The combination of habitats on relatively small area, great biodiversity and good logistics makes Bulgaria a European top destination for natural photographers.
Our photo tours started in 2004, when most of our clients were professional wildlife photographers with main interest - BIRDS.
They are about 440 bird species in Bulgaria, of which 267 breed here.
Among the most typical species you can photograph are: Hoopoe, Roller, Kingfisher, European Bee-eater, Ortolan Bunting, Black-headed Bunting, Corn Bunting, Cirl Bunting, Rose-colored Starling, Golden-Oriole,
Great Spotted Woodpecker, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Syrian Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Eurasian, Wryneck, Common Cuckoo, Turtle-Dove, Common Nightingale, Grey Partridge,
Griffon Vulture, Long-eared Owl, Little Owl, Scops-Owl, Common Kestrel, Golden Eagle, Common Buzzard, Black Kite, Egyptian Vulture, Lesser Kestrel,
Little Bittern, Collared Pratincole, Night Heron, Common Shelduck, Great Crested Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Pygmy Cormorant, Stone Curlew, Little Ringed Plover, Avocet, Whiskered Tern, Little Tern, Sandwich Tern, Kentish Plover, Squacco Heron, Little Egret, Eurasian Spoonbill, Glossy Ibis, Dalmatian Pelican, Great White Pelican, White Stork
Red-backed Shrike, Masked Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Woodchat Shrike, Raven, Nutcracker, Dipper, Isabelline Wheatear, Northern Wheatear, Black Redstart, Whinchat, Sombre Tit, Penduline-Tit, Red-rumped Swallow, Sand Martin, Great Reed-Warbler, Olivaceous Warbler, Barred Warbler, Crested Lark, Calandra Lark, Wood Lark, Tree Sparrow, Spanish Sparrow, Hawfinch, Yellow Wagtail/feldeg, Brambling and other.
With more effort and luck you can photograph and: Rock Partridge, Western Capercaillie, Wallcreeper,
Three-toed Woodpecker, Red-breasted Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, White-backed Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker,
Eagle-Owl, Pygmy-Owl, Levant Sparrowhawk, Northern Goshawk, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Imperial Eagle, Long-legged Buzzard, Northern Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Marsh-Harrier,
Nightjar, Black Tern, Purple Heron, Great Bittern, Black Stork, Northern Shrike, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Semicollared Flycatcher, Rock-Thrush, Blue Rock-Thrush, Black-eared Wheatear, Ring Ouzel, Fieldfare, Alpine Accentor, Red Crossbill and more.
They are 19 species of amphibians, 37 species of reptiles - not too bad for small European country.
The plants are about 4000 species, 400 of which being Balkan or Bulgarian endemic. Southern Bulgaria and especially the mountains Rhodopi, Balkan mountain, Rila, Pirin and Slavyanka are the most colorful. These are the places where we most often photograph flowers from April to mid-July.
224 species of butterflies and 68 species of dragonflies have been reported in the country. This is near the half of all European species for both groups!
Do you like beetles, bumblebees and other insects? Why not spiders? I can definitely say that Bulgaria, apart from birds, is a top destination for shooting flowers and insects and our macro photography trips are with guaranteed success.
One of our most popular spring-summer workshops are the ones called "Birds and wildlife". The places where we have built bird photo hides are surrounded by various habitats, which are also good for macro and landscape photography.
Mammals. Despite the stable populations of bears - about 800, wolves - about 2000 , they are cautious and active mainly at night. Although we are trying different methods on different places, we still do not have guaranteed results and photograph these species is possible, but also requires luck. Possibilities for shooting jackals, deer, wild goat, fox, squirrel, ground squirrel, etc. are more likely. From 35 species of bats recorded in Europe, 33 species are found in Bulgaria! Due to their sensitivity to disturbance, we do not photograph them. Exception are the photographers engaged in their protection, which requires a special permit.
When we work in the nature our first rule is - no disturbance! Correct behavior, proper made and placed hides are of great importance. For all raptors and most of the other birds we do not photograph near the nest. For several species (bee-eaters, woodpeckers, hoopoe) we do build hides following the first rule. Placing hundreds of nesting boxes for species like for example Roller, Wryneck and Hoopoe is part of our works and we are feeling quite proud about the results.
Apart from the geographical position, the great biodiversity of Bulgaria is due to another key factor – exceptionally diverse relief. From the sea level to the typical alpine peaks, the country is a colorful mosaic of habitats. All this diversity can be seen in a few days and this is exactly the "trademark" of the country - diverse terrain and great biodiversity in a small area.
During the winter-spring-summer period we are busy photographing mainly animals and plants, so our usual specialized landscape photography trips takes place in the autumn. And is there a better time for that?
The population density in Bulgaria is about 62 people per square kilometer. You will find them in several large cities and while travelling far away from them there is a great chance not to come across people all day. For most open areas, both private and public, the access is free, which practically means that if we are not making any harm with our presence, we could go almost everywhere.
If you like to photograph nature in all its diversity - Bulgaria will not disappoint you!
