Situated in South East Europe, the Black Sea Coasts of Bulgaria and Romania meet the River Danube on the Romanian border to the north, forming a natural boundary. As the Danube rarely freezes in winter, it is therefore an important area for wintering wildfowl and raptors. The main features of the coastline are limestone cliffs which are bordered by areas of relict steppe and brackish coastal lagoons. It is in these areas that huge numbers of geese over-winter after being forced south by poor weather. Bulgaria and Romania have a good percentage of the world’s wintering Red-breasted Geese which occur in their thousands. Our Bulgaria & Romania winter birding tour is timed to allow us to watch vast flocks of wintering swans and ducks, as well as shorebirds, gulls and raptors in this internationally important area.
This short winter break focuses on one of the world’s most attractive wildfowl species… the Red-breasted Goose. We hope to see thousands of these much sought-after birds on the crop-fields and coastal lagoons of eastern Bulgaria and Romania, and with a little luck, we may even see tens of thousands. The dawn fly-out of these geese can be truly spectacular! We will also sift through the flocks of Greater White-fronted Geese in the hope of locating the globally threatened Lesser White-fronted Goose, which occurs here in small numbers. A rich supporting cast of other geese and ducks, birds of prey such as Rough-legged and Long-legged Buzzard, White-tailed Eagle and possibly Greater Spotted Eagle, as well as some real eastern specialities like Dalmatian and White Pelicans, Pallas’s Gull, Calandra Lark and various woodpeckers, all combine to make this an exciting new tour. The terrain is mostly easy, though of course it can be cold and perhaps muddy in places. Our friends at Neophron Tours will provide the ground arrangements, transport and local guide for this tour. We will walk approximately three miles per day.
DAY ONE
Fly Luton/Varna, where we will meet the local guide and transfer to the Kavarna area (approximately 90 minutes transfer).
Overnight Kavarna
DAY TWO
Today we will explore the Durankulak and Shabla lakes on the Bulgarian coast, which are often favoured as goose roosts. Besides Red-breasted Geese, we will should also see large flocks of Greater White-fronted Geese and possibly some of the rarer Lesser White-fronted Goose, too. Raptors over the fields and steppe could include White-tailed Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Rough-legged Buzzard, Peregrine, Merlin and Short-eared Owl. Other target species are Common Bittern, Smew, and Caspian Gull. There is an outside chance of Bearded Reedling and Moustached Warbler. Late afternoon, we will drive for roughly two hours to the village of Sinoe in Romania, where we will check in for two nights.
Overnight Sinoe
DAY THREE
We will be concentrating our efforts today in the area north and south of Sinoe, comprising marshlands, lakes, reed-beds, forests, parks and gardens. Red-breasted, Greater White-fronted and Lesser White-fronted Geese will be among our main targets, but we will hope to also catch up with White-tailed Eagle and other raptors, Pallas’s and Caspian Gulls, Syrian Woodpecker, Long-eared Owl and various wintering passerines.
Overnight Sinoe
DAY FOUR
Today we will spend the morning birding in the Sinoe area, before travelling back to Bulgaria, with stops for roadside birding. This will hopefully bring us further opportunities to locate the itinerant goose flocks, while all the while keeping an eye out for raptors, and the like. In the afternoon we will visit Cape Kaliakra. The cliffs and steppes around Cape Kaliakra are home to the Mediterranean desmarestii race of European Shag, while Eurasian Eagle Owl is possible, too, and the Black Sea itself often hosts rafts of Black-throated and Red-throated Divers, Black-necked and Slavonian Grebes, Red-breasted Merganser, Greater Scaup and other ducks. Calandra Larks and other passerines will be in winter flocks at this time and gardens and settlements are home to Syrian Woodpecker.
Overnight Kavarna
DAY FIVE
We will spend the morning birding the Kavarna area, then transfer south to the Varna area. Here we will search for Sombre Tit, before visiting riverine forests for Middle Spotted and Grey-headed Woodpeckers, Short-toed Treecreeper, Hawfinch and other woodland birds. Before heading for Varna airport, we may stop at Varna Lake where Pygmy Cormorant, Whooper Swan, Great White Egret and Cetti’s Warbler could well be added to our list. We make our way to the airport for the onward journey back to Luton, arriving there in the early hours
Return flights Luton/Varna with four nights accommodation at guesthouses in Kavarna and Sinoe (two nights at each location), meals from dinner on day one to breakfast on the final day, services of leaders, beverages with meals and reserve entrance fees.
Transport to/from Luton airport and any overnight stay that might be involved, travel insurance, drinks other than those mentioned and any items of a purely personal nature.
