The middle of January is a time of the year that thousands of bird-lovers in Europe are looking forward to. This is when the mid-winter census of migrating water birds usually takes place. It is an amazing experience for participants to watch how, at daybreak, thousands of beautiful birds soar high in the sky at the background of the rising sun. This year, the mid-winter bird count is to be held between 15 to 17 January. In Bulgaria, it is organized and carried out by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB). The monitoring already done since the start of winter shows that the number of birds having migrated to our territories to spend the winter here is two or three times higher than in previous years. The data from these initial observations will be revised after the final results of the count are available within a month’s time.
The annual mid-winter census of migrating water birds, which are an important part of global bird migration, was first carried out in 1967, and its goal has been to gather important information about the state of bird populations and also collect data on ongoing environmental and climate changes. Due to this year’s mild winter in Bulgaria, the count results are expected to show that the number of migrating water birds is much higher than usual, as Yordan Hristov, member of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds and main coordinator of the count, announced.
Bulgaria is an important country for migrating water birds because in the event of unusually cold weather in Europe, more than 70% of the population of the red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis), almost 40% of the population of the white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons), and 20% of the population of the pygmy cormorant (Phalacrocorax pygmaeus) migrate to Bulgaria for the winter season. This year is very suitable for observations of the exceptionally beautiful red-breasted goose for which preliminary counts have already been done.
“More than 30 thousand geese of this species have come to our country, a rather high number compared to previous years”, Yodran Hristov said. “In the period of 2005 and 2009, the number of birds wintering in Bulgaria has varied between 250 birds to 11 thousand, which means that now we have three times more red-breasted geese wintering here than before.”
The mid-winter water bird census is expected to gather data for drawing interesting conclusions with respect to changes having occurred in the world’s environment and climate. On the Internet page of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (www.bspb.bg), people can see a graphic chart of the numbers of all water birds wintering in Bulgaria since 1997. In that year, there was a sort of boom in their numbers, with 750 thousand water birds reported to have wintered in Bulgaria. For the last monitored period between 2005 and 2009, their numbers varied between 150 and 250 thousand, and a rather long-term stability of populations within these limits has been noticed. There could be many reasons for this, but one of them seems the likeliest, as Yordan Hristov explains:
“Perhaps the reason lies in global climate change, a very hot issue recently. When the winter in Northern Europe, Siberia, and the tundra regions is warmer, the number of birds flying to Bulgaria is much lower. Therefore, if climate conditions on the North grow milder, more favourable and closer to those necessary for the birds to nest, they will choose to stay on the North and will not migrate to Bulgaria.”
More than 150 lovers of nature have volunteered to take part in the count of migratory water birds wintering at more than 200 wetland plots in the country. For all volunteers this is a real adventure, Yordan Hristov says.
“The participants in the count must get up really early in the morning, and wait for the break of dawn and the awaking of birds. As soon as the sun starts rising, enormous flocks of birds soar high in the sky and observers can watch the flight of birds in a really romantic light as they fly in front of the rising solar disc.”
There are always more volunteers willing to take part in the count than is required, but their number should be exceeded in order not to disturb birds too much. The good thing is that the activities of the Society for the Protection of Birds attract more and more young people who love and want to preserve the beauties of nature.
Translated by: Rossitsa Petcova
