Bulgaria in Autumn
'The Secret Flyway'
Monday 17 - Monday 24 September 2007 (8 days)
Monday 15 - Monday 22 September 2008 (8 days)
An exciting week's birdwatching revelling in the annual movement of thousands of birds of prey, pelicans, storks and passerine migrants that stream south along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.
© Keith Grant/Nature Portfolio
White Storks on migration
Corncrake on the hotel balcony... Lesser Spotted Eagles all but brushing our noses with their wingtips right outside the bedrooms... a party of Black Storks passing by at eye level as we breakfast in the restaurant... a male Pallid Harrier ghosting in from the sea at extremely close range... falls' of Golden Orioles, Red-breasted Flycatchers and Icterine Warblers... a flock of 1200 roosting White Pelicans... up to twenty different species of birds of prey. These are just some of the highlights from our previous autumn tours to Bulgaria's Black Sea coast.
The annual migration of tens of thousands of birds of prey and storks across the Turkish Bosphorus has long been famous as one of the great European bird spectaculars. But the fact that the majority of these birds - plus countless thousands of storks, pelicans, herons and other migrants - must first travel south through coastal Bulgaria seems largely to have been overlooked by travelling birdwatchers. Until recently that is! As with migration anywhere, the make up and number of birds moving can vary enormously from day to day - but our visit is timed to run over the week when the spectacle of autumn migration along this secret flyway' is usually at its peak. And with direct flights now available to Bulgaria's Black Sea coast, we should arrive right in the thick of the action.
By happy coincidence, some of Europe's most important wetlands are also to be found nearby. The coastal saltpans, freshwater lakes and reedbeds hold an impressive array of specialities, with White and Dalmatian Pelicans, Pygmy Cormorant, Marsh and Broad-billed Sandpipers, Bluethroat and Penduline Tit among those we've recorded before. To the north, the limestone steppe of Cape Kaliakra and more open, bushy country at Cape Emine attract migrant wheatears, wagtails, warblers, flycatchers and shrikes. Being so little visited we have good chances here of finding something really special ourselves, while forests just inland of the coast can be outstanding for woodpeckers.
We shall be assisted once again by one of the country's foremost local bird guides. Why not join us for an exciting week, revelling in the annual movement of birds of prey, pelicans, storks and innumerable passerine migrants that stream south along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast every autumn? The prospect is irresistible!
Price: £ 1,195
Single supps.:
2007 - £ 65
2008 - £ 75
Deposit: £ 300 per person
The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of return flights London-Varna with meals on-board as appropriate, all accommodation, meals, transportation by coach, tips, airport taxes, map, bird checklist and services of the leader/s.
The price excludes travel insurance, drinks and other personal expenses.
This trip will be operated in conjunction with Limosa Holidays.
Leaders:
2007: Peter Kennerley & local guides
2008: John Muddeman & local guides
Day 1
We catch a flight from London direct to Varna, where Milen will be waiting to welcome us. Transfer north along Bulgaria's Black Sea coast to our first hotel, near Kavarna.
Overnight Kavarna
Days 2 - 4
Set on a hillside overlooking the sea, our comfortable hotel couldn't be better situated. Migrants follow the valley and, if conditions are right, the daylight hours can see birds of prey and storks passing right by us at eye-level! At night, the hotel's lights act as a beacon to nocturnal avian travellers. As with migration anywhere, the results are at their most dramatic during spells of mixed weather - when anything from Night Heron to Nightjar, and waves of night-flying passerines may descend upon the hotel's grounds.
Having made a thorough check to see what's new first thing, we will head to Lake Durankulak,
a mainly brackish lake that lies just six kilometres from the border with Romania. Glossy Ibis, Pygmy Cormorant and Ferruginous Duck lend a distinctly eastern flavour here as we sift through the gatherings of waterfowl and shorebirds.
Not far away, the sheer, scrub-topped limestone cliffs of Cape Kaliakra are equally attractive to passerine migrants and act as bottle-necks to southbound raptors and other large soaring birds. We will spend some time exploring the headland, which stretches out into the Black Sea as if beckoning Asiatic birds to make the crossing. Lesser Spotted and Booted Eagles, Honey Buzzard, Osprey and other birds of prey can become grounded on the Cape during periods of inclement September weather, which can also result in falls of - well, just about anything. Our previous finds here have included Tawny Pipit, Short-toed and Calandra Larks, Pallid Harrier, Spoonbill and Corncrake! Sea-watching from the cliffs might reward us with some scuttling Yelkouan Shearwaters and, as dusk approaches, we may be lucky to see Eagle Owl.
Three nights Kavarna
Day 5
Tearing ourselves away from the fascinating wildlife of the Dobruja region, we head south along the coast to our next hotel, at Pomorie (near Burgas). The journey will take us through an ever-changing landscape, past sprawling seaside resorts with extensive beaches, along rockier stretches with cliffs and through well-wooded valleys that are a haven for birds. Despite the rather dreary sound of its name, in fine weather we'll find that the "Black Sea" is actually a bright azure blue, its shores etched with bays of brilliant white sand.
Migration could bring us to a halt more or less anywhere today and we'll stop to explore some fine deciduous woodland near Goritza, where a variety of woodpeckers, Short-toed Treecreeper and Hawfinch are possible. Cape Emine is another headland that acts as a real migrant trap. The flat plateau above the cliffs with scattered bushes is easy to work and in previous years we have recorded Isabelline Wheatear, Sombre Tit, Woodlark and Quail here.
Overnight Pomorie
Days 6 - 7
Burgas is a large town on Bulgaria's Black Sea coast - but there just happens to be a bird of prey migration route right overhead! The second half of September generally sees peak passage as columns of birds stream southward. We should see plenty of Common Buzzards (some showing characters of the eastern form vulpinus, or Steppe Buzzard), with good numbers of Lesser Spotted and Short-toed Eagles, Marsh Harriers and Sparrowhawks. A sprinkling of other species - including Black Stork, Honey and Long-legged Buzzards, Red-footed Falcon and Levant Sparrowhawk - adds to the excitement. The make up and number of birds moving will, of course, vary from day to day, but that such a prospect should have been largely overlooked by travelling birdwatchers until now is surprising - even more so when one realises that some of Europe's major wetlands also lie nearby.
In fact, Bulgaria's most celebrated migration watch-point - Lake Atanassovo - lies within an easy drive of our hotel. Despite being so close to town, the lake boasts a wealth of bird life. Kentish Plovers, Black-winged Stilts and Avocets frequent the shallows and, amidst the thousands of Mediterranean and Yellow-legged Gulls that gather at the lake each autumn, we should find the rarer Slender-billed Gull. Lake Burgas can hold thousands of roosting White Pelicans as well as a few rarer Dalmatians, and Lake Mandra is a frequent haunt of White-tailed Eagle.
During our stay in the Burgas area, we shall enjoy searching through flocks of waders in hopes of such goodies as Red-necked Phalarope or Marsh and Broad-billed Sandpipers - as well as frequently turning our eyes skyward to check for birds of prey sneaking overhead! The passage of warblers through the area also shows terrific potential for eastern vagrants to appear, while more regular migrants include Hoopoe, Bee-eater, Red-breasted and Spotted Flycatchers, and Red-backed Shrike.
Over the open water, graceful Black and Whiskered Terns work to and fro above parties of resting wildfowl. It's the perfect opportunity to study their trickier autumn plumages, while the reedbeds provide shelter for Great White and Little Egrets, Squacco and Purple Herons and Spoonbill.
Two nights Pomorie
Day 8
If flight times permit, we'll enjoy some final birding on our way north from Burgas to Varna this morning, prior to catching our flight back to London.
Accommodation: Two-centre tour based at comfortable Bulgarian tourist hotels, well-situated for the best autumn birding. All rooms are en suite.
Meals: All included in the price. Breakfasts and dinners at the hotels. Lunches will be usually picnics. Food (and wine!) is good.
Walking: Short walks (up to 2 miles), on mainly good trails over easy-moderate terrain. Sturdy walking shoes or lightweight boots recommended.
Ground Transport: By coach with local driver (minibus with small group)
Numbers: Max. 14 clients