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Neil Pont travelled on our 'Bulgaria in Autumn' holiday and submitted this entry to our writing competition.
Red-backed Shrike
‘Would you like some road with your potholes?’ was the question posed as we lurched and limped from the (relatively) smooth motorway to our first hotel at Madzarova in the Rhodhope Mountains. The journey may have been torturous and long but our smiling, glass-half-full leader Richard was to have no mercy.
‘So - I’ll see you at seven for the pre-breakfast walk then? It’s voluntary of course ...’
We volunteered to sleep in.
And you know what the breakfast conversation was about, don’t you? It focused on the Golden Eagle perched on the cliff behind the hotel. Birders will know the familiar scenario back home where you walk into a hide to be greeted by, ‘Oh, you’ve just missed the Bittern.’ So, lesson learned, we never avoided the breakfast walk again - despite having left the alarm clock at home. Early to bed and early to rise had its rewards - Golden Oriole and Syrian Woodpecker were just two of the early bird worms.
Vultures were on the menu for our first morning - well, better than the other way round I suppose! We soon appreciated local guide Assan’s ability to turn hieroglyphic squiggles in the clear azure sky into sightings of raptors. They soared and swooped with majestic ease.
Other birds were harder to find, but we soon became rather blasé about Red-backed Shrikes and Spotted Flycatchers that sat obligingly before our binoculars. However, the ‘bird of the day’ was undoubtedly a superb male Fallow Deer with prize-winning antlers and a beautiful dappled coat.
Before our next breakfast, a Little Owl perched in the gap where pointing should have been on an alarmingly angled chimney opposite the hotel, his yellow eyes gleaming in the emergent light. The skies stayed blue and the temperature rose as we moved on to Pomorie and its sulphurous mud and saltpans.
A roadside stop saw birders in their time-honoured pose, seemingly gazing for no reason at a lump of rock. But patience and sharp eyes were rewarded as we learned the difference between Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, House Martin and Crag Martin. Photography was hard but the ‘happy snappers’ got their prize a little further on with fine views of a resting Griffon Vulture, the sunlight catching his cruel bill.
Waterside watching brought waders, gulls and terns in many guises in the next couple of days. Neat and smart Little Gulls, elegant Black-winged Stilts, delightfully circling Red-necked Phalaropes and the ridiculously named Collared Pratincole were all on show.
In the gaps between birding we did try to eat. Those yet to visit Bulgaria should know that there are 37 different ways to arrange a plate of tomato and cucumber, that what appears to be custard surrounding the meatballs probably isn’t and that very good beer is about a pound a pint. Oh - and if Richard Bashford is your tour leader there will be no ‘leftovers’. But our group soldiered on without complaint as the wildlife and scenery kept us entranced.
Group member Alan’s butterfly expertise was much appreciated as we moved on to grassland steppes with various fritillaries, coppers and blues fluttering among the vibrant chicory and thistle flowers. However, he only scored 5.6 for his dramatic gymnastic tumble down the side of Vitosha Mountain because his landing was certainly less than perfect. Yet, perfection was just around the corner as the brilliant orange crown of a Firecrest peeped out at us from the pines. And he was followed by Black Redstarts, Crossbills and some elusive views of Nutcrackers.
Thirteen birdwatchers and two guides had clambered in and out of a sticky, cramped mini-bus for nine days. Some of us were beginners; one of us was the American King of Twitchers, Sandy Komito of ‘The Big Year’ fame; some of us really wanted to get that bit too close to get the ‘magic’ picture while others wanted to stand back, watch and study; some would have really liked to stay in the front seat when it was their turn in the back; yet, of course, what kept us together was our love of and respect for the wonders around us. As Bee-eaters chortled overhead and a shepherd drove his flock of flop-eared sheep before us; as Sandwich Terns shrieked and a donkey and cart rumbled by and as swifts swooped and larks larked, we were having a whale of a time.
Bulgaria was a beguiling contradiction with ersatz food and super-fast Wi-Fi, extreme poverty and shimmering tower blocks, yet it afforded us the chance to experience many unspoiled habitats and the wildlife they support. A well organised holiday with an outstanding leader and like-minded positive people can surely only be a success - and it was!
Read more about our 'Bulgaria in Autumn' holiday.