Bird Watching in Bulgaria

Bulgaria offers keen bird watching enthusiasts a great chance to view many varied and even endangered species of avifauna. With its location within the Balkan Peninsula, its little wonder that Bulgaria become a top bird watching destination. In fact there are eleven Ramsar sites, identified in Bulgaria with one also a world Heritage site. This is the Srebarna Nature Reserve located in north eastern Bulgaria. The Srebarna Nature Reserve is a freshwater lake adjacent to the Danube and extending over 900 hectares. It is situated in North East Bulgaria in the Province of Silistra, 16 km west of the town of Silistra and 1 km south of the Danube.

It is the breeding ground of almost 100 species of birds, 24 of which are rare or endangered. Some 80 other bird species migrate and seek refuge there every winter. Among the most interesting bird species are the Dalmatian pelican, great egret, night heron, purple heron, glossy ibis and white spoonbill.

Threats to the Site:

The site was inscribed on the List of the World Heritage in Danger in 1992 as a result of progressive deterioration of the habitat of the bird populations. The prevention of seasonal flooding by the Iron Gates Dam upstream in Rumania, and increased farmland pollution, degraded the water quality and the biological productivity of the lake which began to dry into a marsh, and led to the decline and disappearance of many birds, and affecting the site's Dalmatian pelican colony, 10% of the world's population.

In 1994 two new canals permitting a flow of water to the Reserve began to restore the condition of the lake. Adjacent lands were added to the Reserve, and all agricultural and residential activities affecting the lake were halted. By June 2002, total recovery of the Dalmatian pelican population and the gradual return to health of the Reserve were assured and Srebarna was removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger the following year.

FAUNA

The avifauna is very rich: 233 bird species including 80 migratory species, (55% of Bulgarian species), 24 of which give the Reserve its unique status as refuge for threatened or vulnerable species. It is important for breeding waterbirds. There are 99 breeding species, and the only Bulgarian colonies of Dalmatian pelican Pelecanus crispus (V) (80 pairs in 1999) and great egret Egretta alba (10-15 pairs). The reserve is the only nesting place in Bulgaria for black cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo (90-540 pairs) and ferruginous duck Aythya nyroca (V: 60 pairs), and is the largest wintering ground for red-breasted goose Branta ruficollis (V: 20-50 pairs). It is an important breeding ground for little cormorants Phalacrocorax pygmaeus (15 pairs), night heron Nycticorax nycticorax (50-150 pairs), squacco heron Ardeola rallioides (60 pairs), little bittern Ixobrychus minutus (20 pairs), glossy ibis Plegadis falcinellus (5 pairs), white spoonbill Platalea leucorodia (6-20 pairs), corncrake Crex crex (V), great bustard Otis tarda and five other heron species with some 1,000 nests. Important wintering species include mute swan Cygnus olor , white-fronted and greylag goose Anser albifrons and A. anser and white-tailed eagle Haliaeetus albicilla . It is a refuge for 12 internationally and 57 nationally threatened species (Kostadinova,1996; Bulg.Ac.Sci, 2000).

There are 41 species of mammals - nearly half of Bulgaria's fauna: 4 carnivores, 7 mustelids, 3 ungulates and 18 or more rodents. There are 6 nationally and 4 internationally threatened mammals: otters Lutra lutra (T) which are occasionally found, steppe polecat Mustella eversmanni , masked polecat Vormela peregusna and European wild cat Felis silvestris . Jackals Canis aureus , muskrats Ondatia zibethica , and racoon dogs Nyctereutes procyonoides have invaded the area, preying on the birds when they can, and wild boar Sus scrofa , roe deer Capreolus capreolus , red deer Cervus elaphus and hares Lepis sp . are still hunted nearby. There are 18 species of fish, 6 being endangered in Bulgaria including the rare asp Aspius aspius , 15 species of reptiles including the Aesculapian snake Elaphe longissimus , and 12 amphibians; one, the eastern spadefoot Pelobates syriacus , recently discovered in Bulgaria for the first time, is listed in the Red Book for Bulgaria (Bulg. Ac.Sci, 2000).