Black Redstarts and more

Today has been a great deal of fun. I picked up the hire care this morning and immediately felt liberated, it's hard without your own transport as you can appreciate. From Simon's apartment it was just a matter of following the road that obviously continued to climb. I was on the way to Vihren Hut which is a dead end and a base for climbers to start. All the way up I passed under the cable car wires that led to the ski slopes. It was all very picturesque with hairpin bends and high forests on both sides. It was only a short while before I had my first excitement and it wasn't a bird.

A Red Squirrel ran across in front of me. I immediately stopped the car and went hurriedly to the boot for the camera because it was on a tree trunk in a typical pose. I just couldn't get the camera out quickly enough before it disappeared. Oh well, at least I had a nice view. Then later I stopped at a pull-in just to listen for birds, I could hear them all around. I was hoping for crested tit but when I caught site of one and took a photo it was a Coal Tit. But then another bird flew over and it showed itself just long enough to see that it was a Firecrest.

A Female or Juvenile Black Redstart with a male pictured above.

At Vihren I had been told that Alpine Accentor were always present and I was given very specific directions by a professional guide but could I find them? Absolutely not, however Black Redstarts were numerous and I sat for a considerable time getting as close as I could. What an absolutely stunning bird a Black Restart male is. At one point I had two males in the viewfinder simultaneously.

As I sat there, a rock thrush alarmed and flew by as well and I also got a realy good sight of a Nutcracker. At the car one of the numerous flocks of Crossbills landed in a tree adjacent and I was happy to photograph a female and then later a bright red male singing from atop of another tree but slightly obscured.

A female Crossbill

I have to say, it's quite cold when the sun goes in and just something interesting to note, I have just seen two Bulgarian men and they were not wearing track suits!

On the way down I slipped and fell, banging my head quite hard on the granite but I feel alright now but a bit shaken up but have a large bump on the back of my head.