Bulgarian Trip Report June 2023

Bulgarian Trip Report June 2023

After a couple of days break, following on from my Serbian Tour, I met up with my clients at Varna airport for this year’s Bird Photography Tour in Bulgaria. Our transfer is pretty short – it takes just over an hour to reach our rural Bulgarian village which – our base for the next 5 nights.

Our first photography session was at the Drinking Pool.. and what a difference a year makes! This time last year the pool was very quiet – now it is a hive of activity, with Finches, Tits and Woodpeckers visiting non-stop.great tit photo-bombing greenfinch at pool with reflection in bulgaria

This is no ordinary drinking pool – it’s set around 10 metres high, part of our Tree-top Hide amongst the canopy. Aside from photography, this is a unique experience for wildlife-watching to be at eye level with a variety of birds… and the occasional Red Squirrel! Woodpeckers regularly landed in adjacent trees and Nightingales serenaded us, briefly showing themselves! 

syrian woodpecker perched on branch with mountain backdrop in bulgaria

Great spotted Woodpeckers were regular visitors as were the Greenfinches, but the most active bird was the Syrian Woodpecker with different individuals coming to both drink and feed young on the pool edge. The main challenge was to capture the best reflections possible and luckily we were often blessed with calm conditions. Most of my images were composed vertically making for easier composition and ensuring I could include all the reflection.

male greenfinch drinking from pool with reflection in bulgaria

syrian woodpecker adult feeding juvenile at pool with reflections in bulgaria

The most exciting moment was when a male Green Woodpecker suddenly flew in and began to drink. I didn’t have the best autofocus settings set and whilst I photographed the bird, I didn’t get the head sharp enough! At least I managed a quick portrait as he perched on the opposite side before flying off! We also had a female land, but all too briefly for a picture.

male green woodpecker on log in bulgaria

Greenfinches were on mass and provided great opportunities for full reflections and drinking images. Another highlight was a pair of Hawfinches – a bird I always love to see. 

male hawfinch perched on branch in bulgaria

One of my favourite aspects of Bulgaria are the opportunities for photography outside of hides. The surrounding habitat is so bird-rich and it’s just a case of putting in time at the right location to get good bird photos. Shooting from a vehicle we managed some lovely images of Black headed Bunting and Corn Bunting and had good views of both Woodchat Shrike and Red backed Shrike. In the past we have set up pop-up hides for various birds including Red backed Shrike, with success.black headed bunting perch on bush in bulgaria

 

black headed bunting perch on bush in bulgaria

corn bunting singing from top of bush in bulgaria

The Wryneck is a fascinating bird and they can be found, and heard, around our base. However, they are not easy to photograph! This year we had our best views and photos of this slightly bizarre bird. From a tent hide we were able to photograph a pair of Wrynecks as they returned to the nest to feed young. It was at quite a distance but by keeping the ISO low I was able to capture reasonable images, even after being significantly cropped. wryneck at nest hole in walnut tree in bulgaria

adult wryneck feeding chick at nest hole in walnut tree in bulgaria

The best encounter for me was coming across a Wryneck searching for ants by the roadside. The bird seemed relatively relaxed with the car and I managed a few shots – again this has been quite heavily cropped. We continue to learn about this bird – every bit of knowledge helps us to increase our chances of photographic success.

wryneck on ground looking for ants in bulgaria

This year the Golden Orioles were difficult to photograph. Good photo opportunities are largely dependent on weather factors and food availability and this year the odds weren’t in our favour. That said, we regularly saw and heard Orioles pretty much every day and we had great views of them feeding on fruits from the Tree-top Hide – just a little too distant for photography. Last year we captured amazing Oriole images at close range. We also watched Blackbirds and Red Squirrels feeding on the fruits this season.

 

This year a pair of Hoopoes chose to nest very close to one of the permanent hides. The site is one of my favourite locations – a mixture of wildflower meadows and woodland with a small stream at the bottom of a bank. It’s a wonderful place to just stop and listen to the birds. Watch my Bulgaria 2023 video to hear the beautiful birdsong here  During our session we had many visits from both parents and we captured some great flight shots. The light levels were always low so we had to whack up the ISO. I’ve also done a little post-processing to reduce the background noise.

hoopoe in flight returning to nest with food for chicks in blulgaria

hoopoe in flight leaving nest hole in blulgaria

You never know what’s going to turn up in Bulgaria. We saw many more birds including Linnet, Western Yellow Wagtail, Turtle Dove, Lesser grey Shrike and a Little Owl that would often sit on the roof! We also heard Scops Owl and Nightjar in the evening.

little owl stood on roof staring in village in bulgaria

The hides are run by my good friend Terry who always goes above and beyond for his clients. We were very grateful for his efforts and for the suggestions he made on getting the most out out of each situation. Can’t wait to get back! I’ll be looking at a Winter Trip for Woodpeckers and exploring nearby wetlands for more photo tours.

Join me on a Bulgarian Tour – Email Me: paul@naturephotographycourses.co.uk

 

See Images and Footage from this year’s Tour

 

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Bird List for this Tour

Close Views / Photographable: Syrian Woodpecker, Great spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Lesser spotted Woodpecker, Red backed Shrike, Black headed Bunting, Corn Bunting, Wryneck, Hoopoe, Little Owl, Greenfinch, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Chaffinch, Hawfinch, Blackbird, Jay, House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Sombre Tit, Magpie

Good Views / Distant Photographs: Linnet, Western Yellow Wagtail, Scops Owl, Golden Oriole, Nightingale, Woodchat Shrike, Woodlark, Crested Lark, Lesser grey Shrike, Turtle Dove, White Stork, Collard Dove

Distant or Heard: Ortolan Bunting, Nightjar, Common Cuckoo, Common Buzzard, Whitethroat

Other Wildlife: Tree Frogs, Red Squirrel, Lizards and many, many Insects!

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Serbia Trip Report June 2023

Serbia Trip Report June 2023

Due to the pandemic, the last time I used these hides in Serbia was in 2019 so I was eager to get back. It was a wonderful feeling to be back here again and I can honestly say the hides were as good as ever – in fact, this year I’d say they delivered some of the best opportunities I’ve ever seen. I met my 3 clients, Mike, Karen and Ray at Belgrade Airport before taking our transfer north to Vojvodina.

The next morning we had our first photo session – a beautiful setting for Hoopoe. Both parents were bringing food back to the chicks – my clients worked largely on capturing flight shots whilst I concentrated on video. We also got images of the youngsters peeking out of the nest hole! This hide is one-way glass, situated at ground level, with a wild flower meadow as the backdrop. It also doubles up as a White Tailed Eagle hide in the winter months.

hoopoe perched with food for chick in a flower meadow in serbia

hoopoe chick peering out of nest hole in a tree in serbia

The Tower Hide is always a busy place for photography. Here Red footed Falcon, Common Kestrel and European Roller all nest in close proximity. At times the action can be a little crazy – with so much going on that you don’t know where to point your camera! It often pays to concentrate on a specific species, or focus on a pre-visualised image. I’ve always struggled with flight shots here in the past; this time I managed my best flight shots of both Kestrel and Roller. The Red footed Falcons are always a challenge – their speed can be incredible!

male common kestrel calling on a perch in serbia

female common kestrel in flight in serbia

male red footed falcon perched in a tree in serbia in evening light

I tried a suggestion from one my clients, Ray, switching to a larger rectangular box for my autofocus. I was amazed how well it worked and I captured one of my best ever flight shots of a Roller as it swooped up to its perch. The Canon R6 auto-focus had locked on incredibly well and from 6 images, 4 were pin sharp on the head. Happy days!  Everyone enjoyed the Tower Hide very much and we did another session later in the week.

european roller in flight with food in serbia

The Water Hides are some of my favourites in Serbia. There are currently 2 in action, whilst a third one is being built for 2024. The main Water Hide is situated amongst the reed-beds with a beautiful view across the water. The background colours are beautiful and with low winds the reflections are very appealing. From our sessions here we photographed Grey Heron, Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Little and Great Egret. The light here can be stunning – early in the morning the sun starts to break over the reeds and the quality of both sunlight and reflections is spot on.

squacco heron on lake in serbia
black crowned night heron with reflection on water in serbia in morning light

 

purple heron in flight in serbia

grey heron coming into land in reed beds in serbia

In our last session at the hide we had quite a surprise. Out of nowhere a White Stork landed, right in front of us and began to fish. We all took many, many images as the bird danced around, striking numerous poses and catching its prey. This was an absolute delight and something I had never seen from this hide before!

white stork stood in water on one leg scratching head in serbia

white stork feeding on fish in water in serbia

 

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Email: paul@naturephotographycourses.co.uk

 

The second water hide is a low down affair. Lying in a 4 foot high tube for hours on end is never comfortable… but I really like the aspect of this hide. Completely at ground level we had close up views of a range of birds that were naturally foraging in the shallow waters. Lapwing, Redshank, Great Egret and Purple Heron all came reasonably close for photography. It pays to keep turning over now and again (a bit like a spit-roast) to relieve tension in both your neck and back. Still, it might help to incorporate a little pilates into your life for moments like these…

redshank walking low down in grass in serbia

Some of my favourite images from this session were of a Pygmy Cormorant. The light was always flat and at times there was a little rain in the air. It was nice to get something different, a little atmospheric – the bird even did a nice shake for me at one point!

pygmy cormorant shaking off water in rain in serbia

There’s one bird I’d always wanted to capture in the past but never been successful – the Black winged Stilt. I think these birds are beautiful. Dainty and elegant.. although they can look a little too ridiculous at times when you realise just how long their legs are. As I’d hoped, a few of these birds slowly wandered in our direction and we managed some pleasing shots, often with blurred foregrounds.black winged stilt feeding in shallow water in serbia

black winged stilt feeding in shallow water in serbia

We did a solid 4 hours in that hide and, despite the discomfort, I really enjoyed my time in the there. And there’s always a sense of achievement at the end!

This year conditions for the Bee-eaters were fabulous. Shooting in the afternoon can give incredible light, particularly as the sun begins to set behind us. We shoot from a pop-up hide, which the birds readily accept. The bubbling sound here is just incredible, something that can’t be conveyed in the images – but you can listen to it in my Serbian Photo Tour Video

european bee-eater calling on perch in evening light in serbia

european bee eater food pass on branch in serbia

Simple portraits aren’t difficult to capture and even the food pass is relatively easy. So, with such great light, and favourable winds, I set about capturing some decent landing shots as birds came to alight on the perches. It’s often trial and error, but after a few attempts I managed some images I was really happy with.

european bee-eater coming into land on branch in serbia

european bee-eater coming into land with wings outstretched on branch in serbia

Without doubt, one of the highlights for me was our new location for Birds in Flight Photography. This site allows us to shoot at eye level and with such good activity we had numerous attempts at our flight shots. In just a short space of time we had photographed 4 species of Heron, 2 species of Egret and 2 species of Cormorant, not to mention the many Gulls – all from the same place!

night heron in flight with blue sky in serbia

Over the week we photographed at a second Hoopoe Hide, a Penduline Tit nest, and enjoyed ‘in the field’ photography with the help of our knowledgeable Serbian guides. We photographed Spoonbill, Great Reed Warbler, Moustached Warbler, a family of Bearded Tits and numerous Marsh Harriers! We had sightings of Red backed Shrike, Saker Falcon and Little Bittern. The species we saw reached impressive numbers – we counted around 50.. just in one morning! We finished our tour with a morning trip to Subotica, with a local guide, for a little sight-seeing and to learn about the history of the town.

two bearded tits perched in reeds in serbia in summer

It was a great week with some truly memorable moments. As always a big thank you must go the hide operators who work extremely hard. And a massive thanks to my clients for making it such a fun trip, great company to have!

Watch my video of this years’ Serbian Bird Photography Tour on YouTube

 

Join me on a Tour in Serbia (Places are limited)

Email me: paul@naturephotographycourses.co.uk

 

Photograph the Famous Roosting Long Eared Owls of Serbia

 

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Full Bird List for this Tour

I’ve done my very best to list everything we saw and heard, but there were so many species I may have missed something!

Farmland / grasslands: Red footed Falcon, Common Kestrel, European Roller, Jackdaw, Collared Dove, Common Starling, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, European Bee-eater, Common Cuckoo, Saker Falcon, Hobby, Stonechat, Turtle Dove, Golden Oriole, Woodpigeon, Corn Bunting

Water Birds: Grey Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Purple Heron, Great Cormorant, Pygmy Cormorant, Great Egret, Little Egret, Little Bittern, Spoonbill, Black winged Stilt, Mute Swan, Coot, Mallard, Pochard, Red crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Tufted Duck, Greylag Goose, Redshank, Northern Lapwing, Marsh Harrier, Black headed Gull,  Mediterranean Gull, Black Tern, Whiskered Tern, Kingfisher

Reed beds / Wetlands: Bearded Tit, Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Great reed Warbler, Moustached Warbler, Penduline Tit, Sand Martin

Woodland and Scrub: Whitethroat, Red backed Shrike, Lesser grey Shrike, Long eared owl, Little Owl, Great spotted Woodpecker, Syrian Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Jay, Great Tit, Chaffinch, Blackcap, Whitethroat

Other Wildlife: Otter, Roe Deer, Brown Hare, Water Snake, Frogs, Lizards, Butterflies, Damselflies & Dragonflies

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Serbian Birds Photo Tour Trip Report

Serbian Birds Photo Tour Trip Report

I’ve just returned from a successful Bird Photography Tour in Serbia with my two clients Ian and Alec. During the seven night all inclusive tour we used some excellent hides which really delivered, and we experienced incredibly consistent weather. We all managed some ‘firsts’ including the extravagant looking Hoopoe.!

A late night flight to Belgrade meant a quick stop over before being picked up the next morning. We were soon on the road, heading towards Subotica in the province of Vojvodina. Subotica is the most Northern city in Serbia, with many Hungarian influences. After checking into Hotel Galleria we were soon taken for our first hide session: the Tower Hide. Situated in flat, largely agricultural land this hide overlooks a number of small trees used by various breeding birds. This is a one-way glass hide which helps to reduce disturbance; the disadvantages are in loss of light – you lose around a stop. And yes, it can reduce sharpness a little, but with good light and good equipment I think it really is negligible. Nest boxes close to the hide allow amazing views of European Roller, Common Kestrel and Red footed Falcon. Perches have been expertly positioned, giving stunning backgrounds at a good distance for the majority of ‘wildlife’ lenses. During our first session we captured beautifully lit portraits and I managed to bag a decent flight shot of a Roller…  after failing miserably last year.! The hide gets very hot, but such is the nature of wildlife photography – it is a case of suffering for your art. The results are worth it! You can see some Roller Video Footage on my YouTube Channel

Shooting during this time of year means early starts and  the next morning we were out for 5.00am to try the Hoopoe hide. This was a real bonus, having only been set up this year by our hosts. I wasn’t too sure what to expect but it turned out to be one of my favourite hides. Myself and Alec settled into the bigger hide whilst Ian had a pop up hide to himself – both positioned at the same distance from the nesting Hoopoes. Between us we shot with a mixture of 400mm, 500mm and 600m  – all Canon gear.! The setting is just beautiful; perfect for the early morning light with a mixture of background colours and some semi-shade. After taking portraits we all had a go at flight shots, such was the frequency of the returning parent birds.

After a midday break and some lunch we headed for our next photography hide – the drinking pool. This is essentially a reflection pool situated within a woodland site, regularly used by a good selection of birds. The light here is best in the afternoon when the sun is directly behind. The great thing about this type of hide is you never know what’s going to turn up.! The record is around 15 species in one session and we did pretty well – reaching about 12. Both male and female Hawfinch were a delight as they came to drink and bathe; other birds included Tree pipit, male Blackcap, Jay and the beautiful Turtle Dove. The real highlight was when a juvenile Sparrowhawk came in!

After teasing us in the branches it finally dropped down and began to splash in the pool – just yards away! A magical encounter. The visit was a prolonged one… the longest I’ve ever watched a Sparrowhawk for. Whilst this is great if you’re a huge Sparrowhawk fan (like me!) it doesn’t help to attract the smaller birds.! Eventually the bird left and we got a few more images of various species before the light levels started to drop. Light levels aren’t really an issue for filming so I made sure to get some Video footage including this Bathing Jay!

Another early start and this time for pop-up hides at the Bee-eater colony. If you want to photograph colourful birds then you can’t do much better than a Bee-eater! Our host set up the hides, positioned strategically towards the slim perches and then we prepared ourselves. After a bit of a wait the birds were back, landing on the perches and dazzling us in the morning sun. The light was extraordinary – bright, but somehow with a different quality that didn’t seem quite as harsh as in the UK. We photographed a number of food passes, including one with a beautiful blue dragonfly.! The sounds of these birds were beautiful too – a lovely relaxed bubbling as they whizzed around the nest site. I also captured some Bee-eater Video Footage of the food passing.

Towards the end of the tour we visited Palic Lake. This area, designated as a protected nature reserve, is a tranquil haven for birds. Palic is home to a huge Pygmy Cormorant roost, a very interesting subject to photograph, with the dark shapes dotted around the white-washed trees. The tranquillity was only broken by the calls of Egrets and Herons that constantly flew past us over the reedbed. Unlike some reserves in the UK, here there is no struggling for tripod space – in fact, we barely saw a person during three hours. Great Reed Warblers were everywhere and we all managed to get something of this vocal bird.

The long days do take their toll so I had factored in a rest morning half way through. This was a good time to explore Subotica – a beautiful and relaxing city with friendly locals and some superb food.! During the week long trip we visited each hide twice, trying to capture something different. Me and Alec visited the drinking pool again and were quite taken aback when a huge Buzzard bungled itself in by the pool – one of the highlights of the week! On the last day, I went for back-lit Hoopoe shots whilst Alec and Ian tried the drinking pool again. This time they were treated to a male Sparrowhawk. I was gutted!!

This Serbian Photography Tour will run again in mid-May 2018. You can see more Serbian Wildlife on the Gallery Page at www.paulmiguel.co.uk  If you’re looking for a different destination with quality hides and a top class hotel, then this is the trip for you. Serbia really does offer very good value all round. Any questions about these bird holidays please feel free to email on paul@naturephotographycourses.co.uk or ring me on 07759485791. You may be interested in my other Small Group Nature Photography Tours

I’m looking forward to taking next years group already!

Paul Miguel

 

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