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Saturday 9 January to Friday 15 January 2010 Saturday 11 December to Friday 17 December 2010 with Dan Brown and Tudor Blaj Cost: £1290 plus about £280 for flights Maximum group size: 12 with 2 leaders. 2 leaders join regardless of group size |
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As the cold cloak of winter draws across eastern Europe, the birdlife undergoes some dramatic changes that create wonderful birdwatching opportunities. In Romania, the coastal wetlands along the Black Sea and the lagoons of the Danube Delta become the winter home to thousands of wildfowl. Geese from further north flock there in droves and Romania is a superb place to see the striking Red-breasted Geese in good numbers as they mingle with even greater number of White-fronted Geese and the occasional Lesser White-fronted Goose. This is also the winter home to small numbers of White-headed Ducks while Black-necked Grebes and the distinctive Smew are usuallly common. As well as spending time at bird-thronged wetlands, we will explore dark forests for more winter visitors such as flocks of Brambling and Hawfinches, while hardy residents that remain there all year include Sombre Tit and a good selection of woodpeckers. We also have some wintering raptors to search for including Hen Harrier and White-tailed Eagle, and on out on the open fields we should find flocks of Calandra Larks. We are aware that the daylight is short at this time of year and we have planned a few activities to occupy some of the evenings. These include visits to some of the countries best vineyards for tasting sessions around roaring log fires, and we finish the tour with a night at the opera in magical Bucharest. Day 1: The tour begins in London with a flight to Bucharest. From there we'll transfer to our hotel in Constanta which will be our base for three nights. Days 2-3: From this base we'll explore a number of areas within easy access of our hotel. At this time of year the area is quiet as all the tourists have long since left. However these are replaced by birds, visitors from the north that take over the lakes and lagooons. There will be large flocks of wildfowl present and careful searching through the masses of Tufted Ducks, Goldeneye, Pochard, and Black-necked Grebes should reveal a few rare White-headed Ducks which winter here. The coastal pools and lagoons are home to more ducks and grebes as well as Black-throated and Red-throated Divers, and occasionally White and Dalmatian Pelicans. These wetlands are fringed by reebeds where Bearded and Penduline Tits spend the winter, and they also attract raptors with Marsh and Hen Harrier, Peregrine, or Merlin all possible. As the days are short, we'll venture out early to watch the dawn flight of geese leaving their roosting ground. Later we'll track them down to where they are feeding and search in particular for the stunning Red-breasted Geese that winter here. As many as 5,000 of these beautiful birds winter here along with no less than 40,000 European White-fronted Geese. With some careful scanning we may also locate some of the Lesser White-fronted Geese and Bean Geese that occasionally join in with the larger flocks. Beyond the wetlands we'll visit the steppe-like plains of Dobrega. Here the wintering flocks comprise of larks and finches and should include good numbers of Calandra Larks. On rare occasions species such as Black Lark and Great Bustard have been pushed out of their eastern stronghold by bad weather while there should also be Long-legged and Rough-legged Buzzard to look out for. Day 4: Today we travel north to Tulcea where we'll be based for two nights. On our way we'll explore the edges of lagoons south of the Danube Delta. Here we hope to find wintering Whooper Swans, Pied Avocets and winter specialities such as Great Black-headed Gull and White-tailed Eagle while in amongst the rafts of ducks we will look for Red-crested Pochards and Smew. Before arriving in Tulcea we'll stop in Babadag Forest where a good selection of woodland birds may be found including Hawfinches, and Syrian and Middle-spotted Woodpeckers. After checking in at our hotel we'll drive to a local vineyard for dinner which will be accompanied by a wine tasting of some of the most famous wines of this region. Day 5: In the morning we'll travel back to Babadag forest and explore the area around Celic Dere in search of more forest birds. Our prime target will be Sombre Tit although hopefully a supporting cast of Black, Lesser Spotted, and Grey-headed Woodpeckers, and a variety of finches and other tits should also be present. During the afternoon we'll head back to the southern shore of the Danube Delta in search of Pygmy Cormorants and Great Egrets as well more geese and raptors. Day 6: We depart Tulcea and travel to Bucharest. Our journey will be broken by a few birding stops, including one for a winter roost of Long-eared Owls. We aim to reach Bucharest early, allowing ourselves enough time to prepare for our visit to the Opera during the evening, as well as taking a tour of the main sights of this fascinating city. Night in Bucharest. Day 7: We'll transfer to the airport in time for our flight back to London where the tour ends.
E-mail or phone +44 (0)1767 262522 for availability.
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