Waderfest

Tuesday September 6

We spent the morning visiting various parts of the Burgas Lakes complex.  The best was at the Salt Museum where we sat on a covered area scoping the pans. The birds seemed unperturbed by dozens of Bulgarians of all ages, wading out, armed with plastic containers, into which they scooped black mud. 

Returning to shore, they then plastered the salient joints with the mud before standing/strolling about waiting for it to dry. Most entertaining.

There were hundreds of birds on view - but not the Terek Sandpiper Minko wanted to see for a Bulgarian lifer. The greatest number was of Coots !! Followed by Great and Pygmy Cormorants, Common Terns, Black-headed. Mediterranean and Yellow-legged Gulls. Most were perched on the rotting - teeth - like remnants of fences, the coots very distant. 

 
With careful scoping, a Broad-billed Sandpiper

fed quietly below along with Dunlin, Curlew Sandpipers, Great Ringed Plovers and a Kentish Plover. 

With the Coots were at least  four Black-necked Grebes, many Little Grebe, two Shovellers and a Pintail. A delightful, needle-billed and elegant, Marsh Sandpiper made a brief though distant, appearance. 

On the pool behind us, 4 Black-winged Stilts and our first of the trip and  desirable, Slender-billed Gulls fed amongst the usual Mediterranean Gulls. 

Slender-billed on the left, Mediterranean Gull on the right.

One adult Slender-bill, the others juveniles.

Back to the Hotel for lunch before visiting the BSPB (Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Bids) reserve centre at Poda. 

Climbing to an upper deck, sitting on chairs provided by Minko, we spent the next couple of hours surveying the area. Industrialised Burgas in the distance, reedbed and pools.

Very quiet migration wise, none really. The weather is still too good, 24C again but with more cloud and a stiff breeze this afternoon. I saw a beautiful Honey Buzzard whilst Pam was in the loo.........The rest of the time, we watched a distant Osprey fishing and eventually catching a fish.

Pygmy and Great Cormorants, the latter building a high-rise tenement of nests on old pylons.

Although interesting, it wasn't riveting. At our request, we were back for an earlier evening to catch up with laundry etc. before supper. The latter was the usual exchange of birding story-telling and asking questions re Bulgarian food, pronounciation etc.
To-night I had chicken skewers followed by chocolate ice-cream, Pam had pork  schnitzel and ice-cream. I don't know what Minko's was - a lump of lamb in a sauce which came sizzling madly on a hotplate.

Hot and Sunny Lake Tour

Monday September 5

Breakfast is not available until 8.00, a slightly later start. This very good and untypical September weather is not the best of conditions for raptor migration, we still manage to see some. 
An unplanned quick dive off to view some Salinas (salt pans) these very extensive, brought the day's highlight. Three dainty, twirling, restless little Red-necked Phalaropes flew in for a few minutes before just as hasty a departure. An unexpected pleasure. A Little Gull was also present amongst the Black-headed.

Three fishermen and we three shared the very restricted viewing area over the north end of Lake Burgas or Vaya, confusingly they both mean the same. Hundreds of Dalmation and White Pelicans in a heat-hazy white mass at the far end of the lake, one Dalmation Pelican sailed majestically near enough to consider a photo.

The rest of the time we spent watching Great Crested Grebes fishing,  constantly trying to satisfy the appetite of their stripe-headed, demanding youngster. Peculiar lighting conditions this morning. 

Hundreds of Coots, more than I'ver seen at once - and didn't want to - to-day. 

Parking at the side of a road, we then walked said road alngside a marsh on one side and the lake the other. Here we saw our first Black Stork appear over the mountain side before landing in the middle of a large group of Egrets. Two Kingfishers, a few Waders and a Pond Terrapin was the sum total. A marauding Marsh Harrier caused havoc for a while, before departing.
Minko went back for the car before moving on to another viewpoint, this time from a dry vegetated field above the water. A tiny bright orange moth was the main interest. The view was lovely.

More Pelicans, a few ducks , Cormorants and distant waders. We did see a flock of 80 White Storks circling the road as we drove, lovely.

Time to return to Burgas for lunch, after replenishing the car's gas bottle. It switches to petrol when the bottle's empty but gas is cheaper.

Lunch was a very good burger in a chain of restaurants called Happy, where the waitresses are all very small and have red skirts which hardly cover their underwear. Marko swears that's not why he chose the venue. The men wore long trousers and long-sleeved shirts ! Unfair.

The afternoon's plans had to be aborted. We drove to a lake where it's possible to drive along a reedy channel beside a marsh and above the lake, hoping for Penduline Tit, Rails and Herons. Passing a snarling vicious looking dog, tethered so it was harmless, a series of loud whistles brought us to a halt. Minko hopped out for an amicable chat with a local who said that the lakes were now for fishing and private. That was disappointing as the whole area is good for birds. Dimiter will have to negotiate access with the owner if he wants to continue birding here. At least we saw a Gull-billed Tern before leaving.
We counted at least six White stork nests in one village, a mess of twigs on top of a pylon is the norm, a base often laid as an incentive for them. Their presence is considered to be lucky. This one was occupied this year.

 

Another body of water..... this time a ringing station is set up in the reedbed, reached by a rough track. Minko spoke to one of the group who he knows well. They'd trapped a Wryneck this morning and had seen a Penduline Tit. We didn't. 

The next experience was lovely. A Levant Sparrowhawk appeared from the right immediately in front of the car, crossed in front of us and continued its speedy way through the bushes. Looking over a small and deep lake, the last one to freeze in winter where so many birds congregate that ' throwing a pin into it wouldn't reach the water'  - Bulgarian saying,  we added Gadwall, Lapwing and a Short-toed Eagle with a snake in its beak - Minko saw it well through my scope ! The light was of the soft, golden, late summer evening variety. Perfect.

Back to the Hotel soon after 5 p.m for a welcome couple of hours before supper. The food is good here and Minko has a fund of interesting stories for a 30 year old. Not meant to be patronising, his enthusiasm is infectious.

Moving Day

Sunday September 4

Not a good night, too many disturbances, Pam had the same in her room across the small landing. We've had a suite here. A bedroom each plus a shared and very large sitting room.

Her bedroom was small with a large toilet/wet room, my bedroom large with a small wetroom. I had both a single and a double bed, Pam a double only. 

Bags packed and outside the door before the usual enormous 7.30 breakfast, he stll hasn't learnt that we hardly touch it. I had eggs on toast and Pam the same plus a cheese and ham on toast. The coffee is lethal, thick and strong, the addition of sugar an essential. Minko has coffee only.

Our 220 K drive to Burgas, south of Varna, was driven on mainly side roads with several birding stops. Again the sky was cloudless with a maximum of 24/25C (especially for you Mags x).The Eagle Owl was nowhere to be found, the family has dispersed at the end of the breeding season. The scenic coast road took us past all the Black Sea resort complexes north of Varna, crumbling chalk cliffs and broadleaf woodland and shrubs garnishing the white hillsides.

Minko drove past Varna Cathedral especially, as I'd been asking about the Bulgarian Orthodox churches. This photo was taken from the car, please excuse the odd angle of the traditional 'onion-top' architecture.

Next stop was birding Minko's home patch, the area viewable from his home is wild and scenic. A Little Owl has taken over one of the holes in the deserted Bee-eater cliff. No sign of the Woodchat Shrike pair, just the usual Red-backed. Who can resist a Northern Wheatear? Not Minko and I.

Driving down a very pleasant valley, slowly, Minko was looking for something, Pam spotted a bird in  a tree about 150 metres away. Our first Lesser Spotted Eagle of the trip. Worth a photo even though it was a ridiculous distance way.

The end aim was a drive through ancient beech woodland, still plenty of people parked in scattered areas.  This weather is too good for September - and not the best for migration. No birds around to-day, late and hot. The highlight was a Great Banded Grayling butterfly. Far too fast to photograph.

A nearby extensive dune syatem is where Minko's girlfriend Maggie is basing her doctorate, studying its plants. He showed us a very small blue flower, the only splash of colour in a brown sea of dead vegetation. It's a Bulgarian endemic. He only knew the latin name and I can't remember it. I'll ask him to write it down to-morrow. Plenty of sunbathing Bulgarians but no nude ones to-day.

Minko and a group of friends look after a stretch of ancient forest, protected  especially for Semi-collared Flycatcher. They have erected 400 nestboxes, some of them occupied by Woodland Dormice which eat eggs and young birds! Useful. To-day, the Flycatchers have migrated but we had good views of a Middle-spotted Woodpecker, responding aggressively to its own tape lure and to the sound of other woodpeckers.

Neophron Tours boss, Dimiter, was meeting us for lunch at a roadside restaurant run by a Russian woman. We beat him to it by 20 minutes, sitting outside at shaded tables to have our drink, watch the last House Martin chick being fed and, photograph an extremely war wounded, Scarce Swallowtail butterfly.

After lunch  (this is where I fell face down onto the concrete path) and saying goodbye to Dimiter, we set off on back roads to a comparatively low level mountain pass. Towards the start of it, we parked next to some woodland, walking a short way down the slope. It took at least 20 minutes of luring, the bird flying around, landing in cover and then off again, before we had excellent views of a Sombre Tit. Burnt on my retina is the image of this desirable and attractive little black-capped bird, hanging upside down feeding. Like a bigger Marsh Tit with a much bigger black bib. There were Nuthatches, Red-breasted and Spotted Flycatchers, Green and Great-spotted Woodpeckers too. I musn't forget to mention the Robins, Chaffinches and Greenfinches.......

A fly past Lesser Spotted Eagle was the cause of another  screeching stop. I manage one photograph which is shown greatly enlarged.

The top of the pass gave panoramic view of miles of rolling hills where migration can be viewed - we shall return in the next days.

Our last birding session of the day was the best. A rough track down a hill towards the end of a reservoir, took us past a tree-full of Bee-eater, hunting around the car, landing for  while, then off again. Deligtful birds. All three of us took endless photographs. Here are a selection of mine. 

The marsh is pretty dry after so little rain. There were sheep, goats and cows wandering about, our first though distant White Stork

two Great Egrets, 20+ Grey Herons, Teal and our first Crested Larks. 

Reaching the part of the track which looked down onto the water, Minke got out with my scope, Pam and I scanned from the car. He called out what he was seeing and we did likewise. All very companionable. Amongst the Gulls. Cormorants and Spoonbills were Little Ringed Plovers, Little Stints, two Greenshanks, Ruff, Green, Wood and Common Sandpipers and White Wagtails. Pam then spotted four Short-toed Larks creeping along in the sandy/stony bank below us. Pam's photo.

That pleased Minko, as well as us, as we'd missed them where they were supposed to be - on the Steppe.
Tired and happy we drove to our Hotel for the next five nights. It's in a Burgas suburb off a main road but quiet. Guess what, four flights of stairs to our first floor room. The air conditioning unit was switched on very quickly, we were steaming. 
Having organised our electrics - I have to jam the converter plug into the two pin round socket by putting a bag and my handbag underneath - we suppered  downsatirs in the restaurant, having the usual wide-ranging and stimulating conversation with Minko. I'm more than ready for a good night's sleep.

Random photograph......

Unhappy Minko

Saturday September 3

One thing sorted. Minko's name can be spelt either  with a C or a K. The hard C noise looks like a K in Cyrillic, a C, Ch as in loch. It's a K for me from now on.

The day started well with a plethora of Raptors over a stubble field. Marsh Harriers, Comnon Buzzard and one Steppe Buzzard. The latter was of interest as it is very similar to Long-legged Buzzard so we had a long discussion. My photographs of this very distant bird are dreadful but, here's one for memory's sake.

The second stop was on the shores of Lake Durankulak, a leisure area where we parked and walked a short way to view the lake and then glimpses of some water over the top of a wall and a reed bed. Our first Osprey fished over open water, two Black-necked Grebes appeared and diasappeared near the breakwater and ........the shore was edged with well spaced sunbathers.

A Golden Jackal looked freshly dead roadside. What a shame, it looked like a handsome animal.

Then, some more excitement, a Lesser Grey Shrike flew and landed within sight.

Views of Marsh Terns over the wall were frustrating at first until good enough views identified them as Whiskered Terns. Pygmy Cormorants took off from the reeds and flew out to the lake, two Red-breasted Flycatchers called from a nearby tree and Minko went off to investigate further afield. He came chasing back to show us a pair of White-tailed Eagles sat in the plough beyond the marsh, massive golden yellow beaks glinting in the sun. They eventually took off and soared in the company of Common Buzzards. Time to eave for some more Steppe searching. We spent most of the morning driving steppe around a large lake on very rough tracks seeing...... nothing apart from a bounty of Red-backed Shrikes which kept Pam active. 

Minko got more and more frustrated as we drove more and more tracks with nothing to show for it, the worst birding moments of his life he said. He's an emotional man who takes his work very seriously, although he's far from serious himself. We were  very happy with the occasional Bee-eater and I saw a Squacco Heron briefly. More Terns on the lake, Common Terns this time and, a small group of Greylag.

Arriving at the beach where a soft, balmy breeze cooled us a little, more Pygmy Cormorants, Great Crested Grebes and a tiny blue butterfly which led Pam a merry dance.

Lunch at a good waterside restaurant, where I photographed a juvenile Yellow-legged Gull from the table, before even more really rough tracks where a Calandra Lark and a Whinchat enlivened the drive.

At least Lake Shabla, where we'd wader watched yesterday, would have some birds. They'd huddled at the opposite end to where bikini and speedo clad people were plastering themselves in black mud. What fun. 

The birds were distant but scopeable, gulls the most distant, then a line of terns, waders scattered about plus a few Mallard and Teal. Best were three Caspian Terns, one a superb adult in summer plumage. 

Pam and Minko at work.

Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Stint, Spotted Redshank, Black-tailed Godwit and Dunlin were on the wader list.

Deciding to cut his losses, Minko drove to a wind turbine area where his watcher friends had seen some decent birds. We kept reassuring him that all was good, we were genuinely content with our lot - we didn't know what we should have been seeing !

17 Grey Partridge, Woodlark, Tawny Pipit, Linnet and a Whinchat bumped up the list.

Another most enjoyable day, We move base to Burgas for 5 nights to-morrow morning, should be good.

A Hot Levant

Friday September 3

Breakfast at a civilised (for birding) 7.30, started with ham and cheese on toast. Then.......in came cold meats and sausage, a plate of cheeses and one of tomatoes, Toast, Bulgarian french toast, a plate of fried egg and another of lightly grilled toast. Not to mention the home-made blueberry jam and lavender (!)  jam. Wow. Far too much. The owner also gave us a guided tour to his much decorated chimney breast which held souvenir objects from many countries. I remember Siberia, Ireland, Spain, Africa, Greece and Turkey. Minco later told us that he held the Bulgarian head of tourist board position when the country was part of the Soviet Bloc.

Straight to Cape Kaliakra, west of Kavarna - it's a very popular tourist spot and the weekend will be very crowded - as it was later in the morning. The Cape is the easternmost point of Bulgaria on the Black Sea, an increasingly narrow peninsula with a biggish parking area before the walk through ruins dating back to the 4th century. Most of the limestone remains are much later than that, a 14C French chapel near the high-arched entrance.

From the car park, we added Red-rumped Swallow, Common and Lesser Whitethroat and the first Pied Wheatears. The latter are at the extremity of their range , much twitched by Palearctic listers. Wandering through the ruins - I carried my scope and not the camera, schoolgirl error - we had good views of Red-breasted Flycatcher, our first of five Levant Sparrowhawks, (I took this photo later)

A  pretty poor photo - the only one I have, taken  from the back window of the car.

more Pied Wheatears and Shags of the eastern sub species, on rocks below the headland. Best of all were the excellent views of Alpine Swifts, flying and calling above my head. I've never heard them call before nor had such extensive and excellent views. Levant Sparrowhawk are early migrants, all the ones we saw were either juveniles or female. Pam photographed a nearly dead Convolvulus Hawkmoth which I lifted onto a large leaf - supreme optimist.

The steppe area towards the start of the cape is crossed by rough tracks, most of which we drove. Minco is perturbed by the lack of Lark sp. and the general lack of steppe birds. That's birding. A long dry and hot spell has contributed to both the lack of local birds and the sparse migration. We're happy. Half a dozen Montagu's Harriers, fewer Bee-eaters and Rollers than yesterday and the ubiquitous Red-backed Shrikes.

We were't hungry so traversed another steppe area  of coastal Dobrudzha, the northernmost part of the country's Black Sea coast. This track ended with a view of a permanent fire at the cliff edge. A dry stone wall surrounding a pipe emitting fire - underground gas - where locals have a barbecue and Minco keeps warm in the -20C winter Red-breasted Goose counts.
From the clifftop here, I was able to take a photograph of the distant Cape Kaliakra where we had spent much of the morning.

Driving north to a coastal village for lunch, Minko called a high-flying Short-toed Eagle. This roadside Horned Viper was, unfortunately, a fresh roadkill.

The lunch  stop was at a sea-facing restaurant/Hotel, sometimes used by Neophron Tours. We sat outside under an awning and the inevitable grape festooned pergola, looking down onto a rocky cove and white-capped sea. Lovely. So was the lunch, entertained by a Shrike cabaret and a very active Silver-streaked Fritillary.

Through the villkage of Shabla for another cross steppe drive on a pretty horrendous 'track' which luckily was not wet as is the norm. The vegetation is brown , dry and lacking the beautiful Spring colour of the numerous wildflowers - apart from this Eryngium, thistle family.

Stopping to view a Roller, an enormous 7 cms long green cricket landed on the windscreen, right up against the bottom edge. I took this photo from the back seat through tinted glass.

A real Waw moment was a Purple Heron rising from the reedbed to give me my best views ever - and the opportunity to photograph it from the car window.

Mink also has an interest in fungi. He stopped to show us this bracket fungus. On a nearby upright tree the flat base faces downwards. On the recently fallen tree nearby, the fungus had taken 2-3 days to turn itself round so that it faced the ground. Incredible.

  
The track led to the outer limits of Lake Shabla, an area of extensive reedbed, bordered by broadleaf woodland. The only water we saw  was a small canal, either side of the footpath we walked after parking the vehicle. We added Blue and Great Tits, Blackcap, Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Kingfisher to the trip list. Cue for a quick verse of ' In an English Country Garden'.
 This very small blue butterfly gave me the runaround. I haven't looked it up yet.

We were then given a choice of  final visit. I chose to return to the Cape, carrying my camera this time. The place was heaving, including a coachful of Russians. The wind was now strong and gusting, the Red-breasted Flycatcher wisely sheltering elsewhere. A Pied Wheatear performed very nicely, if distantly.

Tired, hot and very happy, we returned to the hotel for a welcome break and freshen-up before dinner. 
Another traditional Bulgarian dish to-night, lumps of pork with potato wedges in a tomato-ey (does this word exist) sauce. I really enjoyed it. Fresh nectarine and grapes for dessert. Pam has watermelon.

Abandoned buildings and metal objects are frequently decorated by unknown graffiti 'artists'.

 

 

What a Very Long Day

Thursday September 1

The taxi taking us to Luton airport arrived just before midnight. It is now 21.05 in a very nice, small, hotel 30kms  north if Varna - and I'm longing to go to bed.

Luton Airport is a mess. They're building a new multi storey carpark and renovating departures. From the car to Departures,  was a half a mile walk through a large construction site,

The flight was on time, the seats with extral leg room very capacious - and the in between bit, tedious, very hot and involving a lot of walking, standing and step climbing.

Minko, our smiling guide for the next two weeks, was waiting in Arrivals at Varna, walking us to his Suzuki 4 wheel drive. From the choices offered, we decided to go to the hotel first, drop our bags, have lunch there and go out birding afterwards.

We have a suite of rooms, a large double bedroom each with an even larger sitting room between. We both have balconies overlooking a wooded area with the Black Sea to the left.

The courtyard

We saw virtually no birds en route, Rock Doves, Yellow-legged Gulls and House Sparrows. Best was a Scarce Swallowtail butterfly, which flitted past at a traffic lights.

Lunch was Lentil soup, stuffed peppers and tomatoes and peaches from the proud owner's garden.

I shall have to sort out where we went exactly. The first area was dry steppe where we drove along dusty tracks, seeing the first of many Red-backed Shrikes, 

 Tawny Pipits, European Bee-eaters and a dozen Rollers. Raptors included Kestrel, Marsh Harrier and two Montagu's Harriers.

A small rusty-red rocked gorge produced Pied Wheatear, Lesser Whitethroats, Spotted and Red-breasted Flycatchers - and four Hummingbird Hawk-moths busy on some small blue flowers.

We ended the birding day at a very saline lake covered in birds - with not much water. It was great to see both Broad-billed Sandpiper and Temminck's Stint in the same scope view. There were also Stilts, Ruff, Dunlin, Curlew and Wood Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Common Terns and a myriad Gulls, most of them Yellow-legged.
 A proliferation of Wind Turbines have been erected in the area. A small group of dedicated men keep bird-strike watch. Few are killed through conact, many are damaged in some way. Minko seems to know everyone. When a watcher sees, for example, a flock of Pelicans approaching, he phones the authority and they turn  the turbines off until given the all clear. How very civilised and impressive - if it happens.

An hour before a 7 o'clock dinner to wash, sort the electrics and Wi-Fi and find some belongings !

Minko is an entertaining story-teller, meatballs in a potato and carrot stew followed by grapes from the garden, went by rapidly.I'm too tired to write any detail and to add some photographs to-night. Maybe I'll wake up early. Good-night - 9.30 here, 7.30 at home.