Bulgaria, 19th July - 6th August 2004 Monday 19th - We arrived in Bulgaria at Burgas Airport and transferred to our hotel in the resort of Sozopol where we spent 3 nights. Tuesday 20th and Wednesday 21st - We collected our hire car in the morning and spent both days in the surrounding area. We visited the Poda BSPB visitor centre, Burgas Lake, Alepu marsh and Ropotamo River. The coastal lagoons at Poda reserve was a great place to start our holiday with 7 Glossy Ibis, Blackheaded Wagtails, and a good selection of waders, gulls and terns including Kentish Plover, Med Gulls and Black Terns. At Burgas Lake there were 3 Dalmation and 100+ White Pelicans, a large selection of wildfowl, 2 adult Rose-Coloured Starlings 4 Lesser Grey Shrikes and Black-headed Buntings. Black-headed Bunting & Lesser Grey Shrike
The blackish water shallow marsh at Alepu revealed a juv Pygmy Cormorant, Little Bitterns, Purple Herons and a White-tailed Eagle. Then at Ropotamo reserve we had 6 Ferruginous Duck, grey-headed, Syrian and Middle-spotted Woodpecker. In these two days we saw a total of 95 species of birds. Syrian Woodpecker Thursday 22nd July we moved from Sozopol to Bansko which was a very long journey but we managed to see Roller, Montagues Harriers, Red-rumped Swallows and also heard Quail. Once in the town of Bansko with the Pirin Mountains as a backdrop there were Serins singing around the hotel, Pallid Swifts flying around the town and 3 families of White Storks on the tall chimneys. Red-rumped Swallow & Roller Friday 23rd to Monday 26th - For these 4 days we visited 2 different habitats, hot, dry southwest facing valleys and mountain slopes covered in coniferous forests. Nutcracker, Crossbill, Ring Ouzel and Black Redstart were common in the mountainous areas. Whilst in the valleys Sombre Tit, Cirl Bunting, Barred Warbler, Rock Thrush, Hoopoe, Wryneck and Red-backed Shrike.
Crossbill & Black Redstart Rock Thrush & Red-backed Shrike A trip to the valley of the Struma River, near the town of Rupite produced great view of a Little Bittern and a bee-eater colony, also a male Levant Sparrowhawk flew over the river. Bee-eater & Little Bittern
Tuesday 27th - We left Bansko and headed East towards the Ski resort of Pamporovo. One stop produced a small colony of Spanish Sparrows in a White Storks nest on a telegraph pole and 2 Honey Buzzards over head. We also visited the famous Trigrad Gorge where saw Dipper, Grey Wagtail and 2 Wallcreepers which gave stunning views. Wallcreeper Wednesday 28th to Friday 30th - At Pamporovo Black Redstart, Crested Tit, Crag Martin and Scops Owl were the most interesting birds. But a trip to Topolovo Produced Isabelline Wheatear, our first Black Stork, Woodchat Shrike and Short-toed Eagle. Woodchat Shrike
Saturday 31st - We left the coniferous forests in the Western Rhodopi Mountains and headed towards the rocky valley of Arda River in the Eastern Rhodopi mountains, Where we were going to stop 3 nights at the BSPB vulture centre near Madzharovo. On arrival at the centre we were greeted by 2 Egyptian Vultures, several Griffon Vultures and Black Storks circling over head. Sunday 1st and Monday 2nd - We visited Studen Kladenetz Reservoir and the valley of the Krumovitza River. Birds seen on the rocky slopes included Rock Nuthatch, Black-eared Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Thrush, Alpine Swift and Rock Bunting. Birds of prey were in low numbers but we saw 2 Long-legged Buzzards, 1 Black Kite and a peregrine. With several Black Storks feeding in the rivers giving great views. On the Monday we followed a dead horse for approximately 20 miles to the BSPB vulture feeding station. Unfortunately the "ripe" carcass proved as unattractive to the vultures as to the people enjoying their breakfast in the cafe next to the garage where we stopped for petrol! However good flight views were obtained of a Black Vulture as well as several Griffon and Egyptian Vultures. The road to the feeding station proved productive with Orphean, Sardinian and Olive-tree Warblers being seen along with Isabelline Wheatear. Black Stork & Rock Nuthatch Tuesday 3rd - Today would see us return to Sozopol where we would have our last 3 days of the holiday. On the way we stopped at Ivailov Grad Reservoir near the village of Borislavci where a muddy bay produced Wood Sandpipers, Little Stint and Wagtails, including a probable Citrine.
Citrine Wagtail Then we carried on our way towards the coast making stops on the way at well known sites for masked shrike but no luck at the first site. But we did see Ortolan and Black-headed Buntings. Just as we were giving up a male Masked Shrike was spotted from the car in the low branches of an open Oak wood near Boljarovo. As we got closer to the coast we hit the edge of a thunderstorm with spectacular results as over 500 migrating White Storks dropped from the sky Masked Shrike Wednesday 4th to Friday 6th - Atanasovo Lake, Pomorie Lake, Cape Emine, Poda reserve and Alepu Marsh were visited in the last three days of the holiday before we fly back to Manchester in the early hour of Saturday Morning. Atanasovo Lake proved to be a very good site, the salt pans were covered in waders, 20 Broad-billed Sandpipers, 250+ Marsh Sandpipers, 40+ Little Stints, 250+ Spotted Redshank, 1 Greenshank, 100+ Black-winged Stilts and 1000+ Avocets. Slender-billed Gulls and Gull-billed terns were also in the waders. In the Reedbeds Great Reed Warblers, Penduline and Bearded Tits were present with Collared Pratincole and Marsh Harriers over head. And 7 Pygmy Cormorants on the lake with 250+ White Pelicans.
Slender-billed Gull & Marsh Sandpiper White Pelican Lunch at Pomorie Lake resulted in 3 Caspian Terns flying south over the saltpans and 1 Curlew Sandpiper. After a long drive down a rough track we saw a Tawny Pipit and Mediterranean Shag at Cape Emine. Large flocks of roosting starlings near Pomorie Lake were found to include many juvenile Rose-Coloured Starlings. On Wednesday 4th we saw a total of 102 species after visiting these three sites. Return visit to Poda revealed 2 Whiskered Terns in 200+ Black Terns, 11 Black-neccked Grebes, 19+ Glossy Ibis, Savi's Warbler and Alepu marsh gave great views of 4 Lesser Spotted Eagles soaring Total Bird species on this great holiday was 199, with 2 juvenile flycatchers at Bansko remaining unidentified! Also named were 73 species of butterfly. Overall a fantastic "package" holiday with the quantity of the commoner birds being even more impressive than the range of species with flocks of turtle doves, calling golden orioles and ever present red-backed shrikes to name but a few. Photographs taken by Margaret, Nicola and Mark Breaks