Spring Birding in Bulgaria

Bulgaria is one of the least visited corners of Europe, yet it is a diverse and very scenic country whose geographic position and wide range of habitats and altitudes ensure a quite exceptional range of exciting birds alongside many interesting plant and butterfly species. This spring tour, designed to complement our autumn birdwatching holiday, is timed to see the impressive range of breeding birds that descend on Bulgaria each spring, along with numerous migrating birds tracking north along the Black Sea coast. Based first in the Rhodope Mountains, then on the shores of the Black Sea and finally in the Dobrudza steppes and Danube Valley, this holiday promises to give us a fascinating introduction to Bulgaria’s dramatic landscapes, birdlife and rich culture.

We will start first in the rugged Rhodope Mountains to the south of Sofia. From our hotel tucked high in the pine forests, we will visit a number of contrasting sites, including the magnificent limestone gorge at Trigrad (a noted haunt of the beautiful crimson-winged Wallcreeper) and the extraordinary jagged and boulder-strewn volcanic landscape around Studen Kladenatz. The Rhodopes are justly famous for their impressive raptor populations and, as we explore the area, we will keep our eyes skyward in search of Golden, Eastern Imperial, Booted and Short-toed Eagles, as well as Black, Griffon and Egyptian Vultures and Long-legged Buzzards. Smaller birds may include Rock Nuthatch, Blue Rock Thrush, Sombre Tit, Eastern Orphean and Barred Warblers, Crossbill and Rock Bunting. For those interested in plants, the upland meadows and woods hold such species as Bug and Bird’s-nest Orchids, various crocuses, and the colourful Iris reichenbachii and Gladiolus illyricus.

Transferring north-eastwards to Pomorie on the Black Sea coast, we will pass close to the border with Greece and Turkey and travel through a varied landscape of wooded hills, fertile valleys and stony plains. Stops will be made to search for such bird specialities as Masked Shrike and Olive-tree Warbler and, whilst on the move, we can look out for Lesser Spotted Eagles, Montagu’s Harriers and roadside Rollers, Bee-eaters and Lesser Grey Shrikes.

At Pomorie we will explore the extensive wetlands nearby, which make this one of Europe’s richest bird areas. Between the saline Lake Atanasovsko with its surrounding saltpans, the reed-fringed Lake Mandra with its water meadows and adjacent wooded hills and the riverine forest and coastal dunes of the Ropotamo Nature Reserve, we can expect to encounter a huge range of birds and other wildlife. Birds here are likely to include White Pelican, Pygmy Cormorant, Glossy Ibis, Night, Purple and Squacco Herons, Little and Great Egrets, Spoonbill, Whitetailed Eagle, Slender-billed, Mediterranean and Little Gulls and just about any European wader.

Leaving Pomorie behind, we will travel north to Kavarna, passing the quaint old Byzantine port of Nesebar en route, with its numerous churches and ruins, and stopping in the wooded Goritza Hills where Black, Middle Spotted and Grey-headed Woodpeckers and Semi-collared Flycatcher all occur. From our hotel at Kavarna, which overlooks two wooded valleys where Golden Oriole, Syrian Woodpecker and Levant Sparrowhawk breed, we will explore northwards to the dramatic, cliff-bound headland of Kaliakra with its precipitously positioned castle. Inland, the sky above the rolling steppe will be dotted with song-flighting Calandra and Short-toed Larks, while on the grassland itself we are likely to find Stone Curlews, Isabelline and Pied Wheatears, and Lesser Grey Shrikes, plus numerous Corn and Black-headed Buntings. Further north again is Durankulak, a freshwater lake very close to the Romanian border. This is an important breeding site for a huge range of exciting wetland birds including Ferruginous Duck, Little and Great Bitterns, Gull-billed and Caspian Terns, Spotted and Little Crakes and Paddyfield Warbler (here at the western extremity of its range), whilst the surrounding woodlands and fields hold various flycatchers, woodpeckers and warblers, plus Lesser Spotted Eagle, Goshawk and Red-footed Falcon.

The final leg of our journey will take us inland, across the Dobrudza steppes to the small town of Vetren for two nights close to the Danube River, which forms the border between Bulgaria and Romania. Here we will focus on the famous Srebarna Lake Biosphere Reserve and the nearby Nova Cherna marshland, where we hope to find Dalmatian Pelican, Red-necked and Blacknecked Grebes, Whiskered Tern, Ruddy Shelduck and Penduline Tit, and have another chance to see any wetland birds that we might have missed elsewhere. We end our time in this fascinating and beautiful part of the world by crossing the Danube River into Romania and, from there, flying home from its capital city, Bucharest.