Wildlife Photography Blog
Bulgaria 2022, Day 17: South East Butterflies Part 1
The first of three days in the far south-east of the country. After a morning washout we had a good afternoon with two new species — an Assmann's Fritillary, and a tantalisingly brief Large Chequered Skipper.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 16: Some Herping & Atanasovsko Ezero Again
Started off at a site north of Burgas to look unsuccessfully for Reddish Whip Snake. Then visited Atanasovsko Ezero again, and finished off along the southern Black Sea Coast with a rain-interrupted herping session.
Bulgaria 2022: Dice Snake
Some photos of a young Dice Snake we found at the end of day 15 of the trip.
Bulgaria 2022: Dark Spreadwing
A selection of photos of a Dark Spreadwing we found at Pomorie Salt Museum.
American Cliff Swallow at Joss Bay
A quick visit to Joss Bay to see Kent's first American Cliff Swallow.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 15: Atanasovsko Ezero & more at Pomorie
Today's main site was Atanasovsko Ezero, where a large number of Greater Flamingo and a small mix of waders were the highlights, as well as a few dragonflies and moths. At Pomorie in the evening the best bits were Dark Spreadwing and a Dice Snake.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 14 Part 2: Avocets & Stilts at Pomorie
An evening session photographing in excellent light Black-winged Stilts and Avocets at Pomorie.
Bulgaria 2022: Collared Pratincoles
A selection of photos from an excellent session photographing one of my favourite species, the Collared Pratincole, at Poda BSPB.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 14 Part 1: Poda BSPB Reserve
A visit to the Poda BSPB reserve, with a nice selection of birds, a Tree Frog, and a new species of bird for me: Citrine Wagtail.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 13 Part 2: Goritsa Forest Herps
An afternoon spent in the Goritsa Forest, unsuccessfully looking for Semicollared Flycatcher. We did however see some good herps, including more Meadow Lizards, and my first ever skink.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 13 Part 1: Steppe Birding
This morning was spent birding the steppe around the village of Balgarevo, looking mainly for larks & pipits. Photography was challenging, but I came away with some atmospheric shots of most of the steppe specialists.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 12 Part 2: Cape Kaliakra — Mostly Wheatears!
A late afternoon/evening visit to Cape Kaliakra was as productive as we hoped. Both Pied Wheatear and Northern Wheatear were easy to photograph. The day finished with a nice bonus in the form of a very obliging Tawny Pipit.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 12 Part 1 - Durankulak & a Lesser Grey Shrike
The morning's main focus was hunting for Paddyfield Warbler — we were successful! Black Pennant was a nice bonus here too. We then moved on to another birdy site by the coast, before getting lucky with a showy Lesser Grey Shrike.
Bulgaria 2022: Scarce Fritillary
A selection of additional Scarce Fritillary images from the final (and most productive for this species) site we visited in the Suha Reka region.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 11: Suha Reka Butterflies
Exploring a couple more sites in the 'Suha Reka' area of Bulgaria for Scarce Fritillary. We saw plenty at the second site, as well as a nice mix of other butterflies.
Rock Pipit at Reculver Towers
A selection of Rock Pipit photos from a recent visit to Reculver Towers. I had been hoping to find photograph Black Redstart, but the chance to take my favourite Rock Pipit photos to date was decent enough compensation.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 10: Scarce Fritillaries & a Meadow Lizard
A successful day despite only having a short amount of time, with a good session spent photographing Scarce Fritillary. There was also a nice bonus in the form of a Meadow Lizard, a new species for us.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 9: Sakar Region
A day spent birding in the area of Bulgaria called Sakar. We failed to find one of the main targets, Eastern Imperial Eagle, but were successful with Masked Shrike and Lesser Kestrel amongst a nice variety of birds. We also searched unsuccessfully for Russian Heath, but were compensated with a range of other insects.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 8: Searching for Small Bath White
The main target today was to search for a rare butterfly: the Small Bath White. We saw a nice variety of other Lepidoptera too, plus had a good time with Eastern Subalpine Warblers and a mix of other birds down by the river.
Bulgaria 2022, Day 7: Raptors and other Eastern Rodopi Wildlife
Spent the morning searching unsuccessfully for Sand Boa, but seeing an interesting range of wildlife including a low Lesser Spotted Eagle and lots of Dainty Bluet. Afternoon at a variety of other sites, photographing vultures, a surprise flock of pelicans, Schmidtler's Smooth Newt and various insects.