Birding in Moldova

Transcription

1 Birding in Moldova Florian Klingel, May 2016 Summary of a couple of short birding trips during the last years ( ) 1

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3 Birding in Moldova The Republic of Moldova is located between Romania and Ukraine; its proximity to the Danube Delta and the rich structure of its agricultural landscape makes for very pleasant birding. Besides, it is a really interesting country with nice people, good vine and excellent food. I ve been going to Moldova regularly for work in the last few years, and sometimes added one or two days for birding. So here some information on places I visited and birds I saw. Birding sites The countryside is interesting almost everywhere. Cultivation is not intensive in most places and there are a lot of fallows or overgrown vineyards between the fields. Skylarks, Crested Larks, Hoopoes, Corn Buntings, Orioles, Red-backed and Lesser Grey Shrikes and Bee-eaters can be seen almost everywhere. Syrian Woodpecker is common especially around villages. The area just north-west of Chisinau has some forests called Codrii. Black Storks breed there, as do Black Woodpeckers and Honey Buzzards. The most interesting areas are in Southern Moldova, especially the wetlands along river Prut (at the border with Romania) downstream of Cahul and the smaller lakes in Gagauzia. All wetland species common in the Danube Delta can also be found there, including Great White and sometimes Dalmatian Pelican, Pygmy Cormorant, Eurasian Spoonbills, Glossy Ibis, Whiskered Terns, White-tailed Eagle and many more. The dry ravines in the south usually have European Roller, Hoopoes and Pied Wheatear. A few pairs of Saker Falcon bread in the south. In the following I ll give details on some selected sites. Padurea Domneasca Padurea Domneasca ( , ) is a protected area with a larger piece of alluvial forest and some wetlands around. The large reservoir of Costesti is also interesting. I ve been only once and I m not sure which are actually the best spots for birding. It s a larger area and worth to spend a day or two. I saw Booted Eagle and Long-legged Buzzard here, I think Lesser Spotted Eagle has also been seen there and Whitetailed Eagle reportedly is breeding. They keep Wisents in a fenced area in the reserve. The area is 3-4 hours from Chisinau, there is a hotel in Glodeni ( , ). 3

4 Chisinau city parks Chisinau s parks offer nice opportunities for a bit of birding when having no time for trips outside town. I usually go to Valea Morilor ( , ) or the adjacent Parcul Dentrologic, but there are more parks or other green areas that are probably equally good. Valea Morilor has a large lake, which has two sedimentation basins at both sides that have a bit of reed growing. Little bitterns are easy to see there, as are Great Reed Warblers. The northern side has a muddy beach, where sometimes waders can be seen. There is also a dense forest with Golden Orioles and Syrian Woodpeckers. Grey-headed Woodpecker can be seen at the forest edge. Parcul Dentrologic has more open tree growth, so woodpeckers are easy to see, including Middlespotted Woodpecker. 4

5 Lakes of Gagauzia Gagauzia is an autonomous republic within Moldova. The Gagauz people are of Turk origin, speak a Turkish dialect among themselves and Russian for official things. The Lenin statutes still stand in the villages and are kept in shape, and people put their hopes in Moscow rather than the EU. As a birder you won t notice much difference to the rest of the country, except that Romanian is not always understood. There are a couple of smaller dammed lakes along the road to the south, which are very interesting. Access is often through villages or (abandoned) industrial facilities, but birding is very good here. Typically, the northern ends of the lakes have some muddy areas and reed belts that are great for waders in migration season. Also the breeding birds can best be seen here: Common and Ruddy Shelduck, Pied Avocet, Black-winged Stilts, Purple Heron etc. I also heard Great Bittern on lake Congaz. The dams are at the southern ends of the lakes and the southern half has more open water and is usually less interesting. However, the area just downstream of the lakes is also usually humid and interesting. The drier areas on the eastern shore are good for raptors, and Redfooted Falcons can be seen easily anywhere around the lakes. Pelicans can be seen on all of the lakes, usually a few individuals but sometimes huge flocks Coming from Chisinau, the first group of lakes is before entering the Gagauz capital, Comrat ( , ). The next is the lake at Congaz village ( , ). The northern tip of that lake is the best spot of all the lakes, in my experience. The lakes of Comrat and Congaz can be surrounded by car along the eastern side, if its dry and your car is fit for that. The last lake is the large Taraclia lake ( , ). I ve not yet explored the northern swampy area, which should be good as well. The grassy area near the dam has a Spotted Souslik colony. Further south, off the main roads and just before the Ukrainian border, is the village of Etulia. Before entering the village, there are some fish ponds which are very good ( , ). Crossing the village gives view on the northern end of the large Ukrainian lake of Kahul ( , ). The road to Comrat and onwards is now excellent, Chisinau to Comrat takes about 1 hour 30. I ve not stayed overnight in the area, but I assume that at least Comrat has some hotels. 5

6 Lower Prut Beleu and Manta lakes The river Prut joins the Danube river in Giurgiulesti at the southern tip of Moldova. Moldova s share of the Danube is something like 300 m long and all of it is used for the port of Giurgiulesti. The water level of the lower Prut is heavily influenced by the water level of the Danube, and with it the water level in the larger lakes, Beleu and Manta. These lakes and the area in-between is probably the best birding area in Moldova. Lake Manta is a huge area just south of the town of Cahul, starting at the village of Crihana Veche. The northern area is formed of large fish ponds made in the Soviet time, surrounded by tall but slowly disintegrating dams. Some of the ponds have huge water surface, others are full of reeds and sometimes there are big mudflats. The area south of the fish ponds is another huge area of shallow water, mud flats, reeds and floating vegetation. The dams around the ponds are perfect for birding. I ve not yet tried to surround the whole pond system; it s a long 15 km walk or a bumpy drive in a 4x4 car. However, already the first few 1-2 km along the northern ( , ) and southern dams ( , ) are fantastic. The southern dam is easier to access by car. Lake Beleu is similarly characterised by changing water levels, has large but shallow areas of open water, reeds and flooded forest with heron and cormorant (both Great and Pygmy) colonies. The easiest access is to the southern dam via the village of Slobozia Mare ( , ). The northern area has some dikes with oil pumps (in the middle of a supposedly protected area!), which allow access (via the village of Valeni) to the reed belts and some smaller lakes ( , ). Boat trips can be arranged from there or from near Slobozia Mare. Boat trips are nice, especially for photographing, but all birds can also be seen well from the shore (with a scope). Along the road between Manta and Beleu, there are several spots overlooking the river valley which are good for a stop. On both lakes, Whiskered Terns are breeding in large numbers. Black Terns and rarely White-winged Terns can also be seen. All species of herons and egrets are common, as are White and Black Stork. White-tailed Eagle can be seen regularly at Beleu, but probably also further north up to Manta. The slopes descending to the river valley have a lot of erosion ravines, which are good for Pied Wheatear. Bee-eaters, Rollers and Hoopoes are also very common there. Some good ravines are accessible from the northern end of Slobozia Mare; this is also a good view point over Beleu lake and the lake can be accessed by foot from there ( , ). Another good ravine can be accessed from the village of Valeni, where next to the school, a track leads up through the ravine to the agricultural fields above the village ( , ). There are now several pensions in Slobozia Mare and Valeni. A very nice one is the Pensiunea La Gura Cuptorului ( , ), managed by Vera Caminschi (+ 373 (0) , +737 (0) ). Vera can also arrange for boat trips. Cahul is the largest town in the south and has restaurants and some hotels. All birding areas are located close to the Romanian border and technically, a special permit is needed to go there. I don t know how to do this, probably one needs to go to the local police the previous day. We were stopped only once by border police, but talked out of the siutation by our Moldovan companion. It s a good idea to take your passport with you. 6

7 Some information on logistics The international airport with good connections is in the capital, Chisinau. Travelling to Moldova by train is also possible, but very slow. The main languages used in Moldova are Romanian and Russian. In Chisinau, getting through with English is not difficult, but in the countryside it is best you have someone knowing the local languages with you. Local currency is Moldovan Leu (MDL). Most restaurants in Chisinau accept credit cards, in the countryside better have cash ready. ATMs are easily available in Chisinau and most smaller towns also have at least a few. In Chisinau, there are plenty of hotels and restaurants with local or international cuisine. For the upper range of them, prices are not much cheaper than in western Europe. In the countryside, accommodation is scarce, as tourism is barely developed yet. The bigger towns usually have some hotels, and smaller pensions or agritourisms start to appear. Some of the rural accommodation can be found on this website: Although it is possible to go almost everywhere by public transport (which is cheap), for birding, having your own car is definitely recommendable. Car rental is possible in Chisinau, there are also car rental booths at the airport. Personally I have no experience with renting cars, as I usually went with friends. A normal car is fine, although a 4x4 would allow accessing some more difficult tracks, especially if it is wet. Guides There are no professional bird guides or tour companies in Moldova, however, Ion Grosu (a birder and blogger) or Vitalie Ajder (an ornithologist of the Moldovan Academy of Sciences) may offer to guide you. 7

8 Bird list The list contains all birds I have seen during my visits in the last couple of years, including locations for some of them. Graylag Goose Anser anser Mute Swan Cygnus olor Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea Gagauz lakes Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna Gagauz lakes Gadwall Anas strepera Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata Garganey Anas querquedula Green-winged Teal Anas crecca Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina Common Pochard Aythya ferina Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca Beleu, Manta, Gagauz lakes Common Merganser Mergus merganser Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis Beleu, Manta Black Stork Ciconia nigra Codrii, Padurea Domneasca, Beleu, Manta White Stork Ciconia ciconia Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus Beleu, Manta Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus Beleu, Manta, Gagauz lakes, sometimes hundreds Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus Manta Great Bittern Botaurus stellaris heard at Congaz lake Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus common Gray Heron Ardea cinerea Purple Heron Ardea purpurea common in the south Great Egret Ardea alba Little Egret Egretta garzetta Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides Beleu, Manta Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax common in the south Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Beleu, Manta, Etulia Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia Manta, Congaz Osprey Pandion haliaetus migrating at Manta European Honey-buzzard Pernis apivorus Padurea Domneasca Short-toed Snake-Eagle Circaetus gallicus Manta, near Congaz Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus once in Padurea Domneasca Eurasian Marsh-Harrier Circus aeruginosus Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus Levant Sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes near Alexandru Ioan Cuza Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus Northern Goshawk Accipiter gentilis White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla Beleu Common Buzzard Buteo buteo Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus Eurasian Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Eurasian Coot Fulica atra Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Beleu, Manta, Congaz Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta Beleu, Manta, Congaz Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus 8

9 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus Manta Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus Beleu, Congaz Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Beleu Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Beleu, Congaz Common Redshank Tringa totanus Manta, Congaz Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata Congaz Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa Beleu, Manta Ruff Calidris pugnax Beleu, Manta, Congaz Dunlin Calidris alpina Congaz Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago Manta, Congaz Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus Little Gull Hydrocoloeus minutus once at Congaz Mew Gull Larus canus Manta, Chisinau Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis once at Congaz Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans Black Tern Chlidonias niger Beleu, Congaz White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus once at Beleu Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida common in the south Common Tern Sterna hirundo Beleu, Congaz Rock Pigeon Columba livia Stock Dove Columba oenas Common Wood-Pigeon Columba palumbus European Turtle-Dove Streptopelia turtur Eurasian Collared-Dove Streptopelia decaocto Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus Little Owl Athene noctua Valeni Common Swift Apus apus Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops common throughout Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis European Bee-eater Merops apiaster common throughout European Roller Coracias garrulus common in the south Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla Middle Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos medius Codrii, Chisinau Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major Syrian Woodpecker Dendrocopos syriacus common throughout, e.g. in parks and village gardens Gray-headed Woodpecker Picus canus Codrii, Chisinau Eurasian Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus common in the south Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo Saker Falcon Falco cherrug once in the south Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio Northern Shrike Lanius excubitor once near Chisinau in winter Lesser Gray Shrike Lanius minor Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius Eurasian Magpie Pica pica Eurasian Jackdaw Corvus monedula Rook Corvus frugilegus Hooded Crow Corvus cornix Common Raven Corvus corax Bearded Reedling Panurus biarmicus Crested Lark Galerida cristata Sky Lark Alauda arvensis Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris once at Congaz in winter 9

10 Bank Swallow Riparia riparia Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Common House-Martin Delichon urbicum Marsh Tit Poecile palustris Willow Tit Poecile montanus Eurasian Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus Great Tit Parus major Eurasian Penduline-Tit Remiz pendulinus Eurasian Nuthatch Sitta europaea Eurasian Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Goldcrest Regulus regulus Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris Eurasian Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus Great Reed-Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus Savi's Warbler Locustella luscinioides Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria Cimislia Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca Greater Whitethroat Sylvia communis Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata European Robin Erithacus rubecula Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros Whinchat Saxicola rubetra European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka Beleu, Etulia (in erosion ravines) Eurasian Blackbird Turdus merula Fieldfare Turdus pilaris Redwing Turdus iliacus Song Thrush Turdus philomelos Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus European Starling Sturnus vulgaris Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava White Wagtail Motacilla alba Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris Valeni, Congaz, Etulia Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs European Greenfinch Chloris chloris European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis Eurasian Linnet Carduelis cannabina Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes House Sparrow Passer domesticus Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis along Prut south of Cahul Eurasian Tree Sparrow Passer montanus 10

11 Comrat lake Congaz lake 11

12 Taraclia lake Etulia 12

13 Manta lake 13

14 Beleu - overview Valeni pension and ravine Slobozia Mare and access to Beleu lake 14