Romanian Trip June 12-20 (1 Viewer)

[john gardiner]

I finally made it to Romania last week on holiday,though this was not actually a birdwatching holiday . I stayed in Zarnesti near Brasov walking in the Piatra Crailui National Park . The highlight being 6 of the European Woodpeckers and 10 lifers . The downside being hearing a Corncrake but not seeing it ( no tick there ) . The highlight of the holiday though was seeing Brown Bears on 3 occasions , one time on the streets of Brasov a little too close for comfort . We were lucky enough to be able to go to a hide in the forest at dusk and see two males fighting over food . Romania was a beautiful country and largely unspoilt by western standards the people were also very friendly I would recommend Romania to anyone who loves the outdoors.
The full list of birds seen were as follows :
* indicates lifer
White Stork
Honey Buzzard *
Sparrowhawk
Common Buzzard
Kestrel
Grey Partridge
Lapwing
Herring Gull
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Cuckoo
Swift
Alpine Swift
Hoopoe
Black Woodpecker *
Green Woodpecker
Grey Headed Woodpecker *
Three Toed Woodpecker *
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Syrian Woodpecker *
Skylark
Woodlark *
Swallow
House Martin
Tree Pipit
Grey Wagtail
Yellow Wagtail
White Wagtail
Dipper
Wren
Robin
Redstart *
Black Redstart
Northern Wheatear
Blackbird
Fieldfare
Ring Ouzel
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Chiffchaff
Whitethroat
Blackcap
Goldcrest
Firecrest *
Spotted Flycatcher
Collared Fycatcher *
Marsh Tit
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Treecreeper
Nuthatch
Red Backed Shrike
Starling
Jay
Magpie
Jackdaw
Raven
Hooded Crow
Rook
House Sparrow
Tree Sparrow
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Serin *
Goldfinch
Bullfinch
Linnet
Yellowhammer

 

[Michael Frankis]

Sounds good . . . Brown Bear "a little too close for comfort", eh? What's the story there? Sounds fascinating!

Michael

 

[john gardiner]

Michael
we were watching a bear scavenging in the bins on the other side of the road when I noticed a large number of the crowd moving rather quickly up the road I turned round only to see another bear came walking up the path about 5 metres away I move pretty sharpish unlike some of the local youths who like to prove how macho they are by getting as close to the bears as possible sometimes even feeding the bears out of there hands . I fear this will eventually lead to someone being attacked and who's going to get the backlash then?

 

[john gardiner]

I forgot to add the bear went over to the skip and chased the other bear away and then came back over to our side of the road and laid down and tried to go to sleep , but the local youths kept goading it with food .I think it's got to the point where the bears come up to people looking for food an accident waiting to happen I think .

 

[Michael Frankis]

Wheeoo!

How d'you get to Brasov? When's the nest train?

Any photos? - be nice to see the kids feeding them, quite a sight :eek!:

But you're right, sooner or later someone's going to get badly hurt, when the bears start to think all & any food is theirs by right . . .

Was this all in the middle of the day, or at night?

Michael

 

[john gardiner]

Sorry Michael just a 35 mm camera , this was at dusk 9-10pm . Some of the locals in the flats where the bins are wait until the bears come out then they throw there rubbish over the road to them .

 

[IanF]

Sounds like a trip of a lifetime. Some great birds there in addition to the bears.

 

[john gardiner]

Just managed to get hold of a couple of photos of the bears , first time I ve posted any so I hope it's OK

 

[Michael Frankis]

Wow!

They're worth adding to the gallery, too

 

[Reader]

Wow!

They're worth adding to the gallery, too

I'll second that, and what a story anyway.

Considering it wasn't a birding holiday you certainly racked up some nice birds there. 4 of them would be lifers for me.

Was it expensive to get there, and to stay there? Do you know the cost of the hire cars over there? Any info would be of help, not only for me but any one else that might be thinking of a birding holiday over there.

My missus and I have have been talking about going to either Bulgaria or Romania for a while now. I think Romania has possibly edged it after your report.

 

[john gardiner]

I have managed to get hold of a picture of the locals feeding the bears.
Reader I went on a organised trip with Exodus in conjunction with the Carpathian Large Carnivore Project which is quite an expensive option but considering what I saw I think it was worth it . I could'nt comment on car hire but a word of warning the conditions of the roads in the country are appalling the dirt tracks were in better condition . Food, alcohol etc are very cheap but things such as camera film are the same as in Britain. I know there are BF members in Romania so maybe they can help you more but I will try to help you all I can if you need more information . If anyone is going to Romania as a general tourist and going to Bran Castle forget the Castle check the grounds out good for Woodpeckers, Nuthatches ,Flycatchers and Black Redstarts also the Village Museum in Bucharest is a good birding site .

 

[Edward]

I'd very much liek to go to Romania, John, dramatic landscape, fascinating language and good birds to boot. I'd have had five lifers amongst that lot. A Brown Bear would have been the highlight but I echo Michael's concerns that this is an accident waiting to happen. It won't be long before some idiot's head is accidentally taken off and the bears will all have to be "dealt with" to stop it happening again. A friend of mine who grew up in the USA in the 1950s told me of a case he'd heard about in Yellowstone just before he visited about a man being mauled by a Black Bear after his wife had tried to entice it into his car with food so that he could take a photo of a bear behind the steering wheel of the car. It took a swipe at him as he got behind it to push it into position on the driver's seat. Don't try the same with Polar Bears on Svalbard......

E

 

[Leicaman]

I'm gald you liked Romania. I went there in the summer of 2002 and had a great time including watching brown bears at Sinaia rubbish tip late one evening. I also enjoyed the Danube delta but not the mosquitos there.

 

[romancitizen]

Go with Ibis, if you don't mind a 'package'

We went to Romania in May 2003 with Naturetrek - basically they use Ibis Tours to run it for them in Romania. We spent 3 nights in Poina Brasov (near Brasov) - saw a wallcreeper amongst many other birds - the drove to Tulcea and spent 3 days floating round the Danube Delta, wonderful experience, plus a couple of days in a hotel in Tulcea whilst we travelled up into local mountains.

Went into Brasov bear-hunting, but failed to see any - far too many people about, including dozens of young Americans making a hell of a row at one o'clock in the morning - which may explain why the bears failed to appear. I expected someone from the local blocks of flats to appear at any moment with a shotgun to shut them up......

 

[lou salomon]

Michael
we were watching a bear scavenging in the bins on the other side of the road when I noticed a large number of the crowd moving rather quickly up the road I turned round only to see another bear came walking up the path about 5 metres away I move pretty sharpish unlike some of the local youths who like to prove how macho they are by getting as close to the bears as possible sometimes even feeding the bears out of there hands . I fear this will eventually lead to someone being attacked and who's going to get the backlash then?

this autumn some severe incidents happened in that region. I know of a letal one, but that has been a bear that got mad and killed one of the emergency team guys who came to help an injured person. the thing is that fructification in the woods is very weak this year so many bears (and wild pigs) come to feed from crops in the people's gardens. Nature pres. organisation Milvus has started a informational campaign to reduce the risk of bear incidents in souteastern Transilvania. Also, one should know that in oct. the romanian parliament agreed on a hunting quota of 354 bears this hunting season, last year there were over 550! Things are not going well for carpatian bears...
Lou

 

[lou salomon]

just a remark to the list: herring gull very probable was one of the few breeding yellow-legged in that region (michahellis, breeding since 1998 near Brasov), but if you regard this (sub-)species as herring, I was wrong.
Lou

 

[john gardiner]

I was informed that last year there was a public outcry at the number of bears shot and that hunting had been banned this year the fact that this decision has been reversed is bad news indeed.I saw the Herring Gull in the centre of Bucharest, I heard it and looked up assuming it to be Herring Gull, but thinking about it Yellow Legged is more probable.

 

[lou salomon]

On Bucharest roofs michahellis is breeding. cachinnans breeds only in Dobrogea at coastal lagoons. Since you saw it in June, micha is the most probable.
k.regards
Lou

 

[brianfm]

I have just noticed this thread. I to have been to Brasov and have to admit I joined what I think is a complete 'circus' to watch the bears in Brasov. I was alone in thinking the whole thing was very dangerous and an accident waiting to happen. I think I was alone in finding it rather sad standing watching bears eating out of bins and breaking jam jars to get at the contents. I also traveled with Naturetrek whose leader seemed quite put out when I voiced my concerns. Having watched bears in Canada and having such strict rules to follow I found it hard to believe that UK tour operators support such a thing. I think there is an issue of selling their tours on the understanding that you have a good chance of seeing bears. My experience is that there is no mention of watching them feeding from rubbish bins until you are in the actual street.

Sorry to see the news about the hunting quotas.

 

[john gardiner]

Brian I too didn't feel to safe being so close to the bears. When I was at the bins there was some stray cats scavenging and the bears didn't seem too interested in them until suddenly one pounced and went for the cats, the cat just got away . A cat's reaction is a lot quicker than that of a human so I wouldn't want to get any closer like some of the locals.I knew were going there before I went but I preferred watching them from the hide in the forest but that cost's an extra 30 euro's but well worth it.We were also treated to a Dormouse hiding in the hut.