Study of birds in the areas of the LIFE project "Land for Life"

A field team of the LIFE project “Land for Life” made a study of the birds that inhabit in the areas of the project - foraging habitats of the globally threatened Imperial Eagle. They have visited 26 trial sites in 5 protected areas. There they observed a total of 86 bird species, 59 of which probably nesting in the areas, including those with an unfavorable conservation status as Stone Curlew, Calandra Lark, Greater Short-toed Lark and Wood Lark, Tawny Pipit, and others. Eighteen of the observed species are included in the Red Book of Bulgaria. The value of the surveyed sites was confirmed as foraging habitats of the Imperial Eagle and the Lesser Spotted Eagle, which has been observed to hunt there.

For the first time during the breeding season in the Derventski vazvishenia Special Protection Area was observed Sardinian Warbler (Sylvia melanocephala)  species that is characteristic of the Mediterranean biome. In Bulgaria it occurs mainly in the southern parts of the country. 

The raw data from the study shows that there are changes in species composition and abundance of birds, depending on the methods of pasture management. Grassland management also determines whether a particular site will be adapted for foraging habitats of large birds of prey. Detailed analysis of the interrelations of nesting birds and habitats in the test areas will be ready soon.

During the study, the team of the “Land for Life” met with people from the local communities - farmers, herders, and others, and presents them the objectives and the activities of the project.

Photo: Svetoslav Spasov, www.NatureImages.eu