During the days when the cinereous vultures have been starting the incubation in Dadia forest, a severe poison incident took place in close proximity to their breeding sites.
A total of 107 pairs of Griffon vultures were counted during the regular monitoring of the population of the species along the Arda River valley, Eastern Rhodopes by experts of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB).
A newly installed live webcam in the Rhodope Mountains rewilding area is now providing online viewers a rare glimpse into the lives of Bulgarian griffon vultures. Located in the centre of a major griffon vulture colony, the webcam offers a close-up view of a nest, together with its feathered visitors.
At the end of last week, the two new bisons that arrived in the Rhodope Mountains in October, joined the rest of the bison herd and will further boost the group. The two young females, donated from Sóstó Zoo (in collaboration with Miskolc Zoo) and Bratislava Zoo in Slovakia, were released after a short period of quarantine and adaptation in a special enclosure.
The number of griffon vultures in the Eastern Rhodopes continues to grow, shows the annual census of griffon vultures on the Balkan Peninsula. This year, 184 griffon vultures were counted along Arda River in Rhodope Mountains rewilding area, home of the largest colony of griffon vultures in Bulgaria. Last year there were 178 griffon vultures registered. This year number is the highest registered during the annual roost count in the Eastern Rhodopes since 2005.
November was filled with a diverse range of events, lectures, workshops, and activities related to the protection of vulture species in Europe and worldwide. Experts from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) took аn active part in most of them and presented some of the results and activities from the project “Conservation of black and griffon vultures in the Rhodope mountains”.
During the last few weeks, 11 black vultures were equipped with satellite transmitters in Dadia National Park, in the Greek part of the Rhodope Mountains. These transmitters will provide important scientific data about the distribution, movements and possible threats, which will further help identify future conservation actions for the species in this region. These actions are part of the LIFE Vultures project.
This summer, seven griffon vultures – four adults and three young – were fitted with satellite transmitters in the breeding colony near Madzarhovo in the Bulgarian Rhodope Mountains. The first interesting results about their movements are already being revealed, with one young bird undertaking a long journey to the southeast. The vulture flew across two continents and six countries, and is still exploring the hot Middle Eastern territories.
This October, Rewilding Rhodopes organized a special training course on the management and development of wildlife watching enterprise and wildlife photography in Madzharovo, Bulgaria. The training was part of the LIFE Project “Conservation of black and griffon vultures in Rhodope Mountains” (LIFE Vultures), and connected more than 30 participants that gained valuable knowledge, exchanged experiences and ideas.
Just after we officially launched the first Anti-Poison Dog Unit last week, Bulgaria witnessed a serious new case of poisoning in the Eastern Rhodopes close to the Greek border. In just a few days time, seven wolves, five shepherd dogs, one wild boar, two foxes, one hedgehog and one stone marten were found near a poisoned bait. A griffon vulture was also considered as a casualty of poisoning.