HUNGARY, ROMANIA & BULGARIA

Transcription

1 1 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Hungary, Romania & Bulgaria 2011 HUNGARY, ROMANIA & BULGARIA The Ultimate European Bird Tour Saturday 14th May Friday 27th May 2011 (14 days) Leader: János Oláh Group Size Limit: 12 Tour Category: Easy for the most part, occasionally Moderate atmosphere and charm. Here one can appreciate the Hungarian s ancestral roots, for these lands are populated by the descendants of those famed and feared invaders from the steppes far to the east, the Huns, who swept irresistibly across Europe in the Dark Ages. The Czikos, the cowboys of the puszta, are still expert horsemen who spend a great deal of their lives in the saddle. Their charges, the grey longhorned cattle and the strange Racka sheep with their long twisted horns, are also of ancient lineage. Despite the encroachment of modern agriculture a good deal of original steppe survives and the magnificent Great Bustard can still be found in some numbers in the grasslands of the Hortobágy National Park, whilst the powerful Saker Falcon can be seen more easily here than anywhere else in Europe. Even the dainty Red-footed Falcon is still a common sight. Man has also helped to redress some of his past wrongs to nature, albeit unwittingly, by creating new wetlands in the form of large fishponds the size of lakes, home to a wide variety of waterbirds including Pygmy Cormorants, grebes, herons, egrets, spoonbills and graceful marsh terns. Elsewhere there are marshes and wet thickets where Aquatic, Marsh and River Warblers and Bearded Reedlings skulk tantalizingly, European Penduline Tits build their basket nests and Little Crakes are regularly to be seen. From the Hortobágy we will drive eastwards into Transylvania, the wild, mountainous heartland of Romania and renowned as the homeland of the Dracula legend. The Carpathian Mountains of Aquatic Warbler (Michael Hodgson) Eastern Hungary, the Romanian region of Transylvania and eastern Bulgaria contain a fascinating diversity of habitats and offer some of the finest and yet most undisturbed birdwatching in Europe today. Indeed, the combination of these three areas creates what is undoubtedly the most productive European bird tour in existence, making for a memorable journey during which we shall see an extraordinary number of very special birds. Eastern Hungary conjures up images of wide-open spaces, Magyar horsemen and gypsies, but before we go on to enjoy the wide open spaces of the Hungarian puszta we will visit the historic town of Tokaj and the Zemplén Hills in northeastern Hungary. In an area long famous for its wines we will pass through timeless villages where the single storey houses are decorated with elegant stucco work and where White Storks peer down from their untidy nests. In the hills we shall often be gazing upwards in search of birds of prey. The prize amongst these must surely go to the powerful Imperial (or Eastern Imperial) Eagle, which nests in these uplands and can be seen soaring effortlessly over the woods and meadows. There are plenty of other specialities too, as other inhabitants of this superb area include Black Stork, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Ural and Eurasian Eagle Owls, Black, Grey-headed, Whitebacked, Syrian and Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, and Collared Flycatcher. Next we will explore the famous Hortobágy. The Great Hungarian Plain is to this day an evocative and romantic place with its own special

2 2 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Hungary, Romania & Bulgaria 2011 Transylvania are some of the most magnificent and least disturbed mountains in Europe today, possessing an exciting avifauna. Here we will look for Eurasian Threetoed Woodpecker, Thrush Nightingale, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Crested Tit and the delightful Wallcreeper. If we are lucky we will come across the huge Western Capercaillie and the retiring Hazel Grouse. Equally exciting will be a fair chance an exciting encounter with Brown Bears, lured in to hides, following their long winter hibernation, by the prospect of an easy meal. Transylvania still has some 3,000 Brown Bears, a truly amazing quantity, and this is undoubtedly the best place in Europe for observing this magnificent creature. Bulgaria, a small Slavic nation in the southeastern corner of the Balkans, is now well-established as one of the prime destinations in Europe for birdwatchers. Due to its political history, Bulgaria has long been shrouded in secrecy and until relatively recently even Bulgarians were not allowed to visit their own border regions! Fortunately, with the collapse of communism, times have changed and Bulgaria s now democratic government is happy to see visitors wandering unhindered throughout the Ural Owl (Nik Borrow) country. As a result visiting birders can now begin to discover an avifauna that is as rich as the scenery is beautiful, with a host of specialities and other good birds. Here we can explore cliffs that plummet vertically into the Black Sea, wide cultivated plains, beautiful forests, freshwater and saline lagoons, deep gorges channelling rapidly tumbling rivers, and rolling, scrubcovered hills and mountains. This is a country where peasant traditions are still very much in evidence and traditional farming methods widespread. Here the shepherd still watches his sheep working their way across the hillside, the horse and cart vies with the motor car on the roads and everywhere in the countryside there is a sense of a way of life that has continued largely unchanged for many years. We will begin our Bulgarian journey in the far northeast around the town of Kavarna. Here we will visit Cape Kaliakra with its dramatic limestone cliffs and breeding Pied Wheatears, Lesser Grey Shrikes, Rosy Starlings and Black-headed Buntings, while our explorations at Lake Durankulak should produce Paddyfield Warbler on its westernmost European breeding grounds and the localized Levant Sparrowhawk. As we head further south we will stop in some beautiful woodland to see the restricted-range Semicollared Flycatcher, while at Burgas, a port city on the Black Sea that is surrounded by rich lakes and lagoons of outstanding ornithological importance, we can expect Dalmatian and Great White Pelicans, Glossy Ibis, Ruddy Shelduck and White-tailed Eagle, as well as an abundance of herons, waders, gulls and terns. Moving to the southwest, Isabelline Wheatear, Olive-tree and Eastern Orphean Warblers, and the lovely Masked Shrike will vie for our attentions. Finally, amongst the rivers, rounded hills and rocky outcrops of the eastern Rhodope mountains, we will watch Egyptian and Eurasian Griffon Vultures, the rare Eurasian Black Vulture, Chukar, Eastern Blackeared Wheatear, Eastern Olivaceous and Subalpine Warblers, Sombre Tit and Western Rock Nuthatch. Birdquest has operated tours to Hungary since 1989, to Transylvania since 2001 and to Bulgaria since Itinerary Day 1 The tour begins this afternoon at Budapest, the capital of Hungary. From there we will drive to Tokaj in northeastern Hungary for a two nights stay. Day 2 Tokaj is a pretty town with many old, red-roofed buildings situated at the confluence of the Bodrog and Tisza Rivers. This is one of the most easterly areas in Hungary and one of the most charming. Here onion-domed churches rise above a landscape little changed since the last days of the Hapsburgs, where ancient meadows dotted with traditional haystacks. White Storks are still common in the area and the flooded woodlands along the Bodrog River are alive with the sound of Common Nightingales and Eurasian Golden Orioles, while other species of interest include non-introduced Mute Swans and Syrian Woodpecker. Close to our hotel an oxbow lake encloses a large area of swamp and marsh where, in the denser thickets, displaying Barred Warblers leap into the air. The nearby Zemplén Hills are of recent volcanic origin and their sides are largely covered in thick deciduous woodland. Here in the isolated valleys Black Stork and an impressive list of birds of prey breed, including European Honey Buzzard, Northern Goshawk, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Short-toed and Lesser Spotted Eagles, Eastern Imperial Eagle (Nik Borrow)

3 3 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Hungary, Romania & Bulgaria 2011 Common Kestrel, Eurasian Hobby and the magnificent Imperial (or Eastern Imperial) Eagle. We have a good chance of seeing all of these as we scan the skies above the woodlands. Down in the valley bottoms we will walk amongst attractive woodland inhabited by Eurasian Wryneck, Icterine and Wood Warblers, Collared Flycatcher, Hawfinch and European Serin. In the more open areas European Beeeaters call as they circle their colonies, Red-backed Shrikes perch menacingly on prominent lookouts and Common Ravens sometimes tumble overhead, while we could also find a singing Wood Lark. These are the favourite hunting grounds of the Imperial (or Eastern Imperial) Eagle, as sousliks find the habitat to their liking. The old stone quarries hold Black Redstart and even a few pairs of Eurasian Eagle Owl. In the very heart of the Zemplén we will visit a steep-sided valley clothed in ancient forest where Black, Grey-headed, European Green, Great Spotted, Middle Spotted and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, plus the uncommon and localized White-backed Woodpecker, can all be found and where we have a very good chance, with the help of local researcher Zoltán Petrovics (whose work Birdquest has financially supported), of coming across a magnificent Ural Owl dozing at one of its Saker & Eurasian Skylark (Craig Robson) favourite daytime roosts close to its nest site. This large, rather long-tailed and smalleyed owl is often surprisingly well camouflaged, but once Zoli has pointed it out we can watch this marvellous creature in broad daylight for as long as we wish. As we leave this beautiful, half-forgotten place we can almost sense it settling back into normality after this brief intrusion by man. Other birds in the Zemplén are likely to include Grey Partridge, Common (or Ring-necked) Pheasant, Stock Dove, Common Wood Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, European Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Tawny Owl, Common Kingfisher, Eurasian Skylark, Sand Martin (or Bank Swallow), Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Tree Pipit, Grey and White Wagtails, Winter Wren, European Robin, Common Stonechat, Common Blackbird, Song Thrush, Common and Lesser Whitethroats, Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Spotted Flycatcher, Marsh, Blue and Great Tits, Eurasian Nuthatch, Eurasian Jay, Eurasian Magpie, Hooded Crow, Common Raven, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Common Linnet, Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting. Day 3 After some final birding in the Zemplén we will head southwards to Nádudvar, in the heart of the Hortobágy National Park, for a three nights stay. We will stop along the way in an area of parkland to look for Short-toed Treecreeper. We should arrive in the Hortobágy in time for some initial exploration. Days 4-5 The Great Hungarian Plain was at one time, millions of years ago, part of an inland sea and even today has many plants that are normally associated with coastal areas. The grasslands of the steppe, or puszta, are dotted here and there with bright patches of purple, yellow and white flowers. This is Great Bustard country par excellence, for these spectacular but endangered birds find conditions here exactly to their liking. Despite their bulk they can be surprisingly difficult to locate and even in flat and open country they can mysteriously metamorphose into large thistles, rocks or other unlikely objects. We will visit one of the prime areas where we should find a number of these leviathans of the steppe and we may well come across an adult male with its head sticking out of some tall grass and may be close enough to admire his hussar-like moustaches. Stone-curlews crouch nervously among the herbage, a Tawny Pipit may scurry across a bare area and Northern Wheatears seem to perch on every vantage point. Here we may well see sousliks (ground squirrels), the favourite prey of many of the local raptors and gypsies alike, and especially the magnificent Sakers that they support. Another speciality of the area is the delightful Red-footed Falcon and we will visit a colony of these attractive birds which make extensive use of old Rook nests, sometimes having to delay their breeding until the original owners have finished with them! They are quite a common sight, either perched on roadside wires or hovering over fields searching for insects. Even a few Long-legged Buzzards occur in the area, although they can be hard to find. In the damper sections of the plain Black-tailed Godwits nest, and Western Marsh and Montagu s Harriers patrol overhead. Some 500 pairs of Aquatic Warblers breed here, in an isolated population, and we will enjoy a rare opportunity to see this skulking species on its breeding grounds. The birds nest close to the ground, but just sufficiently raised up to lessen the danger of being trampled on by itinerant cattle. The males sing from the tops of the taller grasses, often giving superb views. Even some wintering Common Cranes are likely to be found lingering on in the area. The many fishponds and some newly created saline lakes provide superb habitat for numerous waterbirds. Red-necked and Black-necked Grebes swim and dive in areas of open water, Garganeys and Ferruginous Ducks keep nervously to the reedy Great Bustards (Michael Hodgson)

4 4 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Hungary, Romania & Bulgaria 2011 edges, Little Bitterns creep up reed stalks and Great Bitterns boom unseen from inside the reedbeds, only occasionally flying from one hidden corner to another. Eurasian Spoonbills are constantly passing overhead and Purple, Squacco and Black-crowned Night Herons, as well as Little and Great Egrets, are all present in some numbers, while a few Pygmy Cormorants are greatly outnumbered by their larger cousins. In the more open areas, Pied Avocets and Black-winged Stilts are to be found, whilst Whiskered, White-winged and Black Terns dip gracefully as they pick up small insects from the surface of the water. Great Reed Warblers sing stridently from the tops of reed stems and the countless European Reed and Sedge Warblers, numbers of Marsh Warblers and the occasional Savi s Warbler or dapper Moustached Warbler, all create an avian cacophony which is supplemented by a medley of sound from various amphibians including the mournfulsounding Fire-bellied Toad. Bearded Reedlings move noisily around the reedbeds, Bluethroats skulk in the sedges, Eurasian Penduline Tits call insistently from Wallcreepers (Nik Borrow) waterside bushes and River Warblers utter their insectlike songs. With just a bit of luck we will find a Little Crake nervously creeping along the water s edge. Other species we are likely to encounter during our visit to the Hortobágy include Little and Great Crested Grebes, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Moorhen, Common (or Eurasian) Coot, Common Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing, Little and Temminck s Stints, Dunlin, Eurasian Curlew, Spotted and Common Redshanks, Common Greenshank, Wood and Common Sandpipers, Little, Black-headed and Yellow-legged Gulls, Common Tern, Little Owl, Common Swift, Blue-headed Wagtail, Whinchat, Western Jackdaw and Common Reed Bunting. Many migrants are moving through the area at this time of year, so we have a good chance of a surprise or two. Day 6 Today we will drive eastwards into Transylvania, the mountainous and heavily forested northeastern part of Romania. After crossing into Romania, we will keep a lookout for Great Grey Shrike and make a stop for Rock Bunting as we head for Harghita in the Székelyudvarhely district ( Székelyland ) for a three nights stay. Days 7-8 The scattered townships and villages that make up the Harghita area lie in Székelyland, a community of two million Hungarians living in the middle of Transylvania and dating back to the Middle Ages. The word Székely derives from the community s role as defenders of the border at the time of the Hungarian kingdom in the Middle Ages and, more specifically, comes from their particular military and administrative organization, the Szék (or Chair). The western slopes of the Gurghiu Mountains, part of the Carpathian range, offer some great birding amidst beautiful mountain scenery, with limestone crags rising above dark coniferous forest. Hazel Grouse are quite common here and we shall make a special effort to get good views of one, although they can sometimes be hard to locate. In these largely undisturbed forests we will have our only opportunity for Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker (potentially the 10th species of woodpecker of this remarkable tour!), and if we are in luck we will come across the magnificent Western Capercaillie, while other species breeding in this wild area include Golden Eagle, White-throated Dipper, Dunnock, Thrush Nightingale, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Redbreasted Flycatcher, Crested and Coal Tits, Eurasian Treecreeper, Spotted Nutcracker, Eurasian Siskin, Common (or Red) Crossbill and Eurasian Bullfinch. We even have a slim chance of finding a Tengmalm s (or Boreal) Owl. On our second day we shall drive to the spectacular Bicaz Gorge in search of the marvellous Wallcreeper, which has a relatively high population density in this most scenic of areas. It may take us some time to spot one against the immense limestone walls of the gorge, but we should eventually succeed. Perhaps we will watch one flapping past like some avian butterfly, only to land on a rock face and begin to search the cracks and crevices for insects, incessantly flicking its crimson, black and white wings open and shut. We may see our first Eurasian Crag Martins here as well. On two evenings we will have opportunities to wait for Brown Bears at the hides in the Harghita area. There are estimated to be between Brown Bears in the Harghita area. Food is put out at a reasonable distance from the hides and we can wait in fair comfort for the bears to appear around sunset. Some of the bears continue to visit the hides Brown Bear (Nik Borrow)

5 5 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Hungary, Romania & Bulgaria 2011 until late May, so we have a fair chance of some really wonderful views of these splendid creatures. Day 9 Today we will head southeastwards towards the Bulgarian border. During our journey we will stop off briefly in the town of Sighisoara and see the homein-exile of Vlad Dracula, a 15th century Romanian ruler displaced by the invading Ottoman Turks, who gained a notorious reputation for bloodthirsty behaviour and was later the inspiration for the modern vampire legend. Once we reach the Dobrogea, the southern coastal region of Romania, we will make a few birding stops along the way. Eventually we cross into Bulgaria and reach the small town of Kavarna, where we will stay for two nights. Day 10 This morning we will visit the reed-fringed lake at Durankulak, which holds a fine selection of birds. The prime attractions here are Levant Sparrowhawk, Collared Pratincole and Paddyfield Warbler, the latter at the westernmost limit of its Levant Sparrowhawks (Nik Borrow) range (and recent studies suggest this western form may perhaps represent a distinct species). In complete contrast are the dramatic limestone cliffs that culminate at Cape Kaliakra, which rises 70 metres above the sea. The cliffs have many Thracian graves cut from the rock, a reminder of this once great people. The headland was fortified as early as the 4th century BC, but the remains that we will see are mainly Roman and Byzantine. Kaliakra is famous in legend as the place where forty women tied their hair together and jumped off the cliff rather than fall into the hands of the marauding Turks during the Ottoman conquest and the cape bears the name of the most beautiful of them. Where the Thracians once walked we can watch the striking Pied Wheatear, another species at the westernmost limit of its range, whilst Alpine Swifts hurtle past and Calandra and Greater Short-toed Larks fill the air with their songs. The distinctive desmarestii race of the European Shag also breeds here, as do European Roller, Lesser Grey Shrike and Black-headed Bunting. We also have a good chance of finding the nomadic Rosy Starling. From a restaurant on the very tip of the cape itself, we can watch Bottle-nosed Dolphins cavorting in the sea beneath us and we may see Yelkouan Shearwaters passing by offshore. Day 11 Today we will drive southwards to the Burgas area for an overnight stay. On the way we will visit some oak woodland where, unusually for this localized speciality, Semi-collared Flycatcher is a common nesting bird. This is also another good area for Levant Sparrowhawk. Burgas is a large port city and the main harbour for Bulgaria s fishing fleet. During our short stay we will explore the surrounding freshwater lakes, brackish lagoons and saltpans. Glossy Ibises nest in the reedbeds, whilst Great Cormorants have taken advantage of the works of man, placing their untidy nests on the pylons that span Lake Burgas itself. This strange juxtaposition of man and nature is further heightened by the attractive black and white shapes of Great White Pelicans slowly flapping along against a partly urban backdrop. The endangered and declining Dalmatian Pelican occurs here as well. Mediterranean Gulls with smart black heads and white eyelids, and pink-washed Slender-billed Gulls are often numerous, while Gull-billed Terns lurk amongst the many Sandwich Terns encouraged to nest here by the construction of artificial islands. Cetti s Warblers give their loud, explosive outbursts from the waterside vegetation, while other species we should see include Ruddy and Common Shelducks, the huge Whitetailed Eagle, Kentish and Little Ringed Plovers, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Tern and Black-headed Wagtail. Day 12 This morning we will head southwestwards towards the remote town of Krumovgrad in the Rhodope Mountains, where we will stay for two nights. We will stop en route to explore dry, partly scrubby hillsides which are home to Isabelline Wheatear, the localized Olive-tree Warbler which, with its strong, dagger-like bill, is the largest of the Hippolais, Eastern Orphean Warbler and the lovely Masked Shrike (here at the northern edge of its range). Other species we should see Semi-collared Flycatcher (Tony Disley)

6 6 Birdquest Detailed Tour Itinerary: Hungary, Romania & Bulgaria 2011 today include Red-rumped Swallow and Ortolan Bunting. Day 13 The eastern Rhodope Mountains have a Mediterranean climate and a strong Turkish influence. Krumovgrad is a good centre for exploring the Krumovica river valley. While White Storks nest here in traditional style on rooftops or on telegraph poles, the more uncommon Black Stork prefers cliff ledges and the white-stained nest sites can be seen from great distances. We may also see them fishing in the river, running with half-opened wings to grab a fish in the manner of an egret. Chukars stand on prominent rocks and call loudly and Western Rock Nuthatches can be seen at their nests of caked mud, tailoring an appropriate fissure to suit. Other birds of particular interest Dalmatian Pelicans (Nik Borrow) include Eastern Blackeared Wheatear, Eastern Olivaceous and Subalpine Warblers and Sombre Tit. We may also encounter Pallid Swift. At night European Scops Owl can be heard in the village and we will try to spotlight one. Perhaps the greatest attraction of the area are its three species of vultures, which are doing exceptionally well (unlike so many other areas of Europe) due to the organized feeding which is being carried out for them during the breeding season. We shall feel privileged and excited to watch them at one of the feeding stations where a carcass has been laid out. While it is still cool there will, perhaps, be only a few Eurasian Griffon Vultures that have roosted close by. Soon these will be joined by a couple of Egyptian Vultures. Finally the king of the feast, the rare and endangered Eurasian Black Vulture, will arrive. Gradually, as the temperature rises and more distant birds are able to take to the thermals, the number of vultures increases as they eagerly gather to feast on the dish of the day. We shall find it fascinating to watch their behaviour as the pecking order is established by means of fights, squabbles and hisses. All in all a visit to the vulture café is an unforgettable experience! More widespread species that we should encounter include Eurasian Hoopoe, Wood Lark, Blue Rock Thrush, Woodchat Shrike, Spanish Sparrow and Cirl Bunting. Day 14 Today we will drive to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, where the tour ends. Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels/ guesthouses are mostly of normal Birdquest standard, although some are at the simpler end of the range. The hotel at Krumovgrad is very simple, however. Road transport is by minibus and the roads are mostly good. Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy, with a few moderate uphill walks. Climate: Many days are warm, dry and sunny, but cool, overcast weather with some rain is not unusual. In the higher levels in Transylvania it can be distinctly cold at times. Bird/Mammal Photography: Opportunities are quite good. Masked Shrike (Michael Hodgson)