SmartBirds
© Svilen Cheshmedziev/BSPB
An international census of wintering Dalmatian pelicans on the Balkan Peninsula took place in late November and mid-December. The purpose of the census is to collect data on the number and distribution of endangered Dalmatian pelicans in the study area.
The study was conducted in two stages. A census was conducted at the end of November in the Western Balkans –Greece, Albania, and Montenegro. In the period December 8-10, wetlands in Bulgaria and Romania were visited. The event is organized within the project “Pelican Way of LIFE”.
© Damyan Petkov
Teams from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) also joined the international initiative. They visited the wetlands of the greatest importance for the wintering Dalmatian pelicans in the country – – Burgas Lakes, Srebarna Lake, Ovcharitsa Dam, Rozov Kladenets, Studen Kladenets, the islands along the Danube River, Varna Lake, etc. Our team conducted a count at the Romanian lake Suhaya, located opposite Persin Island (Belene), where 192 Dalmatian and 8 Great white pelicans were observed.
© Vladimir Mladenov/BSPB
А total of 644 Dalmatian and 93 Great white pelicans were counted in Bulgaria. By comparison, during the 2022 census, 754 Dalmatian and 6 Great white pelicans, иn 2021, there were 1469 Dalmatian Pelicans and 48 Great white pelicans observed. Traditionally, the largest number of Dalmatian pelicans were observed in the area of Burgas Lakes – 606 ind., in Peschina swamp – 23 ind., in Lake Srebarna – 3 ind., in protected area Yatata – 3 ind. The highest number of Pink Pelicans were once again observed in the area of the Burgas Lakes – 89 individuals.
© Vladimir Mladenov/BSPB
It’s interesting to note that during the counting, our teams had the opportunity to observe some other rare and interesting bird species, including 4 Cattle Egrets (2 individuals in the area of the Romanian lake Suhaya and 2 individuals near the city of Burgas), Whooper Swans and Tundra Swans, 500 White-headed Ducks, 1 Red-throated diver, 5 Horned Grebes, 60 Yelkouan shearwaters, several White storks, 13 Whiskered Terns, 3 Snow Buntings, and others.
© Damyan Petkov
The data collected will contribute to better knowledge and implementation of conservation activities for the Dalmatian Pelican in Southeast Europe. Cross-border cooperation is key to the conservation of this species.
© Vladimir Mladenov/BSPB
The actions for protecting the Dalmatian pelican are carried out within the project “Pelican Way of LIFE” (LIFE18/NAT/NL/000716), funded by the LIFE Programme of the European Union and with the assistance of the Whitlеy Fund for Nature.
