SmartBirds
And this year, the two cameras installed in the nests of White storks in the Samokov villages of Yarlovo and Dragushinovo will transmit in real-time. Anyone can invite them to their home through the BSPB’s YouTube channel. For the first time, we will observe another nest of White storks in the village of Yarlovo.
The camera, which was installed in 2017 in a stork’s nest in the village of Yarlovo, near Samokov, Bulgaria, is already broadcasting live at the following link: https://bit.ly/381GAYc We are still waiting for the birds to return to the nest. Last year was very difficult for them. In April, the male bird (Rostislav) died. The probable cause of his death was poisoning. His partner (Snezhi) had already laid eggs, which had to be taken and hatched at the Green Balkans Rescue Center in Stara Zagora. In June, the juveniles were successfully placed in foster families – in other nests of storks in the village of Dragushinovo. In May, Snezhi found a new partner (Vihren), but the birds failed to raise a generation this year. In mid-June, the new male bird was in danger: a cord had become entangled around its legs. The dangers and problems that befell the storks before our eyes have clearly demonstrated the threats faced by these birds. The cameras have fulfilled one of their most important goals – to raise awareness of these issues and make people involved. We hope that this year Snezhi and Vihren will have a successful breeding season and raise a generation!
Another pair of white storks is nesting near them, which we will observe for the first time this year. Follow their return here: https://bit.ly/3NvNWnc
The camera to the other stork family in the village of Dragushinovo, again near Samokov, is still not active – there are a few more steps to be taken to launch it online, due to additional technical requirements. When the broadcast starts, we will announce the link to the nest on the BSPB’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
We are still waiting for the return of Draga and Drago. We have been watching their lives live since 2019.
The cameras on BSPB’s YouTube channel accumulated more than 1.2 million views last year, with more than 22,000 individual visitors per day.
The installation of the two cameras is part of the measures for the protection of the White stork under the LIFE project “LIFE BIRDS ON POWER LINES”, implemented by CEZ Distribution Bulgaria AD in partnership with the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds. Observations of the life of both stork families provide valuable information about the biology and ecology of the species, which will be necessary for planning future activities for its conservation. Another extremely important measure is the installation of 900 platforms for stork nests. This will reduce incidents and minimize the threat to the lives of storks as a result of hitherto with elements of the network. So far, 533 platforms have been installed in Western Bulgaria.
