SmartBirds
© Damyan Petkov
At the end of July, monitoring activities of artificial nest boxes for the Red-footed Falcon and the European Roller were completed in Northern and Northwestern Bulgaria. These boxes were installed in 2022 in suitable habitats by joint teams from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) and Electrodustribution Grid West (EDG West), as part of the LIFE Danube Free Sky project. A total of 50 nest boxes were installed for each of the two bird species.
During May, June, and July, a team of BSPB experts and volunteers conducted the monitoring, which once again yielded excellent results. No nesting by Red-footed Falcons was registered this season either, but a considerable number of their boxes (16) were occupied by Common Kestrels, which successfully raised their chicks. Additionally, for yet another year, Long-eared Owls nested in three of the boxes.
Photo: Common Scops-owl, © Damyan Petkov
A positive outcome was once again recorded for the European Roller. The joint team had installed 50 nest boxes on concrete electric poles located in suitable habitats within the Special Protection Areas “Svishtov-Belene Lowland,” “Belene Islands Complex,” “Obnova,” “Devetashko Plateau,” and “Studenets.” These areas are among the most important breeding habitats for the species in Bulgaria. The trend of over 40% occupancy continued this year, with 24 out of 50 boxes successfully used by Rollers. Data on the species’ breeding success was collected using a miniature camera – a method applied for the first time by our dedicated volunteer Damyan Petkov.
© Damyan Petkov
In addition to Rollers, several pairs of Little Owls, Spanish and House Sparrows, and Common Starlings also used the boxes. For the first time, breeding of the Eurasian Jackdaw was recorded. The Rollers successfully raised their chicks, which have already fledged but remain in the areas with installed nest boxes.
The Red-footed Falcon is a small falcon whose population in Bulgaria has plummeted over the past two decades to a critical low, with only a few known pairs remaining. It is listed as “Critically Endangered” in Bulgaria’s Red Data Book and is considered globally threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), due to its decline across Europe.
© Svilen Chezhmedzhiev
The European Roller is a protected species that nests in natural cavities such as earthen banks, rocky niches, stone walls, tree hollows, and cavities in concrete electric poles. Its population has sharply declined since the 1950s, mainly due to the use of pesticides in agriculture.
These activities are carried out as part of the project “LIFE Danube Free Sky” (LIFE19 NAT/SK/001023), funded by the EU’s LIFE Programme.
