Stunning Eurasian Bee-eaters will be around almost every day. Photo: James Lidster
Bounded by Romania to the north, Greece and Turkey to the south and the Black Sea to the east, Bulgaria occupies a special position at the crossroads of Europe and Asia Minor and reflects distinct influences from both the Mediterranean and the southern Russian steppes.
In relatively short distances one can travel from sea level up to nearly 3000 meters, passing along the way through a remarkably rich and varied landscape with an equally rich and varied birdlife. Close to 400 species have been recorded here, some of them, like Levant Sparrowhawk, Pied and Isabelline Wheatears, Paddyfield and Olive-tree Warblers and Semi-collared Flycatcher, are hard to see elsewhere in Europe. Bulgaria’s special location means that vagrants from farther east are not uncommon.
Our tour takes in the very best birdwatching Bulgaria has to offer and at the same time allows us to experience much of the country’s distinctive culture.
Day 1: The tour begins with a flight from London to Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, from where we’ll drive to the mountain resort of Pamporovo in the Central Rodopi Mountains. Birdwatching will begin immediately with White Stork, Hoopoe, Red-backed Shrike, Red-rumped Swallow and Black-headed Bunting, all possible on the drive. The hotel is situated amidst pine forests at an altitude of 1500 meters, with Pallid Swift, Common Crossbill, Black Redstart and maybe a woodpecker or two in the immediate vicinity. Night in Pamporovo.
Day 2: The main objective of our first day is to visit Trigrad Gorge and our hotel at Pamporovo is the closest to this spectacular site. A visit would be well worthwhile for the fine alpine scenery alone but the Gorge, formed by huge cliffs hiding the River Trigradska far below, is one of the best places in Europe for watching Wallcreeper, while Peregrine, Alpine Swift and Crag Martin offer distractions.
In the afternoon we’ll drive to the town of Kroumovgrad. Our hotel is situated in the center of this small town, only a five-minute walk from the valley of the delightful River Kroumovitza where White and Black Storks, Red-rumped Swallow, Lesser Grey Shrike, various warblers and wheatears, and Stone Curlew are all possible. At night we should hear, and hopefully see, one or two Scops Owls near the hotel. Night in Kroumovgrad.
This was my first Wings tour and it was really a fabulous experience, filled with many memorable bird sightings and pleasant camaderie among the participants. James was a top-notch guide - very fast to find the birds and help everyone have as good a view as possible of them. He was also very personable and attentive to the needs of the individuals and the group as a whole.
Cordelia Lane, May 2011
Day 3: Before breakfast we’ll take our first look along the Kroumovitza River before we visit the eastern part of the Rodopi Mountains and one of Europe’s most important regions for birds of prey — Kladenetz. The volcanic origins of the area are immediately obvious, with huge rocks scattered around the stony ground, stunted shrubs and an almost complete lack of mature trees. We’ll constantly scan the open skies for birds of prey such as Golden, Eastern Imperial, Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Long-legged Buzzard, and Black, Egyptian and Griffon Vultures, the latter no doubt attracted to the nearby vulture feeding station However not all the birds here are in the sky. The bushes and rocks are home to a variety of species including Roller, European Bee-eater, Western Rock Nuthatch, Rock and Blue Rock Thrushes, Woodchat Shrike, Sombre Tit, Barred, Subalpine, Sardinian and Eastern Orphean Warblers, and Cirl, Black-headed and Ortolan Buntings. Night at Kroumovgrad.
Day 4: Our journey east will take us into the lowlands along the Black Sea coast. Some of the local specialties we should see during several birdwatching stops include Lesser Spotted Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, Isabelline Wheatear, Masked Shrike and Olive-tree Warbler. We’ll be staying just outside the town of Burgas, close to the Atanasovsko Salt Lake Nature Reserve. This region gives us our first chance to see some wetland species and what a way to start with distant views across the Salinas and a wealth of species within a short distance of our hotel. Night close to Burgas.
Day 5: We’ll visit several different wetland areas where we’ll see a range of herons, pelicans, shorebirds, gulls and terns. The vast Ropotamo Nature Reserve contains a variety of habitats including wetlands, the River Ropotamo with riverine broad-leaved forests, a part of Strandza Mountain, and part of the Black Sea coast, complete with sand dunes. The birds are equally varied and among others we have a good chance of seeing are White-tailed Eagle, Honey Buzzard, Middle, Great Spotted, Black and Grey-headed Woodpeckers, Short-toed Treecreeper, and, with luck, Semi-collared Flycatcher.
We’ll also visit the two big freshwater lakes at Burgas with their extensive reed-beds. The surrounding countryside has flooded meadows, marshes, low hills and oak forests. These diverse habitats make this a superb region for wetland birds. Here we’ll see Night, Squacco, and Purple Herons, egrets, Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, White Pelican, Slender-billed, Mediterranean and Little Gulls, Avocet and Black-winged Stilt. Night close to Burgas.
Day 6: We depart today north along the Black Sea coast and the town of Kavarna. On our drive, we’ll stop in more woodland areas searching for species such as White-backed Woodpecker, Semi-collared Flycatcher and Icterine Warbler. Our hotel is perched on a hill just above the sea where we should see a variety of species such as Eagle Owl, Pied Wheatear, and Olive-tree and Barred Warblers. Night at Kavarna.
Day 7: After an early breakfast we’ll travel close to the Romanian border to Lake Durankulak, a very important wetland for breeding, migrating and wintering birds. One species that reaches the western limits of its range here, and for which the region is famous, is Paddyfield Warbler, and we hope to get good views of this delicate bird. However, other species abound, and we should stand a good chance of seeing species such as Little and Common Bitterns, Collared Pratincole, Ferruginous Duck, Red-footed Falcon, Gull-billed and Caspian Terns, Bearded Tit and possibly Spotted and Little Crakes.
We’ll devote the afternoon to the Cape Kaliakra Steppe Nature Reserve, a coastal headland where chalk and sandstone cliffs rise to a height of over 200 meters. Immediately inland is an area of rolling steppe where the sky should be dotted with the butterfly display flights of Calandra Larks and the surroundings echo to the sweet song of Short-toed Larks. The habitat also suits two other species on the western edge of their range, Isabelline and Pied Wheatears, while almost every small shrub should be topped by a Lesser Grey or Red-backed Shrike, or a Black-headed or Corn Bunting. A few minutes spent gazing out from the cliff top should provide us with Yelkouan Shearwater, Caspian Gull and this is also where Rose-coloured Starlings occasionally breed, having swarmed out of Central Asia earlier in the spring. Night at Kavarna.
Day 8: Driving inland today, we’ll cross the Dobrudza steppes to reach the famous Lake Srebarna Biosphere Reserve. Its extensive reed-beds are a perfect habitat for many Pygmy Cormorants, breeding Red-necked and Black-necked Grebes, a colony of Dalmatian Pelican, Ferruginous Duck, Marsh Harrier and Penduline Tit, while Levant Sparrowhawk, Goshawk, and Ruddy Shelduck inhabit the broad-leaved forests and small dry valleys around the lake. Night in Silistra.
Day 9: Our journey inland follows the mighty River Danube. At the Nova Cerna marshland we’ll search for more wetland species including various grebes, ducks and Whiskered Tern. We’ll end our visit to this fascinating country at Etara near the town of Gabrovo. Our hotel is built in the traditional Bulgarian style and the restaurant serves Bulgarian national dishes and drinks. Nearby there is an open-air museum where those interested can view and purchase Bulgarian crafts. Night at Etara.
Day 10: Returning to Sofia through some impressive countryside we’ll have time for a short stop en route and a meal in a local restaurant before transferring to the airport to connect with our flight to London where the tour concludes.
Updated: 15 January 2009
Prices
- 2012 Tour Price : $2,700*
- Single Occupancy Supplement : $170
Notes
This tour is limited to 14 participants with two leaders. Both leaders will accompany the tour regardless of group size.
Participants who prefer to meet the group in Sofia should contact the WINGS office.
* Tour invoices paid by check carry a modest discount. Details here.
* This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird. Please review the explanation of our Sunbird pricing here.