Montenegro 2024

                                           Montenegro Trip Report                 by Sue Bryan

June 12^th – June 16^th 2024

 

Sue Bryan

John Geeson

Introduction 

With the summer weather being poor once again and as I have more free time now that I only work part-time, once again I looked at the budget airline schedules to see where John and I could escape for a bit of sun and enjoy watching and taking photographs of a few butterflies, birds, insects and flowers. Over the last few years we have enjoyed going where the fancy takes us on a daily basis, but booking flights, accommodation and a car and relaxing with a meal and drink sitting outside in the sun relaxing. Budva in Montenegro seemed to offer a new country tick for us both and the resort of Budva was positioned half an hour from the airport by the Adriatic, where we could enjoy a swim in the sea as well as being backed by mountains where we could wander at will.

Guides: John and Sue

Itinerary

12^th June   Gatwick – Tivat – Budva – Buljarica

13^th June   Budva – Rasotavac Mountains

14^th June Budva – Bjelice Mountains

15^th June   Budva – Buljarica

Flights 

International flights from Gatwick to Tivat were booked through https://www.easyjet.com/en at a cost of £393.94 each.

Costs

Accommodation was booked using www.booking.com where we stayed at Le Marc Guest House in Budva centre which was about a mile from the sea in Budva at a cost of £244.56 for 4 nights for B and B. This included a car parking space under the hotel and a tourist tax. Three of our evening meals were also taken at the hotel and paid for separately each night.

Car Hire

We booked a car with Green Motion via the EasyJet website at a cost of £118.20 but then paid extra £26.16 for an extra driver at the depot. However when we returned the car, two wheel trims had been stolen and we forfeited £179.86 against our deposit and despite the fact that these only cost £26 for a set of 4 on Amazon, Green Motion would not return our 800 Euros deposit unless we agreed the £179.86 cost. With a flight to catch we had little choice!

Visa

No visa necessary

Money 

We used credit cards and took some Euros for buying ice-creams etc.

Climate

It was very hot and sunny whilst we were there, absolutely ideal for watching butterflies, ranging from 24 degrees Celsius first thing in the morning to 31 degrees Celsius by the afternoon with mostly clear blue skies with bubbling up of cloud hanging over some mountain tops.

Habitat

The Dalmatian coastline is made up of carboniferous limestone mountains with some spruce and broad-leafed slopes with many caves. There are some unfenced meadows in some areas, full of wild flowers carpeting the rugged ground which were wonderful to see attracting many butterflies, fritillaries and spectacular insects.

Access was limited by the available roads and we followed narrow lanes and tracks as we drove up the well-surfaced main roads up the mountain until we turned off onto narrow lanes. The twisty coast road was very busy with traffic in this over-developed coastline full of holiday hotels.

Daily Log

12^th June

John and I boarded an early-morning EasyJet flight at Gatwick to Tivat in Montenegro, arriving at 10am. We walked 500m to the car hire depot with our cases and picked up a brand new Dachia Sondero after adding an extra driver. Google Maps helped us to Budva where we got serious lost and stuck in the one-way, blocked-off street that construction for more high-rise hotels was taking place. Trapped by construction vehicles, we could not find a way out but luckily a kind couple came to our rescue and said to follow them to our family-run guest house. Relief all round!

After finding our room and stopping for some lunch supplies, we drove along the coastline in a sunny, 30 degree heat. We stopped at the roadside and found a spot where we saw a variety of butterflies including: Spotted Fritillary, Essex Skipper, Swallowtail, Clouded Yellow Butterfly and Common Blue Butterfly.

Golden-ringed Dragonflies and Southern Skimmers were zipping by in the small puddles. We continued on our way and drove to Buljarica and through a campsite alongside the sea. I could hear a Great Reed Warbler singing but it was quite distant over the reedbed. It was soon joined by another.  Barn Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin were accompanied by two Red-rumped Swallow flying around as I wandered along the track. A Yellow-legged Gull flew by but sea birds were very few and far between!

A rustle in the bushes alerted us to a Bush Cricket and a 3 foot long European Glass Lizard. A Scarlet Darter added some colour to the day.

We returned to the hotel and sat in the open hotel restaurant where we enjoyed the warmth of the evening sun as we ate our evening meal.

13^th June

 

After breakfast we drove to the Rasovatac Mountains and by the end of the day had seen 30 species of butterflies, dragonflies, crickets, grasshoppers and even a snake!

The mountains were carpeted in wild flowers. Such an amazing sight! The road was quite busy to start with, with little opportunity for pulling off but as we climbed higher we found a few places where we could stop and see what we could find. We saw a female Adder at one spot over-looking the mountains.

We noticed a Crag Martin as we drove further up. However our main focus was the butterflies which were in abundance. The fritillaries were a challenge though as undersides need to be photographed to be sure of their identification which is not easy as they are so mobile in the heat of the day. An Adder slithered by as we took some photos of the scenery. We found an excellent track that took us away from the road so we parked up and had a bite to eat. Nightingales seemed to be common as we sat and listened to them but as usual they were difficult to see. A Niobe Fritillary was a new species for me as I faced the challenge of photographing them.

A Large Tortoiseshell landed on the tree above us as did a Lattice Brown.

An Eastern Baton Blue added itself to my life list as we added Great Sooty Satyr and a Pearly Heath Butterfly to our lists. There were many Pyramidal Orchids surrounding us. It was a delightful spot.

We noticed some Woodcock Orchids as we put our things back in the car. We set off down the track admiring several Lizard Orchids along the track as we walked. A Copper Demoiselle kept us entertained for a while.

It was now reaching 31 degrees as we discovered a meadow full of butterflies and other insects. Fritillaries were in abundance as we tried desperately to get underside photos as well as top side photos of the same insect.

I had a few lifers including; Black-veined White Butterfly and Marble Fritillary. I also saw White-tailed Skimmer. We added Meadow Brown, Silver-studded Blue, Wood White, Blue-spot Hairstreak, Brimstone, Small Skipper, Large Skipper, Southern Small White, Holly Blue, Silver-washed Fritillary and Adonis Blue.

There were a few Scarce Swallowtails around but getting a decent photograph was another matter altogether! We also had some amazing insects which the twitter fraternity were very helpful sorting them out for us. Thank you. A Dalmatian Wall Lizard scuttle along the track as we walked along.

We spent several hours in the meadow before walking back to the car and continuing up the lane. We stopped to watch Red-backed Shrikes and a Golden Oriole in a valley as well as listening to more Nightingales as they were just about everywhere we ventured today. It was so lovely to be serenaded by Nightingales instead of being blasted by noise from loud music down on the beaches.

By now we were feeling our age and drove back to the hotel for another evening meal in the hotel before writing up our notes and processing our photographs with some tricky identification issues. Thank goodness for Twitter friends and the Obsidentify App!

14^th June

It was another fabulous day in the sun in Montenegro as we headed up in the mountainous area of Bjelice north of Budva. We were soon listening to and seeing a Blue Rock Thrush, Grey Wagtail and White Wagtail.

We stopped en route in a quarry area along the main road to investigate anything we could find. A male Black-eared Wheatear sat on the clifftop but was too far away for my lens. Luckily another Black-eared Wheatear sat distantly on a wire long enough for me to get a photograph with my bridge camera.

We motored on up to the mountains seeing Comma and Painted Lady before stopping at a fairly steep slope covered in flowers. The wild flowers were amazing as we wandered around amongst Pyramidal Orchids, Greater Butterfly Orchids, Lizard Orchids as well as masses of Ox-eye Daisies. A Camberwell Beauty flew by but didn’t stop.

The fritillaries were everywhere it seemed. We struggled to identify them, as they were reluctant to perch in the heat. Getting underside photos as well as topside photos was a challenge to say the least! Butterflies were in profusion but I think we could do with some newer field guides to cover some sub species! However we managed to see a Knapweed Fritillary another lifer for me.

The steep slope was making life difficult but I could hear a Rock Bunting singing which eventually gave up its perch on the cliff and came and sat on a distant tree.

We also saw Ilex Hairstreak and Large Wall Brown here.

We added Large Wall Brown, Red Underwing Skipper  and Ilex Hairstreaks at another stop as well as photographing Niobe Fritillaries. Birds were few and far between but we did see Cirl Bunting more Red-backed Shrikes as we listened to more Nightingales singing. We heard Greenfinch and Chaffinch but failed to see any.

Once back in Budva we showered and changed and walked into Budva where we found a delightful Vietnamese restaurant for an evening meal but chose to sit outside in the evening sun

15^th June

John and I started our day with a swim in the Adriatic sea and then walked to the old town in Budva where we played tourist and enjoyed a delightful lunch sitting by the sea watching para-scenders being towed by a speedboat.

By the afternoon it was still very hot and sunny and so after a shower back at our guesthouse and a little rest (us oldies need this!) we drove to Buljarica, through the campsite once more and along the track by the sea. Here Great Reed Warblers were still singing and disputing territories and if it hadn’t been for the 30 degree heat and the sun we might have thought we were in Norfolk, as Swallowtail Butterflies and Norfolk Hawker Dragonflies were on the wing. The Scarce Swallowtails and the excellent weather gave the game away though.

However we also watched Reed Warbler, Goldfinch, Scarlet Darters, Black-tailed Skimmers, Spotted Fritillaries and Red-veined Darters before returning to base to eat outside and treat ourselves to a cocktail and a beer in the warmth of the evening sun.

16^th June 

After thanking our hosts we said our goodbyes and drove to the car rental depot at the airport where we expected to get our 800 Euros deposit refunded as we had no damage to the car. However we had not noticed that 2 wheel trims were missing. It was clear to us that they had been stolen off the car and we were to lose £179.86 of our deposit. On Amazon 4 wheel trims for the car can be obtained for £26. We felt this was outrageous and protested but if we didn’t accept we would not have any of our deposit refunded. With a flight to catch we did not have time to do anything about it. Sharp practice we thought! Our flight home was uneventful and we had enjoyed our stay in Montenegro.

 

Species seen

Birds

1. Rock Dove Columba livia    12/06/2024        Budva
2. Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto   15/06/2024 Budva
3. Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis 12/06/2024 Buljarica
4. Pygmy Cormorant Microcarbo pygmaeus 12/06/2024 Tivat
5. Buzzard Buteo buteo 14/06/2024 Cetinje
6. Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus  13/06/2024        Rasovatac
7. Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio 13/06/2024 Rasovatac
8. Jay Garrulus glandarius       14/06/2024        Bjelice
9. Hooded Crow Corvus cornix    12/06/2024        Budva
10. Sand Martin Riparia riparia   12/06/2024        Buljarica
11. Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris               13/06/2024        Rasovatac
12. Swallow Hirundo rustica 12/06/2024        Budva
13. House Martin Delichon urbicum 12/06/2024   Buljarica
14. Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica 12/06/2024 Buljarica
15. Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita   14/06/2024        Bjelice
16. Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus 12/06/2024 Buljarica
17. Whitethroat Curruca communis  13/06/2024              Rasovatac
18. Blackbird Turdus merula  12/06/2024        Budva
19. Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos 13/06/2024 Rasovatac
20. Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius   14/06/2024        Cetinje
21. Eastern Black-eared Wheatear Oenanthe melanoleuca 14/06/2024 Cetinje
22. House Sparrow Passer domesticus 12/06/2024        Budva
23. Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea            14/06/2024        Cetinje
24. Pied Wagtail Motacilla alba   14/06/2024        Cetinje
25. Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis         15/06/2024 Buljarica
26. Rock Bunting Emberiza cia      14/06/2024        Bjelice
27. Cirl Bunting Emberiza cirlus 14/06/2024        Bjelice
28. Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus 15/06/2024 Buljarica

Butterflies

1. Swallowtail Papilio machaon             12/06/2024        Buljarica
2. Scarce Swallowtail Iphiclides podalirius       13/06/2024        Rasovatac
3. Black-veined White Aporia crataegi 13/06/2024        Rasovatac
4. Large White Pieris brassicae 12/06/2024        Buljarica
5. Southern Small White Artogeia mannii              13/06/2024        Rasovatac
6. Clouded Yellow Colias crocea 12/06/2024        Buljarica
7. Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni        13/06/2024        Rasovatac
8. Wood White Leptidea sinapis              13/06/2024        Rasovatac
9. Ilex Hairstreak Nordmannia ilicis            13/06/2024        Rasovatac
10. Blue-spot Hairstreak Strymonidia spini            13/06/2024        Rasovatac
11. Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus          13/06/2024        Rasovatac
12. Eastern Baton Blue Pseudophilotes baton   13/06/2024        Rasovatac
13. Silver-studded Blue Plebejus argus   13/06/2024        Rasovatac
14. Adonis Blue Lysandra bellargus         13/06/2024        Rasovatac
15. Common Blue Polyommatus icarus      12/06/2024        Buljarica
16. Camberwell Beauty Nymphalis antiopa         14/06/2024        Bjelice
17. Large Tortoiseshell Nymphalis polychloros  13/06/2024        Rasovatac
18. Painted Lady Vanessa cardui 14/06/2024        Cetinja
19. Comma Butterfly Polygonia c-album          14/06/2024        Cetinja
20. Silver-washed Fritillary Argynnis paphia              13/06/2024        Rasovatac
21. Niobe Fritillary Argynnis niobe   13/06/2024        Rasovatac
22. Queen Of Spain Fritillary Issoria lathonia 14/06/2024        Bjelice
23. Marbled Fritillary Brenthis daphne             13/06/2024        Rasovatac
24. Knapweed Fritillary Melitaea phoebe            14/06/2024        Bjelice
25. Spotted Fritillary Melitaea didyma             12/06/2024        Buljarica
26. Balkan Marbled White Melanargia larissa          13/06/2024        Rasovatac
27. Great Sooty Satyr Satyrus ferula    13/06/2024        Rasovatac
28. Meadow Brown Maniola jurtina 13/06/2024        Rasovatac
29. Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus           13/06/2024        Rasovatac
30. Pearly Heath Coenonympha arcania  13/06/2024        Rasovatac
31. Wall Brown Lasiommata megera      13/06/2024        Rasovatac
32. Large Wall Brown Lasiommata maera        14/06/2024        Bjelice
33. Lattice Brown Kirinia roxelana 13/06/2024        Rasovatac
34. Red Underwing Skipper Spialia sertorius 14/06/2024        Bjelice
35. Essex Skipper Thymelicus lineola          12/06/2024        Buljarica
36. Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris     13/06/2024        Rasovatac
37. Large Skipper Ochlodes venatus           13/06/2024        Rasovatac

Dragonflies

1. Copper Demoiselle Calopteryx haemorrhoidalis       13/06/2024              Rasovatac
2. Golden-ringed Dragonfly Cordulegaster boltonii   12/06/2024              Sveti Stefan
3. Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum 13/06/2024        Rasovatac
4. White-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum albistylum    13/06/2024        Rasovatac
5. Southern Skimmer Orthetrum brunneum   12/06/2024        Sveti Stefan
6. Scarlet Dragonfly Crocothemis erythraea 12/06/2024        Sveti Stefan