Successfully initiating for the fourth consecutive year, the Dalmatian pelicans have nested in the “Kalimok-Brushlen” Protected Area and other wetlands of Bulgaria.
During regular monitoring in early March, the team from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) discovered a total of 64 pairs occupying the two wooden platforms in the protected area. Additionally, 28 pairs built nests on fallen trees near the platforms, a unique nesting behavior observed last year as well. This season’s total nesting pairs of Dalmatian pelicans in the “Kalimok-Brushlen” Protected Area is 92, setting a new record for the region. For the second consecutive year, this is the largest breeding site for the species in the country.
“We are delighted that a total of 92 pairs of Dalmatian pelicans have nested in the ‘Kalimok-Brushlen’ Protected Area this year! From 3 pairs in 2021, the colony has reached such a high number in just 4 years. This is a huge conservation success, a step forward in the protection of this majestic and endangered species,” said Svilen Cheshmedjiev from BSPB.
For the ninth consecutive year, pelicans have also nested in the Persina Nature Park. Currently, 28 pairs have occupied the platform in the Peschina swamp, and an additional 7 pairs have formed nests on the adjacent platform in the Dead Swamp. The total number of nesting Dalmatian pelican pairs in the park this season is 35.
The breeding season for Dalmatian pelicans in Lake Srebarna has also successfully started. During regular monitoring in March by BSPB, the team found that 14 pairs of pelicans had formed their nests on three of the floating platforms in the lake.
The overall number of nesting pairs of Dalmatian pelicans in Bulgaria is 141, one of the highest counts since data collection began for the nesting population of the species in the country.
In the coming weeks and months, the monitoring of the nesting colonies of Dalmatian pelicans in Bulgaria will continue, with hopes for a highly successful breeding season. The first pelican chicks are expected to hatch very soon.
The activities for protecting the Dalmatian pelican 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.
Drone filming is conducted using a special methodology either by or in the presence of an ornithologist to avoid causing disturbance to the birds.