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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Bulgaria on the cheap! June 2017 (1 Viewer)

Hi Dave, a very beautiful (and certainly less travelled) part of the coast you chose, I look forward to the rest of your report immensely!

Chris
 
Really enjoying the report. Damselfly looks like white legged and the big dark bee is probably violet carpenter bee. My wife and I spent a week a bit NW of your hotel in one that was virtually empty at the same time of year in 2016. Loads of butterflies and dragonflies plus a wide range of birds without really trying. Just pottering locally for most of the time. Glad you found a rewarding spot and hoping you branch out into more insects as your images are inspiring. Howard
 
Some nice photos there.
However on your 30th June post (part 3), you have a Twin-spot Fritillary there (labeled as Dark-green) and 2 Small Skippers (labeled as Essex). Cheers
 
Thanks so much for helping me with some of the species ID's Rafael and Howard.
I spent ages looking at various websites and with many I just gave up frustrated.The number of similar butterflies seems endless, then you have the moths that look even more confusing. As for the rest of the insect world, where do you start. Maybe once you get your eye in things improve and you start to see different features in similar species.
Here in the UK they certainly offer something different when everything else goes quiet even during the winter.
From a photographic point of view they also offer something when carrying heavy kit around is no longer an option and that is now becoming something I need to consider as I advance towards older age.
 
A great report Dave with great shots too, made me want to consider for a future trip. I've felt the weight of Mike's 10+ kilos "arm breaking" to say the least! I'll stick with my point and shoot Leica FZ1000...on manual you can touch the subject with the lens, on 4K film mode, and if the "light is with you", film clips can be amazing.

Cheers
 
KenM said:
A great report Dave with great shots too, made me want to consider for a future trip. I've felt the weight of Mike's 10+ kilos "arm breaking" to say the least! I'll stick with my point and shoot Leica FZ1000...on manual you can touch the subject with the lens, on 4K film mode, and if the "light is with you", film clips can be amazing.

Cheers
Click to expand...

Thanks Ken, more to come but that will be next week. The sun is beaming down here in N.W. for the first time for a week!
I must admit I'm getting lazier as I get older too. I now tend to use my pocket size Olympus Tough for all the scene shots and I reduce the amount of post processing for my reports too. Mike has for a long time tended to go walkabout with the minimum amount of gear needed whilst I have lugged around extra kit "just in case" I needed it.My back is now paying the penalty and I have adapted the minimal approach too. That said, a tripod would have been very handy for the "bug" photography, especially with a big lens and body. Trying to hold a single focus point on something small from some distance isn't easy, especially when the wind is up!
cheers Dave
 
Great stuff Dave and some wonderful pics!

The forest is the Strandja, a unique and valuable habitat for a wide range of rare and endangered flora and fauna, including the White-backed Woodpecker!
I agree with Howard, the large bee is a Violet Carpenter (Europes largest!) and coincidentally the 'huge wasp like creature' is a Mammoth Wasp, also Europe's largest (I have seen a female with a body larger than my thumb!)!

Keep it coming!

Chris
 
Scridifer said:
Great stuff Dave and some wonderful pics!

The forest is the Strandja, a unique and valuable habitat for a wide range of rare and endangered flora and fauna, including the White-backed Woodpecker!
I agree with Howard, the large bee is a Violet Carpenter (Europes largest!) and coincidentally the 'huge wasp like creature' is a Mammoth Wasp, also Europe's largest (I have seen a female with a body larger than my thumb!)!

Keep it coming!

Chris
Click to expand...


Thanks for the info Chris .....I'm getting hooked !
We had a Hummingbird Hawk Moth in the garden last night but it was too dark for photographs so I just watched from the kitchen window. Typically when you can't take photos it hung around for ages!
 
A nice trip Dave, one I'll do at some point as the arthritic knees impose increasing limitations!

You have a butterfly that you say is unidentified and I can't see that anyone else has mentioned it but it's a male Clouded Yellow


A
 
andyadcock said:
A nice trip Dave, one I'll do at some point as the arthritic knees impose increasing limitations!

You have a butterfly that you say is unidentified and I can't see that anyone else has mentioned it but it's a male Clouded Yellow


A
Click to expand...

Thanks Andy, appreciated. I'll update the ID as I have done the others.

For the record, I'm not over the hill yet and already booked in to do another trip with Mike next Spring, big lens and all! :t:
 
Dave Williams said:
For the record, I'm not over the hill yet and already booked in to do another trip with Mike next Spring, big lens and all! :t:
Click to expand...

Sorry Dave, didn't mean to suggest that you were!

It's just that my philosophy as I get older and as with many, is that you do certain places whilst at your peak, I certainly couldn't do Nepal again now.

My wife is team photographer, she hand holds a Nikon with a big Tamron lens that together weigh 5-6kgs.


A
 
andyadcock said:
Sorry Dave, didn't mean to suggest that you were!

It's just that my philosophy as I get older and as with many, is that you do certain places whilst at your peak, I certainly couldn't do Nepal again now.

My wife is team photographer, she hand holds a Nikon with a big Tamron lens that together weigh 5-6kgs.


A
Click to expand...

I'm getting there though Andy!
I visited the Farne Islands a few years ago and I was put to shame by a lady hand holding her Canon 500mm lens when I needed a tripod for mine!.



Anyway, I have added a couple more episodes to my Blog which seems to be quite popular when I see the number of visitors.
It just shows that most of us we are on the look out for affordable destinations and Bulgaria certainly meets that criteria.
 
Most interesting Dave, I especially love the glass lizard! By the way the Wagtail is White rather than Pied, ssp. alba not yarrellii.

Nice work Mate!

Chris
 
Scridifer said:
Most interesting Dave, I especially love the glass lizard! By the way the Wagtail is White rather than Pied, ssp. alba not yarrellii.

Nice work Mate!

Chris
Click to expand...

Thanks Chris.

That's my report over, took some time due to diversions last week!
If you haven't been it's very well worth considering. At the right time of year the wildlife can be amazing especially for birds on the migration route along the edge of the Black Sea.
A package tour can be adapted and might provide a cheaper alternative to DIY but either way it's one of the best value venues in Europe at the moment.
Hope you are encouraged to give it a try.
 
A few good ideas

Great photos as always and some good ideas for an inexpensive birding trip. Although I think I'll give the smoking everywhere outdoors hotel a miss
 
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