Many people know of the importance of the Bosporus in Turkey and Eilat in Israel as watch points in the east European migration flyway, but few realize just how significant the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria is in this mass movement of birds.
Sitting on the western side of the Black Sea, Bulgaria is a country steeped in ancient history and legend and one that for countless centuries has witnessed the annual pageant of migrants streaming south each autumn. Complementing our spring tour perfectly, this new tour will use just two bases from which we’ll explore a rich variety of habitats in search of migrants and resident species alike. Woodland and scrub close to our hotels will provide shelter for a tantalizing mix of warblers and flycatchers; the open steppe and agricultural fields will be dotted with larks, finches and buntings; lake shores and the Black Sea coast will have flocks of waterfowl and waders busily building up their food reserves for the long journey south; and of course the open skies will be filled with numerous raptors and flocks of storks following routes as ancient as the land itself.
As with all migration destinations, you never know what is going to turn up and each day brings something new and different. Whether it’s a massive flock of one species or some exciting vagrant from farther east, there are few experiences in the world of birdwatching that match the thrill of seeing migration in action.
Day 1: Our tour begins with a flight from London to Varna and a transfer to our hotel at Kavarna. Situated directly on the Black Sea coast, our hotel is located in a small wooded valley, a prime birding location. If time allows we’ll spend the remainder of the day exploring this area, which is known for colorful Bee-eaters, a selection of warblers and Hawfinch. Night at Kavarna.
Days 2-3: Over the next two days we’ll visit a range of habitats, including the Kaliakra Steppe Nature Reserve and the Bolata valley. Kaliakra is on the southern edge of the east European steppe and presents a vista of endless grassland broken only by shrubs and small stunted trees. Here the steppe tumbles into the Black Sea, and the famous Cape Kaliakra provides an ideal vantage point from which to scan for migrating birds of prey. In front of us are the remains of the ancient Kaliakra fortress, a place shrouded in legends. The dry fields and steppe should produce three species of wheatear including both Pied and Isabelline and careful scanning should reveal a Stone Curlew. Tawny Pipits also occur here and the roadside wires and fence posts are ideal for Rollers, Turtle Doves, shrikes and chats. Out to sea we’ll look for Yelkouan Shearwater and we may glimpse a pod of Harbor Porpoises or Bottle-nosed Dolphins, while in favorable conditions hundreds of passerines could be on the move overhead, with wagtails and hirundines forming the bulk of the numbers. Late in the afternoon there may be a chance to seek out a local Eagle-Owl roosting quietly in its cave while Alpine Swifts and Bee-eaters cruise above us.. The advancing winter will be evidenced by ever growing flocks of Calandra Larks, attracting the attention of a passing Montagu’s Harrier or Hobby, while both Long-legged and Common Buzzards are never far away.
Situated just six kilometers from the Romanian border is Lake Durankulak, a largely brackish stretch of water worthy of a whole day’s exploration. Careful scanning through the flocks of ducks should produce some exquisite Garganey among the hordes of Eurasian Teal and Northern Shovelers, while the muddy shoreline will be busy with noisy Black-winged Stilts, Little Stints, Ruff and both Wood and Curlew Sandpipers. The real specialties here are Glossy Ibis, Pygmy Cormorant and Ferruginous Duck, and we hope to see all these and maybe a surprise or two throughout the day. Nights at Kavarna.
Day 4: After breakfast we’ll transfer south along the Black Sea coast to the town of Bourgas, stopping for lunch at a restaurant in the forest of the Goritza hills, part of the Balkan Range. Here the ancient oak woodlands are home to a good selection of birds, including seven species of woodpeckers and Short-toed Treecreeper. We’ll spend time searching for both Syrian and Middle-spotted Woodpeckers, while Black Woodpecker will be less of an identification challenge, but even more elusive! If raptors are on the move there will be plenty of opportunity to scan the skies. Night at Bourgas.
Days 5-7: Our hotel is located very close to the Pomorie salt pans and before breakfast we could already have amassed a great list of birds including Black-necked Grebe, Marsh Harrier, Avocet, Black Tern and both Little and Mediterranean Gulls. We’ll spend two days exploring the Lake Atanasovsko Nature Reserve and the two larger Bourgas lakes, Mandra and Vaya. These are some of the best places in Europe for watching large migrating birds, and we hope to see Common and Honey Buzzards, Marsh Harrier, Short-toed and Lesser-spotted Eagles, Levant Sparrowhawk, Northern Goshawk, Black and White Storks, White and Dalmatian Pelicans and, with luck, one of the rarer raptors such as Pallid Harrier, Greater-spotted or even a Saker Falcon. The stork and pelican flocks are incredible and by late afternoon several flocks will have called a stop to the days migration and will be searching out safe roosting sites. Passerines will again be in evidence, and on some days hundreds of larks, pipits and wagtails will be passing overhead and dropping in to feed around the lake edges.
We’ll cover an array of habitats and these two days should provide us with some truly wonderful memories and a varied and exciting birdlist. The open water will have Black and Whiskered Terns picking insects from the surface while the nearby scrub and woodland may hold Spotted and Red-breasted Flycatchers, Red-backed Shrikes and Hoopoes. Migrant waders abound in this area and there will be a chance to familiarize ourselves with Kentish and Little Ringed Plovers, Green and Wood Sandpipers, Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers, to name just a few. Wading in the deeper water will be Great White Egrets, Eurasian Spoonbills and Avocets while secretive secretive Purple and Squacco Herons creep through the reedy fringes. Further searching of various salt pans may produce some scarcer waders such as Broad-billed and Marsh Sandpipers, Temminck’s Stint or some Red-necked Phalaropes busy feeding in the deeper water. Slender-billed Gull is another speciality and the hundreds of terns are worth scanning for both Caspian and Gull-billed. Nights at Pomorie.
Day 8: After breakfast we’ll transfer to the Varna airport and connect with our return flight to London, where the tour concludes.
Updated: 24 September 2007
Prices
- 2008 price about $2,760
- Single Occupancy Supplement $150
Notes
This tour is limited to 14 participants with one WINGS leader and one local guide. Both will accompany the tour irrespective of group size.
Participants who prefer to meet the group in Sofia should contact the WINGS office.
This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird.