site.bta47th Midwinter Waterfowl Census Registers 206,239 Birds of 88 Species

This year’s midwinter waterfowl census in Bulgaria registered 206,239 birds of 88 species, compared to 206,688 individuals of 90 species in January 2022 and 190,147 birds in 2021. The census was conducted by 42 teams of experts and volunteers in over 200 wetlands across the country from January 12 to 15, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) reported.

The participants were from the BSPB, Green Balkans, the Executive Environment Agency, the regional environment and water inspectorates, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, hunting associations, and representatives of other nongovernmental organizations.

As usual, the biggest concentration of waterfowl was registered along the Black Sea coast and some big reservoirs. Relatively low numbers of birds were observed along the Danube due to the high water level leaving no sandpits to attract birds. 

For yet another year, the midwinter waterfowl census registered a decline in the number of wild geese wintering in Bulgaria. Observed were 1,887 Greater white-fronted geese (compared to 5,851 last year and 2,2017 in 2021), 101 greylag geese (compared to 283 in 2022 and 48 in 2021), and only 5 birds of the endangered Red-breasted goose (compared to 32 in 2022, 48 in 2021, and the record-high 54,000 back in 2013).

Another notable finding of this year’s census is the high number of Greater flamingos (2,712) registered at the Atanasovsko Lake near Burgas (on the Black Sea), the Pomorie Lake, and the Poda protected area. In comparison, there were some 20 flamingos at Atanasovsko Lake in 2017 and 159 in 2019. 

Ornitologist Petar Yankov of the BSPB commented for BTA that the flamingos come from Italy, Spain, Turkey, and France, probably attracted by the warmer winters in Bulgaria. They do not nest here. The latest study of the impact of their increased numbers, conducted by a joint team of Bulgarian and US scientists, shows the flamingos have not caused changes in the local ecosystem, Yankov explained.

Just like in 2022, the most numerous waterfowl species this midwinter census is the Mallard duck (39,282), followed by the Eurasian coot (34,732). Next come the Great cormorant (29,554) and the endangered Common pochard (24,414), which was in third place last year.

In addition to the Red-breasted goose and the Common pochard, the participants in the census also observed the globally endangered species of the Horner grebe (4 birds) and the Ruddy duck (700), found in Burgas Lake. Thirty-one White-tailed eagles, a species listed in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria, were registered across the country, compared to 29 in 2022.

Also observed were birds that typically do not winter in Bulgaria: one Little egret in the Plovdiv area, 21 Black-crowned night herons near Burgas, 5 Eurasian spoonbill, 3 White storks in Southern Bulgaria, and one Black tern at the Shabla lake complex. 

The Midwinter Waterfowl Census has been conducted in almost all European countries since 1967 and involves more than 15,000 people every year, making it one of the most large-scale events in the field of environmental protection. The collected data, summarized by Wetlands International on http://wpe.wetlands.org/ , helps assess the state of waterfowl populations and their wintering grounds.