On February 14, 2026, two birds were observed near the village of Parvenets, in the Plovdiv region. This marks yet another instance of the species being recorded at this location during the winter months. There are other sites — primarily in Southern Bulgaria — where the Subalpine Warbler has been recorded overwintering.

The bird photographed is an adult male Sardinian Warbler (Curruca melanocephala). It has predominantly dark grey plumage with a clearly contrasting white throat. The crown is black, and the eye is encircled by red orbital and eye rings. The second bird was an adult female (not photographed).

In some cases, the adult male Sardinian Warbler can be confused with Curruca mystacea — a species not yet recorded in Bulgaria — but in the latter, the underparts are never as dark grey.

During the winter, the Sardinian Warbler is primarily detected by its alarm call. The species is rather secretive and mainly reveals its presence through this call when agitated — for instance, if you linger near the bushes where it is hiding.