pomorie salt museum Poroi Goritsa Topola - Krapets WED 30 TH Krapets Durankulak lake Shabla lake cape Kaliakra - Krapets THURS 31 ST Krapets - Sofia FRI 1 ST Transfer to Sofia Airport

3 Group Leader: Iordan Hristov (Dancho) shown in the foreground below Participants: Paul Lombardi, Robyn McGregor, Derek Pittman,

4 For the second year running the Wingspan Bird Tour of Bulgaria was guided solely by Iordan Hristov (Dancho) who also co-guided the successful trip to lake Kerkini in Northern Greece. This trip report was written by Dancho and edited by Bob Buckler. All pictures are taken by Iordan Hristov except for the one of himself! Day 1 Thursday 24 th May, 2018 Route: Sofia Pazardzhik Krichim Yagodina Weather: Fairly hot in the high 20s C with a shower in the late afternoon. I collected Robin from her hotel in Sofia in the morning and then went to the airport to collect Derrek and Paul arriving on a flight from London. It is a very small group but what a great diversity of people; from Australia, USA and Great Britain. Everything went smoothly with the flight and we left Sofia at about noon. It took us about 1.5 hours to get to our first birding place where were also going to have our lunch. We collected some supplies from a small town and started logging bird after bird immediately after we left the town. One of the first birds in the log was the European Bee-eater. Then we added a Black-headed Bunting. It was the first one for the trip and a first for everyone in the group so we had some great excitement. I really wanted to see this bird, said Derrek in his pleasure of observing the bird. We continued on our way to the first stop when I saw what I was hoping us to see You have to see this bird, said I looking at a small flock of 20 Rose-coloured Starlings. I did mention to the group that we may see them so it was great to have the confirmation shortly after my statement. After enjoying the Starlings we continued along adding Tawny Pipit which was nicely standing on the road. Then Crested Tit and more Rose-coloured Starlings. This is when I got really excited. They were absolutely everywhere. There were several mulberry trees around and they were all covered with Rose-coloured Starlings. It was the most numerous bird around. I just could not stop looking at them. Just one of hundreds of Rose-coloured Starlings seen on the trip

5 I did manage to stop looking at them and prepare the picnic lunch which we enjoyed very much. It was well anticipated after all the excitement. Just as we finished with lunch two Long-legged Buzzards flew over giving us some good views. Then a distant Short-toed Eagle flew over and a few Calandra Larks were singing about. We took a small walk which produced a at least 1000 more Rosecoloured Starlings. They were absolutely everywhere. Wow, What a start to the trip. I didn t expect to get much on the first day but it was a Booom!, said one of the group members. That s how I really like it. It is great that people enjoy themselves. Lesser Grey Shrike We continued along our route and added a Lesser-grey Shrike which we witnessed to cough out a pellet. Then we had a few Kestrels, Red-rumped Swallows and several White Stork nests. The sky got pretty dark and time was ticking away so we pressed on to the hotel. We had a bit of rain along the way but it didn t stop us from enjoying the drive along the amazing gorge of Vacha river valley. Everyone was very impressed by the lush mountains and steep hills covered with rocks. This can easily be somewhere in New Zealand, said one of the group members. I could see the excitement and astonishment which everyone had from the scenery. When approaching the hotel we had very close and good views of a Grey Wagtail in fantastic plumage right by the car. This also caused great excitement and everyone was happy to go for a well-deserved rest. We arrived at the hotel just on time to relax before a nice meal of local trout. Fantastic start of the trip! Day 2 Friday 25 th May 2018 Route: Yagodina village Trigrad Gorge Perelik chalet Krumovgrad Weather: overcast with mostly rain in the afternoon. Today was a bit quieter but we still managed to see some good birds. We had a great start with a Sombre Tit seen during our pre-breakfast walk when we also added Black Redstart, Serin and Pallid Swift. Light conditions in the morning were very interesting with some heavy mist and back light from the rising sun. It didn t take much for the sun to clear it up, but it did give some great photography opportunities.

6 After a wonderful breakfast with home-made jam we went to Trigrad Gorge in search for the Wallcreeper but in vain. We dipped on it. Instead we had wonderful views of Alpine Swifts and Crag Martins. It is not quite the same but we didn t regret it. After spending an hour searching for the Wallcreeper we continued on our way to the East. We went towards the high conifer area of Perelik chalet to search for birds from the alpine habitat zone. However, the weather didn t let us do much. We managed to see pretty well a Firecrest and several Ring Ouzels but the sky got dark very quickly, temperature dropped from 18 degrees Celsius to 7 degrees and we had a nice hail storm which sent us quickly back to the car. We drove down from the mountains and stopped for lunch in Smolyan where we had a nice light and delicious meal. The afternoon was mostly travelling in the rain with occasional stops which proved very productive. At one of the stops we had a Hobby flying over and a Syrian Woodpecker sitting right on the top of a trip. The light wasn t the greatest so we would need to search again for these birds. At the next stop we had a Honey Buzzard flying low above us giving the best view for some of the group members. Right before reaching our hotel we had a brief stop to enjoy a small Bee-eater colony. However, the light was very poor so we called it a day. It was already time for a rest anyway. Day 3 Saturday 26 th May 2018 Route: Krumovgrad Dolna Kula Potochnica Madzharovo Weather: fairly hot with light showers in the afternoon. What an exciting day! After the long travel yesterday, we needed a break and did we not get it. We started the morning at Krumovgrad with a nice walk into the city park which was fairly quiet. We did see, however a Lesser grey Shrike, a bird I had never seen in this park before. It was rather exciting for me. Other than that, I heard a Syrian Woodpecker and saw a couple of Whitethroats and Olivaceous Warblers. Chukar After breakfast, we headed to a wonderful valley not far from the town where we spent the morning. Everyone from the group truly loved the walk and there must be a reason for that. We had wonderful

7 views of a displaying Roller suggesting the reason for the origin of its name. Chukar was seen very well along with Black Stork which were amongst the highlights here. A pair of Black-eared Wheatear made it also pretty high in the evaluation score and so did the Eastern Olivaceous Warbler which sat for us nicely out in the open to enjoy it. I heard a couple of Olive-tree Warblers but they were pretty shy to show themselves. Short-toed Eagle To finish off the morning we stopped at a Bee-eater colony of about 30 pairs which was the highlight for the day for one of the group members. This was the most extraordinary experience and I am happy to go home, suggested one of the group members. We logged Little Ringed Plover at the same location. Turtle Dove We bought some supplies from a local store and made it to a small village right in the middle of Eastern Rhodopes. Along the way we noted a Woodlark, Black Kite and shortly before arriving, I spotted a Lesser Spotted Eagle, that was quite a nice addition to the list. When approaching Madzharovo, we stopped at a roadside layby where we had fantastic views of Peregrine Falcons, Sombre Tit and Ortolan Bunting. Later on we pulled over again by the roadside to

8 enjoy the flying over Griffon Vultures and even better views of the Ortolan Bunting. We added Blue Rock Thrush and only I heard a distant Rock Bunting which I failed to find. The end of the day was approaching but people really wanted to see Griffon Vultures sitting on the rocks. That was the most delightful experience for some of the group members. We spent an hour watching the nest where Vulture chicks were showing their heads. That was The experience of the day and perhaps for the trip for some of the people. Around here we also had Middle Spotted and Syrian Woodpeckers. A Subalpine Warbler made an attempt to sing but was not very persistent. Thus we called it a day and enjoyed a wonderful beer on the terrace of our hotel. After dinner we had a little walk in town which resulted with a Little Owl and a few Scops Owls. That would make a great end of the day. It was a fantastic one! Day 4 Sunday 27 th May 2018 Route: Madzharovo Mezek Levka Topolovgrad Bourgas Weather: partly cloudy with temperatures reaching 30 C Although it was mainly a travelling day, we managed to log in a few good birds. We started with a pre-breakfast walk around Madzharovo when we saw our first Orphean Warbler and finally managed to get on the Cirl Bunting. After breakfast we started our way to the Black sea coast with a few planned stops en route. On the first stop we heard an Olive-tree Warbler and an Orphean Warbler but had only fleeting views. Later on we got fantastic views of a Black Kite which was the first for one of the group members who missed it the first observation. Booted Eagle pale morph. At our next stop we finally managed to get very good views of the Olive-tree Warbler which sat nicely out in the open for prolonged views with the scope. We also added Eastern Bonelli s Warbler and a pale morph Booted Eagle which made a great show. We watched it hunting and hovering up in the sky against the background of the surrounding hills which revealed its colours and form. Just when we were about to leave we heard the begging calls of Orphean Warbler chicks asking their parents for food. And there they were. We had fantastic views of the Orphean Warbler and his chicks. What a great day already!

9 We got some supplies for our upcoming picnic lunch and visited a reintroduction centre for Lesser Kestrels where we enjoyed the birds and our picnic. Just as planned the Eastern Imperial Eagle turned just as we were approaching the site for its observation. What a majestic bird that is! I never even thought that we would see this bird, said one of the group members. We continued our journey with great satisfaction from the observed birds. It didn t take us long to arrive at the next area where our main target bird was the Isabelline Wheatear. 1, 2, 3.. there it was. It didn t take us long to locate one. While watching it, a Hobby flew over which was the first one to give us proper views. Further along the route I wanted us to stop at an old oak forest but there was a large gathering of people which wasn t going to be very productive for our bird-watching, so we left the area quickly. We made it to Bourgas just on time for an early night and enjoy the see view from the balconies of our hotel. Day 5 Monday 28 th May 2018 Route: Burgas wetlands Weather: warm C It was another great day of birding. After the move to the coast, the habitats are totally different so we started adding some new birds to the bird list. We started with Pygmy Cormorant, Dalmatian and White Pelican, Little Tern, Little Bittern, Great Reed Warbler, Garganey, Gadwall to name but a few. Before lunch we visited several spots around Burgas where we added Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Lesser spotted Eagle, Short-toed Eagle, Night Heron, Squacco Heron and lots of Marsh Harriers and White Pelicans. What a wonderful addition to our species trip list. Purple Heron We had a wonderful picnic on the bank of one of the lakes in the area and then took a walk onto one of the reserves managed by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds. Poda is known as one of the richest birds places in Europe. For its 1km2 it has over 260 species registered. The walk produced lots of Common Terns and Marsh Harriers. At least 5 pairs patrolled the area. We had more Dalmatian Pelicans, Spoonbills, Glossy Ibis, lots of Pygmy Cormorants, Ferruginous Ducks and many more.

10 We were about to finish the day at the local saltpans with a few Avocets and a Little Tern but got some news for a location with Collared Pratincoles. It didn t take me long to convince the group and off we went. Just as we arrived two were flying about. A Tawny Pipit made appearance and so did a Black-headed Bunting. The Pratincoles stood on the ground giving us fantastic views through the telescope. That will be my bird of the day, concluded one of the group participants and drove over to our hotel for a well-deserved cold drink. What a fantastic day! Day 6 Tuesday 29 th May 2018 Pygmy Cormorant Route: Burgas Pomorie Poroi Varna Krapets Weather: overcast with moderate wind Today we made our way to the Northern Black Sea coast. We started by the saltpans at Pomorie where we added Black-winged Stilt, Ferruginous Duck, Sandwich Tern and Great White Egret to the trip list. We had fantastic views of Garganey, Whiskered Tern and Little Tern. After this brief stop we carried on along the road to our next stop. This was an absolutely paradise. There were at least 5 Ruddy Shelducks, lots of Bee-eaters, about a dozen of Rose-coloured Starlings, two Booted Eagles both pale and dark morph and the highlight would be a pair of Yellow Wagtails carrying nesting materials only a few metres away from us. A pair of Marsh Harriers was disturbing all the Lapwings in the area and half a dozen of Whiskered Terns patrolled the area. What a fantastic place! We then drove over a mountain pass where we heard lots of Hawfinches, Black-headed Buntings and Skylarks. After lunch we visited a wonderful old oak forest where some of us saw Semi-collared Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher and Middle Spotted Woodpecker. Short-toed Treecreeper only called and didn t show. We also added Nuthatch which was feeding chicks and was one of the most active birds in the forest. We desperately needed a coffee and ice-cream so we pulled out for a few minutes. In an hour drive we were already ready for our next target birds. Eagle Owl! Just as we arrived, a quick scan produced a fantastic adult bird within the first 1 min. This is my best view of an adult bird said one of the group members. We collected our scopes quickly not to disturb the bird and drove to our hotel for a nice and light meal with Black sea fish. Another wonderful day, was agreed by everyone in the group.

11 Day 7 Wednesday 30 th May 2018 Route: Krapets Durankulak Lake - Shabla Lake Kaliakra Cape Krapets Weather: fairly warm day with temp in high 20s and strong wind This was our last full day of birding and boy did we made the most of it. We started with a prebreakfast walk which resulted with a good flock of 100+ Rose-coloured Starlings, a small group of Squacco Herons and just enjoying the Bee-eaters from the nearby colony. Marsh Harrier After breakfast we headed to our first major site for the day where we started logging bird after bird. When approaching the lake we had a wonderful Roller sitting by the road. Our main target at the lake was the Paddyfield Warbler which took us some time to find but eventually we got it regardless of the strong wind which was a major concern. One of the group members really wanted a second look at a Purple Heron so we got him to look at 3. There were a few Ferruginous Ducks and quite a few Marsh Harriers. We also logged Reed Bunting and more Rose-coloured Starlings. Upon returning to the car park we had our first views of Pied Wheatear and enjoyed an ice-cream cake overlooking the sea. What a wonderful holiday, said the group members. Pied Wheatear

12 After this delightful stop we heard a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker by the car park but failed to find it. However, more Rose-coloured Starlings were flying over and landing on the nearby cherry trees. Before lunch, we stopped at one more place where we added Red-creasted Pochard, more Ferruginous Ducks and had some great views of Golden Oriole which were absolutely everywhere. They were very actively flying around as they knew it was our last day of birding. Some of us managed to see a Barred Warbler which was only a few metres away from us and stood still right out in the open for a minute or two. After this exciting stop we started our trip to the restaurant for lunch. On the way we could not hold it stopping for a fantastic male Red-footed Falcon which was hunting right by the road. He was not afraid of our car and kept hunting for at least 10 min. What a sighting! A superb male Red-footed Falcon Red-rumped Swallow We stopped for lunch at a nice restaurant right on the coastline and enjoyed the wonderful view along with a nice meal. It was a great way of spending the hot hours of the day under the shade. We continued our way to the cape Kaliakra where Rose-coloured Starlings had covered the whole cape. They were absolutely everywhere. On the cape, we had the best views of Pied Wheatear for the trip. Birds were really oblivious of people s presence, so we managed to take a photo or two. We had great views of a Black-throated Diver in full breeding plumage and added some more Sandwich Terns.

13 The last hours of the day were spent in the pseudo steppe around where we had fantastic views of Short-toed Lark, Calandra Lark and Tawny Pipit. We failed to find the Stone Curlew but even though it was a great day. We had thousands of Rose-coloured Starlings. Some of them were right by the road eating the cherries from peoples gardens. What a fantastic last day! Day 8 Thursday 31 st May 2018 Route: Krapets Sofia Weather: sunny 30 C Our birding trip approaches its end. On our last day we need to do a long drive from Krapets to Sofia. Since it is a very long drive we had time for only one planned stop for birding and that was well optimized. There were quite a few birds along the road though. Upon leaving Krapets, we had our last Rosy Starlings for the trip: about a dozen birds flew by the car. What a treat that was! In a couple of hours I stopped just off the motorway to try again for Golden Eagle. When we approached the place, before even stopping the car I spotted the birds, a pair were circling over their territory. I love it when birds confirm what I say. Dancho delivers, said the group members. I didn t believe we were going see it, said another group member. We were all very happy to log this mighty bird, moreover we had superb views with birds flying right above our heads. Fantastic sighting! One of the two Golden Eagles After this we had to celebrate with coffee and an ice-cream so I pulled out by a garage back on the motorway. In an hour s drive we had What is that bird over there?. I looked up and there was an Egyptian Vulture cruising above us! Wow, another exciting sighting. I couldn t stop immediately because of the traffic on the road so had to pull out after a few meters and drive back. By the time we were back the bird was drifting away but even so it was a great sighting. It wasn t even an hour later when I spotted a Goshawk flying over the road. That s a third tick for the trip list just on the travel day. What a raptor day! The afternoon wasn t as exciting and eventually we arrived in our hotel for an early dinner and ready to pack for the flight on the next morning. What a wonderful trip! We had over 160 species for these 8 days which is pretty good for this late time of the year. Thank you all for coming!

14 Species recorded between 24 th 31 st May 2018 H = heard only SPECIES Scientific Name DATE SEEN Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica 1 2 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus 1 4 Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo European Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis 1 7 Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Purple Heron Ardea purpurea Great White Egret Egretta alba 1 11 Little Egret Egretta garzetta Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus 1 15 Black Stork Ciconia nigra White Stork Ciconia ciconia Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus 1 18 Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia 1 19 Mute Swan Cygnus olor Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea 1 22 Gadwall Anas strepera Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Garganey Anas querquedula Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina 1 26 Common Pochard Aythya ferina 1 27 Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus 1 30 Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus Black Kite Milvus migrans Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus 1 SPECIES SCIENTIFIC NAME Goshawk Accipiter gentilis 1 36 Common Buzzard Buteo buteo Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca 1 40 Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos 1

15 41 Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni 1 43 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus 1 45 Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus Chukar Alectoris chukar 1 48 Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus H 49 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Eurasian Coot Fulica atra Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus 1 52 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola 1 55 Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus Little Gull Larus minutus 1 60 Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus Black Tern Chlidonias niger Common Tern Sterna hirundo Little Tern Sterna albifrons Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis Rock Dove Columba livia Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus H Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus H H H H H 70 Scops Owl Otus scops 1 71 Eagle Owl Bubo bubo 1 72 Little Owl Athene noctua Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba Pallid Swift Apus pallidus 1 75 Common Swift Apus apus European Bee-eater Merops apiaster European Roller Coracias garrulus Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops 1 1 H H H 79 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor H 80 Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus Green Woodpecker Picus viridis 1 H SPECIES SCIENTIFIC NAME Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla 1 85 Crested Lark Galerida cristata Woodlark Lullula arborea Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis Crag Martin Hirundo rupestris 1 1 1

16 89 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica House Martin Delichon urbica Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava ssp feldegg Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris Pied/White Wagtail Motacilla alba Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator Dipper Cinclus cinclus Dunnock Prunella modularis European Robin Erithacus rubecula Common Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos H H 1 H H 1 H H 103 Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros H Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleshanka Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus Blackbird Turdus merula Song Thrush Turdus philomelos H 112 Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus H 113 Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti H H 114 Paddyfield Warbler Acrocephalus agricola Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus H 116 Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida 1 H H H H 118 Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum H Eurasian Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita H H H 120 Eastern Bonelli's Warbler Phylloscopus orientalis Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla H H H H H H 122 Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis 1 1 H Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca H 124 Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria Eastern Orphean Warbler Sylvia crassirostris Subalpine Warbler Sylvia cantillans Firecrest Regulus ignicapillus Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata Long-tailed Tit Aegithalos caudatus H SPECIES SCIENTIFIC NAME Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus H 132 Sombre Tit Parus lugubris Coal Tit Parus ater Great Tit Parus major H Blue Tit Parus caeruleus 1 H 136 Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea 1

17 137 Short-toed Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla H 138 Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra 1 H Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella H H 140 Rock Bunting Emberiza cia H 141 Ortolan Bunting Emberiza hortulana H 1 H 142 Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus 1 H Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs European Serin Serinus serinus European Greenfinch Carduelis chloris H 148 European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis h Eurasian Linnet Carduelis cannabina Common Crossbill Loxia curvirostra Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothrauste House Sparrow Passer domesticus Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis Tree Sparrow Passer montanus Rose-coloured Starling Sturnus roseus Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus H H Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius Common Magpie Pica pica Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula Common Raven Corvus corax Hooded Crow Corvus cornix Sightings of Common: MAMMALS/AMPHIBIANS/REPTILES/ BUTTERFLIES/DRAGONFLIES/INSECT SPECIES Queen of Spain s Fritillary 1 2 Herman s Tortoise 1 3 Balkan Green Lizard 1 4 Tiger moth 1