An international census of wintering Dalmatian pelicans on the Balkan Peninsula took place at the end of this year. The census aimed to collect data on the population size and distribution of the endangered Dalmatian pelican in the surveyed area.
The study was conducted in two stages: the first focused on the species in the Western Balkans (Greece, Albania, and Montenegro), while the second, between December 14 and 15, covered wetlands in Bulgaria and Romania. The event was organized as part of the “Pelican Way of LIFE” initiative.
Teams of experts and volunteers from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) also participated in this international initiative. They visited key wetlands in Bulgaria, critical for wintering Dalmatian pelicans, including the Burgas Lakes, Lake Srebarna, the Ovcharitsa, Rozov Kladenets, and Studen Kladenets reservoirs, the marshes of Persin Island, the Kalimok-Brashlen Protected Area, the sandbars and islands along the Danube River, Lake Varna, and others.
A total of 1,333 Dalmatian pelicans and 42 Great White pelicans were counted in Bulgaria. By comparison, during the 2023 census, 644 Dalmatian pelicans and 93 Great White pelicans were recorded; in 2022, 754 Dalmatian pelicans and 44 Great White pelicans were observed; and in 2021, 1,469 Dalmatian pelicans and 48 Great White pelicans were counted.
As in previous years, the highest number of Dalmatian pelicans was recorded in the Burgas Lakes region, with 1,110 individuals (1,068 of which were roosting at Atanasovsko Lake), followed by 40 individuals on the sandbars along the Danube near Tutrakan and Popina, and 35 at the Studen Kladenets Reservoir. The highest number of Great White pelicans was also observed in the Burgas Lakes area, with 40 individuals.
The data collected during the pelican census will contribute to a better understanding of the species and support conservation activities for the protection of the Dalmatian pelican in Southeastern Europe. Cross-border cooperation is essential for the preservation of this species.
The actions on species conservation are carried out within the framework of the “Pelican Way of LIFE“ initiative (LIFE18/NAT/NL/000716), coordinated by Rewilding Europe and funded by the LIFE Programme of the European Union and Arcadia Foundation, and with the assistance in Bulgaria of the Whitley Fund for Nature.
