In terms of bird diversity Bulgaria occupies one of the leading places in Europe and is among the the TOP 5 destinations for birdwatching tourism on the Old Continent, we learn from our conversation with Dr. Georgi Gerdzhikov, who has been organising tours for foreign birdwatchers for years. These people travel thousands of kilometers just to catch a glimpse of a common kingfisher or European roller through their binoculars.

About 600 bird species breed in Europe. More than 400 of them can be observed in Bulgaria. This makes this country a paradise for foreign birdwatchers, whose number has increased in recent years. Recently, in addition to the visits of guests from Western Europe, the visits of birdwatchers from the USA and East Asia have become more frequent, Dr. Gerdzhikov says.

"There are many bird species that are not found in the rest of Europe, but can only be seen here in the Balkans. The truth is that in Western Europe the agricultural policies in the last 50 years have changed the habitats of the birds. Many species have disappeared from countries like the UK, Netherlands etc. Fortunately, here the application of these type of policies in agriculture is still not so strict and these species are preserved. Even the ordinary sparrows and swallows spark great interest among Western Europeans and they are very happy to see them when they come here."

"This year we had a very busy season with many tourists from all over the world. We saw interesting birds, visited unique places. But we need more people to work in this business," Dr. Gerdzhikov says.

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"Among the most desirable species for birdwatchers are some of the birds of prey, such as the Eastern imperial eagle, the Egyptian vulture and the cinereous vulture, as well as the Montagu's harrier,” Dr. Gerdzhikov says. “But also the black-headed bunting, the Western capercaillie, the common kingfisher, the bee-eaters, the European roller... These are all species that are exotic even for Europe. For example, the Sakar Mountain is known as the Kingdom of the Eastern imperial eagle. Madzharovo in the Rhodopes is the kingdom of the vultures.The Burgas Lakes, over which the Via Pontica passes, are another very good place for birdwatching. The same applies to our Danube coast - one of the best destinations for watching European rollers and European bee-eaters. There we have an incredible variety of waterfowl. Not to mention the populations of the Dalmatian pelican in the Srebarna Reserve, on the island of Belene and in the area of the town of Tutrakan…"

This type of tourists are in one way or another involved in environmental protection, Dr. Gerdzhikov says. Therefore, the tour operator he works for organizes the so-called "excursions with a cause":

"When they want to observe birds or mammals in Bulgaria, it means that people have an interest in the preservation of these species. We allocate part of the amount they pay for their ornithological tour to donate to some of our non-governmental organizations to support the preservation or protection of species," Dr. Georgi Gerdzhikov says.

Publication in English: Al. Markov

Photos: Dr. Gerdzhikov, Traventuria