site.btaRecord Number of Pelican Chicks in Bulgaria Due to High Levels of Danube

2024 has been favourable for pelicans nesting in the Persina Nature Park (Belene Island) and in the Kalimok-Brashlen Protected Area (Tutrakan) because of the relatively high level of the Danube River between February and June, said the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) on their website on Wednesday.

In total, 146 pairs of pelicans raised 189 chicks in 2024. In the Kalimok-Brashlen Protected Area, 92 pelican couples successfully raised 120 baby pelicans, which is a new record, according to the BSPB. The Persina Nature Park was occupied by a total of 40 pairs of curled pelicans, which successfully raised 50 young birds. All the little pelicans left their nests at the end of June and early July, and are currently staying in the marshes of Belene Island and on the neighbouring sandbars along the Danube River.

At the beginning of July, the Directorate of Persina Nature Park was awarded the Living Danube Prize for 2024, which was an international recognition of the Park's efforts contributing to nature conservation along the Danube.