Lake Srebarna - breeding site for Dalmatian Pelican and hundreds of other waterbirds

Malek Preslavets - a lake close to the Danube with breeding Whiskered Terns and Little Bitterns

Nova Cherna marshes - former fishponds, now a reserve with breeding Bittern, Little Bittern and, possibly, Bluethroat

Rusenski Lom - rocky gorges offer breeding habitat for Egyptian Vulture, Long-legged Buzzard, Eagle Owl etc

Eastern Rhodopes - the mountain range close to the Greek border, with breeding Griffon and Egyptian Vultures (attracted to feeding stations) and passerines such as Rock Nuthatch, Rock Bunting, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Eastern Subalpine Warbler and Sombre Tit

    Kardzhali

    Shiroko Pole

    Studen Kladenets

    Madzharovo

The Sakar Hills - includes possibly the best areas in Bulgaria to find Masked Shrike, Lesser Kestrel and Eastern Imperial Eagle

Ropotamo - Semi-collared Flycatchers are guaranteed here at the right time of year

Lake Alepu and Arkutino - sites for wetland birds by the coast

Lake Mandra and the Poda reserve - an exceptional wetland for breeding, wintering and passage species

Lake Vaya (Burgas Lake) - best in winter for birds such as Smew and White-headed Duck but nearby pools can also be great for breeding and passage birds

Lake Atanasovsko - mostly saltpans for waders, gulls and terns but with a raptor watchpoint and the chance of Little Crake

Pomorie Lake and saltpans - includes more sites where rare waders might be found as well as breeding Mediterranean Gull

Sliven and Karnobat - two areas where we saw Eastern Imperial Eagles in 2019 plus Isabelline Wheatears, Black-headed Buntings, Rollers and, in some years, Rose-coloured Starlings breed too.

Poroy - the reservoir is a reliable site for Ruddy Shelduck and is terrific at passage times for waders, terns and herons and I’ve had Sombre Tit, Semi-collared Flycatcher and White-tailed Eagle too.

Kableshkovo - a terrific site for buntings, larks and warblers including Olive-tree and Eastern Orphean

Cape Emine - exceptional for shrikes and warblers (including Eastern Bonelli’s, Eastern Orphean and Olive-tree), especially at passage times

Panitsovo and the Dyulinski Pass - great places for watching the passage of raptors, storks, pelicans and ibis in spring and autumn

Kamchia - still one of the best places in Europe for Semi-collared Flycatcher. Grey-headed Woodpecker is easy here too.

Yatata - another wetland for ducks, herons and waders

Albena and the Baltata forest - great for woodpeckers and flycatchers and we had River Warbler and Little Bittern here too

Balchik - Eagle Owls breed on the nearby cliffs

Bolata valley - fantastic for passage warblers plus Eagle Owl, Little Bittern, Little Crake and Pied Wheatear

Cape Kaliakra - Pied Wheatears are easy here and it’s a hotspot for passage birds. Nearby steppe areas have Short-toed and Calandra Larks, Isabelline Wheatears and Tawny Pipits plus Red-breasted Geese in winter

Yailata - exceptional for steppe species including Black-eared Wheatear and passage warblers and flycatchers

Shabla and Tuzla lakes - fantastic at passage times for species such as Little Crake, Citrine Wagtail, Broad-billed Sandpiper and Great Snipe plus flycatchers and warblers.

Lake Durankulak - Paddyfield Warbler and Pied Wheatear breed here and, on passage, birds such as Red-footed Falcon, Little Crake, Citrine Wagtail and Thrush Nightingale are regularly seen. Red-breasted Geese roost here in winter.

All this plus Red-necked Grebe, Yelkouan Shearwater, Barred Warbler, Ortolan Bunting, Lesser Grey Shrike, Penduline Tit, Black Woodpecker, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Marsh Warbler, Alpine Swift, Black Stork, White-winged Black Tern, Booted and Lesser Spotted Eagles, Ferruginous Duck, Pygmy Cormorant, White Pelican with sites for all these species described in detail.

The following sites are all included in my book Finding Birds in Eastern Bulgaria.

Click here for a sample of one of my books

In the book, each of these sites is described in detail with maps and gps co-ordinates showing you exactly where to go to find the birds you want.

This book replaces Finding Birds in Bulgaria, updating all the sites apart from those replicated here