Many people may think that winter in Europe offers limited opportunities for taking pictures of birds. However, no bird photographer would agree with that. And Bulgaria is definitely a place where no wildlife photographer would be bored in winter. The sea, the big rivers like the Maritsa and the Danube, the numerous water basins, the abundance of food, and the favourable climatic conditions attract many local and northern species to spend at least a period of time, if not the whole year, in Bulgaria.
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Cranes, near KavarnaImage copyright 2005 Emil Enchev
8 Feb., half an hour before the sun sets. The fact that I was inside a car and not on foot helped me to get nearer to the birds. I watched them for 10 minutes searching for food in the snow. They would probably have stayed longer in this place, but a White-tailed Eagle frightened them and I used the opportunity to take some photos in flight.
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FieldfareImage copyright 2005 Emil Enchev
Find the food and you’ll find the birds.
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Unlike the summer season, in winter we can clearly define good and bad days, photographically speaking. I’m talking about those dull gray days that are meant for staying peacefully in by the fire, and the quiet sunny ones, when missing a minute in the open is missing a precious chance for new photographic adventures. There is yet a third kind of winter days, which I find special from a photographer’s point of view. They occur most often just before the weather breaks or a cold front comes in. Birds are not impartial to those changes and their behavior shows they register them with great precision. They start hectically looking for food; they gather in flocks and don’t seem to be disturbed much by human presence.
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Wren, near VarnaImage copyright 2005 Emil Enchev
During the summer in Bulgaria this bird is not common. But with the first colder winter days these „orehcheta“(this is their Bulgarian name, meaning „a small walnut“) can be often seen in the bushes and between rocks. They are everywhere – jumping around vigorously and happily.
The 300 mm lens has a minimum focus distance of 1.5 m and often saves my shots during close encounters, where I can manage without losing time to add extension rings. During this encounter, however, I was lying down in the grass when the birdie suddenly came to perch right on my lens! I tried to remain calm and it finally decided to have a look around and I managed to shoot several photos at a distance a bit over 1.5 m. My little model continued to hop around searching for food all the time. On the same day the wind started blowing from the North and the temperature dropped sharply down. This explained the urgency of the little bird.
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Hawfinch, seaside park VarnaImage copyright 2005 Emil Enchev
The Hawfinches are typical birds for Bulgaria and it is not difficult to spot them during the summer while they fly over and disappear quickly in the branches of some tree with food for their chicks. If you want to photograph them during this time of the year, you need much patience and experience. But during the winter thousands of northern hawfinches come to Bulgaria to spend the winter. Then they are one of the most common birds in city parks, village gardens and woods. In the beginning of the winter they can be seen high in the treetops so that they can take advantage of the abundance of fruits. After the first real freezing days however the birds go down on the ground to hop around and scrabble between the fallen leaves – this is the golden age for cats and photographers!
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Sparrowhawk, femaleImage copyright 2005 Emil Enchev
Photographing from a vehicle is especially fruitful and convenient in the cold sunny winter days.
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The first clear sunny days after a cold spell are also exceptional and the chance to approach our objects without a hide is considerable.
There are many explanations for this “winter courage” in birds. In my opinion it is because birds try to preserve their energy and store as much food as possible in their bodies. A great number of my best winter shots were made due to this knowledge of bird behaviour.
Long term predicting of the weather is still a process of guessing and hoping, but my experience has shown that cloudy skies and bad weather for more than a couple of days are rare in Bulgaria. Good and bad days usually change in a cycle of several days and there has hardly been a week without me using my camera.
My invitation for winter photography tours stands, but with the exception of the Red-breasted Goose tour, the tours I arrange are only individual. If you decide to visit Bulgaria in winter, please do not hesitate to contact me. You will be informed in detail about the possibilities for a special tour in the period you choose.
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Waxwing, seaside park VarnaImage copyright 2004 Emil Enchev
The winter of 2005 provided to many birdwatchers from Central and Southern Europe the opportunity to glimpse these charming birds. Many of the city parks and wild woods in Bulgaria were also visited by them. Grouped in flocks of 20 to 350 birds they stayed in Bulgaria from December to the end of April.
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Corn Bunting,ShablaImage copyright 2005 Emil Enchev
The moment when the blizzard is in its fury is the time for experimenting. Equipped with a modern digital camera and an IS lens, I find it an irresistible challenge to try and peek into the worried life of birds and take a photo-memory of it. The experiment is not always successful, but it is always interesting and worth the effort.
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Corn Bunting, ShablaImage copyright 2005 Emil Enchev
The raging blizzard had piled up snow over 1 meter high and was not showing any signs of slowing down. The wind was blowing the white crystals in every direction. I packed in polyethylene my camera and 300 mm IS lens and set the D10 to 400 ISO. The visibility was 5 to 8 meters, and I stumbled ahead almost by feeling. This afternoon I managed to get close to many birds. This was an unforgettable emotion not only because of the photos I took, but also because of the chance to be there at this moment and feel the drama of the place.
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Calandra lark, the road between Varna and DurankulakImage copyright 2005 Emil Enchev
It is a typical sunny day after a freezing day with a snowstorm. Calandra Lark, Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer, Goldfinch, Brambling, Rook, Wood Pigeon – all these species collect in big flocks and stay near the asphalt road, where the snow has melted. The birds are hopping in the snow or perching in the nearby trees – a perfect opportunity for a photograph!
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Black-headed Gull, in winter plumageImage copyright 2005 Emil Enchev
Photographing common species is also a pleasure.
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HawfinchImage copyright 2005 Emil Enchev
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Pochard /Aythya ferina/, Balchik BayImage copyright 2004 Emil Enchev
The Bulgarian Black sea coast is abundant in bays of different sizes that provide a haven for many species of waterfowl during the winter. An interesting fact is that near to the northern coast there are warm mineral springs that flow into the sea. In these places the seawater is warmer and large falls of birds can be seen enjoying the warmth.
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