SmartBirds
© Vladimir Mladenov
During the period of August 19th to 27th, volunteers will gather once again at the nature conservation camp near Atanasovsko Lake to contribute to the activities of BSPB related to improving nesting and resting places for birds. This will be the 34th edition of the traditional brigade, in which people with a love for nature and enthusiasm to contribute to its conservation participate.
The main goals of the nature conservation camp “Atanasovsko Lake” are:
• To maintain and improve the resting and nesting places in the lake and the surrounding wetlands, which are important for birds.
• To engage and familiarize volunteers with the threats to birds and wetlands, creating more advocates for nature conservation issues.
During the brigade, volunteers will participate in a combination of practical and educational activities.
This year, the tasks we have set are:
• Performing maintenance activities on the existing artificial nesting and resting islands for birds. These structures have been built by volunteers in previous brigades and play a crucial role for certain bird species in the lake. Various species of herons and terns nest on these islands every year. Outside the breeding season, the islands are used for roosting and resting by Dalmatian pelicans and many other waterbird species. Participants in the “Atanasovsko Lake” camp will have the opportunity to get up close to these important bird structures and contribute to their future existence.
• Conducting field surveys of birds in the lake, parallel to the activities on the islands. Each day, two teams led by experienced ornithologists will observe the birds in the lake area. One team will study the autumn migration of passing birds (storks, pelicans, cranes, raptors) from a stationary point near the camp. This is the most traditional activity of the camp, carried out since its first editions over 40 years ago. The main bird species migrating at this time of year is the white stork, and the record number of individuals passing by in a day reaches 70,000. The second team will conduct surveys of waterbird species in the lake. During migration, Atanasovsko Lake is an important stopover for rest and feeding for a wide variety of species. Volunteers will have the opportunity to observe groups of tens of thousands of birds, including various species of gulls, terns, ducks, herons, and more. Monitoring the bird population, as well as the feeding and resting sites they use, is crucial information for their conservation. Participants in the “Atanasovsko Lake” camp will have the opportunity to assist in conducting these surveys and gain experience in recognizing and counting different bird species.
• Activities in the “Poda” protected area. Participants in the camp will have the opportunity to visit the protected area and the BSPB Nature Conservation Center “Poda”, one of the richest places in the country in terms of ornithological diversity, with 315 bird species. Within the camp, numerous activities related to improving nesting and feeding habitats for birds in the protected area and maintaining the nature conservation center will be carried out.
More information about the participation conditions and the participation form can be found at the link: https://tinyurl.com/5ffkjwtu
We look forward to welcoming you!
The Nature Conservation Camp “Atanasovsko Lake 2023” is part of the activities of the “Pelican Way of LIFE” project (LIFE18/NAT/NL/000716), funded by the LIFE Programme of the European Union and with the assistance of the Whitley Fund for Nature.
