An Alternative To Lesvos? (1 Viewer)

ronjax · Jan 25, 2010

I usually visit Lesvos in spring, taking advantage of flight/hotel packages for me and (non bird-watcher) wife.
This year I fancy a change apart from current impossibility of getting any info on what's on offer in Lesvos.
Please can anybody recommend a destination in Bulgaria for a week or two that is "good" but where it is not necessary to drive miles every day. The beauty of Lesvos is that staying in a place like Skala Kalloni one has close access to some of the best bird spots on the island, and some manage without car hire.

Is there anywhere comparable in Bulgaria? I'm not too bothered about listing, done all that, though "ticks" are always welcome, and most of my time I'd be stuck behind a video camera viewfinder which inhibits charging about the place anyway although I'd expect to hire a car.
A flight/hotel package along the lines of what First Choice/Thomson should be offering for Lesvos would be ideal provided one didn't end up in somewhere like the Costa Brava (or Blackpool!)

Ron

wintibird · Jan 25, 2010

I would suggest Pomorie or Nesebar near Burgas. Nice coast and good wetlands near Burgas.
The beach resorts near Varna (Golden Beach) are good too, but more driving would be envolved to find good birds.

André

The Hairy Highlander · Jan 25, 2010

I was in Bulgaria 2007 and was based at Albena on the north end of the bulgarian black sea coast, the birding around the hotel grounds were quite good for woodpeckers and finches etc and it wasn't to far a walk to the beach were the batoba river enters the sea, we got little craik, little bittern and muskrat and other good stuff there but if you want to get some really good stuff you'll need a car, for sure i'd say....although it wasn't to far to drive to the likes of Nos Kaliakra headland, Balchik, Tuzla and Shabla Lake all just a few miles north of Albena.....there's bound to be more comprehensive info on BF somewhere though, just do a bit of digging and i'm sure you'll find something of interest..:t:

ronjax · Jan 27, 2010

Thanks for the above. Has anyone stayed at the "Branta Bird Lodge" in Durankulak?

Looks good via the internet, albeit maybe best for winter geese,

Ron

wolfbirder · Jan 28, 2010

Have not stayed there but visited durankulak - its like a minsmere without the facilities. Brilliant for birds - in two hour visit in june 07 had paddyfield warblers, marsh warblers, bearded tit, goldenoriole, bee-eaters, purple heron, fudge ducks, collared pratincole, cuckoo, red footed falcon, harriers, gull billed tern, lesser grey shrike, calandra lark, spanish sparrow. Lake Shabla is nearby which is good for waterbirdss too, and also cape kaliakra for pied wheatears, and the plateau there contained many lark species as well as isabelline wheatears. Great birding area.

ronjax · Jan 31, 2010

Well I've booked a week for my and I wife at Branta Bird Lodge in Durankulak from April 29th. Flight to Varna by BA from Gatwick which a bit of a nuisance 'cos I live in Southport, albeit we can train it from here for about £25 return each compared with nearly £80 cab fare to Manchester and back.
Flights £134 which seems to me to be quite good and none of the charter airlines scam/hassle re "extras" like baggage, food and drink etc etc.

Maybe a bit early for some of the specialist breeders but hopefully a good time for migrants. You never can tell!

I've ordered "Gorman" on the assumption there's nowt better, and would appreciate any advice on maps.

I actually believe it possible to be too well genned up, that way disappointment when you don't connect with everything and not enough "surprises".
Some of the bird tours (listing expeditions) seem to follow such a set pattern that it's something like "the 14 stations of the cross". "Today is Thursday so it must be Olive Tree Warblers and Humbolt Penguins" sort of thing.

Info re local areas near to Durankulak handy but the bird-lodge I am assuming can provide that.

Ron

ronjax · May 15, 2010

The answer to my question is that no, Bulgaria, certainly the area around Durankulak, is not a (spring) alternative to Lesvos. Can get a bigger list by driving around e.g. into Romania, but cannot just bump into (lots of) birds just a few minutes walk from one's hotel as one can in Skala Kalloni.
A lot of migrants apparently pass through inland rather than along the coast.
Some good gear there though, Pygmy Cormorants, Ferruginous Ducks and Pied Wheatears further down the coast but I was too early (29/4 to 6/5) for a lot of stuff inc Paddyfield and Moustached Warblers. No pelicans which was a surprise and a disappointment.
Still a nice area and worth a re-visit, I plan a winter goose trip. Hardly another bird watcher encountered which thankfully is totally unlike Lesvos.

Ron

wolfbirder · May 18, 2010

ronjax said:
The answer to my question is that no, Bulgaria, certainly the area around Durankulak, is not a (spring) alternative to Lesvos. Can get a bigger list by driving around e.g. into Romania, but cannot just bump into (lots of) birds just a few minutes walk from one's hotel as one can in Skala Kalloni.
A lot of migrants apparently pass through inland rather than along the coast.
Some good gear there though, Pygmy Cormorants, Ferruginous Ducks and Pied Wheatears further down the coast but I was too early (29/4 to 6/5) for a lot of stuff inc Paddyfield and Moustached Warblers. No pelicans which was a surprise and a disappointment.
Still a nice area and worth a re-visit, I plan a winter goose trip. Hardly another bird watcher encountered which thankfully is totally unlike Lesvos.

Ron

Sorry you were a bit early for some key species.

My opinion is that there is a superb variety of birds in the country, but it neccessitates driving to different locations quite well spread out, the black sea coast spots like Cape Kaliakra, Lake Shabla, Cape Emine, Burgas wetlands are all reachable from a single location and by using car hire, but then you really also need to go to adjoining low lying sakar mountains, and higher eastern Rhodopes mountain range (Madzhorovo/Studen Kladenets) to get a great range of species overall. You may well need a guide for that.

I guess nothing is as easy and convenient as Lesvos. I must get there one day!

ronjax · May 18, 2010

My target was video rather than listing though nice to have a few ticks!

Trouble with video is it's time consuming, compared with still photography, which in its turn is time consuming compared with "listing".

One cannot just drive or walk around hoping to get "shots", which is why I hoped that restricting my activities more or less to one small area like Durankulak, where I had the use of a "Shogun" for off road in car videoing, would be best.

This approach though depends on "local" bird co-operation which many didn't do 'cos they weren't there!

In retrospect should have used the services of our estimable host, Pavel Simeonev (as good a musician his wife reckons as Paul Simon!).

Next time will sort out targets first with Pavel.

Ron

Sandra (Taylor) · May 18, 2010

Hardly another bird watcher encountered which thankfully is totally unlike Lesvos.

Ron[/QUOTE]

We're just back from another satisfying trip to Lesvos. We had well over 100 species even allowing for the fact we didn't dash about as we usually do. But, unlike you, we really enjoy meeting other birders and swapping news and sightings. This makes the holiday so enjoyable for us.

Sandra
:t:

James · May 18, 2010

"Today is Thursday so it must be Olive Tree Warblers and Humbolt Penguins" sort of thing. Ron[/QUOTE said:
I'm trying to think where I could go and see both these birds the same day :eek!:

James

dogfish · May 18, 2010

[/QUOTE]
We're just back from another satisfying trip to Lesvos. We had well over 100 species even allowing for the fact we didn't dash about as we usually do. But, unlike you, we really enjoy meeting other birders and swapping news and sightings. This makes the holiday so enjoyable for us.

Sandra
:t:[/QUOTE]

I've had three very enjoyable trips to Lesvos, and have much enjoyed the social side. The one thing that annoyed me last year was the enormous size of some of the tour groups (not, generally speaking, the British ones). I was at Meladia Ford when a group of 26 birders turned up, which rather spoiled the atmosphere. Especially, as is often the case with big groups, a substantial minority didn't seem that interested in birds, and stood around chatting rather noisily. I'm glad I wasn't at Metochi lake (a smaller site with limited viewing) when they arrived there...

Sean

Sandra (Taylor) · May 19, 2010

We're just back from another satisfying trip to Lesvos. We had well over 100 species even allowing for the fact we didn't dash about as we usually do. But, unlike you, we really enjoy meeting other birders and swapping news and sightings. This makes the holiday so enjoyable for us.

Sandra
:t:[/QUOTE]

I've had three very enjoyable trips to Lesvos, and have much enjoyed the social side. The one thing that annoyed me last year was the enormous size of some of the tour groups (not, generally speaking, the British ones). I was at Meladia Ford when a group of 26 birders turned up, which rather spoiled the atmosphere. Especially, as is often the case with big groups, a substantial minority didn't seem that interested in birds, and stood around chatting rather noisily. I'm glad I wasn't at Metochi lake (a smaller site with limited viewing) when they arrived there...

Sean[/QUOTE]

Yes, i agree Sean. Usually the most people in a tour group was 2 mini-buses consisting of may 10 birders but twice on the saltpans a coach disgorged a couple of dozen people (Tsalis Tours). We make a quick getaway.................

wolfbirder · May 19, 2010

I know Lesvos is superb but I had 124 species from just two days in Bulgaria in June 07 - but was guided. Went to the spots I mentioned in my earlier post and sightings included Eastern Imperial Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, Griffon Vulture, Montagu's / Marsh Harrier, Little Owl, Hobby, Steppe / Long Legged / Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Red-Footed Falcon, Black Kite, Roller, Lesser Grey / Red Backed Shrike, Sombre Tit, Calandra / Short Toed / Crested / Sky / Wood Lark, Cuckoo, Golden Oriole, Black-Headed Bunting, Eastern Reed Bunting, Tree Sparrow, Olive-Tree / Eastern Olivaceous / Paddyfield / Reed / Great Reed / Cetti's / Marsh / Savi's / Subalpine / Eastern Bonelli's Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat / Lesser Whitethroat, Semi-Collared Flycatcher, Dalmation / White Pelican, Nightingale, Thrush Nightingale, Hawfinch, Collared Pratincole, Alpine Swift, Red Rumped Swallow, Tawny Pipit, Pied / Isabelline Wheatear, Fudge Duck, Spoonbill, Gull-Billed / Little / Common / Whiskered Tern, Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Syrian / Middle Spotted / Green Woodpecker, Purple / Night Heron, Little Bittern, and with a bit more time and a little less rain could have added Short-Toed Eagle, Black Vulture, Eagle Owl, Rock Nuthatch (sheltering in hole!), Masked Shrike, Pygmy Cormorant, Black / Grey-Headed Woodpecker, Slender-Billed Gull.

Stephen Dunstan · May 19, 2010

ronjax said:
A flight/hotel package along the lines of what First Choice/Thomson should be offering for Lesvos would be ideal provided one didn't end up in somewhere like the Costa Brava (or Blackpool!)

Ron

Heaven forbid a birder might end up somewhere like Blackpool. We saw more species in Blackpool and the convenient surrounding area (i.e. the Fylde) in one day this year than either of the totals quoted above for Lesvos or Bulgaria!

Regards,

Stephen.

wolfbirder · May 20, 2010

Stephen Dunstan said:
Heaven forbid a birder might end up somewhere like Blackpool. We saw more species in Blackpool and the convenient surrounding area (i.e. the Fylde) in one day this year than either of the totals quoted above for Lesvos or Bulgaria!

Regards,

Stephen.

Ah but the birds of Blackpool ain't got much quality ! 8-P

ronjax · May 20, 2010

wolfbirder said:
Ah but the birds of Blackpool ain't got much quality ! 8-P

And I'm a Sandgrounder to boot! Here's better than Blackpool, though not, for birds, better than Lesvos or Durankulak.

A guided trip to Bulgaria seems to be the answer. Would have to be tailored quite a lot if video is the target. As said above filming is not conducive to rushing about.

A (rich!) Brit couple were on a cruise from Southampton to Med ,Black Sea and back. They booked Pavel to collect from ship in Varna, birding all day up to Durankulak, night in Branta Bird Lodge, off next day to meet ship in Constantia Rumania, birding en route. They got 120 species.

Ron

wolfbirder · May 20, 2010

I was only jokin about blackpool birds by the way !

Think I paid about 200 pounds for a Neophron guide who picked me up from my hotel in Sunny Beach. Then briefly Burgas Lakes, and a long drive up to Mazhorovo via Sakar mountains. Back at hotel by 8pm. Next day up north along Black Sea coast via Goritza Forest, Lake Shabla, Cape Kaliakra, Durankulak. For photography may have needed twice as long to ensure got quality views.

stoil · Sep 20, 2010

ronjax said:
My target was video rather than listing though nice to have a few ticks!

Trouble with video is it's time consuming, compared with still photography, which in its turn is time consuming compared with "listing".

One cannot just drive or walk around hoping to get "shots", which is why I hoped that restricting my activities more or less to one small area like Durankulak, where I had the use of a "Shogun" for off road in car videoing, would be best.

This approach though depends on "local" bird co-operation which many didn't do 'cos they weren't there!

In retrospect should have used the services of our estimable host, Pavel Simeonev (as good a musician his wife reckons as Paul Simon!).

Next time will sort out targets first with Pavel.

Ron

Hi I hope you enjoyed your stay in Bulgaria . I'm thinking to go there next year around middle or end of may, because I'm interested in the same things like you mostly video and photos of birds behavior rather than # of birds seen . How are the birds tame or not , approximate distance to them? I'm from Bulgaria but don't live there for long time and anyway weren't interested in birding during my years there

ronjax · Sep 21, 2010

Bulgaria was a bit disappointing for me, particularly when compared with Lesvos. Far fewer migrants even though I stayed within sight of the Black Sea (which was blue!).

I spent most of my week at Lake Durankulak. Good though not worth a week. Had a couple of trips to Cape Kaliakra which also good.

I recommend your contacting Pavel Simeonevich at Branta Bird Tours at Lake Durankulak where we stayed. Google them. He is very good both as a guide, raconteur, musician and photographer. Even better I imagine in his native language.

Ron

An Alternative To Lesvos? (1 Viewer)

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