An international census of wintering Dalmatian pelicans on the Balkan Peninsula took place in late November and mid-December. The purpose of the census is to collect data on the number and distribution of endangered Dalmatian pelicans in the study area. Тhe study was conducted in two stages. A census was done at the end of November in the Western Balkans – Western Greece, Albania, and Montenegro. In the period December 9-12, wetlands in Bulgaria and Romania were visited by scientists.

On November 29, a one-day seminar was held in the town of Belene, dedicated to the conservation activities of the Dalmatian pelican in Bulgaria. The event was organized by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPS) with the support of the Directorate of the Persina Nature Park Directorate – Belene and within the framework of the “Pelican Way of LIFE” initiative.

In the last days of September, the 4-days Danube volunteer conservation camp took place in the Persina Nature Park in Bulgaria. It was the first educational and practical training, organized for university students by the Park Directorate. 20 volunteers came from Konstantin Preslavsky University of Shumen and Local High schools from Belene and Svishtov.

23 Great white pelicans and 15 Dalmatian pelicans were found dead during the field survey of the power lines, made by the Bulgarian Society for Birds Protection (BSPB) in Bulgaria. The experts recommend taking immediate mitigation measures to prevent the further deaths of these rare birds.

At the end of August, the “Atanasovsko Lake” conservation camp united nearly 60 volunteers in their care for nature and birds. It was organized for the 33rd time by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) in Bulgaria within the Pelican Way of LIFE initiative.

Unfortunately, 2022 turned out to be an unkind year for the Dalmatian pelican of the Balkan Peninsula. In the spring, more than 2,000 adults from breeding colonies in Greece and the Danube Delta in Romania died as a result of avian influenza (the so-called bird flu). This resulted in nearly 40% decrease of the population of the species in the area!

On June 24, a team of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) successfully tagged with a satellite transmitter a young Dalmatian pelican from the breeding colony of the species in the Kalimok-Brushlen Protected Area. This is the first pelican with a transmitter that was hatched and raised in a Bulgarian colony of the species.

At the beginning of June, Festival of the Dalmatian Pelican took place in Bulgaria for the second time, organised by the Persina Nature Park Directorate and partners.

The fifth international pelican census in Southeast Europe took place on May 14th. It aimed at gathering information about the number and distribution of the endangered species Pelecanus crispus (Dalmatian pelican) and Pelecanus onocrotalus (Great white pelican) in the region. The event was organized within the “Pelican Way of LIFE” initiative and was coordinated by the Hellenic ornithological society (HOS).

The work to stabilize and strengthen interconnected populations of the Dalmatian pelican along the Black Sea-Mediterranean flyway, carried on by Rewilding Europe and partners, has been recognized by the European Commission’s Natura 2000 Awards. By reducing the risk of collisions with power lines, the installation of nesting platforms, and establishing regular patrols, The Pelican Way of LIFE initiative has helped to create two new breeding colonies in Bulgaria.