SmartBirds
Photo: © Stoycho Stoychev/BSPB
Experts and volunteers from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), the “Rewilding Rhodopes” Foundation, and “Green Balkans” participated in the marking and placement of transmitters on a total of 13 Cinereous vultures in the adaptation aviary near Madzharovo. The vultures will remain in the aviary for another month before they are released. Ten artificial nests have already been installed in the aviary area.
© Stoycho Stoychev/BSPB
More than 20 people participated in the event. Each bird was examined and then marked with a standard metal and PVC ring, and a GPS/GSM transmitter was attached. The tracking technology and marking will allow experts to monitor the vultures in real time and help track their adaptation in their new home in the Eastern Rhodopes.
© Stoycho Stoychev/BSPB
We expect them to join the eight Cinereous vultures released last year, which have permanently settled in the Eastern Rhodopes and Sakar Mountain.
The experts’ hope is that the Cinereous vulture will re-establish itself as a key species in the area in the near future, and one day it will inhabit the entire continent of Europe again. The establishment of a colony in Bulgaria will support the survival of the species in the Balkans, as it is expected that there will be an exchange of birds with the last surviving local colony of about 25-30 pairs located in the Greek part of the Rhodopes, as well as with the reintroduced Cinereous vultures in the Stara Planina.
© Stoycho Stoychev/BSPB
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.
