Bulgaria 2018
29th April – 8th May 2018
This bird photography trip was planned two years in advance directly with our contact at Nature Travel to assure the best timing for vultures and selected species including European Roller, European Bee-eater and Golden Oriole. Fortunately, we were only two participants on this 9-day photography trip which was based at two main areas in eastern Bulgaria. The first two photography days were spent in the Eastern Rhodope mountains where we used a specialty constructed hide for Griffon and Egyptian Vultures and the remainder of days based at Ognyanovo, north of Varna. On the last day, we had an excursion to Cape Kaliakra on the Black Sea coast for several specialty species including Pied Wheatear and Calandra Lark. At the vulture site we stayed in a rented apartment and evening meals were eaten at a local restaurant. At Ognyanovo we stayed at a cottage owned by Nature Travel with its own tower hide which we used each morning session. All the tasty meals here were prepared by Nature Travel staff and eaten in the garden. The area surrounding the cottage provided plenty of distractions during the middle of the day when not using a hide and were we found some interesting butterflies, breeding Barred Warbler, Scops Owl and Grey-headed Woodpecker. Afternoons were spent photographing from hides located a short distance away for either rollers or bee-eaters although one afternoon we spent in a woodland hide with a pond for woodland species. The last afternoon after the morning excursion to the Black Sea, was spent in a valley close to the cottage for breeding Isabelline Wheatear and Ground Squirrels. Our guide did all the driving between locations and accompanied us on all the morning and most of the afternoon sessions. The whole venue was a huge success and our trip organiser/guide and staff can be thoroughly recommended.
![]() European Turtle-Dove(Streptopelia turtur) - Ognyanovo 3rd May 2018 | ![]() European Turtle-Dove(Streptopelia turtur) - Ognyanovo 3rd May 2018 | ![]() Common Cuckoo(Cuculus canorus) - Ognyanovo 3rd May 2018 |
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![]() Common Cuckoo(Cuculus canorus) - Ognyanovo 3rd May 2018 | ![]() Common Cuckoo(Cuculus canorus) - Ognyanovo 5th May 2018 | ![]() Yellow-legged Gull(Larus michahellis) adult - urban Varna 2nd May 2018 |
![]() Egyptian VultureNeophron percnopterus - Madzharovo 1st May 2018 | ![]() Eurasian Griffon(Gyps fulvus) - Madzharovo 1st May 2018 | ![]() Eurasian Griffon(Gyps fulvus) - Madzharovo 1st May 2018 |
![]() Eurasian Griffon(Gyps fulvus) - Madzharovo 1st May 2018 | ![]() Eurasian Griffon(Gyps fulvus) - Madzharovo 1st May 2018 | ![]() Eurasian Griffon(Gyps fulvus) - Madzharovo 1st May 2018 |
![]() Eurasian Griffon(Gyps fulvus) - Madzharovo 1st May 2018 | ![]() Little Owl(Athene noctua) - Ognyanovo 4th May 2018 | ![]() Little Owl(Athene noctua) - Ognyanovo 4th May 2018 |
![]() Eurasian Hoopoe(Upupa epops) singing - Ognyanovo 5th May 2018 | ![]() Eurasian Hoopoe(Upupa epops) singing - Ognyanovo 5th May 2018 | ![]() European Bee-eater(Merops apiaster) - Ognyanovo 6th May 2018 |
![]() European Bee-eater(Merops apiaster) - Ognyanovo 6th May 2018 | ![]() European Bee-eater(Merops apiaster) - Ognyanovo 3rd May 2018 | ![]() European Roller(Coracias garrulus) - Ognyanovo 2nd May 2018 |
![]() European Roller(Coracias garrulus) - Ognyanovo 2nd May 2018 | ![]() European Roller(Coracias garrulus) - Ognyanovo 2nd May 2018 | ![]() European Roller(Coracias garrulus) - Ognyanovo 4th May 2018 |
![]() European Roller(Coracias garrulus) - Ognyanovo 4th May 2018 | ![]() Great Spotted Woodpecker(Dendrocopos major pinetorum) female - Ognyanovo 5th May 2018 | ![]() Eurasian Green Woodpecker(Picus viridis) female - Ognyanovo 5th May 2018 |
![]() Eurasian Golden Oriole(Oriolus oriolus), second year male - Ognyanovo 5th May 2018 | ![]() Lesser Grey Shrike(Lanius minor) - Cape Kaliakra 7th May 2018 | ![]() Eurasian Jay(Garrulus glandarius) - Ognyanovo 6th May 2018 |
![]() Hooded Crow(Corvus cornix) -Madzharovo 1st May 2018 | ![]() Sombre Tit(Poecile lugubris) - Ognyanovo 5th May 2018 | ![]() Sombre Tit(Poecile lugubris) - Ognyanovo 5th May 2018 |
![]() Sombre Tit(Poecile lugubris) - Ognyanovo 6th May 2018 | ![]() Calandra Lark(Melanocorypha calandra) - Cape Kaliakra 7th May 2018 | ![]() Wood Lark(Lullula arborea) male - Ognyanovo 9th May 2018 |
![]() Wood Lark(Lullula arborea) male - Ognyanovo 9th May 2018 | ![]() European Starling(Sturnus vulgaris) male -Ognyanovo 3rd May 2018 | ![]() Isabelline Wheatear(Oenanthe isabellina) male - Ognyanovo 7th May 2018 |
![]() Isabelline Wheatear(Oenanthe isabellina) female - Ognyanovo 7th May 2018 | ![]() Pied Wheatear(Oenanthe pleschanka) male – Cape Kaliakra 7th May 2018 | ![]() Pied Wheatear(Oenanthe pleschanka) female – Cape Kaliakra 7th May 2018 |
![]() Western Yellow Wagtail(Motacilla flava feldegg), male - Ognyanovo 7th May 2018 | ![]() Hawfinch(Coccothraustes coccothraustes) male -Ognyanovo 5th May 2018 | ![]() Ortolan Bunting(Emberiza hortulana) male - Ognyanovo 5th May 2018 |
![]() Ortolan Bunting(Emberiza hortulana) male - Ognyanovo 5th May 2018 |