Dimitris Vavylis, the Greek conservationist and photographer, continues his photo mission along the Black-Sea Mediterranean Flyway of the Dalmatian pelican. This time he visited the picturesque wetlands of Bulgaria and also the gorgeous Danube delta – one of Europe’s last truly wild places, as the photographer said. Read the blog accompanied by the stunning shots from the region to find out more about the life of the pelicans and the conservation efforts of the “Pelican Way Of LIFE” initiative, coordinated by Rewilding Europe.

In February Dimitris Vavylis, the Greek conservationist and photographer, visited Messolonghi and other wetlands of Western Greece aiming to shoot the gorgeous Dalmatian pelicans, their protected habitats, local communities, and more. Read the exciting blog of the photographer about the mission and of course enjoy the great photos from the region.

A recent webinar gathered 30 participants from 11 European countries and India to learn about the Pelican Way of LIFE initiative, as work continues to improve conditions for Dalmatian pelicans along the Black Sea-Mediterranean Flyway.

The international project “Conservation of the Dalmatian pelican along the Black-Sea Mediterranean Flyway” (“Pelican Way of LIFE”), in which the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) and the Persina Nature Park Directorate are the partners for Bulgaria, is among the nominated projects for the prestigious European Natura 2000 Award of the European Commission.

For the seventh year in a row, the breeding season for Dalmatian pelicans in the Persina Nature Park has started. In mid-February, during the regular monitoring of the marshes on Persin Island, a team of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) and the Persina Nature Park Directorate found that the pelicans had occupied all the wooden platforms built for them – two in the Peschina swamp and one in the Dead Marsh on Persin Island. At the time, experts observed about 120 adult birds actively preparing their nests.

The dalmatian pelican population is severely affected by an avian influenza outbreak that is currently in progress at the Prespa National Park in Greece, in the Lesser Prespa Lake Dalmatian pelican colony that is the largest colony of the species in the world.

In mid-January, a team of experts and volunteers from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) successfully built two new floating platforms for the protected Dalmatian pelican.

Despite the difficult weather conditions, at the end of December 2021, winter survey of the Dalmatian pelican took place in Ukraine. It was organized simultaneously with similar surveys in other Eastern European countries. This year’s results give hope: three and a half times more pelicans are left to spend the winter in the Danube Delta than last year.

On the 10th of December 2021 “Maria”, the first Dalmatian pelican with a satellite transmitter in Bulgaria, has died. The cause of death was a collision with the overhead powerline.

At the very end of the year we are happy to share with you the year highlights of the rewilding efforts for Dalmatian pelican comeback along the Black-Sea Mediterranean Flyway. This year was quite active and exciting in all the involved countries and for all partners. A lot of activities from the scientific monitoring of the species to public events and volunteers camp took place in the region. Enjoy the details in the list below.