On 29 January 2021, our colleague and keen birder Kiril Bedev was very fortunate to observe a pair of Lapland Longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus) in a mixed flock of Linnets, Meadow Pipits, Calandra and Sky Larks, all of them feeding in the Pontic steppes along the northern Black Sea coast of Bulgaria, and only ten minutes drive from Branta Birding Lodge.
Late in the afternoon the birds were again successfully observed and photographed by Pavel Simeonov jnr. and myself. To the best of my knowledge, this is the third documented record of Lapland Bunting for Bulgaria.