Volunteers from the Wildlife Conservation Society took part in the Great Spring Cleaning of Durankulak Beach – an initiative organized by Shabla Municipality, the Green Training Center in Shabla, the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Thousand Voyages Travel Agency. The garbage spread on about 2.5 km of beach and adjacent territories was collected by more than 50 people in over 55 sacks, that filled a big trailer. We thank everyone for the enthusiasm, the time spent, the free work, the smiles, the cheerful mood and the joy of being together outdoors in nature. You can expect the date for cleaning the rest of the beach from the side of the village of Krapets. The event will be announced on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/wildlifebg/

The Durankulak Beach, together with the adjacent lakes and the entire area around, are part of the Natura 2000 network. They are extremely important for the conservation of biodiversity. Durankulak Lake is famous for its rich birdlife during all seasons, while very soon the sand dunes which have been cleaned by us, and the neighboring semi-steppe areas will be covered with rare and interesting plants typical of the Black Sea coast.

This winter we had a very peculiar situation – very mild weather with day temperatures reaching over 10 ⁰C even in January.  The milder winter conditions and the lack of snow, which allowed good grazing for the birds further north-east in Ukraine and Russia, resulted in a very late arrival of the Red-breasted Geese in their wintering grounds along the western Black Sea coast and very low numbers compared to previous seasons. The first Red-breasted Geese arrived in their traditional wintering grounds in Bulgaria as late as mid-January. On 15 January 2018 we had the first 335 Red-breasted Geese roosting in Durankulak Lake in Bulgaria and later in the day – about 2000 Red-breasted Geese in the Romanian part of Dobroudzha just across the border.

A higher number of wintering Red-breasted geese was registered in the last days of January. At that time about 5000 Red-Breasted geese and only 2300 Greater White-fronted geese (which usually are much more numerous than the Redbreasts) were observed during our regular monitoring of the wintering birds in the region of Durankulak Lake and the Shabla Lake Complex. The birds stayed in the region for a couple of days only, then their number fluctuated between 600 and 1000 until mid-February until they eventually retreated north.

The variable weather in late February and early March – from very warm (about + 10^oC) to very cold (down to about – 10^oC) with thick snow cover and strong northern winds just at the time when the geese are ready  to depart north to their breeding grounds in the Siberian tundra – was obviously the reason for the constant divergent movement of the geese along the western Black Sea coast and their irregular number in the Bourgas Lakes and Shabla Lakes in the last 2-3 weeks.  On March 5, 2018 we held our last monitoring session for the season and established a mixed flock of about 2500 – 3000 Red-breasted Geese and about 7000 Greater White-fronted Geese in the wheat crops south of Durankulak Lake. Smaller flocks of about 60 to 90 Redbreasts were flying around during the whole day. On the next day about twice as many birds were counted by our colleagues at Shabla – Ezerets Lake, plus another big flock of about 5000 Redbreasts in the Bourgas Lakes further south. At the time being, all the geese have left the area.

Just for reference:

The highest total count of Red-breasted Geese from their wintering grounds came in January 2013 during the International Waterfowl Count, when around 56,000 birds were counted in Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine. This is believed to be around the current population of the species (AEWA).

On February 15, 2017 we counted 23’780 Red-breasts, together with 47’000 White-fronted Geese and 160 Greylag Geese.

On the background of the unusual delay with which the Red-breasted Geese reached their traditional winter roosts this year and their short stay in the area, we conducted less monitoring and patrolling sessions than we had planned. We started our surveys already in December and we continued them till the beginning of March. During that period we established a much lower hunting pressure compared to previous years, due to the very low number of geese. Poaching usually occurs when hunters come organized from abroad or elsewhere in the country (which was not the case this winter), and out of the hunting season, which is why we continued our surveys till the beginning of March. The bigger problem this season, however,  was the illegal fishing with nets in the dark part of the day, which disturbs the geese at their roosts on the lake and chases them to seek safety in the sea waters. We reported about 20 such instances and managed to prevent about 30 more.

Our combined monitoring and patrolling surveys in the wintering grounds of the globally-threatened Red-Breasted Goose this winter were exclusively carried out with the support of the PUGET SOUND AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ZOO KEEPERS (PSAAZK), to whom we are extremely grateful! The PSAAZK are also supporting our public awareness raising activities during the rest of the year – participation in public events, such as Earth Day, Biodiversity Day, green festivals, exhibitions etc.

The exhibition is realized by the Wildlife Conservation Society in partnership with the Regional History Museum – Russe. It is dedicated to the birds, the rich biodiversity and natural beauty of northeastern Bulgaria, shown through the lens of talented photographers and environmentalists  Mladen Vasilev, Chavdar Nikolov, Victor Vasilev and Dimitar Georgiev.

The exhibition is part of a project of the Wildlife Conservation Society devoted to theoretical and practical training of volunteers to build skills to recognize and describe the rare and endangered plants and birds. The project is financed by the program BG03 of the Financial Mechanism of the European Economic Area from 2009 to 2014.

The photos from the exhibition you can see here. If you wish to help birds and wildlife conservation in this region, join our activities!

During the festival days hundreds of kites dot the sky over the coast south of Shabla Lighthouse and the spacious meadows are transformed into a platform for young artists – musicians, dancers, actors and painters. Skillful kite flyers from all over Bulgaria and neighboring Romania, Turkey, Greece, Ukraine and other countries demonstrate their huge handmade kites.

Traditionally, tents hosting workshops for making kites, jewelry and cards and souvenirs of natural materials are located in the area. There are stalls selling handmade mementos and a special place is reserved for a bio-market where local producers offer ecologically produced local products (fruits, vegetables and honey). Short bird watching trips to the nearby Tuzla Lagoon and Tjulenovo are also organized.

Colorful events and beautiful scenery, especially when combined together, inevitably attract the attention of photographers, artists and other lovers of the visual arts. Every year we invite all photographers – amateurs and professionals – to take part in our pain air photo contest for editorial and artistic photography.  At a later stage we select the 20 best photos and organize a photo exhibition to promote the event. Experience from previous years has shown that the time and place of the event is suitable for wildlife photographers too, who make excellent shots of the migrating storks, pelicans, honey-buzzards, harriers, eagles and other raptors.

As part of the photographic events during the Festival of Kites – Shabla 2016, for instance, we featured our WILDLIFE OF NORTHEASTERN BULGARIA photo selection in the hall of Green Training Center – Shabla at the official opening of the festival. The exhibition is devoted to the birds, the rich diversity and natural beauty of this region.

There is a variety accompanying events held during the festival, ranging from graffiti shows in which street artists from the country and abroad paint on old gas tanks, on fishing boats and other unusual “canvases” their vision and messages relating to the protection of nature, concerts, painting and photo exhibitions in the beautiful stone building of Green Training Center Shabla.

With the assortment of activities that the festival includes, it provides excellent opportunities for promoting creativity, strengthening family ties and cheerful leisure. The natural beauty of the region – sloping rocky shores and wide meadows with constant breeze – have made Kite Festival Shabla a popular entertainment event with the perfect opportunity to promote the idea of protecting the region’s unique wildlife and beautiful landscape. Attracting participants and guests from home and abroad, the festival gives a positive sign for the sustainable development of the region and promotes the image of Bulgaria as a country that respects and cherishes its natural heritage.

-              Patrolling the wintering grounds of the Red-breasted Goose in North-eastern Bulgaria, where half of the global population of the species concentrates, especially in harsh winters; In the months November, December and January, when hunting of Greater White-fronted Geese is allowed, Redbreasts often are shot by mistake, or shooting distances from the roosts or feeding flocks are not observed, resulting in high levels of disturbance and dispersal of the flocks. Thus the birds spend the day moving around and covering greater distances in search of food, instead of feeding, and they lose the energy needed to survive the winter and undertake the long migration back to their breeding grounds 6000 km to the north.

During these three months we are trying to be present in the field as much as we can, especially on the hunting days, which are every Wednesday and every weekend. We send our volunteers to patrol, very often together with the official controlling bodies (environmental and forestry police). This winter alone we have prevented/ stopped over 100 poaching instances.

-              Another important activity we do is the monitoring of the geese that helps conservation and research. We do this kind of monitoring twice a month in the period November – March, to establish species number, distribution and composition, age ratio, abdominal profiles, etc. This information is necessary to identify threats and guide future conservation actions and strategies.

-              Community outreach activities, involving work with the local schools and organizing community events; A typical community outreach activity, which we organize together with the local municipality and Green Training Center – Shabla is the annual Kite Festival in September, dedicated to the conservation of birds and nature. It is a popular event that is growing and attracts thousands of visitors from all over the country.

-             Acquiring of land to set aside for conservation: Over the last 20 or so years that our members have dedicated to the conservation of the Red-breasted Goose we realized that this is the most sustainable way to help the species. However, the region around the main roosts of the RBG, the lakes of Shabla and Durankulak, is located by the Black Sea coast and is very attractive for tourism development. On the other hand, it is one of the most fertile wheat growing agricultural regions in Bulgaria. These two factors have recently increased the price of the land, which is currently between 10 000 and 40 000 USD per hectare. About 150 ha have already been acquired by different NGOs, but some of the plots are far away from the lakes. Our goal is to acquire at least 200 ha more in order to ensure a real refuge for the birds in the vicinity of the lakes. Because of the high price of the land, we will hardly manage to do so on our own, so our idea is to develop a multi-partner project and apply to a big international donor, such as the EU transborder or LIFE Nature programmes. To accomplish such a project, however, we need to provide our own funds in the form of co-funding.  Any donation we receive for land purchase is going now for setting such fund.

If you wish to contribute to any of our Red-breasted Goose Conservation activities, please contact us.

The project “Stop the Poaching at Durankulak Lake” was developed in the framework of the Nature Protection and Regional Development in South-East Europe (NatuRegio) Program.

Every year during the winter months when hunting is allowed, we are trying to be present in the field as much as we can, especially on the hunting days, which are every Wednesday, every weekend and the official holidays. We send our volunteers to patrol, very often together with the official controlling bodies (environmental and forestry police). This winter alone (2017), we have prevented or stopped over 100 poaching instances.

Legal protection of the lake is accomplished by several governmental institutions: Regional Inspectorate for Environment and Waters (RIEW) – Varna and Regional Forestry Board (RFB) – Varna.  Varna is 100 km from the lake’s area, and it takes between 2 and 3 hours for the agency’s staff to come at the lake and register a poaching signal. Working hours of these institutions also doesn’t allow effective reactions against poachers. The only effective measures that proved to be successful so far are the anti-poaching actions carried out jointly by the teams of the state authorities and local NGOs.

Breeding: The species breeds on the Taimyr, Gydan and Yamal peninsulas, in the Russian tundra. It nests in loose groups, where breeding success may depend on nesting Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) and Snowy Owl (Bubo scandiaca) providing protection from terrestrial predators. Successful breeding seasons are also associated with good lemming years, when predators are sated by the lemming population and therefore predation of geese is much lower.

Migration: Autumn migration starts in mid–September, with birds reaching Kazakhstan by the end of September. The spring migration starts in March. In early May, the birds reach the Kazakh uplands and by early June have reached the breeding grounds.

During the autumn migration the majority of the population, travel on to the western Black Sea coast, principally in the Dobrudzha region of Romania and Bulgaria, but increasingly in the Ukraine and even Southern Russia during mild winters. They arrive in small flocks in November-December, while larger numbers are recorded later in the winter, depending on the weather conditions. A few may continue south to the Aral Sea, while the majority travel south-west towards the Caspian. Small flocks may remain to winter on the Caspian Sea coast in Azerbaijan while others may visit Greece and occasionally very small numbers reach Hungary, Turkey, Iraq and Iran. The Red-breasted Geese are usually mixed with greater white-fronted geese (Anser albifrons) flocks.

Although three or four key staging areas are known, there are probably several undiscovered sites along the flyway.

Wintering grounds: On the main wintering sites in Romania and Bulgaria the geese now feed on agricultural land dominated by winter wheat and barley, maize stubble, some pasture grasses, rape and spilled grain. The birds periodically fly to coastal lakes to drink. These lakes, situated up to 50 km from the feeding areas, are also used as night-roosts. The proximity of drinking and roosting sites to feeding areas may influence winter distribution. In Bulgaria, Red-breasted Geese roost on water; usually in the middle of lakes, but occasionally, or in times of high hunting pressure and calm conditions, on the sea. When the lakes freeze they roost on the ice.

According to the most recent estimates (AEWA Kazakhstan expedition, 2017), the species population size is estimated at about 50 000 birds.  The maximum count in the winter of 2017 – 23 780 Red-breasted Geese at the lakes of Shabla and Durankulak, indicates that almost half the species global population is wintering in the area.

Another coastal lake, Durankulak Lake, is located 20 km to the north. It is one of the most important wetlands in Bulgaria from an ornithological point of view and regularly hosts globally significant numbers of breeding, migratory and wintering birds. It is designated as an Important Bird Area, Natura 2000 Special Protected Area, and a Ramsar Site. The wetland consists of a coastal lake with associated marshland and sand dunes, and is surrounded by steppe grasslands and arable lands used for intensive crop production. It is also a site of high historical and archeological importance, with evidence of some of the oldest civilizations in Europe.

Located on a major bird migration route in Europe – the Via Pontica – the two wetlands attract a huge number of migratory waterbirds each year. Their fame, however, is due to the huge concentrations of Red-breasted geese (Branta ruficollis) and Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons) that come from the tundra of Europe and Asia to overwinter in the area, attracted by the calm, milder winters and the large arable areas where they can feed. Since the 1950s, about three – quarters of the global population of the Red-breasted Goose spend the winter near Shabla Lake Complex and the nearby Durankulak Lake.

Besides the first flock of about 150 White Storks, which soared overhead, rewarded us greatly and continued west,  in the lake we had dozens of Pygmy Cormorants, nine species of ducks and diving ducks, including the globally threatened Ferruginous Duck, Gray  Heron and White Heron, Marsh Harrier and even a Greater White-fronted Goose, probably late with migration.

Yatata is the place with the great variety of birds in the region of Varna-Beloslav complex in all seasons. It supports over 220 species of birds, including 6 species threatened with extinction worldwide, such as the Red-breasted Goose (Branta ruficollis), the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus), The White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicula) and others.

The site plays an important role for the breeding Marsh Harrier, Black-winged Stilt and Gadwall. During migration and wintering,  it is among the most important places in Bulgaria for many rare and endangered species, such as the Pygmy Cormorant, The Ferruginous Duck, The White Stork, the Glossy Ibis and The Whooper Swan.

Unfortunately, we were badly surprised by the polluted observation platform on the side of the road Varna – Beloslav, which we have repeatedly cleaned and which we had even laid out with a wooden platform some time ago. Also, the old information boards are now only faded signs on empty structures.

We hope to be able to jointly fix what was destroyed intentionally or unintentionally. Soon we will launch donor program for cleaning and maintaining this unique site. We already have the support of our partners from Neophron Tours and Thousand Voyages, and we hope to receive yours too.  Please follow our initiatives and campaigns here.