BULGARIA (2) - 9 DAY TOUR - DAY 4 - MAY 18TH 2014

TRANSFER FROM EASTERN RHODOPES TO BURGAS WITH STOPS IN THE SAKAR HILLS AND TWO PLACES NEAR TOPOLOVGRAD

When I got up at 6am the sky was clear, there wasn't a bit of movement in the air and temperature wasn't bad either, however, by the time I got ready and went out at 6:30am a thick mist had descended on the area and the temperature had fallen quite significantly. All this added up to a very much reduced bird list before breakfast.

As we walled from the hotel complex to the river nearby we could here Common Nightingale, Hoopoe, Golden Oriole and Turtle Dove. At the river we added Black Stork, Grey Heron and Common Kingfisher to the list as well as Olivaceous Warbler, Spanish Sparrows, Black-headed Bunting, Corn Bunting and lots of Red-rumped Swallows. Near the hotel wall we watched a Little Owl that settled on an electricity transformer and it let us approach quite close, hence the picture.



The resident Little Owl at the hotel Arda

After an early breakfast we were on the road heading for the Black Sea Coastline at Burgas, it was slow going as we drove through the thick mist but eventually we got higher and the sun shone through. by the time we got to our first stopping place the sky was clear and warm sunshine prevailed.

This first stop was near a village called Borislavtsi by the side of a huge reservoir, we walked from the village to a bridge near the shoreline. Several Stork's nest were holding one parent and 3-4 chicks, the nests themselves were filled with Spanish and House Sparrow nests with the occasional Common Starling nest too, a real menagerie. A couple of Black Kites flew over and the ubiquitous Red-backed Shrike were everywhere.

LITLE RING PLOVER

A scrubby area near the bridge held Barred Warbler, Blackcap, Common Nightingale and the water held only Grey Heron. All around the edges of the water we see masses of Carp splashing about, probably the reason why there were no ducks. A pair of Little Ringed Plover were nice to watch and just before we boarded the bus a Lesser Spotted Eagle circled above us.

From the reservoir we drove for an hour heading southwest towards a town called Topolovgrad, we were now clearly out of the mountains and passing through an area of heavily cultivated land with some gently rolling hills called The Saker Hills. We stopped at a wooded hillside for our next birding soirée. A woodland of young oak trees held a multitude of birds we could hear Hoopoe, Golden Oriole, Common Cuckoo and more importantly Olive Tree Warbler one of our target species.



RRECORD SHOT OF MASKED SHRIKE



RECORD OF OLIVE TREE WARBLER

As we walked up a steep sided bank we found a beautiful Masked Shrike sitting up high on a dead twig and then over the next hour we carefully stalked the Olive Tree Warbler until everyone had good views of it. In the meantime we found Spotted Flycatcher, Ortolan Bunting, Mistle Thrush, Golden Oriole, Hoopoe and a a pair of Common Buzzards.

After buying our picnic supplies in town we drove to a nearby hillside and sat near a radio mast on the grass in warm sunshine to eat. As soon as we arrived we located a Spanish Imperial Eagle drifting very high up, a great sighting but no good for the cameras. We spent an hour walking through open scrub looking for warblers, Shrikes, Larks and Wheatears. The best of our findings were Isabelline Wheatear, Tawny Pipit, Short-toed Lark, Orphean Warbler, Northern Wheatear with fledged chicks, Black-headed Bunting and lots of Red-backed Shrikes.

ORPHEAN WARBLER TAKEN BY DANCHO

ISABELLINE WHEATEAR

 

 

We now passed through lowland with wide agricultural landscapes and as we dropped down to an extensive plateau we saw several Lesser Spotted Eagles in the sky and a couple of flocks of White Storks high up. A huge mass of dark black clouds sat in front of us, it didn't look good for our last birding outing of the day. However by the time we arrived at the site the rain had been and gone and the sun continued to shine, how lovely. We entered an oak woodland near a country hotel, it was now 5pm so we never had much time.

LONG LEGGED BUZZARD -ANOTHER DANCHO SHOT

For the next hour we had a superb time watching a number of key target species for the trip, the Black Woodpecker being our top priority. We went straight to a nest hole that we knew of and sure enough after a few minutes one the adult birds flew in the tree and showed very well for a few minutes, fantastic and what a crowd pleaser.

BBLACK WOODPECKER TAKEN BY DANCHO

Next we tracked down a Common Redstart, this individual had very unusual plumage with the black on the face extended right down to the lower chest, a very bright white wing patch added more difference to the nominate race, we decided it must be an eastern race semirufus, usually found breeding in eastern Turkey and Iran.

Other species entertained us as we tried to get pictures and good views of them, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Eurasian Nuthatch, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Red-rumped Swallows, Woodlark all kept us busy until 6:30pm when the light began to fade.

RED-RUMPED SWALLOW

EURASIAN NUTHATCH

We were now very late and still had an hour to go before we reached our hotel in Burgas, but as it was a Sunday the traffic was reduced and we arrived in 40 minutes, we still had time to wash and change before dinner. It was a lively evening with everyone in a good mood and spirits were high. We enjoyed a lovely meal with nice Bulgarian wine (yes I did say nice Bulgarian wine).