Bulgaria June 2025, Day Three

The plan today was to work on the plot, get the meadow strimmed and complete the pond by laying stones around the edge. As usual things didn't go to the plan, the water level in the pond had not dropped enough and the strimmer broke down again and it looks like will need to buy a new strimmer. In the afternoon we went to view a local caravan for sale which if the sale goes through will move onto our plot. 

Highlight of the day was a Laughing Dove at Balgerevo (a Bulgarian rarity but they bred locally last year for the first time) that flew over the road and then landed on a nearby roof- photo to come from Kojak. While we were trying to relocate the Laughing Dove, Anton and Dylan did a bit of herping and caught a nice Caspian Whip Snake. Unfortunately we are finding quite a few dead Caspians on the road, hopefully indicating a large local population. We also had a young Grass Snake which we released on the plot pond. While the boys were herping, Kojak and I did a bit of birding and had Short-toed and Booted Eagle, 12 Turtle Doves and White Stork. 

A few new moths last night (will post seperately on that later). 

I've been sleeping at night with the window open listening to the Nightingales which were joined last night by a churring Nightjar and Quails migrating overhead. Very dreamy sounds to fall asleep too.  

Finally managed to get a decent view of a Hoopoe this year after them being my Spring jinx bird

Female Pied Wheatear

Short-toed Eagle- another indication of good local snake populations

Booted Eagle

Caspian Whip Snake 

Eastern Grass Snake

The next stage of the pond creation is creating the stone edge- we moved this lot into position ready for final laying down when the water level has reduced a bit

Bulgaria June 2025, Day Two

It was mainly a faffing day today as we were supposed to be working on the plot but when we went to Kavarna to pick up the strimmer, that had been in for repairs since October- it still wasn't ready. We also had to order some stones for the pond and arrange delivery for tomorrow and then by the time the strimmer was ready to pick up most of the day had passed.

However the moth trap was brilliant this morning and Kojak and I got out and did a bit of birding and Kojak, Dylan and I had a walk round the steppe this evening. Birding highlights today included Quails singing on the Steppe, 4 Gull-billed Tern going south and a couple of nice close Red-footed Falcons. Ebird list HERE.

As we got out the cars by the guesthouse Anton spotted a stunning Horn-nosed Viper which was another highlight of the day. 

Hopefully tomorrow will be more productive work wise! The stimmer broke down this evening after 10 mins so need to take that back so not a great start already.

Have updated the plot's moths and butterflies i-naturalist project HERE . Now on 345 species for the plot. Project ebird hotspot now on 174 species HERE. We've added Gull-billed Tern, Mallard and Pygmy Cormorant to the hotspot list this trip so far. 

Giant Peacock Moth- great to get this on the project plot list

Orache moth

Pale Shoulder

Cardinal

Pale-shouldered Cloud

Synaphe moldavica

Calandra Lark

Golden Oriole

Horn-nosed Viper (above and below) 

Bulgaria June 2025 Day One

Our Spring trip to the Bulgaria project was delayed this year so Kojak and I arrived yesterday and Dylan and Anton arrived today for a week of conservation work, birding and herping.

Before the guys arrived Kojak and I did some birding round the village and filled up the wildlife pond and this evening we birded the steppe and set up the moth trap. 

Even though it's officially summer seems like there's still a few migrants around. Ebird list HERE. Highlights included 5 Red-footed Falcon, a flock of Pygmy Cormorant flying north (the first site record), Short-toed Eagle. Marsh Warbler singing at our plot and a Rose-coloured Starling over the steppe (the first time I've had one here). 

Background to this project HERE

One of our Turtle Doves on the plot 

Marsh Harrier being mobbed by the local Golden Orioles 

Black-headed Bunting 

Female Red-footed Falcon

Calandra Lark

Pied Wheatear

We had to fill up the pond. We last filled it in Octoebr. When we arrived the local Swallows were drinking from it and through the day we saw Hawfinch, Collared and Turtle Doves, Jay, Woodpigeon, Greenfinch, Linnet and Corn Bunting come down to drink - so its working as planned. It's also full of tadpoles and water beetles so seems to be colonising well. We missed the Spring migration this year so would have been interesting to know what migrants visited. 

Curlew Sand on Ferry

We had a work day at the lodge today but I managed to get out in the early evening and checked Ferry and Church Norton. Highlight was a summer plumaged Curlew Sandpiper on Ferry with the Blackwits.

The moth trap was good last night, with 66 species of over 200 individuals with highlights including Green Silver Lines (could be a lifer as I can't find a record of catching one before) and the first Eyed and Elephant Hawkmoths of the year.  Now on 472 for the garden and 199 for the year. 

Curlew Sandpiper (above and below) 

Probable second-cycle Yellow-legged Gull- looks good apart from the heavily barred rump

Green Silver Lines- stunner! 

Eyed Hawkmoth (above) and Elephant Hawkmoth (below). Certianly a day of good looking moths. 

I thought this might be Small Clouded Brindle 

Clancy's Rustic. Rusty-dot, this and a Turnip were the only suggestions of migrants

Back at the Lodge

After getting back from Kuwait on Monday, I had Tuesday to catch up, then working in London on Wednesday and then more or less two days paperwork and writing up our discoveries last week before the usual family weekend stuff.  Apart from a bit of garden birding and a check of Ferry last night (the Hampshire Hudwit has dissappeared and there's been up 94 Blackwits on Ferry so everyone is keeping an eye on them) I haven't had much chance to get in the field (missed a Quail at Medmerry mid-week). 

However I've been keeping up the moth trapping and there's finally been a run of mild evenings and over the last two or three days the supposedly prevailing southwesterlies have finally returned with the odd bit of rain too. The Atlantic air and humidity is actually quite refreshing after seemingly endless dry high pressure since late Febraury. There's been up to 150 moths of 55 species this week on several nights. The garden moth list is now on 470 and the year list is 187.  A few highlights in below images.

Also made a start on recording other taxa in the garden (anything apart from birds and leps). Been letting the lawns grow to see what kind of plant biodiversity we have- some nice plants in the garden including Cowslip, Star-of-Bethlehem, Grass Vetchling, Hedge Woundworts, Hemp Agrimony, lots of Hemlock Water Dropwort in the front garden. I-Naturalist project HERE

Privet Hawkmoths

Lime Hawkmoth

Delicate- a few possible migrants this week, particularly last night including Diamond-backs, Silver-Y, White-points, Dark Spectacles and Angle Shades

Broken-barred Carpet (without a broken bar)

Marbled Fern, Musotima nitidalis- only the second or third here

Plain Conch- a new for garden

Need to id this damselfly in the strawberries this week 

Star-of-Bethlehem in the garden

Blackwits on Ferry. Interesting that there's been a sudden influx of what looks mainly like first-summer/non-breeding birds which presumably will undertake partial migrations to mid-summering areas. The Ferry is rapidly drying out at the moment seemingly offering good feeding. 

Short-tailed Shearwaters in the Persian Gulf off Kuwait May 2025

Things have developed with our Short-tailed Shearwater sightings off Kuwait and we now have six confirmed (by Bob Flood) individual birds (there were seven previous individuals recorded in the WP before our trip). Seems like there has been a regional influx into the NW Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf with a flock of 14 in Bangladesh, birds in India,  up to nine 'Short-tailed-types' in Kuwait Bay in the last two weeks and the first record also for the UAE. Hopefully will do a proper write up on this for a regional journal (hopefully Sandgrouse) with Bob and other Middle East/ Indian birders but in the meantime here is the link to Bob and Ashley's identification paper on Short-tailed Shearwater HERE and an introduction to our six birds with their diagnostic bill proportions. Very simply a Shortie has a bill ratio which roughly equates to a 30% tube, 30% mid-section and 40% unguis. In the images the variation between individuals is shown but all fall within variation of Short-tailed except for bird 6 which is marginal but can be confirmed on the structure and plumage indications (rounded head, steep forehead, pale chin, more compact) and underwing colouration which is more subdued than Sooty Shearwater.  

Main images below are mine, bill measurements and bill photos by Vince and bird 6 in flight by Omar. 

BIRD ONE

BIRD TWO

BIRD THREE

BIRD FOUR

Flight silhouette

BIRD FIVE

BIRD SIX