Bellbird Tours Pty Ltd Australia-wide: Berri, SA – Stockton, NSW – Mildura, Vic Ph. 1800-BIRDING Ph. +61402 738855 www.bellbirdtours.com [email protected] Unique and unforgettable nature experiences! Best of Europe 21 day birding tour 29 Apr – 21 May 2022 Pre-tour options: Gallipoli & Athens Bellbird's brand-new ‘Best of Europe’ birding tour in spring mountain streams will sure delight us with many bird species. We’ll 2022 will visit the Mediterranean, Eastern Europe and Scandi- then proceed into Hungary for the steppe (plains) species plus wet- navia. Featuring mouth-watering localities and unique birds, lands at the world-famous Ramsar site of the Hortobaghy lakes. this tour is sure to be the highlight of anyone’s birding career. From here we take a flight to Finland, where we’ll experience the amazing Arctic Spring. This country promises a wealth of northern During the tour you will travel from the very south (Greece) to European birdlife within the taiga forests, marshes and lakes of Fin- the very north (Varanger Fjord) of Europe. Commencing in land as well as the tundra, fjords and Arctic uplands of Norway. Athens we’ll spend a few days birding in Greece followed by a With the approaching Arctic summer, breeding birds will be busy couple of days on the island of Lesvos, which combines the proclaiming and defending territories. With a species list which in- excitement of bird migration with most key Mediterranean cludes waders, raptors, seabirds, wildfowl and owls, this final species. Then, we’re off to Bulgaria, containing unspoilt decid- stretch of the trip showcases the very best of Scandinavian birdlife. uous forests and hence a mecca for bird species that once in- The tour finishes at the northernmost point of Europe. habited most of Europe but have recently contracted East. The Carpathian mountains, the Kerkini wetlands and Spaces are limited so don’t wait to book this exciting tour! Tour starts: Athens, Greece Tour finishes: Ivalo, Finland Leader: Peter Waanders / Helga Kieskamp and local guide Scheduled departure & return dates: Trip reports and photos of previous tours: • 29 Apr – 21 May 2022 http://www.bellbirdtours.com/reports Questions? Contact BELLBIRD BIRDING TOURS : READ ON FOR: • Further tour details • Freecall 1800-BIRDING • Daily itinerary • email [email protected] • Booking information Best of Europe birding tour Tour details Tour starts: Athens, Greece Tour finishes: Ivalo, Finland (We can assist with arranging flights if you like) Scheduled departure and return dates: Tour commences with dinner on 29 April 2022 and finishes the morning of 21 May 2022. A 2-day all-inclusive trip to attend the ANZAC dawn service at Gallipoli, and a 2-day cultural trip of Athens are available as pre-tour options. Daily itinerary has further details. Leader: Peter Waanders and/or Helga Kieskamp plus local guide and driver. Difficulty: Low/Medium/High/Excellent level of fitness required. The tour has a relaxed pace and walks are on mostly flat, often paved, surfaces, but may include some very short climbs. We generally walk slowly, with lots of stops. You can opt out of any challenging walks. What to bring: Please travel light. Binoculars, camera, mobile phone, chargers, power adaptors (Eu- ropean style), insect repellent, sunscreen, personal medications, travel umbrella, hat, water bottle, hand sanitizer. Sturdy footwear recommended. Scopes, super-telephoto lenses with tripods, and very heavy hard-cased suitcases are discouraged. Accommodation: Private en-suite rooms in hotels or lodges. Standards of lodgings are good to very comfortable. Most, but not all, will have wi-fi access. Clothing: It will be mild to warm in the south so lightweight long pants, t-shirt and long-sleeved shirt over the top of which you can wear layers that can be taken off as necessary, including a rain- proof jacket. In the north it will be cool in the day and cold in the evenings so warm clothes required. We can expect rain showers at any time. Neat casual attire for dinners. Sturdy, comfortable footwear for birding. Shorts and sandals or thongs (flip-flops) are acceptable for non-birding time. Group size: Minimum 4, maximum 7 participants. Cost: US$9,999 per person including accommodation and all meals, based on double or twin-share occupancy. Single occupancy surcharge of US$699. Not included: drinks, tips, personal expenses. Early-bird discount of USD$99 for bookings received up to 6 months before departure date. Return- client discount may apply. Bookings: Online at https://www.bellbirdtours.com/bookings or please complete the booking form in the back of this brochure. Best of Europe birding tour ITINERARY On 25-26 April, we’re offering a unique pre-tour (non-birding) trip to visit the ANZAC dawn service at Gallipoli: an all-inclusive guided trip from Athens or Istanbul. Also, an Athens cultural & historical pre-tour 2-day trip is available 27-28 April. We’ll all congregate in Athens on 29 April for dinner, to commence the actual birding tour. Interested? Please con- tact us for details. Day 0: (29 Apr) Arrive Athens, Greece. After arriving into Athens airport, transfer to the hotel and check in. Time depending, we may visit the famous Acropolis where we may see our first European birds including Alpine and Common Swift, Eurasian Kestrel, Barn Swallow, Sardinian Warbler and we have good chances for migrating songbirds as the place is like a small oasis in the middle of the bustling city. Overnight hotel in Athens (en-suite hotel room; meals included: D). Day 1-2: (30 Apr-01 May) Athens, Greece. We spend 2 full days birding at various sites and habitats around Athens. We explore Spata Fields not far from Athens where a maze of orchards, olive groves and seasonal marshes provides habitat for a good number of breeding and migrating birds. We’ll look for Lesser Kestrel, Collared Pratincole, Great Spotted Cuckoo, but we will good chances to see many other birds like Squacco Heron, Little Bittern, Glossy Ibis, Montague’s and Western Marsh Harrier, Red-footed Falcon, Lit- tle Owl, European Turtle Dove, Eurasian Hoopoe, Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, the black- headed race of Western Yellow Wagtail, Red-throated Pipit, Woodchat Shrike, Eurasian Golden Oriole and Black-headed Bunting. Nearby, Vavrona Estuary is a small wetland on the seashore surrounded by olive groves and orchards. Here we expect to see Long-leg- ged Buzzard, Short-toed Eagle, Great Spotted Cuckoo, European Bee-eater, Red-rumped Swallow, Eastern Bonelli's Warbler, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, Rufous Bush-Chat, Black-headed and Cirl Bunting. From here it’s not far to Schinias National Park which is home to a nice array of species including Ferruginous Duck, Chukar Partridge, Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Long-legged Buzzard, Western Marsh and Pallid Harrier, Short-toed Eagle, Eleonora's Falcon, Black-winged Stilt, Marsh Sandpiper, Little Crake, Whiskered Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Little Owl, Black-eared Wheatear, Western Rock Nuthatch, Blue Rock Thrush, Zitting Cisticola, Eastern Orphean and Subapline Warbler, Penduline Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Cretzschmar's, Black-headed and Cirl Bunting. Slender-billed and Mediterranean Gull are regular. Yelkouan and Scopoli's Shearwater are possible to find scanning the sea. Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Glossy Ibis, Whiskered and Gull-billed Tern, Black-headed Wagtail, Red-throated Pipit, Zitting Cisticola, Penduline Tit are all around in the marshes. We’ll also visit Parnitha Mountain which has coniferous and mixed woodlands with Med- iterranean scrub. It is home to many exciting species among them the rare Rock Partridge, Sombre Tit, Western Rock Nuthatch and Ruppell’s Warbler. We’ll also look for the more common Short-toed Eagle, European Honey Buzzard, Eleonora’s Falcon, Eurasian Hoo- poe, Alpine and Pallid Swift, Turtle Dove, Eurasian Crag Martin, Woodlark, Blue Rock Thrush, Common Nightingale, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, Lesser Whitethroat, Eastern XXX (c) Peter Waanders - Bellbird Eurasian Bullfinch, Common Par- Orphean Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Cetti’s Warbler, Firecrest, Long-tailed Tit, Short- Tours toed Treecreeper, Red-backed Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Cirl and Cretzschmar’s Bunting. tridge, Eurasian Scops Owl, Kruper’s Overnight hotel in Athens (en-suite hotel room; meals included: B, L, D). Nuthatch, Western Yellow Wagtail (c) Peter Waanders – Bellbird Tours Best of Europe birding tour Day 3: (02 May) Lesvos, Greece. We take an early flight to the island of Lesvos (included in tour price) not far from mainland Turkey. Lesvos is a small Mediterranean island with very diverse habitats and a very rich wildlife including two iconic birds Kruper’s Nuthatch and Cinereous Bunting that are only found in mainland Turkey and on a few islands in the Aegean Sea. It is also a migration hotspot and we are sure to see many passerines, waders and raptors on their migration journey back to Europe. After checking into our hotel we’ll go out birding and look for some of the resident birds and newly arrived migrants from Africa on their way to their more northerly breeding sites. Overnight Lesvos (en-suite hotel room; meals included: B, L, D). Day 4: (03 May) Lesvos and Thessaloniki, Greece. We continue birding this fabulous island with its forests, orchards, coastal lagoons and mountain habitats to find Ruddy Shelduck, Chukar, Greater Flamingo, Western Rock Nuthatch, Sombre Tit, Rueppell’s, Olive-tree and Easzetn Bonelli’s Warbler, Rufous Bush-Robin, Masked Shrike, Rose-col- oured Starling, Cretzschmar’s Bunting, plus many migrating waders, terns, songbirds and migratory species. We’ll have lunch in an authentic Greek establishment overlooking the blue waters of the Mediterranean before birding our way to the airport where we’ll take the last flight of the day (included in tour price) to Thessaloniki arriving there in the evening.