ITINERARY: 

Day 1 – Travel to Bucharest, Romania – to Bulgaria – Feb 07th
Plan on arriving at Henri Coandă International Airport, Bucharest, Romania (airport code OTP) in the morning, where we will then commence our journey to reach our first destination. Our journey from Bucharest airport to our hotel is about 4 hours plus the stops for birding. From Bucharest airport we head directly to Bulgaria and cross Danube river at Ruse. We will take the picturesque road along the river and stop at several small riverine ports and look at the sandbanks where birds gather for roosting. Here, you can expect to see your first Dalmatian Pelicans and a variety of Geese. We will start our birding holiday from the Northernmost part of Bulgaria where Red-breasted Geese tend to overwinter. This is the area of Shabla and Durankulak lakes where we will spend the next two days.  Today we will have an early night as the next few days we will be waking up at the crack to dawn so we can witness the magical scene of geese migrating to their feeding grounds. (L, D)

Days 2 – 3  Around Shabla and Durankulak Lakes – Feb 08th – Feb 09th 
We will spend the next two days exploring the area of the Shabla and Durankulak lakes, the most famous and reliable sites for big flocks of Red-breasted Geese. We will be starting at the crack of dawn to witness the magic of geese migration. Specific conditions here make the geese spend the night on the sea before coming to the lakes to drink water. After that, they go to their feeding fields, although some may have remained during the night on the lakes. An hour after sunrise we will follow the Red-breasted Geese to their feeding sites, and here we can also look to see if we can see any different species of goose. As we search through the flocks we will keep a look out for the rare Lesser White-fronted Goose or either of the Tundra or Taiga Bean Geese. Often Red-breasted geese fly together with mixed groups of Greater White-fronted Geese and other species in the morning, but revert to pure flocks in the afternoon when they come back for drinking. Following the flocks and keeping close to them will give us great opportunities to have a good look at all of them. Whilst around the lakes we have a great chance of seeing other birds like White-headed Ducks, Pygmy Cormorant, Eurasian (Great) Bittern, Moustached Warbler, Smew, Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck, Pallas’s Gull, Mediterranean Gull and many more. It is certainly worth looking at the sea as well as both lakes are right on the coastline. Often we can find Black-throated Divers, Red-necked Grebe, Slavonian Grebe, and literally hundreds of Black-necked Grebes, If the weather conditions are favourable we can also see Yelkouan Shearwaters drifting by. The flocks of gulls should be checked carefully for odd gulls such as Caspian Gull, amongst the Yellow-legged Gulls and sometimes the dainty Little Gull is also around. The trees around the wetlands are good area to look for the Syrian Woodpecker. Some of the birds of prey that hunt the fields and surrounding areas include Western Marsh Harrier, Hen Harrier, Rough-legged and Long-legged Buzzard, White-tailed Eagle, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon and the sought after Saker Falcon. When driving around the area we will also have a good chance of seeing Short-eared Owl and in villages we could spot or at least hear a Little Owl. To diversify the habitats and species seen, we will visit a superb natural riverine woodland which hosts 7 species of woodpeckers: Black, Grey-headed, White-backed, Lesser, Middle, Greater and Green. A real Woodpecker bonanza!  Late in the afternoon we can visit the prime site for Eurasian Eagle Owl which is not far from our accommodation, and makes a fitting end to our days here. Other than the Eagle Owl, we can also expect one of the most sought after of birds, the Wallcreeper, which sometimes spend the entire winter here. Another site, not far from our place of accommodation is a wintering roost of Long-eared Owls where the birds gather in several trees right in the middle of the square of a small village. (B, L, D) 

Day 4 – Transfer to Mahmudia, Romania – Feb 10th 
Today we head to the border and cross over to Romania, where we then drive for a couple of hours to reach an area with more vast lakes and fields where Red-breasted Geese gather in good numbers. We will certainly be stopping en route for roadside birding, as this is an excellent area to watch hunting Rough-legged and Long-legged Buzzards, plus fast flying Merlin chasing the smaller flocks of passerines. We may come across a few wading birds in pools and along lakeside edges, including Pied Avocet, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew and Greenshank. With luck we could even spot an Otter or European Polecat. In the oak woods we can search for Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Sombre Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper, Hawfinch, Grey-headed Woodpecker as well as Syrian Woodpecker. The more open fields can hold Calandra and Crested Larks, Cirl Bunting and Grey Partridge. On the way we will do several stops and check the marshes and farmland for feeding flocks of geese. (B, L, D)

Days 5 – 6  Around Lake Razim, Zmeica, Sinoe, and surrounding area – Feb 11th & 12th 
These two days we will explore all the numerous wetlands and fields in the area maximizing our opportunities to see as much as possible. The area has large farmland fields superb for feeding birds. The highlights are Red-breasted Geese, and number can be in the tens of thousands, with thousands of Greater White-fronted Geese, and with careful scanning through our telescopes the rare Lesser White-fronted Geese. Other birds can include Red-crested Pochard, Bewick Swan, Whooper Swan, Caspian Gull, White and Dalmatian Pelicans, and in the reed beds both Penduline Tit and Bearded Reedling to name a few. 
(B, L, D) 

Day 7 – Transfer back to Bucharest Airport, Romania – Feb 13th 
The last day of our tour will be mostly travelling towards Henri Coandă International Airport, Bucharest. We will certainly stop en-route and try again for birds we may have missed. There are several superb sites along the way including open farmland, lakes and marshes where we can continue looking for the Red-breasted Geese. Namely, the area south of Braila where the Danube river floods a vast area forming the “The small island of Braila” National Park. We will arrive in Bucharest in late afternoon and ready for your evening flights. Note that depending on flight departure times you may wish to overnight in a hotel in Bucharest (not included) and take a more leisurely flight time the following day 14th Feb. (B, L, D)