Red-breasted-Geese (Branta ruficollis)

Bulgaria & Romania - Red-breasted Goose - Special !
Feb 07th - Feb 13th, 2026

We offer one of the most exciting winter tours in Europe. From Northern Bulgaria to some of the best birding sites along the Black Sea Coast and Danube Delta of Romania. This tour aims to bring you as close as possible to thousands of wintering Red-breasted Geese. Seeing this spectacle of Nature becomes even more special as these birds become rarer and rarer. As the geese are very dependent on weather conditions and occupying the border area between Bulgaria and Romania, we shall spend a week following the feeding flocks in both countries. Тhe first half of the trip will be in Northern Bulgaria, and the second half in South Eastern Romania and all its associated lakes and farmland. These are the prime areas for Red-breasted Geese from the past several years where the majority of the population overwinters. There will of course be plenty of other birds to look for including woodpeckers, owls and wintering raptors

ITINERARY: 

Day 1 – Travel to Sofia, Bulgaria – Feb 07th
Plan on arriving at Varna Airport, Bulgaria (airport code VAR) where we will be picked up and then travel for 1.5 hours to reach our first destination. Depending upon the time of arrival of the flights, we can stop at several places en-route to our accommodation. One of them is 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!  While driving through the local villages we will also be on the lookout for the Syrian Woodpecker to complete the list of all possible woodpeckers. Our next stop will be beside a superb chalk cliff where Eurasian Eagle Owls roost. This area is known for its high density of nesting Eagle Owls so we have a pretty good chance of seeing one. If not here, we will visit another superb site situated right on the coast beside a picturesque valley with red cliffs and a marsh. 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. If we don’t manage to visit this site on the way to our accommodation, we can always come back any of the following 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. Late in the afternoon we can revisit the prime site for Eurasian Eagle Owl which is not far from our accommodation, and makes a fitting end to our days here. (B, L, D) 

Day 4 – Transfer to Babadag, 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 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. (B, L, D) 

Days 5 – 6  Around Lake Razim, Zmeica, Sinoe, and surrounding area – Feb 11th & 12th 
Today 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 smaller numbers 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 and Bearded Reedling to name a few.  (B, L, D) 

Day 7 – Transfer to Varna airport – Feb 13th 
The last day of our trip will be mostly travelling towards Varna airport. We will certainly stop en-route and try again for birds we may have missed, especially the woodpeckers. Depending upon the time of the flight. We can start on the previous day and spend the last night near the airport (B, L, D) 

tour details

Species of interest

Leaders: Howard Vaughan & Local Guides

Tour price:  £1,975

Single supplement: £285

Deposit: £500

Group size: Minimum for tour to go ahead – 5

Included in cost: Group pick-up on arrival, accommodation based on twin occupancy, all meals as stated in the itinerary B,L,D beginning with lunch on the 07th to lunch on the 13th, professional guide services, local guide, park and reserve entrance fees, transportation throughout, and water.

Not included: International airfare to/from Sofia, Bulgaria, insurance, items of a personal nature, alcoholic drinks, gratuities, items of a personal services.   

Accommodation: All hotels and lodges are of a good standard and offer en-suite rooms, and a good variety of  meals.

Highlights:

Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
Dalmatian Pelicans (Pelecanus crispus)
Dalmatian Pelicans (Pelecanus crispus)

Red-breasted Goose
Wallcreeper
Long-eared Owl
Black Woodpecker
Eurasian Eagle Owl
White-tailed Eagle
Syrian Woodpecker
European Bittern
Penduline Tit
Smew
Short-eared Owl
Pygmy Cormorant
Taiga Bean Goose

Long-legged Buzzard
Grey-headed Woodpecker
Red-crested Pochard
White-headed Duck
Black-throated Diver

White-backed Woodpecker
Moustached Warbler
Pygmy Cormorant
Lesser White-fronted Goose
Saker Falcon
Pallas’s Gull
Rough-legged Buzzard
Dalmatian Pelican
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Caspian Gull
Bearded Reedling
Hen Harrier
Black-necked Grebe
Tundra Bean Goose
Whooper Swan
Middle-spotted Woodpecker
White Pelican
Yelkouan Shearwater

Tour Code: This is a standard birding tour at a time of year when flocks of winter birds predominate. Our daily routes can be changed in order to connect with the most likely areas to produce the best spectacles of geese bird migration. No particular strenuous walks are planned and most birding will be done in close proximity of the vehicles.  This time of year can be cold and we expect to start at dawn each morning in order to see the most spectacular movements of geese and other birds. 

This tour will be booked on a first come first come first serve basis with confirmed places held on receipt of a deposit. Once we receive your deposit and completed Booking Form, we will send you a receipt of money paid and also your balance due date. Please note that once the tour has been confirmed with sufficient numbers to run, then your deposit becomes non-refundable as at this point both us and our local agents will have started administrative work and payments forwarded for local agent services.
Once the tour is confirmed to go ahead, we will send you information about booking your flights. Please do not book flights until you receive this information from us.

Final payment will be due 90 days before start of tour.

Please note rules and regulations are constantly changing so you will need to check with Country and Governmental guidelines. At present we will all have to abide by safety rules and protocols set by the Government of the country we are visiting; this may include wearing of masks and hand sanitizing especially within restaurants and public areas. If any of these rules are required you will need agree and adhere to this before we can accept you on a Bird’s, Wildlife & Nature Tour.

All details concerning what to bring, airport transfers, health, wildlife checklists etc will be sent out once the tour is confirmed and we have received your final balance.

Insurance: We strongly recommend that you take out adequate travel insurance to protect you against any unforeseen event including travel delay, injury or illness prior to or during the tour. Note to check if your insurance covers you against expenses incurred due to contracting Covid-19 either before or during the tour.

Click on the booking form above to reserve your place on this tour

This tour is being run through – Bird’s, Wildlife & Nature LTD
44 Courtland Crescent, Plymouth, Devon UK PL7 4HL
For more information. Contact:

Tel:  Tom 07481 843971 Tel:  Steve 07780 965129
Outside UK – Tom +44 7481 843971   Steve – +44 7780 965129

                  info@birdswildlife.com