From the Field: Birding Romania
5/17/202639 min
👕 Bird Merch — Get yourself some bird shirts!
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In this From the Field episode Ivan takes listeners along on a two-week scouting trip to Romania where he explored the country's remarkable natural landscapes in preparation for a future birding tour. There's just one catch: his binoculars broke almost immediately after arriving.
Despite that setback, Ivan racks up some lifers and shares highlights from two very different corners of the country. First, he heads to the Danube River Delta on the Black Sea coast—widely considered the best birding site in Europe—where he had an unforgettable day exploring the maze of channels by boat. Then he crosses the Carpathian Mountains into Transylvania, where ancient forests, castles, charming villages, stork nests, and bears round out the adventure.
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First 90 secondsIvan Phillipson· Host0:00
[intro music] Hello and welcome. This is The Science of Birds. I am your host, Ivan Phillipson. The Science of Birds podcast is a lighthearted exploration of bird biology for lifelong learners. This is episode number one hundred and thirty-three of the podcast, and it's a from the field episode. I do these every so often when I'm talking about my recent travels to various places around the world for birding, for the work I do as a birding guide. And so today we are talking about Romania, the country in Eastern Europe. I was in Romania for about two weeks, and I was there to scout for a future birding tour that I will lead for my company, Wild Latitudes. That will most likely be in twenty twenty-eight. And this was an exciting trip. Romania was a place I'd wanted to get to for a long time, and this was my first experience in Eastern Europe. I had a really great time, and I'm excited to tell you about how it went. Now, one interesting, uh, twist on this trip was that, you know, of course, my binoculars are the most essential piece of gear that I have, right? As a birder, as a birding guide, binoculars are indispensable.