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TEAM : A.Cawthrow,
L.J.Degnan, P.J.Greaves, T.McEvoy, D.R.Middleton, A.Roadhouse, J.Wozencroft.
INTRODUCTION
DRM wanted a Spurn birders trip away for his 40th birthday.
Many places were looked at, but due to its ease of birding ( with very few new
birds for anyone ) and beer at ridiculously low prices, Romania was decided on. LJD had been previously in the autumn a couple of years ago, and
convinced us it would be a good birding trip. We covered a range of habitats
and saw a total of 209 species.
TRAVEL
We flew with British Airways from Heathrow to Bucharest. The flights cost £180 return.
We hired a Hyundai people carrier from Avis at a cost of
£600. It was a nine seater and very comfortable, but only just big enough for
seven people. The car and flights were booked through Wildwings.
Driving in Romania was very easy with generally a very good
road system and decent road signs. We were pulled up for speeding within 20kms
of leaving the airport – they are quite strict with it, we were let off and
made sure we kept to the speed limit after that! It cost about £20 on average
to fill up the vehicle with deisel.
HOTELS
Costs were generally very cheap and this included hotel
prices. JW is used to luxurious accommodation, so to keep an old man happy, the
rest of us agreed to stay in good accommodation where ever possible, we never
had to spend more than £25 a night each.
FOOD AND DRINK
Food was much better than expected, with a good range of western
food to eat. Breakfasts served in the hotels were either german style buffet or
omelettes. Steak and fish were to be found in most restaurants and an average
meal with drinks would cost around £4-5 per head.
Beer was good and exceptional value, the local beers cost
between 40-80p and imported beers 60p-£1. We did stumble across a stall in some
backwoods type place that sold beer at 14p for a glass and on our last night in
Calarasi a heaving bar was selling a pint for 20 p a pint! Needless to say, several
beers were consumed every night.
WEATHER
A mixed bag of weather, in the mountains it was warm and
pleasant. Most of the time in the east it was warm and sunny, but regularly
cooled down by an easterly wind. We had rain on two days, but it never really got
in the way of our birding plans. When the wind turned south-westerly after
easterlies, we had a fall and some visible migration – not unlike birding a
Spurn.
BOOKS
We used the Lonely Planet and Rough Guides for our travel
needs and the Collins Bird Guide for reference on birds. Romania – a birdwatching and wildlife guide by James Roberts was excellent for sites and
we used this daily. We also used the Lewington and Tolman Butterflies of
Britain and Europe.
ITINERARY
Saturday 1st May
DRM,
AR, AC and TMc drove
down the previous night and stayed in the Heathrow Thistle, only £35 each
including the car parking for the week. Met LJD, PJG and JW in terminal 1 and
checked in. Flight left on time at 09.30 landing in Bucharest at 15.05 local
time. We picked up our vehicle and set off for Sinaia at 16.00, the drive was
through large agricultural plains seeing very few birds en route. We arrived at
17.30 and chose what the Lonely Planet described as probably the grandest hotel
in Romania-the Palace. We booked in for two nights at a cost of £25 each per
night including breakfast. We then found a woodland track just north of town
and had a walk round for a couple of hours – Collared Flycatcher being the best
bird by far. It was a bustling ski-town, packed out with people, so we had a
meal and then embarked on an evening consuming large amounts of ale.
Sunday 2nd May
Due to last nights excesses, most people emerged from
their luxurious rooms a little late and a bit worse for wear. In particular AR
who spent most of the day bent over emptying the contents of his stomach! After
a good breakfast and a look around the park next to the hotel, we set off up
into Bucegi N.P. It was only a few kms from town and we were soon in some
excellent forest. Regular stops produced a few birds, including Ring Ouzel, a
calling Black Woodpecker and the bird of the day – two Nutcrackers, showing
very well. We eventually arrived at Tartar Gorge, a good site for Wallcreeper,
but after two hours, we still hadn’t seen them, so we headed back, checking
several places en route. A quiet evening, with a meal and just a few beers
each, the town was very quiet, like a typical night at home.
Monday 3rd May
An excellent day seeing 120 species in total. A
pre-breakfast walk around the hotel was followed by another walk along the
woodland track just north of town. It produced a few Grey-headed Woodpeckers
and AR disturbed an Eagle Owl off the forest floor, giving reasonable flight
views to a few. We then headed across country to Tulcea – the gate to
the Danube Delta. The journey gave us our first White Storks, Crested Larks,
etc and a roadside lunch stop also produced 3 Lesser Spotted Eagles migrating
north. Further along our journey, we noticed a large lake near the town of Ianca. We stopped to investigate and ended up spending nearly two hours there, it had a
very good selection of waders and wildfowl. Our next stop was at Braile, where
we had to catch a ferry across the mighty Danube. We had our first Pygmy
Cormorants here and some good numbers of terns. Time was getting on and we sped
along, just stopping once more at a large lake surrounded by reedbeds. It was
teeming with birds, but light was fading and we needed to find our hotel in
daylight. We eventually found it, only to find it was closed. We drove into the
centre of Tulcea and stayed in the largest hotel – the Delta at a cost of £20
each. We went straight out for an excellent pizza and another cart load of beer
– well it was a new town to christen!! Bird of the day – Eagle Owl.
Tuesday 4th May
An early morning walk by AR produced the only Thrush
Nightingale of the trip. We packed after breakfast and checked into another
hotel. The Delta was fully booked for the night so we went to the Europolis,
not as plush as the last two hotels and JW showed his dismay! We spent the day
checking wetlands in the area, driving for a total of 80kms in a circular
route. We stopped to look at our first Lesser Grey Shrike and found a singing
male Isabelline Wheatear- a rare bird in Romania, we also witnessed a good
passage of both species of Pelicans along this valley and also quite a few
raptors, although the best raptor of the day was a White-tailed Eagle seen only
by TMc a few kms further on. The highlight of the day was at Lake Saratura near the small town of Murighiol, this lake was swarming with gulls and terns
including at least 2,000 Black Terns. We finished the day at Lake Razim and had superb views of Savi’s Warbler and also our only Bluethroats of the trip.
We had a quiet meal back in town and just a couple of beers, followed by an
early night for all.
Wednesday 5th May
We had breakfast at 07.30 and then
drove out west towards Parches, checking wetlands next to the Danube, here we
had our first Penduline Tits and Ortolans. We then headed south and stopped by
a wood near Telita, we had a walk having a few Icterine Warblers, Middle
Spotted Woodpeckers and our first Levant Sparrowhawk of the trip. We called in
Babadag for lunch, having a very good pizza. We moved on and called in the
forest south-west of town. Tawny Owl was new here and then we wandered a
little too close to a military base and we were all pulled over and questioned.
They escorted us back to our vehicle and took details from our passports and
then told us to go away and don’t come back.
We found some open woodland a few kms further on and
explored finding a family party of Sombre Tits. Our next stop was the fish
ponds at Enisala, it would have been much better here without a very cold
easterly wind coming straight off the Black Sea. We all had excellent views of
White-tailed Eagle and our first Red-throated Pipits. Just as we were leaving
it started to rain and it bucketed it down all the way to Mamaia. We found a
very good hotel – Hanul Piratilor which had separate chalets and a restaurant
and bar on site. Very nice rooms at just £10 each per night. We booked in for
three nights, got changed and went out for some food and quite a lot of beer
and wine!
Thursday 6th May
An early pre-breakfast walk around the hotel environs
produced very little although looked potentially good for migrants. After
breakfast we drove north to Vadu, checking ponds at the oil refinery on the
way. They were quite full of water and only gave us Sandwich and Little Terns.
We arrived at Vadu after about half an hour. It was a series of fish ponds and
reedbeds, we spent most of the day here, it was excellent, with a good
selection of waders, terns and wildfowl. Highlights included Marsh Sandpiper,
Paddyfield Warbler and a pair of Citrine Wagtails, but no sign of any
White-tailed Plovers. At 16.30 we headed inland to Cheia, as we set off it
started raining and was torrential for most of the journey. We arrived at the
Gorge and waited for the rain to ease. When it did, the first Pied Wheatear
started singing, with more joining in as the sun came out, we also had a
Levant Sparrowhawk. Then the rain started again and we set off back to Mamaia
along some well flooded roads! It was a quiet night in the hotel, with several
peoples meals having been sent back for still being raw in the middle and some
slack old tart wining along on the stage, making it hard for us to hear
ourselves talk.
Friday 7th May
We woke to find there had been a fall, with lots of
Spotted and Red-breasted Flycatchers in the hotel gardens, then LJD found a
singing River Warbler just outside the grounds, but it wasn’t showing. During a
short shower of rain, we had our breakfast and then continued our search for
the warbler. After an hour it still hadn’t showed itself. We drove to Histria
and spent most of the day there, checking the low lying wader pools and
reedbeds. Amazingly close views of both species of Pelican, were a superb
sight. It was an excellent place, with a good selection of wildfowl including 2
White-fronted Geese, lots of waders, terns and raptors. We went to cafe at the
museum for lunch, but they had no food! So we had beers and bought all their
biscuits and pretzels. There were a few trees around the cafe and ruins and
these also had good numbers of migrants in them, with one small tree having at
least 10 Wood Warblers in it. It also appeared that raptors and hirundines were
moving north along the dunes. We headed back at 16.00 to check the scrub around
the hotel, but as we we arriving in town we pulled over to look at a raptor. It
was our first Black Kite of the trip and was followed by three Honey Buzzards.
It was obvious there was some passage going on, so we sped back to the hotel
and started watching from the beach. It was an excellent three hours watch,
with storks, pelicans, raptors and hirundines all moving, but the highlight was
the 75 Honey Buzzards that came in off the sea and headed north, some right
over our heads. Our best days birding of the trip, with 135 species seen in the
day, without even trying. Needless to say a good night was had in the
restaurant, with all the food cooked well and large amounts of ale consumed.
Saturday 8th May
A pre-breakfast walk before
breakfast revealed that a lot of the migrants had moved out, although PJG found
a male Subalpine Warbler. After breakfast, we packed and drove to the gorge at
Cheia, it was a gorgeous sunny day, we spent two hours exploring. Storks and
pelicans were still on the move including 3 Black Storks, we also had two more
trip ticks – Wryneck and Short-toed Eagle. We drove across country, calling at
a stall for some lunch, where we had some very dodgy meat balls and our
cheapest beer of the trip – 14p! We eventually arrived at Calarasi at 17.00.
We booked into the Hotel Calarasi at a cost of £7.50 each for the night. We
then sat a riverside bar and had a beer and a light snack of Carp (Crap in
Romanian!!). We then had a walk over to the woodland where Black Woodpeckers
have regularly been seen, but there were too many people and nearly as many
mozzy’s. We decided to have a look for the fish ponds, but got lost in town and
just returned to have a meal in the hotel and then a couple of beers in a
nearby bar. Everyone was tired and went to bed early, despite beer being on
offer at 20p a pint!
Sunday 9th May
Our last morning, AR and AC were up
early to try and get a chance to see Black Woodpecker ( the only two greenhorns
who needed it! ). After just a few minutes, one was heard and then found on a
tree at very close range and showing very well, if flew back into the middle of
the woodland before any of the others dragged themselves out of bed. We also
added Green Woodpecker to the list. After breakfast we went to the fish ponds
on the edge of town and had a good walk round, although apparently its private
and we shouldn’t have done so. We were asked to move on. We then headed for the
airport, calling at a woodland on the way, where LJD heard a Lesser Spotted
Woodpecker – the 209th species on the trip. We arrived at the
airport a little late and checked in and then had our dearest beer of the trip,
one glass cost more then seven pints did the night before! The plane left on
time, with seven very content birders on board.
BIRDING SITES
All the sites we visited are covered very well in the book
by James Roberts.
Sinaia is a bustling town in the southern Carpathians about a one and half hour
drive north of Bucharest and is a popular ski-centre in the winter months. It
is surrounded by forest and the Bucegi N.P. The area is good for owls
and woodpeckers, although probably not in any large concentrations. It is also
a good place to see Brown Bears and Wolves.
Lake
Ianca (
probably not called this ) was a large lake with fish ponds adjacent to it,
next to the town of Ianca, behind a large disused factory. This was at the side
of the road to Braile. The lake appeared shallow with good numbers of Avocets
breeding. The adjacent fish ponds had a good selection of wildfowl and waders.
Tulcea
area was on the Danube and many companies, will ferry you into the
Danube Delta on floating hotels. But also there are large lakes close to the
road on the southern side of the river. We explored these and also made a
special effort to go to Lake Saratura near Murighiol, which had
an excellent gull colony and thousands of terns feeding there.
Just past Telita was a good woodland, where we had
Icterine Warblers, Middle Spotted Woodpeckers, Levant Sparrowhawk and Booted
Eagle.
South-west of Babadag is another good woodland, once
you’ve gone through the dense woodland and come to a more open area be aware
there is an army camp here and they don’t like anyone in the area. This area is
good for Sombre Tits, Ortolans, Levant Sparrowhawk etc.
To the east of Babadag, is Enisala, a good selection
on fish ponds and lakeside reedbeds, this site would have been much better in a
morning and without such a cold easterly wind.
Two other fantastic wetland sites we visited and are covered
well by James are Vadu ( a recent site for breeding White-tailed Plover)
and Histria. They both held a large variety of species, mainly wildfowl,
waders and terns, but also a decent selection of passerines too.
The hotel we stayed at in Mamaia, the Hanul Piratilor
had excellent grounds and scrub next to it , which produced some good migrants.
Cheia Dobrogea was a wide gorge, which had good numbers of breeding Pied
Wheatears and a reasonable selection of raptors.
Our last site was at Calarasi, next to the river and
behind an ornamental lake, is a good stand of woodland, which held Black
Woodpeckers. The fish ponds were on the western outskirts of town on the road
to Bucharest. These held a good selection of wildfowl, herons and terns.
SYSTEMATIC LIST
LITTLE GREBE
Tachybaptus
ruficollis
1 at Lake Ianca and 2 at ake Racheloi on 3rd, 2 at Lake Razim on 4th and 1 at Vadu
on 6th.
GREAT CRESTED GREBE
Podiceps cristatus
Small numbers present in
most wetland areas, with high daily counts of 15 on 7th and 9th.
BLACK-NECKED
GREBE Podiceps
nigricollis
4 on the
fish ponds at Lake Ianca on 3rd, 8 on Lake Saratura on 4th
and 1 at Calarasi fish ponds on 9th.
GREAT
CORMORANT Phalacrocorax
carbo
A common
bird at coastal wetlands and on the Black Sea coast, with a max. of c.150 on 6th.
PYGMY
CORMORANT Phalacrocorax
pygmaeus
Small
numbers were present around the Danube, with a max. of 20 on 4th. 2
migrants flew north at Mamaia on 7th.
WHITE
PELICAN
Pelecanus orocratalus
Good numbers seen daily in the east. Large spiralling
flocks seen daily were birds probably migrating, day totals of 540 on 4th, 350
on 5th, 240 on 6th, 1300 on 7th (inc. 500+ down at Histria), 135 on 8th and 80
on 9th.
DALMATIAN PELICAN
Pelecanus crispus
Seen almost daily in the east, with 10 on 4th, 2 on 5th, 3
on 6th, 13 on 7th and 5 on 9th.
LITTLE
BITTERN
Ixobrychus minutus
2 at
Mahmudia and 3 at Lake Razim on 3rd, 1 at Vadu on 6th, 1
at Mamaia on 7th and 10+ at Calarasi fish ponds on 9th.
NIGHT
HERON
Nycticorax nycticorax
1 at the
Danube ferry on 3rd, 1 at Lake Razim on 4th, 8 at Mamaia
on 6th, 24 flew north lov over the sea at Mamaia on 7th
and 2 at Calarasi on 9th.
SQUACCO
HERON
Ardeola ralloides
Small
numbers seen in all wetland areas, with a max. day total of 14 on 7th.
LITTLE EGRET
Egretta garzetta
Small
numbers seen in most wetland areas, with a high day count of 15 on 4th.
Generally in much smaller numbers than expected.
GREAT WHITE EGRET
Egretta alba
Only seen
in one’s and two’s on most days, with a max. of 7 at Enisala on 5th.
GREY HERONArdea cinerea
Low single
figures seen daily, with 20 at Histria on 7th.
PURPLE HERON
Ardea purpurea
Commoner
than Grey, with small numbers encountered in most reedbeds. A max. of 20 were
noted at Vadu on 6th. 2 flew north at Mamaia on 8th.
WHITE STORK
Ciconia ciconia
Seen daily
away from the mountains, with nesting birds seen in most villages on tops of
telegraph poles. Migrating flocks were noted at Mamaia on 7th, when
3 flocks totalling 97 passed north and 150 in 3 flocks flew north over Cheia on
8th.
BLACK
STORK Ciconia
nigra
1 flew north over Histria and 7 north over Mamaia on 7th
and 3 north over Cheia on 8th.
GLOSSY
IBIS Plegadis
falcinellus
4 at Lake Racheloi on 3rd, 4 at Mahmudia and 4 at Lake Razim on 4th and 6 at
Histria on 7th.
SPOONBILL
Platalea
leucorodia
2 at Tulcea
on 4th, 20 at Vadu on 6th, 20 at Histria and 3 north over
Mamaia on 7th and 3 en-route on 8th.
MUTE
SWAN
Cygnus olor
A very
common bird, especially on the larger lakes around the Danube. At least 800
were recorded on 4th.
GREYLAG
GOOSE
Anser anser
Small
numbers seen almost daily, with a max. daily count of 26 on 4th.
WHITE-FRONTED
GOOSE Anser
albifrons
2 at
Histria on 7th were late lingering birds.
RUDDY
SHELDUCK
Tadorna ferruginea
3 at Vadu
on 6th and 2 at Histria on 7th.
SHELDUCK
Tadorna
tadorna
Common in
most wetland areas, with max. daily counts of 50+ on4th and 7th.
WIGEON
Anas
penelope
5 at Histria on 7th was the only record.
GADWALL
Anas
strepera
Small
numbers present on most lakes, with high counts of 24 at Vadu on 6th
and 58 at Histria on 7th.
TEAL
Anas crecca
2 at
Enisala on 5th and 6 at Histria on 7th.
MALLARD
Anas
platyrhyncos
Seen almost
daily in small numbers with a max. daily count of 20 on 4th.
GARGANEY
Anas
querquedula
2 at Lake Ianca on 3rd, 6 at Histria on 7th, 1 at Mamaia on 8th
and 1 at Calarasi fish ponds on 9th.
SHOVELER
Anas
clypeata
1 at Vadu
on 6th and 8 at Histria on 7th.
RED-CRESTED
POCHARD Netta
rufina
5 at Lake
Saratura and 6 at Lake Razim on 4th, 3 at Enisala on 5th,
13 at Vadu on 6th and 5 at Histria on 7th.
POCHARD
Aythya
ferina
A common
bird on most wetland areas, with a max. count of 45 at Vadu on 6th.
FERRUGINOUS
DUCK Aythya
nyroca
Another
frequently encountered duck, although not as common as Pochard. Max. daily
count of 30 on 4th.
HONEY
BUZZARD
Pernis apivorus
1 over a
wood near Telita on 5th. On the afternoon of the 7th, a
total on 75 were counted coming in off the sea and continuing north over
Mamaia. Some birds looked exhausted and excellent views were had as some came
in very low over our heads. Two more flew north there the next day and four
flew north over Chaia the same morning.
BLACK
KITE Milvus
migrans
A total of 4 flew norh over Mamaia on 7th.
WHITE-TAILED
EAGLE Haliaeetus
albicilla
1 flew over
Nufaru on 4th and another was seen at Enisala on 5th.
SHORT-TOED
EAGLE Circaetus
gallicus
One was
seen over the gorge at Cheia on 8th.
MARSH
HARRIER Circus
aeruginosus
Small
numbers seen at most wetland sites, with a max. day total of 25 on 4th.
MONTAGU’S
HARRIER Circus
pygargus
Single ringtails seen on the outskirts of Tulcea on 4th
and north at Histria on 7th.
GOSHAWK
Accipiter
gentilis
1+ over
Sinaia on 3rd and 1 at Cheia on 8th.
SPARROWHAWK
Accipiter
nisus
4 around
Sinaia / Bucegi N.P. on 2nd. 1 at Histria and 2 north at Mamaia on 7th.
LEVANT
SPARROWHAWK Accipiter
brevipes
1 over
woods near Telita and 1 at Babadag on 5th, 1 at Cheia on 6th
and 8th and 1 en route on 9th.
COMMON
BUZZARD Buteo
buteo
Seen daily
in small numbers, with only two definitely identified as the race vulpinus.
Max. daily count of 8 on 2nd.
LONG-LEGGED
BUZZARD Buteo
rufinus
2 near
Tulcea and 1 at Lake Saratura on 4th, 1 at Enisala on 5th
and 3 at Cheia on 8th.
LESSER
SPOTTED EAGLE Aquila pomarina
3 north en
route on 3rd, 1 at Babadag on 5th and 1 at Cheia on 8th.
BOOTED
EAGLE Hieraeetus
pennatus
1 near
Telita and 1 at Babadag on 5th, both were pale phase adults.
OSPREY
Pandion
haliaetus
1 north at
Mamaia on 7th.
KESTREL
Falco
tinnunculus
Small
numbers seen daily, with max. daily counts of 10 on 2nd and 8th.
RED-FOOTED
FALCON Falco
vespertinus
Small
numbers seen daily in the east, with max. daily count of 25 on 7th,
which included at least 9 birds recorded migrating north over Histria and
Mamaia.
HOBBY
Falco
subbuteo
1 at Lake
Ianca on 3rd, 2 near Tulcea on 3rd, 1 at Cheia on 6th,
3 north over Histria and 1 north at Mamaia on 7th.
PEREGRINE
Falco
peregrinus
A single
was seen hunting the marshed at Histria on 7th.
GREY
PARTRIDGE Pernix
pernix
1 calling
at Lake Racheloi on 3rd, 2 at Babadag on 5th and 2 at
Cheia on 8th.
QUAIL
Coturnix
coturnix
3 heard
calling near Tulcea on 4th and 1 heard calling near Vadu on 6th.
PHEASANT
Phasianus
colchicus
1-2 seen
daily in the east, with 4 on 3rd.
MOORHEN
Gallinula
chloropus
Small
numbers seen daily.
COOT
Fulica
atra
Small
numbers seen daily at wetland sites, with a max. daily count of 30 on 5th.
BLACK-WINGED
STILT Himantopus
himantopus
Common at
wetlands in the east, with max. daily counts of 50 on 4th and 6th.
AVOCET
Recurvirostr
avosetta
200+ at
Lake Ianca on 3rd, a total of 26 at various sites on 4th,
c.100 at Vadu on 6th and 25 at Histria on 7th.
COLLARED
PRATINCOLE Glareola
pratincola
20+ at Lake
Ianca on 3rd, 100+ at Vadu on 6th and 25 at Histria on 7th.
RINGED
PLOVER Charadrius
hiaticula
Singles at
Lake Ianca on 3rd, Lake Saratura on 4th and Histria on 7th.
LITTLE
RINGED PLOVER Charadrius
dubius
3 at Lake
Ianca on 3rd, 8 at Vadu on 6th and 1 at Histria on 7th.
KENTISH
PLOVER Charadrius
alexandrinus
12 at Lake
Ianca on 3rd, 4 at Vadu on 6th and 8 at Histria on 7th.
GREY
PLOVER Pluvialis
squatarola
2 at
Histria on 7th.
LAPWING
Vanellus
vanellus
Fairly
common in the east with up to 40 birds a day being seen.
LITTLE
STINT Calidris
minutus
6 at Lake
Ianca on 3rd, 24 at Lake Saratura on 4th, 12 at Enisala
on 5th, 200+ at Vadu on 6th, 100+ at Histria on 7th
and 6 en route on 8th.
TEMMINCK’S
STINT Calidris
temminckii
2 at Lake
Ianca on 3rd, 12 at Vadu on 6th and 1 at Histria on 7th.
CURLEW
SANDPIPER Calidris
ferruginea?
5 at Lake
Ianca on 3rd, c.150 at Lake Saratura on 4th, 20 at
Enisala on 5th, 200+ at Vadu and Histria on 6th and 7th
respectively.
DUNLIN
Calidris
alpina
10 at Vadu
on 6th and 10 at Histria on 7th.
RUFF
Philomachus
pugnax
Common at
wetlands in the east, with high counts of : 80+ at Lake Ianca on 3rd;
80 at Vadu on 6th ad 50 at Histria on 7th.
BLACK-TAILED
GODWIT Limosa
limosa
20 at
Histria on 7th.
CURLEW
Numenius
arquata
1 at Lake
Ianca on 4th and 4 at Histria on 7th.
SPOTTED
REDSHANK Tringa
erythropus
1 at Lake
Ianca on 3rd, 5 at Lake Saratura on 4th, 7 at Vadu on 6th
and 1 at Histria on 7th.
REDSHANK
Tringa
totanus
20+ at Vadu
on 6th and 5 at Histria on 7th.
MARSH
SANDPIPER Tringa
stagnatalis
A single at
Vadu on 6th.
WOOD
SANDPIPER Tringa
glareola
Small
numbers seen at most wetlands in the east, with a max. of 15 at Vadu on 6th.
COMMON
SANDPIPER Actitis
hypoleucos
1 Sinaia on
2nd, 1 at Lake Ianca on 3rd, 2 at Enisala on 5th
and 1 at Vadu on 6th.
TURNSTONE Arenaria
interpres
2 at Lake
Saratura on 4th.
MEDITERRANEAN
GULL Larus
melanocephalus
250+ were
estimated at the breeding colony at Lake Saratura on 4th, 8 at Vadu
on 6th and 13 at Mamaia on 7th.
LITTLE
GULL Larus
minutus
c.200 at
Lake Saratura on 4th, 50 at Vadu on 6th and 6 at Histria
on 7th.
BLACK-HEADED
GULL Larus
ridibundus
Common and
widespread, with a daily max. of 300+ on 3rd and 4th.
YELLOW-LEGGED
GULL Larus
michahellis
First
definately identified at Mamaia, where it was very common, with at least 500+
there on 7th, also seen at Vadu and Calarasi.
CASPIAN GULL
Larus cacchinnans
250 at Lake
Saratura on 4th, 20 at Enisala on 5th and 6 at Histria on 7th.
GULL-BILLED
TERN Sterna
nilotica
2 at Lake
Saratura and 3 at Lake Razim on 4th.
CASPIAN
TERN Hydropogne
tshegrava
2 at Lake
Saratura on 4th.
SANDWICH
TERN Sterna
sandvicensis
20 on the
Black Sea coast on 6th and 4 on 7th.
COMMON
TERN Sterna
hirundo
Common with
a max. of 300 at Vadu on 6th.
LITTLE
TERN Sterna
albifrons
4 at Mamaia
and 8 at Vadu on 6th and 6 at Histria on 7th.
WHISKERED
TERN Chlidonias
hybrida
Widespread
in good numbers, 40 – 70 daily, but 260 seen on 3rd.
BLACK
TERN Chlidonias
nigra
Again
widespread in good numbers, with incredible numbers at several sites : c.2000
at Lake Saratura on 4th ; 500+ at Vadu on 6th and 1000+
at Histria on 7th.
WHITE-WINGED
BLACK TERN Chlidonias
leucopterus
30+ at Lake
Saratura on 4th, 10 at Vadu and 2 at Mamaia on 6th and 10 at Histria on 7th.
FERAL
PIGEON Columba
livia
Widespread
in small numbers.
WOOD
PIGEON Columba
palumbus
2 in Bucego
N.P. on 2nd was the only record.
COLLARED
DOVE Streptopelia
decoacto
Common and
widespread.
TURTLE
DOVE Streptopelia
turtur
Scarce,
with only 1-2 seen on most days. 6 on 8th was the highest count.
CUCKOO
Cuculus
canorus
1 at Bucegi
N.P. on 2nd, then widespread in good numbers with up to 15 a day
recorded.
EAGLE
OWL Bubo
bubo
One was flushed from the forest floor at Sinaia on 3rd.
LITTLE
OWL Athene
noctua
1 in Tulcea
on 3rd, 1 at Malcoci on 4th and 1 at Parches on 5th.
TAWNY
OWL Strix
aluco
An adult and a fluffy younster were seen in the denser
woodland at Babadag on 5th.
LONG-EARED
OWL Asio
otus
An adult with at least one young on a nest in the hotel
grounds at Mamaia.
NIGHTJAR
Caprimulgus
europeaus
One flew
past the hotel at Calarasi as we were eating our evening meal on 8th.
SWIFT
Apus
apus
Widespread
in small numbers, with a daily max. of 250 on 7th, including 200+
north over Mamaia late afternoon.
ALPINE
SWIFT Apus
melba
1 over the
Gorge in Bucegi N.P on 2nd, 10 over the forest north of Sinaia on 3rd
and 1 over Mamaia on7th.
KINGFISHER
Alcedo
atthis
Surprisingly
only three singles seen : at Tulcea on 4th, Parches on 5th
and Calarasi fish ponds on 9th.
BEE-EATER
Merops
apiaster
Good
numbers seen in the east, with at least 3 colonies seen by the roadside in the
Tulcea/ Parches area, the best of which held over 20 pairs at Nufaru to the
east of Tulcea on 4th. On 8th, passage was noted at
Mamaia and Cheia with a total of 180 recorded moving north.
ROLLER
Coracias
garrulus
1-5 seen
daily in the east, with a daily max. of 10+ on 4th.
HOOPOE
Upupa
epops
Common and widespread away from the
mountains. Daily max. of 20+ on 4th.
WRYNECK
Jynx
torquila
One at
Chaia on 8th was surprisingly the only record.
GREY-HEADED
WOODPECKER Picus
canus
3 at Sinaia
on 3rd, where 1 showed well and 3 seen well at Babadag on 5th.
GREEN
WOODPECKER Picus
viridis
1 showing
down to just a few feet on the lakeside path at Calarasi on 9th.
BLACK
WOODPECKER Dryocopus
martius
1 heard in
Bucegi N.P. on 2nd and a male showing for ten minutes, feeding and preening
at c.20 feet range at Calarasi on 9th.
GREAT
SPOTTED WOODPECKER Dendrocopos
major
1 at Sinaia
on 1st and 3 there on 3rd, 4 at Calarasi on 9th.
SYRIAN
WOODPECKER Dendrocopos
syriacus
1-5 seen
daily in the east, usually in lightly wooded farmland/ villages.
MIDDLE
SPOTTED WOODPECKER Dendrocopos
medius
2 seen in a
wood near Telita on 5th.
LESSER SPOTTED WOODPECKER
1 heard
calling in some woodland south of Bucharest on 9th.
CALANDRA
LARK Melanocorypha
calandra
Small
numbers seen in the east around the Danube, but much commoner in Dobrogea in
the farmland. Max. daily count 80+ on 6th.
SHORT-TOED
LARK Calandrella
brachydactyla
Only
noticed in farmland in Dobrogea, with 6 on 6th and 4 on 8th.
CRESTED
LARK Galerida
cristata
Widespread
in small numbers, usually by the roadside.
WOOD
LARK Lullula
arborea
2 in Bucegi
N.P. on 2nd and 2 at Babadag on 5th.
SKYLARK
Alauda
arvensis
Small
numbers seen in the east with a max. of 20+ at Histria on 7th.
SAND
MARTIN Riparia
riparia
Very common
in the east, with daily counts regularly over 500 and a max. count of 3000+ on
7th.
SWALLOW
Hirundo
rustica
Widespread
and common. Max. daily count 1500 on 7th, which included c. 500
north at Mamaia.
HOUSE
MARTIN Delichon
urbica
Widesrpead
in small numbers, with a daily max. of 200 on 7th.
TAWNY
PIPIT Anthus
campestris
1 at
Babadag on 5th, 2 at Mamaia and 4 at Vadu on 6th, 3 at
Histria on 7th and 1 at Mamaia on 8th.
TREE
PIPIT Anthus
trivialis
5 in Bucegi
N.P. on 2nd and 2 at Babadag on 5th.
RED-THROATED
PIPIT Anthus
cervinus
3 at
Enisala on 5th, 3 at Vadu on 6th and 7 at Histria on 7th.
YELLOW
WAGTAIL Motacilla
flava
Seen daily in the east and usually in good numbers.
Several races noted, flava and feldegg were the commonest, with a few thunbergi
also noted and lots of birds showing mixed up characters, of which very few
looked the same!
CITRINE WAGTAIL Motacilla citreola
A pair were at Vadu on 6th.
GREY WAGTAIL
Motacilla cinerea
Singles
seen at Sinaia on 1st and 3rd and 6 in Bucegi N.P. on 2nd.
WHITE
WAGTAIL Motacilla
alba
Widespread
and common, with a daily max. of 25 on 2nd.
DIPPER
Cinclus
cinclus
3 in Bucegi
N.P on 2nd.
WREN
Trogladytes
trogladytes
1-3 daily around Sinaia, where it was a secretive woodland
bird.
DUNNOCK
Prunella
modularis
Like Wren,
only found in the woodland around Sinaia, with 2 on 1st and 5 on 3rd.
ROBIN
Erithacus
rubecula
A common bird in and around Sinaia, with up to 20 a day.
NIGHTINGALE Luscinia
megarhynchos
1 in the park
in Sinaia on 2nd, then frequently heard and occasionally seen in the
east, with a max. daily count of 10 on 8th.
THRUSH NIGHTINGALE Luscinia
luscinia
1 heard
singing at Lake Ciuperca in Tulcea on 4th.
BLUETHROAT
Luscinia
svecica
3 males of the white-spotted race were at Lake Razim on
4th.
BLACK
REDSTART Phoenicurus
ochruros
Up to 4
seen daily in Sinaia, 1 in Tulcea on 4th, 2 at Cheia on 6th
and 8th and 1 at Calarasi on 9th.
REDSTART
Phoenicurus
phoenicurus
In Sinaia,
1 on 2nd and 3 on 3rd and 1 at Calarasi on 9th.
WHINCHAT
Saxicola
rubetra
1 in the
forest near Sinaia on 2nd, then small numbers daily in the east,
with a max. of 8 on 8th.
STONECHAT
Saxicola
torquata
2 near
Tulcea on 3rd and 4 seen during the day on 5th.
NORTHERN
WHEATEAR Oenanthe
oenanthe
Widespread in small numbers, with up to 10 a day recorded.
PIED
WHEATEAR Oenanthe
pleschanka
Common
breeding bird at Cheia, where up to six pairs showed very well on 6th
and 8th.
ISABELLINE
WHEATEAR Oenanthe
isabellina
A singing
male was found by the roadside just a few kms east of Tulcea on 4th.
This rare bird in Romania gave excellent views to all.
RING
OUZEL Turdus
torquatus
2 were seen
in Bucegi N.P on 2nd.
BLACKBIRD Turdus
merula
Common in and around Sinaia, also at Babadag and Cheia.
FIELDFARE
Turdus
pilaris
Up to 6 birds in the park next to the hotel in Sinaia,
where they were seen feeding young.
SONG
THRUSH Turdus
philomelos
Common in
Sinaia and Bucegi N.P. with a daily max. of c.20 on 2nd. 1 at
Babadag on 5th.
MISTLE
THRUSH Turdus
viscivorus
4 in Bucegi N.P. was the only record.
RIVER WARBLER Locustella
fluviatilis
1 heard singing in some scrub next to the hotel in Mamaia
on 7th was never to show itself.
SAVI’S
WARBLER Locustella
luscinoides
A commonly
heard bird in the reedbeds in the east, with occasional bird showing well. Max.
day count 8 on 6th.
SEDGE
WARBLER Acrocephalus
schoenobaenus
2 at Lake
Ianca on 3rd, 1 at Enisala on 5th, 2 at Vadu on 6th,
2 at Histria on 7th and 3 at Calarasi fish ponds on 9th.
PADDYFIELD
WARBLER Acrocephalus
agricola
1 singing
and showing very well at Vadu on 7th and 3 singing and also showing
well at Histria the next day.
MARSH
WARBLER Acrocephalus
palustris
1 heard
singing at Calarasi fish ponds on 9th was the only record.
REED
WARBLER Acrocephalus
scirpaceus
A common bird in the reedbeds with up to 20 birds a day,
also at least 3 migrants in the hotel scrub at Mamaia.
GREAT REED WARBLER
Acrocephalus arundinaceus
The
commonest warbler we encountered, with up to 30 a day, mostly in reedbeds,
but also one in some woodland at Cheia on 8th.
ICTERINE WARBLER
Hippolais icterina
3 singing
in woodland near Telita on 5th, 1 at Cheia on 6th, 1 at Histria 7th,
7 at Mamaia on 8th and 1 at Calarasi on 9th.
SUBALPINE
WARBLER Sylvia
cantillans
A male
singing and seen briefly in the hotel scrub at Mamaia on 8th.
BARRED
WARBLER Sylvia
nisoria
Small
numbers seen daily in the east with a max. daily count of 6 on 5th.
LESSER
WHITETHROAT Sylvia
curruca
Widespread
in small numbers, with a daily max. of 10 on 8th.
WHITETHROAT
Sylvia
communis
Singles
near Tulcea on 4th and Babadag on 5th, 2 at Mamaia on 7th
and 5 there on 8th.
GARDEN
WARBLER Sylvia
borin
1 near
Tulcea on 4th, 1-2 seen on 3 dates at Mamaia.
BLACKCAP
Sylvia
atricapilla
Widespread
in small numbers, with max. day counts of 10 on 5th and 7th.
WOOD
WARBLER Phylloscopus
sibilatrix
Small
numbers of migrants seen daily in the east, with a definate fall on 7th,
when 15 were counted.
CHIFFCHAFF
Phylloscopus
collybita
Widespread
in small numbers, although common in Bucegi N.P on 2nd when 25+ were
seen.
WILLOW
WARBLER Phylloscopus
trochiloides
3 at Sinaia
on 3rd, then small numbers seen daily with a max. of 7 on 7th.
GOLDCREST
Regulus regulus
Only seen at Sinaia and Bucegi N.P. where up to 10 a day
seen.
FIRECREST
Regulus
ignicapillus
Again only seen at Sinaia and Bucegi N.P. with up to 10 a
day seen.
SPOTTED
FLYCATCHER Muscicapa
striata
Small
numbers seen daily until 7th and 8th when a fall
produced 40 and 60 respectively.
RED-BREASTED
FLYCATCHER Ficedula
parva
Breeding
birds on territory included 1 on 1st, 7 on 2nd and 6 on
3rd all in Sinaia / Bucegi area.
Migrants on
the coast included 2 at Mamaia on 6th, then a fall the next day,
with 19 at Mamaia and 16 at Histria, with just 2 remaining at Mamaia on 8th.
COLLARED
FLYCATCHER Ficedula
albicollis
Up to 9 a
day in the Sianaia / Bucegi N.P. area, including a pair at a nest next to the
hotel in Sinaia. Elsewhere migrants included 1 near Tulcea on 4th
and singles at Histria and Mamaia on 7th.
PIED
FLYCATCHER Ficedula
hypoleuca
3 near
Tulcea on 4th, 2 at Enisala on 5th and 1 at Mamaia on 8th.
BEARDED
TIT Panurus
biarmicus
2 at Lake
Razim on 4th, 1 at Parches on 5th, 15 at Vadu on 6th
and 2 at Histria on 7th.
MARSH TIT
Parus
palustris
7 around
Sinaia on 3rd and 2 at Babadag on 5th.
WILLOW
TIT Parus
montanus
2 in Bucegi
N.P. on 2nd and 2 at Sinaia on 3rd.
SOMBRE
TIT Parus
lugubris
A family
party of seven in open woodland at Babadag on 5th.
COAL TIT
Parus
ater
Common at
Sinaia and Bucegi N.P.
BLUE TIT
Parus
caeruleus
2 at a
woodland near Telita and 3 at Babadag on 5th. At Calarasi 1 on 8th
and 2 on 9th.
GREAT
TIT Parus
major
Widespread in small numbers, with up to 10 a day
recorded.
NUTHATCH
Sitta
europea
Up to 10 a
day in Sinaia / Bucegi N.P. area, and 5 at both Telita and Babadag on 5th.
TREECREEPER
Certhia
familiaris
1 at Sinaia
on 1st, 2 there on 3rd and 2 in Bucegi N.P. on 2nd.
PENDULINE
TIT Remiz
pendulinus
2 at
Parches on 5th, at least 5 at Mamaia on 6th with 2 there
on 7th & 8th and 1 at Calarasi on 9th.
GOLDEN
ORIOLE Oriolus
oriolus
A common
bird in the east, with a daily max. of 15 on 5th.
RED-BACKED
SHRIKE Lanius
collurio
Seen daily
in the east, with a max. of 8 on 8th.
LESSER
GREY SHRIKE Lanius
minor
A common bird in the east on roadside wires, with up to 10
a day being recorded.
JAY
Garrulus
glandarius
Singles
were seen daily around Sinaia / Bucegi N.P. 1 at Babadag on 5th, 3
at Cheia on 7th and 2 near Bucharest on 9th.
NUTCRACKER
Nucifraga
caryocatactes
2 showed very well, feeding at the side of the track in
Bucegi N.P. on 2nd.
MAGPIE
Pica
pica
Widespread and common.
JACKDAW
Corvus
monudela
Widespread
and common. 200+ passed north over Mamaia on 7th.
ROOK
Corvus
frugilegus
Widespread in large numbers.
HOODED
CROW Corvus
cornix
Widespread in small numbers.
RAVEN
Corvus corax
Small
numbers around Sinaia and 15 seen in Bucegi N.P. on 2nd.
STARLING
Sturnus
vulgaris
Widespread in large numbers.
HOUSE
SPARROW Passer
domesticus
Widespread and common.
SPANISH
SPARROW Passer
hispaniolensis
1 at Lake
Ianca on 3rd, 6 at Histria on 7th and 10 at Calarasi fish
ponds on 9th.
TREE SPARROW
Passer
montanus
Widespread and common.
CHAFFINCH
Fringilla
coelebs
Very common in the mountains and at Babadag, small numbers
elsewhere.
SERIN
Serinus
serinus
1 in the
park at Sinaia on 2nd with 2 there the next day.
GREENFINCH
Carduelis
chloris
Widespread in small numbers.
GOLDFINCH
Carduelis
carduelis
Widespread in small numbers.
SISKIN
Carduelis
spinus
10+ in
Bucegi N.P. on 2nd.
LINNET
Carduelis
cannabina
2 – 6 seen almost daily.
CROSSBILL Loxia
curvirostra
Up to 14 a day in the Sinaia / Bucegi N.P. area.
BULLFINCH
Pyrrhula
pyrrhula
Up to 5 a day seen in Sinaia / Bucegi N.P. area.
HAWFINCH
Coccothraustes
coccothraustes
5 in the
Sinaia area on 2nd and 4 there on 3rd.
YELLOWHAMMER
Emberiza
citrinella
6
(including 2 in the dense woodland) at Babadag on 5th.
ORTOLAN
BUNTING Emberiza
hortulana
2 at
Parches and 8 at Babadag on 5th, 5 at Cheia on 6th, 1 at
Histria on 7th and 4 at Cheia on 8th.
REED
BUNTING Emberiza
schoeniclus
Small
numbers present in most reedbecs, with a max. of 10+ at Histria on 7th.
Birds were of the thick-billed race reiseri.
CORN
BUNTING Emberiza
calandra
A
ubiquitous roadside bird in the east.
MAMMALS
Only a few species of mammal were seen : Wild Boar 1 (near
Tulcea), Red Squirrel – common in the mountains, Wood Mouse – very common
around Sinaia, European Suslik – common in Dobrogea, Hare – several.
BUTTERFLIES
Swallowtail
(Papilio machaon)
Small numbers seen at Vadu, Histria and Calarasi Fish Ponds.
Scarce
Swallowtail (Iphiclides
podalirius)
4 at Tulcea
and 1 at Cheia Dobrogea.
Clouded
Apollo (Parnassius
mnemosyne)
15+ in
Babadag Forest.
Small
White (Artogeia
rapae)
Fairly
common in most lowland areas.
Green-veined
White (Artogeia
napi)
Common at
all altitudes. 20+ in Babadag Forest being the largest count.
Orange-tip
(Anthocharis cardamines)
1 at
Sinaia, 4 at Telita and 1 at Cheia Dobrogea.
Berger’s
Clouded Yellow (Colias
alfacariensis)
1 at
Calarasi Fish Ponds.
Eastern
Pale Clouded Yellow
(Colias erate)
Fairly
common at Histria with 5+ seen.
Brimstone
(Gonepteryx
rhamni)
6+ at
Bucegi were the only ones seen.
Wood
White (Leptidea
sinapis)
2 at Lake
Ianca.
Purple-edged
Copper (Lycaena
hippothoe)
A male at
Cheia Dobrogea and a pair at Calarasi F. P.
Holly
Blue (Celastrina
argiolus)
4+ at
Tulcea.
Green-underside
Blue (Glaucopsyche
alexis)
2 at Tulcea
was the only record.
(Eastern
Baton Blue) (Pseudophilotes vicrama)
Common at
Cheia Dobrogea with 10+ seen.
Silver-studded
Blue (Plebejus
argus)
20+ at
Cheia Dobrogea.
Brown
Argus (Aricia
agestis)
Fairly
common throughout in grassy areas, 80+ at Cheia Dobrogea being the largest
count.
Turquoise
Blue (Plebicula
dorylas)
3 at
Calarasi Fish Ponds.
Common
Blue (Polyomattus
icarus)
Common
throughout.
Large
Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis
polychloros)
1 at
Tulcea was the only record.
Red
Admiral (Vanessa
atalanta)
1 at Histria.
Painted
Lady (Vanessa
cardui)
Seen
throughout in small numbers.
Comma
(Polygonum c-album)
2 at
Bucegi.
Queen of
Spain Fritillary
(Issoria lathonia)
Fairly
frequent with 8 at Cheia Dobrogea the largest count.
Glanville
Fritillary (Melitaea
cinxia)
8 at
Babadag Forest and 3 at Calarasi F. P.
Small
Heath (Coenonympha
pamphilus)
12 around
Lake Ianca and 1 at Vadu.
Speckled
Wood (Pararge
aegeria)
Fairly
common in mountainous areas.
Wall
(Lasiommata megera)
1 at Lake
Ianca and 2 at Parches.
Large
Wall Brown (Lasiommata
maera)
A single at
Cheia Dobrogea Gorge was the only record.
Grizzled
Skipper (Pyrgus
malvae)
1 at Tulcea
and 2 at Telita.
Dingy
Skipper (Erynnis
tages)
15 at
Tulcea and small numbers at Parches, Telita and Calarasi F. P.
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