Main Focus - Birds.
If you are not only interested in birds, very good opportunities to take pictures of flowers, reptiles and amphibians, butterflies and dragonflies also exist.
From our hides you will have excellent opportunity to observe and photograph some of the most attractive birds in Bulgaria, for ex : Hoopoe, Bea-eater, Roller, Wryneck, Golden Oriole, Black-headed and Ortolan bunting, Woodpeckers , Warblers, Larks, Woodchat-, Lesser Grey - and Red-backed Shrike, Isabelline Wheatear, Little Owl, Hawfinch, Turtle dove, Nightingale ...
Our main efforts are the customer to be able to photograph attractive species of birds with interesting behaviour from suitable distance and beautiful backgrounds.
Normally for a week of intensive sessions our guest manage to photograph really well around 25-30 species. For the one looking for quantity as a priority, numbers can go up to 50-60.
One of the highlights of this workshops are our drinking-ponds hides . You can expect between 15 to 25 birds species to come to drink and bath just in front of you. The activities are dependable from weather conditions. Most often June is pretty warm in Bulgaria! The set-up of this hides is interesting and innovative giving opportunities for artistic type of photography as well. You will love it! J
At this time of the year most of the birds are on the nest and just several species still do breeding display ( Bee-eatres get more quiest after 05-06 of June) . Also the number of insects rapidly grow and macro photography get more and more successful.
The most interesting mammal that we will encounter is the European ground squirrel known as Souslik.
The Sites
During the workshop you will work in several different habitats. One of them is a dry area with rounded hills near Rodopi Mountains which is covered with steppe vegetation. We will also enter the Rodopi with it's forests, rocky slopes and grasslands. Wetlands situated in the plain are another very different place. These radically different habitats, sheltering specific types of plants and animals, offer a variety of photographic subjects.
During the whole trip you will stay in a nice family owned guets house near the town of Pestera (less two hours driving from Sofia Airport). Most of the hides and attractive places are 05 to 30 min. driving from the hotel.
Daily Program
Every day we will start before sunrise and after a short breakfast we'll go to the hides which offer space for one or more photographers. In some situations we will approach several bird species without using a hide, or using our cars as a hide.
The photographers will be able to ask questions and get advices and assistance related to wildlife photography. In the evenings we will have time to further look through and discuss the work that we've done during the day and discuss the plan for the next day. Most often our lunch will be in the near restaurant or in the hotel. In May-June most often good light for photography is until 20.30 pm or even late. After that is time we go back to our hotel.
If the days are cloudless, hot and the sun light is too strong, we usually take about 2-3 hours rest at noon. For every two or three participants we provide a separate car, this allowing greater flexibility of the organization, transfers and choice of sites for photography.
Level of fitness All hides are accessible by car. For macro and landscape photography you may need to do some moderate walking.
Equipment recommended For bird photography the minimum focal length we recommend is 300mm. It's important to bring a tripod. We can provide beanbags. A macro lens might be a good choice for insects, plants and other small things. Do not hesitate to contact us in case of specific questions you might have!
Group size: 2 - 6 photographers
Cost: 1940 EUR per person
Single supplement: 150 EUR
Deposit: 200 EUR
Price excludes: International Flights, travel insurance and all items of purely personal nature.
