Bulgaria (May 2024) - Rila Mountains

May 1

I was on the road departing the airport before noon, but about a half hour into the drive the tire pressure sensor alarm went off. Not what you want to see, but at least I was not far from the airport, so I could exchange the car without losing the entire afternoon if need be. I stopped by a petrol station and asked an attendant to check the pressures – he said they were fine. I called Top Rent-A-Car, and they texted me instructions on how to reset the sensor, claiming that this often happens in error. Sure enough, the alarm did not sound again and I was good to go. By the time I sorted through that, stopped for lunch and groceries, and checked into my Kostenets AirBNB, which was conveniently on the way to my first birding stop, I began birding around 2:30pm. The first segment of the trip would be the Rila Mountains for a couple hard-to-get boreal species. In fact, this would likely be the most challenging part of the trip. My two biggest Rila targets, Hazel Grouse and Eurasian Pygmy-Owl, are difficult to find in Bulgaria, especially the latter. With specific locations held close to the vest by tour companies, I had my work cut out for me, and honestly was going to need a dose of luck.

This afternoon I focused on Belmeken Reservoir, specifically the large patch of boreal forest north of the reservoir itself. There are a couple reports of both target birds from the general vicinity, so there was certainly hope. The weather was cool and damp and the higher elevations were fogged in. At least there was no wind, so you could hear for days, even if you couldn’t see much.

The main target this evening would be Pygmy-Owl. A diurnal/crepuscular species, I would spend the later afternoon and evening working the old growth conifer forest trolling for the owl, using playback to try to lure one in. Without a specific spot to check, playback over a large area felt necessary. Along the way I started to rack up some quality birds. EURASIAN NUTCRACKERS were cooperative, and I enjoyed my only CRESTED TITS of the trip. Mixed flocks were dominated by COAL TIT, FIRECREST, and GOLDCREST. A EURASIAN GOSHAWK flew into the woods near the dam itself. Around 6pm, at one of several random roadside stops, a PYGMY-OWL responded to the tape. It was already close to the road and came right in for a look. The fog eliminated any chance at a decent photo, but so quickly connecting with a tricky sought-after target was thrilling. A bit knackered after all the travel, I headed for the barn and declined to make much of an effort for Hazel Grouse other than watching the roadsides on my drive back down the mountain.

eBird Checklist - 1 May 2024 - Auto selected 42.19648, 23.85749 - 20 species

Arriving back at the Airbnb, my Bulgarian-speaking host greeted me. She called her bilingual co-host son who happened to be on work assignment in Lesotho. He was helpful in translating our conversation. They were both fantastic and flexible hosts, very interested in the purpose of my trip and making suggestions for which nearby natural areas I should consider visiting.

May 2

Got an early start to be first on the trail for HAGR at the Yundola Ski School. On my way out of the Airbnb, both SCOPS and LITTLE OWLS were calling. Weather was overcast and drizzly. I parked at the start of the track as it forks to the right into the woods as you’re heading away from town. It did look like the track could be driven, but I walked it. Prior to the trip I had purchased a Hazel Grouse whistle from Dan Moi, at the suggestion of a friend. I covered the first patch of habitat between where I parked and the meadow. Intermittently using the whistle, about 20 minutes into the walk two male HAGR came in to check me out. Way easier than I had anticipated. I was fully prepared to spend up to a day and a half scouring these forests for this species. I watched the two birds as they crossed the path and then proceeded to forage among the fallen spruce logs. One bird sang a few times. Unreal. Both of them circled back and crossed the road once again, vanishing into the dense understory. After that uber satisfying experience, I didn’t go any further into the forest, but did take time birding on the walk back and along the road by the car. Highlight was nice views of male and female RING OUZEL out by the road.

eBird Checklist - 2 May 2024 - Yundola Ski School area - 19 species

Hazel Grouse

Hazel Grouse habitat

It was about 8am at this point and I had already bagged the grouse (figuratively!) with killer views. In fact, less than 24 hours into the birding, both “difficult” boreal targets had fallen. Now what? The answer should have been to get an early start on the Wallcreeper search. However I had been watching the weather, and a long period of rain was forecast to begin within a few hours. Once the rain arrived, it was supposed to linger for a couple days. I rechecked the forecast to confirm this. I didn’t feel much like staring up at cliffs into falling rain in search of Wallcreeper, so made the executive decision to upend the itinerary and head for the coast! The coast was also supposed to see rain, but less in both duration and volume, so I thought the inclement would be better spent looking for shorebirds, terns and the like. This would add about 3.5 hours of driving each way, but it felt like the right move. Especially since I had marked several extra, off-route spots for a few key species just in case I was re-routed at some point. Turned out the extra research paid off early in the trip.

En route towards the coast I drove down through a beautiful gorge to the lowlands. The mountain scenery in Bulgaria was quite stunning at times, particularly in the Rilas and the western Rhodopes. Picked up some fresh strawberries and cherries at a roadside stand - fantastic. The first “unplanned” stop was Bessaparski Hills, which consisted of fields (both planted and unplanted), hedgerows, and a bit of scrub. Apparently you can wander the hills but I stayed close to the road. The site is known to have Great Spotted Cuckoo and Eurasian Thick-knee, both scarce species in Bulgaria, though I encountered neither. However this was my first lowland birding, so a new suite of birds was in play. In fact, I picked up a half-dozen lifers over a couple hours kicking around: COMMON QUAIL, LONG-LEGGED BUZZARD, CALANDRA LARK, EASTERN OLIVACEOUS WARBLER, COMMON NIGHTINGALE, and BLACK-HEADED BUNTING. A pair of MONTAGU’S HARRIERS interacted, a ROLLER flew past, and CUCKOOS and HOOPOES were quite vocal. My first feldegg WESTERN YELLOW WAGTAILS were also a highlight. Like pretty much everywhere in Bulgaria, it was quite birdy, even during the heat of the day.

eBird Checklist - 2 May 2024 - Bessaparski Hills--West - 29 species (+1 other taxa)

Long-legged Buzzard

I continued eastward towards the coast with another stop in mind, this one targeting IMPERIAL EAGLE. There are at least a handful of reliable Imperial Eagle sites scattered in Bulgaria, and this was not the one I had intended on visiting, but once again having some “extra” pins on the map I was able to find and navigate to a different site without having to do any research in the field.

The area in question, located south of Sliven, had two viewpoints as described in Gosney’s booklet. The first point had quite a few birds in the air between raptors, swallows and swifts. The first large birds I spotted were a trio of CINEREOUS VULTURES, my only of the trip. Not long after, two eagles appeared over the field across the street – immature IMPERIAL EAGLES. Scope views were decent as the birds gained altitude and soared together. My first ALPINE SWIFTS of the trip were high overhead.

eBird Checklist - 2 May 2024 - 53, Gergevets BG-Sliven 42.59602, 26.36731 - 20 species

Pleased with my quick success here, I decided to head to the other viewpoint in hopes of perhaps seeing an adult. There were no further eagle sightings, but I did have two SHORT-TOED SNAKE-EAGLE, a MONTAGU’S HARRIER, a pair of light adult LONG-LEGGED BUZZARDS, and a HOBBY. Not bad!

eBird Checklist - 2 May 2024 - Topolchane Fields and Hills - 15 species (+2 other taxa)

I ended up getting into Burgas around dinner time and was so beat that I forfeit the last couple hours’ daylight for dinner and sleep. In the hotel restaurant I enjoyed my first glass of Bulgarian red wine, something Pinot Noir-like, which was very nice. While I didn’t drink much (I was fighting a cold for half the trip), the few glasses of Bulgarian wine I had were really excellent. To be honest I was not aware of Bulgaria’s history of winemaking but was pleased to find that the local wine was indeed much better than just drinkable.

 - NB