Bulgaria, a day in Durankulak

I met up with Pawel Simeon in the morning to look for the Desert Wheatear but after several hours searching in vain we decided to go and look for the Greater Spotted Eagle that is wintering in the area. We didn't find that either. However it was a great day exploring this extensive area, it's so big it seems best to explore it safari style from a vehicle driving the tracks that run across the steppe, edge of the lake and the beach. Ebird list from today HERE . Highlights included a presumed Rough-legged Buzzard, a female/immature Goldeneye on the sea and once again the spectacle of so many raptors, a response to the small mammal 'calamity' this winter. Pawel says there are at least 100 Marsh Harriers and 60 Hen Harriers in the nearby reed bed roost and there must be at least 100 Common Buzzards, a family of White-tailed Eagles, the Rough-legged Buzzard and the Greater Spotted Eagle in the immediate area (also plenty of Sparrowhawks and Kestrels ) and I had Little Owl and Long-eared Owl back at Kamen Bryag this evening. 

I enjoyed lunch at Pawel's lodge and talking about some birding plans for the future. I also helped Pawel doing some content for his lodge websites. I was supposed to be working on the project plot doing conservation work today but the weather, company and birding was just a bit too good so I basically have made zero progress on that so far . Hopefully will achieve something tomorrow. Dimiter and I have put together a small work team of three of us so should be able to catch up. 

Common Buzzard is certainly the bird of the moment. They were everywhere around Durankulak and there were kettles of presumably migrating birds. Apparently, November is the best month for Common Buzzards moving from Northern Europe into Bulgaria. The migrating Buzzards earlier on in the autumn are Steppe Buzzards from Russia. There was a nice variety of pale and dark morphs but most seemed to be darker birds like the one above. 

One of many Marsh Harriers- this one a juvenile bird

One of many Hen Harriers, some of the Buzzard kettles also contained Hen Harriers, Sparrowhawks and Kestrels which were all presumably migrants. This male Hen Harrier seemed pretty settled quartering the steppe. 

Picked up this very distant presumed Rough-legged Buzzard (on left) in a kettle of Common Buzzards. The contrasting upperwing and pale rump and uppertail and dark terminal tail band plus what looks like larger size and longer winged jizz all seemed to fit. It was about a mile away though but stood out very prominently even at significant distance. 

Grey Partridges