Itinerary

Day 1. Welcome meeting at Varna Airport. Transfer to the Northern Black Sea coast and overnight in the area (depending on the snow conditions and the recent location of the biggest concentrations of birds).
Day 2. Early in the morning we will witness for the first time the massive flocks of gees, taking off at dawn, spreading over the fields westwards. As the light will still not be good enough for a thorough check of the flocks we will have to explore during the day the fields inland, where the geese use to graze at daytime. This is the time when checking the smaller flocks we can encounter also rarities like Bewick’s Swan, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Barnacle Goose, Bean Goose etc. In the afternoon we will be checking the wetlands for other waterfowl and seabirds, waiting for the sunset, when the gees will start coming back.
Highlights of the day: Red-breasted goose, White-fronted Goose, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Great Egret, Bittern, Black-throated Diver, Black-necked Grebe, Bewick’s Swan, Red-crested Pochard, Rough-legged Buzzard, Merlin, White-tailed Eagle, Yellow-legged and Pallas’s Gulls, Smew, Sanderling, Knot etc.
Day 3. The day will start with exactly the same program. Later in the afternoon we transfer southwards to the town of Bourgas to check the rest wetlands there, that are not good particularly for gees but for other waterfowl. We spend the night in Bourgas.
Days 4 & 5. Birding at the wetlands around Bourgas. The never freezing shallow salt pans are traditional hotspots for watching waders and ducks in winter. We will also make circle around the biggest lake in the area, exploring its coves for more interesting birds.
Highlights of the days: Dalmatian Pelican, Pygmy Cormorant, Great Egret, Red-breasted goose, White-fronted Goose, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Black-throated Diver, Black-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe, Red-breasted Merganser, Bewick’s Swan, Red-crested Pochard, Scaup, White-headed Duck, Smew, Velvet Scoter, White-tailed Eagle, Yellow-legged and Pallas’s Gulls, Sanderling, Knot etc.
Day 6. Transfer to Varna airport for departure.