May 21, 2007 (Monday)
We got up early again for a brief walk before breakfast. We walked down to the Kroumovitza River. (A) It was still cold and overcast, with some light rain.

Along the Kroumovitza River We got a few nice birds before breakfast including Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Nightingale, and Woodchat Shrike. Then it was back to the hotel and breakfast.

Birds seen on 5/21 Gray Heron Black Stork White Stork Honey-buzzard Black Kite Egyptian Vulture Griffon Vulture Western Marsh-Harrier Common Buzzard Kestrel Hobby Chukar Rock Pigeon Eurasian Turtle-Dove Common Cuckoo Little Owl Pallid Swift Roller Hoopoe Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Great Spotted Woodpecker Syrian Woodpecker Green Woodpecker Crested Lark Crag-Martin Barn Swallow Red-rumped Swallow House Martin White Wagtail Black-headed Wagtail Tawny Pipit Rock-Thrush (Eurasian) Blackbird Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Spotted Flycatcher Common Nightingale Northern Wheatear Eastern Black-eared Wheatear Great Tit Nuthatch (Western) Rock Nuthatch Red-backed Shrike Lesser Gray Shrike Woodchat Shrike Jay Magpie Jackdaw Hooded Crow European Starling House Sparrow Spanish Sparrow Eurasian Tree Sparrow Chaffinch Greenfinch Goldfinch Linnet Cirl Bunting Black-headed Bunting Corn Bunting Golden Oriole Serin Species seen - 59

After breakfast we drove out to explore the Kula Valley (B) : stopping at a field and wooded area for a walk . We made a stop at the Vulture feeding station but it was rough going because of the rain. The vultures were all perched like gargoyles on the far cliffs. So we decided to try down lower and come back up for the raptors when/if the weather cleared. Clouded Sulphur We drove back to the hotel to have lunch out of the rain. People laughed at us when we brought out our umbrellas earlier but, having realized how useful they can be, James went out and bought up a supply for the rest of the group. After lunch, we decided to try another spot down along the river called Studen Kladentz (C) The sun finally came out putting up the vultures so we decided to rush back up the the vulture feeding station for another attempt to see raptors in flight. Then it was back to the hotel for dinner.

5/22/2007 (Tuesday) It was still raining , so we skipped an early walk although I did walk down to take a look at the river which was decidedly higher than yesterday. After breakfast, we checked out of our hotel for the drive eastward to Burgas. We will be leaving the mountains after 3 days of cold wet weather and heading for the coast where, hopefully, the weather will be better. We've seen a remarkable number of birds considering the rain but we have missed a few things. On our way out of the area, we stopped at Studen Kladentz (A) again for one last look to see if anything was flying before we left the area. Checking out the area around the dam we found Lesser Spotted Eagle, Booted Eagle and a Hawfinch . We then continued on our way, making a stop at Leskovets (B) for a very cooperative Isabelline Wheatear. Isabelline Wheatear Continuing on to Pastrofgor (C), we had a lovely picnic lunch while watching Imperial Eagle. There are only about 18 pairs of Imperial Eagles in Bulgaria so it was great to see this one. The weather was finally starting to clear up and it turned sunny and mild. Our picnic was in a lovely meadow beside the road which was full of blooming flowers and butterflies. Butterfly highlights include: lots of Meadow Browns, Queen of Spain Fritillary , Black-veined White, Small Copper - male (1st brood), Blue sp. probably a Common Blue, Silver-washed Fritillary, Small Skipper and Painted Lady. After lunch we continued on to an "unnamed woodland spot" (D) where we had a successful hunt for a Masked Shrike. After a stop at Mandra Lake (E), we arrived at our hotel, the Hotel Lagun, at Pomorie, just outside Burgas. Pomorie is a really ugly town with tons of construction going on. There's nothing resembling a "beach" so it's hard to understand why this is considered a "resort". Dinner at Hotel. Birds seen on 5/22 Great Crested Grebe Dalmatian Pelican (E) Great Cormorant (E) Pygmy Cormorant (E) Little Egret Black-crowned Night-Heron Black Stork White Stork Mute Swan Common Shelduck Honey-buzzard Egyptian Vulture Griffon Vulture Western Marsh-Harrier Montagu's Harrier Common Buzzard Long-legged Buzzard Lesser Spotted Eagle (A) Eastern Imperial Eagle (C) Booted Eagle (A) Kestrel Black-winged Stilt Yellow-legged Gull (E) Rock Pigeon Turtle-Dove Common Cuckoo Little Owl Alpine Swift Common Swift Bee-eater (E) Roller Great Spotted Woodpecker Calandra Lark Crag-Martin Barn Swallow Red-rumped Swallow House Martin Blackbird Stonechat Isabelline Wheatear (B) Sombre Tit Great Tit Golden Oriole Red-backed Shrike Masked Shrike Woodchat Shrike Jay Magpie Jackdaw Hooded Crow Starling House Sparrow Spanish Sparrow Chaffinch Goldfinch Hawfinch (A) Ortolan Bunting Black-headed Bunting Corn Bunting Species seen - 59 5/23/2007 (Wednesday) Before breakfast we took an early morning walk (6-7AM) down the street from the hotel to the Pomorie Salt Pans (A). There were not a lot of birds but we did have some nice ones like Little Terns, Crested Lark, Med Gulls, Pied Avocets and flying flocks of Curlew Sandpipers. After breakfast, left the hotel to spend the morning in the Burgas Lakes Area (B) (visiting Vaya Lake causeway, Mandra Lake - both fresh water lakes). We walked along a long causeway lined with wild flowers blooming like crazy. A highlight in this area is when we found a Spur-winged Plover which may be a record for Bulgaria and some nice Collared Pratincoles . We then walked up a small hill overlooking the lake. Here we were treated to a flock of Rose-colored Starlings sitting in a bush. It was great to see these birds perched because, usually, you only see them flying by. The sun finally came out at our picnic lunch stop in the reedbeds (C) where we had a Penduline Tit and where we also had some nice leps like Dark-veined White, Large Copper and Glanville Fritillary. We also had White-legged Damselflies. Dark-veined White Common Blue After lunch we drove some very narrow roads through some deep woods looking for Black Woodpecker with no luck (D) but we stopped at a nice overlook where we had a large flight of Honey Buzzards. In with this flight we also had Short-toed Eagles and Black Storks. The scrub fields on either side of the road were filled with flowering plants and butterflies like Meadow Browns, more Dark-veined Whites, lots of Blues, Small Heaths and lots of Frits. Along the roadside were numerous White Storks feeding young with Spanish Sparrows which nest in the White Stork nests. With the weather getting warmer, we visited the Burgas Salt Pans (Atanasovo Salt Pans) (E) with the city of Burgas in the distance. Here we added more shorebirds although not in large numbers. Moving along to a major roadside "bus stop" we scanned the salt pans (F) . We made a stop at a gas station for drinks and bathroom stops and then walked down to the pans to get a different view of the shoreline, walking down to a gazebo overlook (G) . Then it was back to our hotel for dinner. Birds seen on 5/23 Little Grebe Great Crested Grebe Great White Pelican (B) (E) Dalmatian Pelican (B) (E) Great Cormorant Pygmy Cormorant Gray Heron Purple Heron (B) Little Egret Squacco Heron (E) Black-crowned Night-Heron (E) Little Bittern (B) (G) Black Stork (D) White Stork (B) Glossy Ibis (B) Spoonbill (E) Mute Swan Ruddy Shelduck Common Shelduck Gadwall (B) Mallard (B) Garganey (B) Common Pochard (B) (E) Ferruginous Duck (E) Honey-buzzard (B) (D) Short-toed Eagle (D) Common Buzzard Long-legged Buzzard (D) Lesser Spotted Eagle Booted Eagle Hobby (D) Common Moorhen (B) Coot (B) Oystercatcher (G) Black-winged Stilt (A) (B) (G) Pied Avocet (A) (G) Collared Pratincole (B) Northern Lapwing Spur-winged Plover (1) (B) Black-bellied Plover (F) "Kentish Plovers" (F) Marsh Sandpiper (G) Little Stint (A) (F) (G) Curlew Sandpiper (A) (F) Yellow-legged Gull (A) Black-headed Gull Mediterranean Gull (A) Sandwich Tern (A) Common Tern (A) Little Tern (A) Whiskered Tern (B) Black Tern (B) Rock Pigeon Turtle-Dove (B) Common Cuckoo (B) Common Swift Bee-eater Great Spotted Woodpecker Crested Lark Bank Swallow (B) Barn Swallow (B) House Martin (B) Black-headed Wagtail (B) (G) Blackbird Great Reed-Warbler (C) Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (A) Short-toed Treecreeper (D) Penduline-Tit (C) Golden Oriole Red-backed Shrike (B) Magpie Hooded Crow (B) Rose-colored Starling (B) Starling House Sparrow Spanish Sparrow (E) Tree Sparrow (E) Chaffinch (D) Goldfinch Black-headed Bunting (E) Corn Bunting (B) Species seen - 81 5/24/2007 (Thursday) We left the hotel after breakfast for the drive north. We made a stop at some more Salt Pans around Pomorie (A) where we had the usual Curlew Sandpipers, Little Stints, Avocets (many on nests) and Black-winged Stilts. We also managed to pull a Ruff out which was a new bird for the trip. We also go really un-satisfying looks at a Broad-billed Sandpiper. We then made another stop at a high overlook road (B) to search for raptors. Salt Pans Birds seen on 5/24 Great Cormorant Little Egret Ruddy Shelduck Common Shelduck Osprey (Northern) Goshawk (B) Long-legged Buzzard Lesser Spotted Eagle Black-winged Stilt (A) Pied Avocet (A) Common Ringed Plover Little Ringed Plover Little Stint (A) Curlew Sandpiper (A) Broad-billed Sandpiper (A) Ruff (1) (A) Yellow-legged Gull Common Tern Little Tern (A) Rock Pigeon Turtle-Dove Common Cuckoo (B) Eagle-Owl (D) Alpine Swift Common Swift Bee-eater Middle Spotted Woodpecker (C) Great Spotted Woodpecker Syrian Woodpecker Barn Swallow (C) Red-rumped Swallow House Martin Tawny Pipit Blackbird Blackcap Semicollared Flycatcher (C) Robin Great Tit Blue Tit (C) Nuthatch Golden Oriole Red-backed Shrike (B) Jay Magpie Jackdaw Hooded Crow Starling House Sparrow Chaffinch (C) Black-headed Bunting (B) Corn Bunting (A) Species seen - 51 Our next stop was at a lovely wooded area at Goritca (C) . We were searching for Semi-collared Flycatcher and, although we had several nest boxes, the birds were very elusive so we walked across the road to a lovely roadside restaurant for lunch. After lunch we returned to do some more birding in the woods. There were lots of birds singing but not a lot of species, mostly Blue Tits and Chaffinches but we were finally able to get great looks at the Flycatcher. Goritca Woods We drove north through Varna, a lovely busy resort City. No time to sightsee but I did grab a quick shot of the Cathedral out the bus window. Cathedral in Varna It's hard when you're on a birding trip. On the one hand you get into remote areas most tourists never see but, on the other hand, there's never any time to really see anything other than birds. We finally reached our destination at Kavarna, just north of Varna. On the way to our hotel, the WHITE LAGOON, (D) we made a stop at the base of some cliffs to search for Eagle Owl. After much scanning with no luck, we called it quits and continued on to our hotel, a lovel resort hotel with an actual beach. After checking in, we had a nice dinner. After dinner we walked back to our earlier stop at the base of the cliffs to try again for the Eagle Owl. This time we found the bird perched high on the cliffs and got great, if distant looks, at the bird. We were also able to watch it later flying about before walking back to our hotel for the night. Scanning for Eagle Owl 5/25/2007 (Friday) We did some quick birding around the hotel before breakfast and had Syrian Woodpecker, Lesser Gray-headed Shrikes, Great Tits and some "way out there" Red-necked Grebes. (A) After breakfast we drove out to Durankulak Lake Reserve (B) where we spent a couple of hours.The sea was thick and sludgy but there was a vast expanse of reed beds and the Paddyfield Warbler reaches its western limits in this area so that was our target bird and, fortunately, we got great looks at this bird along with Pied Wheatear, Savi's Warbler, Black-headed Wagtails, Little Bittern, Golden Orioles and a roosting colony of Cormorants and Reed Buntings. Pied Wheatear We then went on to SHABLA LAKE (C) for birding and a picnic lunch. We had some nice birds around the lake: Ferruginous Ducks, Squacco herons, a Common Crane, Little Grebe, Gull-billed terns and Spoonbills. We also had a fly-over Elenora's Falcon with its long, slim, 2-toned wings. On the far side of the lake we had very distant views of a Citrine Warbler which is a very rare bird for this area. Leaving the lake, we drove to the clifftop overlook at Yailata (D) .... there were great views of the cliffs and sea and the meadows were filled with flowers, especially poppies. Lichen covered rocks were everywhere. It was a spectacular sight and a great spot to sit and enjoy the many Calandra Larks displaying overhead. Finally we visited Cape Kaliakra Steppe Reserve (E) where we spent about 1 1/2 hours exploring the peninsula looking at the old ruins and scanning the sea for birds. Sandstone cliffs rising over 600 feet offered great views of a colony of Shags roosting on a rock island. People first began settling on this penisula in the 4th century BC. Images of Kaliakra Birds seen on 5/25 Little Grebe (1) (C) Red-necked Grebe (A) Great Crested Grebe Eared Grebe Great Cormorant (B) (European) Shag Gray Heron Purple Heron Little Egret (C) Squacco Heron (C) Black-crowned Night-Heron Little Bittern (B) Glossy Ibis Spoonbill (C) Mute Swan (C) Common Shelduck (C) Gadwall Ferruginous Duck (C) Osprey (1) (B) Honey-buzzard Western Marsh-Harrier (C) Long-legged Buzzard Kestrel Eleonora's Falcon - (C)(1) Hobby (B) Common Crane (1) (C) Coot Black-winged Stilt Pied Avocet Little Ringed Plover Little Stint Yellow-legged Gull (D) Black-headed Gull Mediterranean Gull Gull-billed Tern (C) Common Tern Little Tern Rock Pigeon Turtle-Dove Collared-Dove Common Cuckoo (B) (C) Alpine Swift Common Swift Bee-eater (D) Roller (Eurasian) Hoopoe (D) Syrian Woodpecker (A) Calandra Lark Barn Swallow Red-rumped Swallow House Martin White Wagtail (B) Citrine Wagtail (C) Black-headed Wagtail (B) Tawny Pipit (1) (D) Blackbird Savi's Warbler (B) Paddyfield Warbler (B) Great Reed-Warbler (B) (C) Common Whitethroat Lesser Whitethroat Barred Warbler (A) African Stonechat Pied Wheatear (B) (D) Isabelline Wheatear Bearded Reedling/Tit Great Tit (A) Golden Oriole (B) Red-backed Shrike Lesser Gray Shrike (A) Magpie Jackdaw Hooded Crow Rose-colored Starling Starling House Sparrow Goldfinch Black-headed Bunting Reed Bunting (B) Corn Bunting (B) Species seen - 80 We then made the drive back to our hotel. I walked down the road a bit and found a lovely Eastern Dappled White butterfly nectaring on some lupines. Then it was off to dinner at the hotel. 5/26/2007 (Saturday) We met before breakfast for some quick birding behind the hotel. (A) The weather was hazy and overcast but that seems to be common here along the caost and should burn off during the day. After breakfast we checked out of the hotel. We made a quick stop along the roadside near Kavarna (B) looking for Levant's sparrowhawk against the hillside but with no luck so we continued our drive along the Romanian border stopping in the town of Silistra (C) where we found the first Rooks of the trip: a large roosting tree. Birds seen on 5/26 Little Grebe Red-necked Grebe (D) Great Crested Grebe (D) Eared Grebe Great White Pelican (D) Dalmatian Pelican (D) Great Cormorant (E) Pygmy Cormorant (E) Gray Heron Purple Heron (D) Great Egret (D) Little Egret (D) Squacco Heron Black-crowned Night-Heron (D) Little Bittern White Stork Glossy Ibis Spoonbill (D) Mute Swan Common Pochard (D) Ferruginous Duck (D) (E) Honey-buzzard White-tailed Eagle (D) Long-legged Buzzard Lesser Spotted Eagle Kestrel Common Moorhen Coot Yellow-legged Gull (E) Black-headed Gull Common Tern (D) Black Tern (D) Rock Pigeon Turtle-Dove Collared-Dove Common Cuckoo Common Swift Bee-eater Roller Syrian Woodpecker Wood Lark (A) juvenile Barn Swallow (E) Red-rumped Swallow House Martin (E) Blackbird Blackcap Lesser Whitethroat Barred Warbler (A) Great Tit Penduline Tit (D) Golden Oriole (A) Red-backed Shrike (A) Lesser Gray Shrike (A) Jay Magpie (D) Jackdaw Rook (C) Hooded Crow Rose-colored Starling Starling House Sparrow Spanish Sparrow Tree Sparrow Chaffinch Corn Bunting Species seen - 64 Lake Srebarna Reserve (D) was our next stop. We were greeted by a huge White-tailed Eagle soaring overhead. This is a really great marsh area but the weather turned so incredibly hot that it made for very rough going as we had our picnic lunch and then walked along the edge of the marsh. There were some nice butterflies along the path: lots of Common Blues, Small Skippers, Glanville Frits, Purple Emperors (Lesser of Freyers?) and Grizzled Skippers but it was SO HOT!!! It made us almost long for the cool, wet weather of the Rhodopi Mountains. We couldn't be this close to the Romanian border without making a stop at the River Danube (E) . Our stop was a very popular local hang out for boaters and people looking to enjoy a nice spot on the river but, aside from a few birds flying by (Ferruginous Ducks, both Cormorants, Black terns and Yellow-legged Gulls), it was kind of quiet. We continued on to our destination at the tiny village of Vetren. We were too many people for the Inn so a few of us got to stay at a nearby guest house which was a lovely experience. I really enjoyed the short walk down country lanes to dinner at the Inn with the rest of the group. 5/27/2007 (Sunday) We walked down to the inn for breakfast past lovely little houses and gardens. The weather was sunny and it promised to be another hot day. After breakfast we walked down to the crossroads to await the bus. It was really nice to stay in a small village like this. You get a much better sense of what it's like living in the country when you don't stay in hotels. Martin at the well ... Our first stop of the day was at a cliffside Bee-eater colony (A). Then it was on to Nova Cerna Marsh (B) where we walked out a long road. I got great looks at a Purple Emperor which landed on my hand and refused to leave. It yielded some great photos. There's so question about the ID of these bugs. The photo guide suggests Freyer's Purple Emperor is the one found in this area. Freyer's Purple Emperor ? We then drove for about an hour to a picnic lunch stop along the river (C) . Lots of people, some frogs, snakes, blue (male) and green (female) damoiselles, a turtle (or terrapin) but not so many birds. We arrived at our Hotel in Etara which sits right next to an Ethnographic Village (D) . After checking in, we walked through the village from 4-5PM doing the tourist-thing. It was very fascinating look at a way of life that is, unfortunately, disappearing. I wish we could have spoken more with the craftsmen working there. Birds seen on 5/27 Pygmy Cormorant Gray Heron Little Egret Black-crowned Night-Heron White Stork Common Buzzard Lesser Spotted Eagle Wood-Pigeon Turtle-Dove Collared-Dove Common Cuckoo Bee-eater (B) Roller (B) Barn Swallow Red-rumped Swallow House Martin White Wagtail Black-headed Wagtail Blackbird Great Reed-Warbler Common Chiffchaff Spotted Flycatcher Marsh Tit Great Tit Golden Oriole Red-backed Shrike Jay Magpie Jackdaw Hooded Crow Starling House Sparrow Tree Sparrow Goldfinch Yellowhammer Cirl Bunting Corn Bunting Species seen - 37 We then drove to the Sokolsky Monastary (E) . Again it was not a particularly birdy place. We were hoping for Black Woodpecker but no luck so we drove back to the hotel for our final dinner together as a group. 5/28/2007 (Monday) Today is pretty much a travel day. After breakfast at our hotel, we began the long drive back to Sofia. We got to the airport in time for lunch before check in and boarding our BA plane back to London. It's been a great trip. Traveling through Bulgaria has been a fascinating experience. The cities are not particularly attractive, showing the soviet-era concrete block constructions. But the countryside is lovely. Of course, many of the things we find so lovely - the fields of poppies, the lack of industrial blight, the open spaces - are the result of the extreme poverty of the country. There is little industry. The big communal farms are gone, replaced by individual family garden plots and much of the land lies fallow. Much of the countryside looks half deserted as if much of the population has moved out. There is an eery obsession with posting the photos of the dead. All of this will change now that Bulgaria has joined the EEU. Already you can see signs of re-building, especially along the coast where resort condos are going up at a frightening rate. It is probably too much to hope that the re-building efforts will take into account the need to preserve local environments like the coastal marshes so I am very glad we made this trip now. The Sunbirds group has been an absolute pleasure. My thanks to everyone for their patience and for helping "the American" get on all those new European birds. I was deeply impressed with the range of interests in the group and the infectious spirit of fun that made every day a treat. Our fearless Sunbird leader , James Lidster and our local guide, Nikolay Dilchev were extremely knowledgeable and were great at getting us on the birds. Thanks also to all the local guides who kept us well fed and made sure everything went smoothly. 5/29/2007 (Tuesday) Although the trip officially ended yesterday with our arrival back in the UK, Martin, Bill, Naomi and I stayed overnight at Heathrow before making our connection back to Philadelphia today. After an outrageously expensive breakfast at the hotel, we got to Heathrow for our BA flight back home, arriving in Philadelphia around 2:30PM.