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.

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.

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.