Finding Birds in Eastern Bulgaria

If you’ve used a ‘Gosney guide’ in the past, then you will be familiar with the format. There is a general introduction to the area but the book is a site guide. The site is described on the left page, and there is a beautifully hand-drawn map on the right. At first glance, you think the maps make no sense at all, but when you are at the site, and read in conjunction with the text, it all makes sense! This guide was published in August, just before I went on a family holiday to Eastern Bulgaria in late August, staying near Cape Kaliakra. We used the book every day to explore the area and found it very useful. The guide is based on several spring trips to Eastern Bulgaria, so the text for each site talks about the species you’ll find then, and for some sites, it’s really quite different in late August! Nevertheless, it was a really valuable guide and a must for anyone visiting this underwatched area (in autumn at least – we met one other birdwatcher in 10 days!).

Book reviewed by Dawn Balmer