site.btaPopulation of Griffon Vultures Shows Steady Recovery in Eastern Rhodopes

Population of Griffon Vultures Shows Steady Recovery in Eastern Rhodopes


Sofia, February 19 (BTA) - A record high number of griffon
vulture pairs, 75, have been spotted in Bulgaria's Eastern
Rhodopes during the regular monitoring of the species, the
Rewilding Europe project reported Thursday. It is five more
pairs from last year.

The Rhodope Mountains rewilding area is the only breeding area
of the griffon vulture in Bulgaria.

For several days from February 12 to 15, experts of Rewilding
Rhodopes and their partners from the Bulgarian Society for the
Protection of Birds/ BirdLife Bulgaria visited all nesting
localities of the griffon vultures in the Eastern Rhodopes. 55
of the 75 registered pairs were found to be at an incubation
stage and the rest were in the process of building their nests.

Dobromir Dobrev from the Rewilding Rhodopes team said that one
interesting result of the monitoring this year is the large
number of single, non-breeding birds along the valley of the
Arda river.

Maintaining and supporting the comeback of the vultures in the
Eastern Rhodopes is one of the highlights of a five-year
rewilding effort which started recently on financing from the
Swiss-based Fondation Segre.

The Griffon vulture was widespread in Bulgaria in the past, says
 Rewilding Europe. In the middle of the 20th century, its
population dwindled to become extinct in the beginning of the
1970s.  In 1978, a small colony with one breeding pair was
spotted in the area of Studen Kladenets in the Eastern Rhodopes.
 Eight years later a griffon vulture colony of nearly 20 birds
and three nesting pairs was discovered near the town of
Madzharovo. Shortly after that, the first direct conservation
activities started in Bulgaria, including monitoring, artificial
 feeding and work with local communities.

The species has gradually recovered and its breeding population
has increased from about 10 pairs in 1990s to 70 in 2014. Today,
 the Arda valley is the breeding area of one of the largest
natural colonies of griffon vultures on the Balkans.

The Eastern Rhodopes is also the most important breeding site
for the globally endangered Egyptian vulture on the Balkan
peninsula. The last remaining breeding colony of black vulture
in South-eastern Europe is situated nearby, in the Dadia forest
on the Greek side of the border and the birds regularly come
over to the Bulgarian side of the mountains in search for food.
The Rhodope Mountains rewilding area is a hotspot for
birdwatchers and photographers.