www.bargainbirdingclub.com BIRDING THE VIA PONTICA MIGRATION ROUTE IN BULGARIA 1st to 8th September 2019 Pamela Goode, Peter Saville, Tim Rea and Richard Hanman Local Guide: Pencho Penchev Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria Lake Atanasovsko saltpans, Burgas Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria Sunday 1st September 2019: Flight from London Gatwick to Burgas, Bulgaria. Our 5.25pm flight from Gatwick to Burgas was delayed by 1 hour on account of issues with French Air Traffic Control systems which had impacted all flights that flew over French air space. Nevertheless, once airborne, our 3½ flight with Bulgarian Air was smooth and passed without incident. We touched down just before midnight local time and were met by our guide Pencho Penchev from Penguin Travel. It was only a short transfer to Hotel Lazuren in Burgas where hot showers and air-conditioned rooms were a welcome relief and perfect for a good nights sleep. Monday 2nd September 2019: Birding the saltpans and lakes around Burgas. Our alarms went off at 7am and we were surprised to wake up to a seaview from our rooms. The birds were up early too and our trip list was kick started with our first sightings of Barn Swallow, House Martin, Yellow-legged Gull, Magpie, Jackdaw, Cormorant, Ferral Pigeon, Collared Dove, Song Thrush and Common Starling - all from the balcony. Everyone was keen to start ‘proper’ birding as soon as possible so we had breakfast at 7.30am and were on the road by 8am. With temperatures of 30oC forecast today we stocked up on bottled water and then headed to ‘The Point’ overlooking the salt pans on Lake Atanasovsko. Tree Sparrow, House Sparrow, Chiffchaff and Blue Tit flitted in the bushes. Greenfinch, Red- backed Shrike and White Wagtail perched in a low tree. On the salt pans themselves, and a long way in the distance, we picked out Dalmatian Pelican, White Pelican, Greater Flamingo, Little Egret, Greenshank, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Avocet, Black-winged Stilt, Grey Heron, Pygmy Cormorant and Marsh Harrier. Overhead, European Bee-eaters and Sand Martins filled the air. Next stop was a picnic site overlooking the opposite side of the lake. Here we connected with Temminck’s Stint, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Curlew, Spoonbill, Shoveler and Black-headed Gull. In the wooded area we saw our first of many Spotted Flycatcher, plus a fleeting glimpses of Common Redstart, Great Tit, Woodpigeon and Middle Spotted Woodpecker. We also heard a distant call of Great Spotted Woodpecker. At 11am we moved on to Lake Mandrensko (aka: Lake Mandra), stopping for coffee at a petrol station en-route. Pelicans perched on the pontoons and on the water itself we spotted Garganey, Gadwall, Ferruginous Duck, Red-crested Pochard, Little Grebe and Mute Swan. Common Buzzard and Marsh Harrier caught our attention in the air, albeit we hoped for something more exciting. Next stop was Poda Lake, viewed from a small track opposite the entrance to the BSPB Bird Centre. A Pygmy Cormorant perched on a stick protruding from the water, Sandwich Tern flew overhead with a beak full of fish, whilst numerous Common Starling chattered noisily in the bushes. The temperature had already reached 30oC so we jumped back in the bus and headed round the roundabout to the Poda Bird Centre for a welcome cold drink and some shade. Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria We paid our £2.50 entrance fee and headed upstairs onto the roof terrace overlooking an area of reed-lined freshwater pools and the saline waters of Burgas Bay. We quickly located Glossy Ibis, Snipe, Yellow Wagtail, Coot, Marsh Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Black-tailed Godwit and Spotted Redshank. As we ate lunch, an Osprey flew over the sea and Spoonbill fed in a far off pool. Water Rail called from the reeds. After lunch we went on a short walk towards the beach and saw hundreds of Coot and Mute Swan and our first Great Crested Grebe. On the way back to the visitors centre we picked up our first Little Gull fluttering like a large butterfly. The beach itself was quiet with no sign of Collared Pratincole which are known to roost there. We retraced our linear route back to the visitors centre picking up repeat views of Spoonbill, Wood Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Dunlin, Ruff and Red-backed Shrike, and our first sightings of Common Tern, Little Tern and Shelduck. We also saw a flock of c.50 White Stork circling high up – the first visible signs of mass migration. Pencho then drew our attention to a gull and declared it to be a Caspian Gull, before our attention was diverted again to a large Admiral-like butterfly, later identified as a Great Banded Grayling. We arrived back at the Bird Centre around 3.30pm for a cold beer on the roof terrace. Suitably refreshed we then decided to move on and headed to Lake Burgas (aka: Vaya Lake). Among the huge numbers of Coot, we had our first sightings of Common Pochard, and our second pair of Ferruginous Duck of the day. A Black Tern was also spotted in the distance. Last stop of the day was the Salt Museum at Pomorie. On arrival, lots of human ‘mud-larks’ were covering themselves in thick black mud, deemed to have healing properties. But we’d come to see the birds. On the saltpans we picked out Common Tern, Avocet, Yellow-legged Gull, Black- headed Gull and Mediterranean Gull. On the sandy shoreline of Lake Pomorie itself we found a small group of confiding waders and were able to observe Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Dunlin, Turnstone, Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover at fairly close quarters. On the salt-encrusted posts, Sandwich Tern preened in the late afternoon sunshine, amongst them were dotted the odd Little Tern and Common Tern. As we headed back to the bus a Red-backed Shrike perched on a low bush affording everyone excellent views. We arrived back at our hotel around 6pm giving everyone time to shower and change before heading to a local restaurant for dinner. At the end of day 1 our trip list stood at 76 species. Burgas might not be the prettiest place in Bulgaria, but as an urban-birding spot it’s definitely worth spending a day exploring it’s lakes. Pochard & Coot Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria Glossy Ibis Snipe Marsh Sandpiper Turnstone Wood Sandpiper Dunlin Ruff Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria Spotted Redshank Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria Ruff Ringed Plover Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria White Pelican Common & sandwich Tern Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria Mute Swan Pygmy Cormorant Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria Urban Birding in Burgas Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria Red-backed Shrike Pomorie ‘mud-larks’ Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria Common Starling Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria Yellow Wagtail White Wagtail Bargain Birding the Via Pontica in Bulgaria Tuesday 3rd September 2019: Burgas to Durankulak via Kaliakra and Shabla Lake. We had a long drive ahead of us up the coast to Durankulak today so we’d agreed on an early 6am start and takeaway breakfast prepared by the hotel the night before. We left Burgas on the 906 road, passing through the villages of Laka and Kableshkovo to Poroy Reservoir. En-route we saw 10 European Rollers perched on telegraph wires and large flocks of Tree Sparrow. At the small reservoir, dozens of Common Swift and House Martin swooped overhead. We then continued on the 906 passing through Orizare and Gyulyovtsa where the scenery changed from agricultural fields to the rolling foothills of the Balkan Mountains whose peaks were enveloped in an eerie early morning mist. The twisty-windy road climbed up to Panitsovo, before crossing the county boundary from Burgas into Varna and descending down to re-join the main E87 coast road at Rudnik. Our guide had chosen this route, partly to avoid the traffic jams often associated with the coast road, but also to give us the opportunity to spot some woodland wildlife. Our efforts for being bounced around in the minibus on this heavily pot-holed, single-track road came in the form of Jay, Mistle Thrush and Raven, plus fleeting glimpses of European Jackal, Brown Hare and Red Squirrel. The Jackal was no bigger than a Red Fox but it’s coat was dark green-black on top, with lighter underparts. It was gone in at instant so sadly no photo. We stopped for breakfast around 8am before continuing on through Varna, Albena and Balchik before arriving at Kavarna. En-route we added Hooded Crow to our trip list. At Kavarna we took the 901 road towards Balgarevo and explored the steppe-like area just beyond the wind turbines. Here we had good views of Stone Curlew from the bus, then went on a walkabout across the bird-rich steppe picking up Hoopoe, Red-backed Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Tawny Pipit, and Isabelline Wheatear. We then continued towards the coast where an obliging Pied Wheatear perched on the cliff face, and a mixed group of Cormorant and Shag were resting on fishing posts far below. Overhead Bee-eaters announced their arrival with their characteristic ‘bubbling’ call, joined by large flocks of Barn Swallow feeding on airborne insects. Flowering Yellow Scabious plants proved a magnet for butterflies and day-flying moths including Painted Lady, Small Copper, Safflower Skipper, Eastern Bath White and Hummingbird Hawkmoth. Turtle Dove perched on a wire, Common Wall Lizard sat on a rock and a Bush Cricket landed on my boot! Next stop was the ruins of Fort Kaliakra.