The year 2025 began with a historic achievement for Bulgarian conservation efforts. A new breeding colony of the endangered Dalmatian pelican has been established in Bulgaria. The birds have occupied artificial islands built by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) within the Natura 2000 site “Mandra-Poda Complex” near the city of Burgas. This marks the fourth breeding site for the species in Bulgaria, alongside Lake Srebarna, Persin Island (Belene), and the Kalimok-Brushlen Protected Area.

At the end of 2024, significant strides have been made in enhancing the nesting of Dalmatian pelicans in Persina Nature Park in Bulgaria. The Directorate of the Park has completed the construction and repair of four wooden nesting platforms, crucial for the survival and reproduction of these magnificent birds.

At the end of October, a team of experts and volunteers from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) carried out several activities to improve nesting conditions for the protected Dalmatian pelican in the “Kalimok-Brushlen” Protected Area.

This year has been favorable for the Dalmatian pelicans nesting in Persina Nature Park and the “Kalimok-Brushlen” Protected Area. The primary reason for this success is the relatively high water level of the Danube river from February to June, which is crucial for the condition of the river’s wetlands and the nesting waterfowl species.

In a strategic move, Persina Nature Park has initiated the construction of a new nesting platform for Dalmatian pelicans in Peschina marsh on Persin Island. The decision follows the destruction of two existing platforms during autumn, attributed to adverse weather conditions.

In late November, the team of experts and volunteers from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) successfully executed various activities aimed at enhancing the nesting conditions for the protected Dalmatian Pelican within the “Mandra – Poda” Special Protection Area (BG0000271).

At the end of March, the first Dalmatian pelicans hatched in the Persina Nature Park and in the Kalimok-Brushlen Protected Area. This was discovered during the regular monitoring of the species, carried out by experts and volunteers of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), as well as by experts from the Directorate of the Persina Nature Park in the town of Belene.

For the eighth years in a row, the breeding season for Dalmatian pelicans has started in the Persina Nature Park.

At the end of last year and at the beginning of January, a team of experts and volunteers from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) made a great effort to improve the nesting conditions of the protected Dalmatian pelican on the territory of the “Mandra-Poda” Special Protection Area.

At the very end of the last year, the team of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB)/Birdlife Bulgaria visited the Kalimok-Brushlen Protected Area with the mission of improving nesting conditions for the Dalmatian pelicans in the area.