SmartBirds
Photo: © Vladimir Dobrev / Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds
In February, a team from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds carried out the first field surveys under the project “EP for Birds LIFE”. A total of 1,085 power poles were identified as priority for insulation, located within the territories of 12 pairs of Egyptian Vulture, two pairs of Eastern Imperial Eagle, as well as in an important gathering site for juvenile Imperial Eagles.
A particularly dangerous section of the electricity distribution network was identified near Karnobat. On site, remains of one Eastern Imperial Eagle, a Short-toed Snake Eagle, White Stork and ravens were found.
Following on-site verification of hazardous poles, the next step is their retrofitting by teams of EP Yug. The project foresees the insulation of 8,700 poles from the electricity distribution network, as well as the installation of 1,500 bird flight diverters on overhead power lines. The activities will cover 100% of the range of the Eastern Imperial Eagle and nearly 80% of the range of the Egyptian Vulture in Bulgaria.
Photo: © Georgi Gerdzikov
One of the most serious threats to birds globally—including endangered and rare species such as the Eastern Imperial Eagle and Egyptian Vulture, which are priority species under the project—is collision with power lines and electrocution when perching on hazardous poles and infrastructure. Reducing these risks remains one of the major challenges for biodiversity conservation today.
The international project “Reduction of mortality risk on globally endangered birds through retrofitting of hazardous overhead power lines in South-eastern Europe” (EP for Birds LIFE) is funded by the EU LIFE Programme. It is implemented by EP Yug in cooperation with the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, EVN Macedonia, the Macedonian Ecological Society, and the Doğa Dernegi. The partners will also collaborate with four electricity distribution companies from Turkey.
