Bird watching - Safari a Varna, Ruse - Bulgaria

Descrizione: With more than 400 birds species Bulgaria is one of the best places for birdwatching in Europe ( big time is the April and September migration)! I love birds my self (got 3 parrots at home) and although is not a main hobby for me I am pretty familiar with the birds and the places for birding described bellow, so if you are a bird-watcher and your next stop is Bulgaria, you can definitely count on my 'plane door to plane door' service including: accommodation and personal guiding services!

PLACES FOR BIRDING:

SREBURNA LAKE

The biosphere natural park of “Sreburna” is included in the World Register of Natural Heritage and it's under the aegis of UNESCO . It is situated in Northern Bulgaria, at the delta of the river Danube. It is a lake, 1.5 m deep, fed by water from the river and Karst water. The temperature of the water during winter is 0°C, and in the summer up to - 28°C.

The natural habitat favours the growth of a wide variety of animal and plant species. Of great interest are the 160 species of birds, 90 of which nest and breed here. 'Sreburna' is a stopping place for many migratory birds and the best European colony with over 200 Dalmatian pelicans. Present are Red-necked and Black-necked Grebes, Great and Pygmy Cormorants, Egrets, Night Herons and a few Glossy Ibis and Spoonbill. Other breeders are Ferruginous Duck, Crakes and Marsh terns, Roller, Bee-eater and Penduline Tit. The lake and the surrounding area are famous for the large numbers of wintering geese, mainly White-fronted but also Greylag and Red-breasted Geese present.

SHABLA LAKE

The Shabla area is best known as the wintering site for most of the world's Red-breasted goose population. About 75% of the entire world population of Red-breasted Goose spend the winter here and numbers have reached more than 45-50 000 birds. Greylag and Ferruginous Duck are regular along with all the commoner Western Palaearctic ducks. Whooper Swan winters at Shabla Lake and Red-throated and Black-throated Divers can be seen. Black-necked Grebe, Pygmy Cormorant, Bittern and Great White Egret are among the scarce birds wintering regularly in the area. Lesser Grey Shrike is a rare nesting species in open areas where Red-backed Shrike and Black-headed Bunting are more common.

DURANKULAK LAKE

Situated very close to the Shabla lake, Durankulak lake is one of the most significant wetlands along the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The eastern part of the lake is separated from the Black Sea only by a narrow sand stripe, while fields and small tree groups surround its western and southern banks. The fresh waters of Durankulak lake, the vast reedbeds along the shore and the location of the wetland on the 'Via Pontica' migratory route are the most important factors, supporting an impressive avian richness throughout the whole year. During the breeding season many water-connected birds (like Little Bitterns, Purple Herons, Ferruginous Ducks, Marsh Harriers, Little Terns etc.) prefer the area for nesting. Great varieties of passerines (Red-backed and Lesser Grey Shrikes, Black-headed Buntings, Tawny Pipits, Calandra Larks, Bearded Reedlings, warblers etc.) also breed in the vicinity. Here is the place with the densest population of Paddyfield and Moustached Warblers in Bulgaria. The territory around the lake is perfect for observing the soaring migration of storks and birds of prey in autumn or spring. But the main popularity of Dourankoulak comes for the times of the winter months when a huge quantity of water birds (Black-necked Grebes, Pygmy Cormorants, Mute and Whooper Swans, Pochards, Tufted Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers, Yellow-legged Gulls etc.) inhabit its waters. Geese are the most numerous waterfowl then, numbering tens of thousands (primarily White-fronted and Red-breasted Geese). White-tailed Eagles, Pallas's Gulls and Lesser White-fronted Goose could also be registered during winter.

KALIAKRA CAPE

The Kaliakra coastal headland with 60 m cliffs in the north of Bulgaria is a bottleneck for migrants passing down the western shore of the Black Sea. It is a nature reserve, the country's only breeding place of the Mediterranean Shag, as well as Long-legged Buzzard, Black-eared, Pied and Isabelline Wheatears. There is a variety of warblers, including Barred, Golden Oriole, Nightingale and Hawfinch as well as breeding Eagle Owl and Great Spotted and Syrian Woodpecker.