The best of today’s
birds were seen later on in the day along the road 901 to Cape Kaliakra. This
road is picked up off the E87 at Shabla and passes through four villages before
you reach the Cape. The area is steppe for as far as the eye can see. The Cape
itself has a high coastline with cliffs which has historic relevance as a fort
which overlooks the sea and the land.
My bird of the day Calandra Lark was seen on the roadside on the way
back from the Cape and had me patiently positioned to get the best pictures of
the group that was feeding. I have found the Bulgarian people friendly and
somewhat curious as to what I am doing during my stay. I guess a guy in green
carrying binoculars and no gun at this time of year is odd and a curious man
stopped his car in front of mine as I looked at the Larks ahead! The Larks flew
off as he spoke to me (thinking I was a hunter?!). I don’t have the first idea
what he said but I showed him my Collins guide and he toddled off back to his
car and drove off. I had to chuckle because he was oblivious to what I was
looking at and I had already taken some shots (pictures!!) of the birds. The
hunting season lasts for a month finishing at the end of January and is worth
bearing in mind if you book a birding trip to Bulgaria!
Shore Lark would also feature on the interesting species list for the
day and four birds were noted earlier on in the day as I was travelling to the
Cape along the same road. White-fronted Goose was a regular feature overhead flying
in strict formation.
There were a lot of Common Buzzard and Hen Harrier showing today. The
warm thermals had created ideal hunting conditions for them. Kestrels were also
frequently seen around the pylons.
I had spent the morning at Krapets on the beach looking at gulls and
waterfowl. There were a small group of Red-breasted Merganser that dropped in
within scope distance. Along the dunes I got very close to Siskin that were so
busy feeding they totally ignored the car as it approached.
I finished the day at Shabla lakes and along the beach where I spoke to
a couple of local ornithologists who directed me to a group of Knot which had a
Dunlin in tow. Wigeon were seen in flight with Mallard. The sea was like a
queue for a bus with Black-headed and Common Gull, Pochard, Coot, Great Crested
Grebe, Black-necked Grebe all waiting for the nearby lakes to thaw!
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