Lake Durankulak, Dobrich Province, Bulgaria
Durankulak is a village in north east Bulgaria and it is the most north eastern inhabited place in the country and the most northern village on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is located just 3.5 miles from the Bulgaria-Romania border checkpoint to the north, 62 miles from Varna (the third largest city in Bulgaria) to the south and 37 miles from Constanța (the oldest continuously inhabited city in Romania) to the north.
The freshwater Lake Durankulak is located to the south east of the village and is separated from the Black Sea by sand dunes and a strip of beach. It has an area of around 2.5 square miles and features 2 islands in its western part.
Lake Durankulak is one of the most important and well preserved coastal wetlands in Bulgaria. It is situated on the Via Pontica bird migration flyway and it is included within the Natura 2000 network of nature protection areas in Europe and also designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) and Ramsar site.
Lake Durankulak can be divided in to 3 main sections: the so-called Eagle Marsh in the north, the main brackish lake in the centre and a shallow reed and rush covered marsh in the south east. It is an important site for a large range of breeding, migrating and wintering birds but the main reason for visiting is that it is an easy place to see Paddyfield Warbler during spring and summer. The Paddyfield Warbler is a marsh warbler that breeds in temperate central Asia. It is a rare vagrant to west Europe although the small breeding population along the shores of the Black Sea around the border between Bulgaria and Romania is notable.
Lake Durankulak is also an archaeologically important area. Pithouses of the oldest known inhabitants of the historical region of Dobruja, dating to 5100 to 4700 BC, have been unearthed near the west shore as well as burial mounds from 3500 to 3400 BC. The “Big Island” of Lake Durankulak is particularly important as it is the site of an Eneolithic settlement from 4600 to 4200 BC, a cultural monument of national importance. The island also features a 1300 to 1200 BC fortified settlement, a Hellenistic rock-hewn cave sanctuary of Cybele from the 3rd century BC and a Bulgar settlement from the 9th to 10th century AD.
Date: 18th May 2018
Location: view from Branta Birding Lodge, Durankulak, Dobrich Province, Bulgaria
The freshwater Lake Durankulak is located to the south east of the village and is separated from the Black Sea by sand dunes and a strip of beach. It has an area of around 2.5 square miles and features 2 islands in its western part.
Lake Durankulak is one of the most important and well preserved coastal wetlands in Bulgaria. It is situated on the Via Pontica bird migration flyway and it is included within the Natura 2000 network of nature protection areas in Europe and also designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) and Ramsar site.
Lake Durankulak can be divided in to 3 main sections: the so-called Eagle Marsh in the north, the main brackish lake in the centre and a shallow reed and rush covered marsh in the south east. It is an important site for a large range of breeding, migrating and wintering birds but the main reason for visiting is that it is an easy place to see Paddyfield Warbler during spring and summer. The Paddyfield Warbler is a marsh warbler that breeds in temperate central Asia. It is a rare vagrant to west Europe although the small breeding population along the shores of the Black Sea around the border between Bulgaria and Romania is notable.
Lake Durankulak is also an archaeologically important area. Pithouses of the oldest known inhabitants of the historical region of Dobruja, dating to 5100 to 4700 BC, have been unearthed near the west shore as well as burial mounds from 3500 to 3400 BC. The “Big Island” of Lake Durankulak is particularly important as it is the site of an Eneolithic settlement from 4600 to 4200 BC, a cultural monument of national importance. The island also features a 1300 to 1200 BC fortified settlement, a Hellenistic rock-hewn cave sanctuary of Cybele from the 3rd century BC and a Bulgar settlement from the 9th to 10th century AD.
Date: 18th May 2018
Location: view from Branta Birding Lodge, Durankulak, Dobrich Province, Bulgaria
|
Also in: Bulgaria
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |