Tuesday 26 September 2023

Bulgaria Day Nine

Another great day birding around Burgas with Roger. We started the day off at the Uzungeren Lake Ebird list HERE and then went to the Akanasovsko Migration Watch Point HERE before lunch, then checked out Burgas lake viewpoints before back to the migration watch point before heading back to Varna to overnight. An evening on the town with Roger before he goes back to the UK and then this morning I headed back to Kamen Bryag to meet up again with Arjun. Highlights included Red-necked Phalarope, Gull-billed Tern, flocks of autumn Whiskered Terns and Red-foots, Honeys, Montagu's and Pallids migrating. 

Apparently the best wind for vis-mig round here is anything with a westerly component and particularly around rainfall and storms. It's been dry clear and persistently easterly for the two weeks we have been here so what we are seeing is Bulgaria during a quiet time. Would love to come back during a busy time as it's pretty epic here even during less than ideal conditions.

Meanwhile back at home there has been the biggest yank arrival in history (50 birds of 15 american species in Britain and Ireland) which we have been following with great interest (Connecticut Warbler on Corvo yesterday). We couldn't be any further from the action but that's birding- can't be everywhere at the same time. Arjun found a Caspian Stonechat in Kamen Bryag while we were in Burgas so got gripped off there too- lol! 

Live Trip Report HERE. Now on 169 species for the trip. Scarcities (according to Ebird) found between us include Ring Ouzels in Dobrich, Little Tern and Short-eared Owl at Pomorie and Arjun's Caspian Stonechat. We also had some epic counts of 12,000+ wagtails going to roost at Pomorie. 


First-winter Gull-billed Tern (above and below) 

Penduline Tit (above and below) 

Red-footed Falcons migrating at height- most of the birds were migrating very high over today and at best there was a drip/ trickle of migration. Seems like I jammed into a big day back in 2015 which I didn't quite appreciate the full significance of at the time  HERE as we didn't see any such scenes this time round 
Great White Pelicans on the move
Montagu's/Pallid Harrier going over
Another one of the cracking Gull-billed Tern 

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