SmartBirds
© Dmitrijs Lisenko
At the end of November a team of experts and volunteers of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) managed to carry out a number of activities related to improving the nesting conditions of the protected Dalmatian Pelican on the territory of the “Mandra – Poda” Special Protection Area (BG0000271).
In 2021 the team built two floating platforms with a total area of 80 sq.m. in the oxidation ponds of “LUKOIL Neftochim Burgas” AD. These reservoirs are one of the most preferred places for resting for the Dalmatian Pelicans in the Burgas Lakes region. Human disturbance there is kept to a minimum, which is extremely important for this species. Happily, the pelicans very quickly and extremely well accepted the new floating platforms, which instantly became a favorite roosting and resting place for both Dalmatian and Great White pelicans.
© Svilen Cheshmedziev/BSPB
In order to make them as attractive as possible to the birds before the start of the new breeding season, this winter the team carried out a technical inspection and managed to mow a sufficient amount of reeds to cover the floating platforms. Thus, they resemble reed islands as much as possible, which are one of the favorite nesting places of the Dalmatian pelicans. In addition, our team was able to carry out light repair work to ensure even greater strength and stability of the platforms.
It’s a pleasure to report that in the following days, dozens of Dalmatian Pelicans and Great White pelicans were observed roosting on the platforms. This is a positive sign, and in the coming months, we will continue to keenly monitor the situation with the pelicans and the platforms in the area.
© Svilen Cheshmedziev/BSPB
The last confirmed information about the nesting of Dalmatian pelicans in the region dates back to as far as 1948. Our team hopes that soon one of Burgas’ symbols will once again join the rich list of bird species nesting in the Burgas lakes!
BSPB expresses its gratitude to all the volunteers who joined in this difficult task!
The conservation activities of the Dalmatian Pelican are carried out in the framework 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.
