Two-day Private Birding Trip: The Eastern Rhodopes & Sakar

and drive to the the Eastern Rhodope Mountains. On the way we stop in the Sakar Mountain to search for Eastern Imperial Eagle, Long-legged Buzard, Levant Sparrowhawk, Masked Shrike (May-July only), Olive-tree Warbler (May-July only), Eastern Orphean Warbler (May-June only), Calandra Lark, Isabeline Wheatear, Sombre Tit, etc. The Sakar is an area of rounded hills and open valleys, where most of the lowland is step-like grassland with scattered trees, bushes and agricultural plots. It is Bulgaria’s Eastern Imperial Eagles stronghold. The endless chain of mild crests and folding wood-covered tops provide shelter to the Booted Eagle, the Masked Shrike, the Olive-tree Warbler, the Semi-collared Flycatcher, etc. European Rollers, European Bee-eaters, Eurasian Hoopoes and Black-headed Buntings are everywhere along the roads.

We arrive in the town of Krumovgrad in the afternoon (~ 4.00-5.00 p.m.) and do some birding in the area; There is an option for after-dinner watching of Eurasian Scops Owls in the town parks.

The Eastern part of the Rhodope Mountains is locked between the valleys of the big rivers Arda and Maritsa in southern Bulgaria, near the border with Greece. This area hosts exceptional biodiversity – a result of the mixture of Mediterranean and continental climate. It is a landscape of jagged peaks, towering cliffs and sparsely vegetated, boulder-strewn slopes,where the most spectacular birds are the Eurasian Griffon Vultures. Eurasian Black Vultures, Egyptian Vultures, White-tailed Eagles, Eastern Imperial Eagles are also frequent visitors of the feeding tables. We will see many Black Storks nesting on the cliffs. Chukars often stand sentinel on rocky hillsides. The shrill whistles of Western Rock Nuthatches and the song of the Ortolan Bunting can be heard everywhere around. In the morning we will visit one of the vulture feeding sites in the area. In the afternoon we will do some more birding there and will leave back to the coast (or your starting point is) at 3.00 – 4.00 p.m.