If you look at Vacational trip reports a page or two back, you will see my trip report from June 07. I was based at Sunny Beach on a family holiday.
There are 3 key birding areas on the Black Sea coast - Sunny Beach which is nearer the Burgas saltpans and marshes, Golden Sands which is nearer Cape kaliakra and Durankulak areas for Pied Wheatear and Paddyfield Warbler as well as a host of other birds, or the smaller Albena which is in between and probably the easiest to go walking and birding . With regards to raptors you may wish to go on a guided tour with Neophron who catered for me as an individual birder. Mid-late September is a the time when raptor migration is well in to gear and you should have hundreds of raptors such as LS Eagles overhead. If you go that time of year you need not neccessarily do what I did and go for a trip up to the southern areas like Sakar and Eastern Rhodopes mountain ranges ( you can only realisticaly do a day trip from Sunny Beach to these areas but an overnight trip is feasable from any of them). They take you to see Imperial Eagle and Griffon Vulture plus Monty's, LL & Common Buzzard, Black Kite, ALL of which are pretty much dead certs) and hopefully RF Falcon, Egyptian & Black Vulture, ST Eagle etc. Not sure you would see one of the 18 pairs of Eastern Imperial Eagle without a guide. That would be the obvious drawback. You may have to book this in advance because any company will get booked up with group bookings but they do have a number of guides. Mladen was mine from Neophron, excellent too. He popped into my hotel the day before my two day tour - day one was to the mountain areas I just mentioned - all a bit rushed as they recommend a 2 day trip to overnight at Madzorovo on the eastern Rhodopes. But I did see Imperial Eagle (x3), LS Eagle, Egyptian Vulture(x2), Griffon Vultures,Steppe Buzzard, LL Buzzard (x5), Black Kite (x7), Montys (x5), RF Falcon (x2), Kestrels, Common Buzzards etc. Plus others like Lesser Grey Shrike, Olive Tree Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Barred Warbler, Isabelline Wheatear, Black-Headed Wagtail, Ortolan Buntings, Rock Bunting (heard only), Rock Nuthatch, Sombre Tit, Black Headed Buntings, Red Backed Shrikes galore, Black Storks, Loads of White Storks, Spanish Sparrows, Hawfinch, Rollers, Bee-eaters, Woodchat Shrikes, Little Owl, Golden Orioles, Turtle Doves, Nightingales. Dipped on Masked Shrike due to weather.
Second day was up the coast to Goritza forest (Syrian & Middle Spotted Woodpecker, and Semi Collared Flycatcher), and then Durankulak for Paddyfield Warblers, Marsh Warbler, RF Falcon, Golden Orioles, Lesser Grey Shrikes, Golden Orioles, Collared Pratincole, Fudge Ducks, and Cape Kaliakra for Pied Wheateras, Calandra , Short Toed, and Woodlark as well as Isabelline Wheaters.
I also drove myself in a hire car to Cape Emine for Eastern Bonelli's Warbler, Oliveaceous Warbler, Sombre Tit, Rock Bunting tho I dipped on Olive Tree Warbler that are mean to be here. I was lucky to see Thrush Nightingale here. Poroy Wood is also near Sunny Beach and is worth checking out for woodpeckers. In my report I highlight a patch of Sunny Beach that was good for Little Bittern , Great Reed Warblers, Hawfinch, Golden Orioles.Also got Savi's warbler. You can book day trip around all Burgas lakes to see White & hopefully Dalmation Pelicans and Pygmy Cormorant.
Check the report and Neophron website for more info. A great trip. I would love to go back.
