Spatia Wildlife

A 8-days macro photography holiday focused on butterflies, other insects and flowers in the mountains of Bulgaria.

Butterflies and macro photography

Sunday 24^th June - Sunday 1^st July 2012

Bulgaria in summer offers excellent macro photography opportunities due to its rich biodiversity and variety of habitats. Our main targets will be the butterflies, but the summer season and the various sites we shall visit will provide numerous other insects – dragonflies and damselflies, grasshoppers, spiders, beetles  etc, as well as flowers. We will have early starts and late evenings in order to take advantage of the best light and it is also the time when butterflies and other insects are normally motionless. Early afternoons we will have siestas to rest, avoiding the harsh midday sun.

Our tour will start with a three nights stay in Koprivshtitsa, a nice traditional village, one of the very few in Bulgaria designated as architectural reserve, situated in the heart of Sredna Gora mountain (Middle Forest). Next days we will explore the immediate surroundings having only short transfers. Then we will move to Rila Mountain where we will have two bases – two nights at the northern slopes and two nights near Rila Monastery. All hotels are situated next to wonderful wild meadows.

Inerary

Day 1

Arrival at Sofia airport and transfer to Koprivshtitsa (about 2 hours). Options for few stops on the way where we can whet our appetite – Map Butterfly, Spotted, Niobe, Twin-spot and Marbled  fitillaries. Arrival at our hotel early in the evening. Accommodation and short evening walk time permitting.

Days 2 and 3

Both days will be spent in the meadows around the village, making only short transfers. Here we will find Large, Purple-shot and Sooty coppers, Russian Heath, Black-veined White, Southern Admiral, many fritillaries and blues, as well as dragonflies and damselflies.

Day 4

Our last session in the area, followed by a transfer to our second base for the holiday, on the northern slopes of Rila Mountain. The transfer itself is two and a half hours but we will brake the journey with several photography stops on the way, so we arrive in the hotel early evening. It is a small family run hotel where we will stay for two nights, situated at the end of a village and next to extensive hay meadows rich in flowers and insects. Evening session and dinner.

Day 5

The whole day we devote to the immediate area where we will find different butterflies and other insects.

Day 6

Morning session in the area and afterwards we will move to our next base. The transfer is less than two hours and we can have few stops on the way. Upon arrival in the hotel we will check and have a short rest. Late afternoon we will go to the nearest river valley and the rich wild meadows around that are home to many butterflies and insects as well as flowers and some orchids. Butterflies we expect here are Poplar Admiral, Common Glider, Large Blue, Niobe and High Brown fritillaries, Scarce and Balkan coppers and many more.

Day 7

The whole day will be devoted to the river valley next to our hotel. We can also call at the Rila Monastery – the most visited cultural landmark in Bulgaria.

Day 8

Option for another early session in the surrounding meadows and time to pack our cases. About two hours of driving will bring us at the airport for our flight back.

   High Brown Fritillary by Val Walker.

   Short-tailed Blues by Val Walker.

   Appolo is widespread in the mountans for Bulgaria.
   Photo Dobromir Domuschiev.

   Balkan Copper by Dobromir Domuschiev.

   Chequered Blues by Val Walker.

   Eastern Bath White by Dobromir Domuschiev.

   Knapweed Fritillary by Val Walker.

   Large Copper by Val Walker.

   Large Grizzled Skipper by Dobromir Domuschiev.

   Lesser Spotted Fritillary is a common species in Bulgaria.
   Photo by Dobromir Domuschiev.

   The Nettle-tree Butterfly - an amazingly wierd creature.
   Photo Dobromir Domuschiev.

   Niobe Fritillary by Dobromir Domuschiev.

   The Poplar Admiral is one of the difficult photography subjects.
   Photo by Mike Walker.

   The stunningly beautiful Purple Emperor. You can never get enough
   pictures of this amazing butterfly. Photo by Dobromir Domuschiev.

   Wild flowers meadow - a typical habitat of the Apollo.
   Photo by Val Walker.