Bulgaria: Birding the Black Sea and Vitosha in Winter

Bulgaria’s position in southeast Europe results in a range of species that are not found further west on the continent. During winter, the country holds vast numbers of geese and other waterfowl that make use of this small area in Eastern Europe, and results in fantastic birding opportunities.

The striking Red-breasted Goose is a special of the Kavarna area.

This birding tour encompasses the best of Bulgarian, and indeed Eastern European, birding during the winter months and commences in the capital city of Sofia. The first birding of our tour will be in the nearby and beautiful Vitosha Mountain National Park, where we can search for forest specials like Spotted Nutcracker, Black Woodpecker, Eurasian Goshawk, Firecrest, Red (Common) Crossbill, and a wide range of common European woodland birds like Eurasian Blue Tit, Goldcrest, and Willow Tit.

We will then make the journey across Bulgaria from Sofia to Pomorie, on the Black Sea coast. Along the route we will make stops to look for birds like Golden Eagle and Sombre Tit.

While in the Pomorie area we will visit the nearby salt works. The standout species here are the Near Threatened (BirdLife International) Dalmatian Pelican and White-headed Duck which is an Endangered species (BirdLife International). The salt works support many other birds, including various species of shorebirds (waders) and wintering passerines. We will visit some of the region’s protected wetland sites and coastal areas while here. This area holds more interesting species with Pallas’s Gull, Whooper Swan, Tundra (Bewick’s) Swan, and White-tailed Eagle all possible here. While in the area, we will also visit the Strandzha Mountains on the Turkish border, which is home to the exceedingly rare (in Bulgaria) White-backed Woodpecker.

We will look for the huge Dalmatian Pelican during the tour.

After birding around Pomorie, we will travel north along the coast to the town of Kavana. On the journey we will cross the Balkan mountain range and visit the Baltata National Reserve. This beautiful area is home to the striking Grey-headed Woodpecker and giant Black Woodpecker, while additional roadside stops in vast oak forests along this route may yield more woodpecker sightings, plus Short-toed Treecreeper.

Once in the Kavarna area we will search for the beautiful, yet classified as Vulnerable (BirdLife International), Red-breasted Goose among the tens of thousands of more common Greater White-fronted Goose. We will also visit the picturesque Kaliakra Nature Reserve and nearby Bolata Valley. This is part of Bulgaria’s last remaining steppe habitat and is another key area for wintering geese, including the prized, Red-breasted Goose. We should also come across a variety of wintering passerines, and perhaps the stunning Short-eared Owl. Huge cliffs here are home to the massive Eurasian Eagle-Owl.

The final area we will visit in this part of the country is the vast Durankulak Lake. This is a vitally important migration stopover point but is also very productive in winter. It is here that we will observe the greatest concentrations of geese so far, and hopefully add the Vulnerable (BirdLife International) Lesser White-fronted Goose to our list. This area is also good for birds of prey like Long-legged Buzzard and Rough-legged Buzzard. Sadly, this will bring our tour to an end and we will fly from Varna to Sofia and have one final birding session in Sofia ahead of our flights home.

We will search for Spotted Nutcracker in Vitosha Mountain National Park.