Rhododendron Forest in Bloom

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The evergreen Rhododendron Ponticum is a native plant to the Strandja mountain in Bulgaria. It has survived the last ice age as this part of the continent remained ice free. It loves the deep, shady and humid gorges, as it can get very dry and hot in this part of the country in the summer. Together with the Eastern beech tree and the local varieties of ivy and other wild vines, it forms thick and lush forests that often resemble real jungle. It is a protected species in Bulgaria and the areas where it grows are usually reserves or protected areas withing the boundaries of Strandja Natural Park. The blooming of the Zelenika, as they call it here, attracts visitors from around the country each year. These dark, rocky, wet and lush with vegetation stream valleys are favourite spots of mine to visit in spring.

In 2020 the pandemic gave me an unique opportunity to record sounds in real-time for long periods of time completely without or with very few interruptions by jet planes flying over. I managed to record an eight hour recording of the sounds in this forest and to turn it into a “no loop” birdsong video. You can see it here: https://youtu.be/nlRfDVSebAA

The mossy fairytale-like roots of an old beech tree.
Forest classroom project realized by a local wildlife protection organization.
My most favourite type of damselfly in its amazingly stylish color outfit.

Krushuna Waterfalls

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Krushuna waterfalls in Bulgaria is magnificent gorge, carved into the limestone rocks, where a small river creates a number cascades and waterfalls with incredible beauty. Embraced by lush vegetation, the constant stream of water springs out of a cave and carves a variety of stone formations and basins. The rich in limestone water in those basins has a specific turquoise color. Unfortunately, a few years ago one of the big rock surrounding the gorge broke and fell and since then a big part of the cascades are no longer accessible or are gone. Two of my videos of some of the remaining waterfalls and cascades can be found here: https://youtu.be/4himVgExTDM and here: https://youtu.be/ixr0Plq0T2M.

Poppy Meadow

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How amazed I was when I saw this field from my car window, driving past it. I immediately turned around, went back and took my camera and tripod out of the boot. I spend the next two days filming and recording in this magnificent field covered with wild flowers and inhabited by a variety of birds happily chirping their spring songs. It was such a healing experience for me, reminding me of the days when I was a child, spending my summers together with my sister at our grandparents’ peaceful villages. You can watch and hear the beauty of this place in this video: https://youtu.be/6TwkVs6nhoY

Spring Forest

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One day I saw an amazing picture, posted by a friend of mine, of a forest floor completely covered in blossoming wild yellow flowers. I thought to myself, that I want to make a video of this place. I immediately wrote to my friend, asking where the place was. She pointed me to a place in the North part of Bulgaria and I quickly prepared myself and left to go there, before it was too late to see this view. When I got to the place, I was very happy to discover the area exactly the way I imagined it. The flowers were still there, densely covering the ground beneath the trees. I filmed a lot of different scenes in the area and recorded the song of the birds inhabiting it, which, as it was the middle of spring, were all quite actively singing. You can watch this video here: https://youtu.be/H1iboKia3AQ