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SOFIA
Words
ROB CROSSAN
Species of birds to be
found in Bulgaria
2012 has seen a 5.5% increase
in visitors to Bulgaria
fromLondon andManchester.
See our insider guide on
page 172. Book online at
easyJet.com
Number of annual visits to
Bulgaria’s national parks
Percent of Bulgarians who live
in urban areas
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I
’mcrouchedbehind a bushon the edge of a stripof open
ground, just in front of a deepgorge. The sun is just
beginning to come upbehind thewooden farmsteads
and the long tawnygrass is rippling in the breeze. Early
morning in theMadzharovoNatureReserve, or so I was told
over glasses of local raki thenight before, is one of themost
beautiful parts of the dayhere. It’s also the best time to catch
one of the country’s rarest andmost deadly visitors.
Anhour ormore passes before the surroundingbird song is
abruptlymuted. In the distance, hurtling towards us, comes
the predator.Mottledgrey, his ink-black eyes focusedwith
pernicious intent, he cuts through the coiledfists of cloud like a
spoon slicing through jelly.
Thenhe’s on the ground, the plummet downwards having
takenhimall of three seconds. He’s stalking, thenposes on
splayed feet. He takes one look at the deadwolf lying4.5m
away fromus, shifts his 10kgweight anduses his beak to tear
into the fleshwith analmostmechanical zeal.
Shot by a local farmer the night before, after it was caught
attacking a sheep, thewolf has been left on the ground
overnight precisely for this purpose: to attract winged
predators to the area.
Andwhat a sight it is. The first griffonvulture tobe spotted
in theArdaGorge this year is continuinghis breakfast in front
of us as all the other bird life remains cowed in silence.
For a glimpse into the eating habits of the ultimate
pugilists of the avianworld, this corner of Bulgaria is the best
place in Europe to come. Griffon and Egyptian vultures
TheArdaGorge in southern
Bulgaria is one of the only
places in Europewhere you
can see griffon, black and
Egyptian vultures. As the
region promotes itself as a
new eco hotspot, we visited
to see these giants of the
avianworld in action
Birdwatching
Left,
Egyptian vultures
take up to five years to
develop their full plumage
breed in the caves, copper
beech trees, gorges, cliffs and
remains of Communist-era
goldmines that are scattered
on the slopes of an extinct
volcano, and black vultures
come here to feed.
Despite being just a few
hours’ drive fromthe capital
Sofia, this is a nearly forgotten
region, sandwichedbetween
theGreek andTurkishborders.
It gets, according tomyguide,
Lubomir, “only about 1,000
visitors a year atmost. Some
parts don’t evenget 100.”
The vastmajority come for
one reason: toget as close as
possible to these strange,
vicious, almost Jurassic birds,
as this is one of the fewplaces
on the continent to see them.
However, it’s far fromeasy:
the birds are still rare sightings
inBulgaria, despite there now
being around 50pairs of
griffonvultures thought to live
permanently in these
mountains.
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