Monday 21 November 2022

Bulgaria, November 2022- Final day

Well that was an excellent week. Found a Bulgarian mega (with Dimiter), saw loads of good birds, ate Tripe soup and wasn't sick, got loads of work done on the plot and also got the ball rolling for services to be connected by Spring.  

I spent the last morning at Cape Kaliakra which was shockingly quiet. Ebird list HERE. I'm so familiar with this place during migration times when it is buzzing that to see it during a mild quiet winter's day was quite eerie. Meadow Pipits, Wrens and Robins were present which are not present in Spring. The highlights were a couple of juvenile Arctic Skua, a Black Redstart and a first-winter Caspian Gull. 

The moth trap was relatively busy last night. A few moths in photos below from the week. I started an I-naturalist project for the project Leps which I need to start working on HERE

Juvenile Arctic Skua
First-winter Caspian Gull flying past 
Meadow Pipit
Grey Partridge out on the Steppe
Black-spot Chestnut - had a handful of these throughout the week. Also had Green-brindled Crescent, Silver-Y (with hundreds in the fields nearby), Rusty-dot Pearl, Rush Veneer, Diamond-back moth, Dark Sword Grass, Beaded Chestnuts, White-speck, November moth agg and Rhomboid Tortrix. Also lots of Painted Ladies about, Clouded Yellows, Red Admirals and Small White. Amazing for November and presumably involving migrants in the mild south winds. 
Black-banded Polymixis- 050122 update- INaturalist update, Polymixis xanthomista (Black-banded) does not occur in Bulgaria so the default is P.rufocincta
This moth was very numerous on the plot and in the surrounding area. Still working on it. Update 050123- the only suggestion so far is Deuterotinea casanella which is mainly a Russian species HERE

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