SmartBirds
Photo: © Ivo Danchev
Earlier this month, 13 Cinereous Vultures from Spain arrived in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains. The Cinereous Vulture, the largest and heaviest bird of prey in Europe, has returned to the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria after the first group of birds was released at the end of 2022. The species reintroduction is part of a program aimed at restoring the population of Cinereous Vultures in the Bulgarian part of the mountain, implemented by a team from the “Rewilding Rhodopes” Foundation, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), and the Spanish non-governmental organization GREFA.
The 3,300-kilometer journey of these rare birds through almost all of Europe took three days. It concluded after the birds were carefully transported in individual transport boxes to their new home. The team of experts will closely monitor them in the coming days to ensure that the adaptation of the vultures is proceeding normally and that they are in good condition. The vultures have been temporarily accommodated in a specially-built adaptation aviary, where they will spend, the next few months getting used to their new home. The birds will be released back into the wild this autumn. The new group is expected to join the birds released last year and form a colony. In the following years, more birds are expected to be released as part of the ongoing program to restore the breeding population of Cinereous Vultures in the Bulgarian part of the Eastern Rhodopes.
© Ivo Danchev
Most of the released Cinereous Vultures in 2022 are doing well and have adapted to life in their new home in the Eastern Rhodopes. At the same time, 13 artificial nests were built, hoping that the birds will use them. We witnessed interesting moments during the first few months of the birds’ stay in the country, thanks to the cameras and satellite transmitters installed in the aviary. The released birds have successfully socialized with the other two vulture species in the area, feeding together and undertaking longer journeys. One bird flew to Romania and returned, while others from the released vultures regularly visit neighboring areas such as the Western Rhodopes, Sakar, Strandzha, and Stara Planina. “Unfortunately, there have been losses – in the last 6 months, we lost two birds due to illegal shooting, one due to collision with a wind turbine, and a fourth bird that died from exhaustion,” commented Dobromir Dobrev, the coordinator and vulture expert from BSPB.
© Ivo Danchev
The birds were provided by the Spanish non-governmental organization GREFA (Grupo de Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona), which has been working for years on the rescue and rehabilitation of injured wild birds. The activities related to the reintroduction of Cinereous Vultures in the Eastern Rhodopes are carried out by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds in cooperation with the Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation and are financed by Rewilding Europe.
© Ivo Danchev
