WILD ECHO

30.09.2010

Via Pontica - our classical autumn migration tour has just finished with 169 bird species recorded!

Little gulls are numerous during thier migration along the Bulgarian Black Sea coast.

Our standard autumn migration tour – Via Pontica has just finished with a total of 169 species seen plus 2 heard. In general the migration was very slow, due to the still warm weather. 
We had one day of intensive migration where we say 600+ Lesser Spotted Eagles, 250+ Steppe Buzzards, 44 Black Storks, 300+ White Pelicans, Imperial Eagle, 10+ Levant Sparrowhawks, Eleonore’s Falcon etc. Other ‘good’ birds included 7 Red-necked Phalaropes, 4 Temminck’s Stints, Marsh Sandpipers, Broad-billed Sandpiper, 3 Caspian Terns, Arctic Skua, stunning male Red-breasted Flycatcher in full breeding plumage, Bluethroat male also in breeding plumage and hawking Nightjar. Local breeders were Eagle Owl, Pied Wheatear, Sombre Tit, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Quail, Dalmatian Pelican, Pygmy Cormorant and Ferruginous Duck.

Butterflies were also well presented with 34 species, which is very good record for such a late period.

Full checklist and a trip report can be found at the tour's web-page.