Good news: The gray crane has returned as a breeding species in Bulgaria

This was announced by the “Balkani” association

The gray crane nests here again. This is happening after a 66-year absence, according to a series of observations by a team of the Balkan Wildlife Society and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

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The two teams have carried out a series of observations in the area of ​​the Dragomansko blato, with which they proved that the gray crane nests again in our country. The comeback is due to sustained efforts to restore the wetland after it dried up in the 20th century. It’s proof that, although it takes time and money, revitalizing human-destroyed wetlands can be successful.

The team of ornithologists of SDP BALKANI, under the leadership of Assoc. Dr. Petar Shurulinkov, has followed the return of the crane since 2010. The presence of adult birds during the nesting period in the area of ​​the Dragoman marsh has been established several times over the last five years, which has allowed us to assume the nesting of the species. In the summer of 2022, a family group of 2 adults and 2 young birds was registered, which returned this spring.

In May, the young birds disappear and the adults are increasingly difficult to spot, which is normal when the pair is guarding the nest, eggs and young. On June 11 this year, experts documented the first newly hatched gray crane chick in Bulgaria since 1957.

The reason for the species to disappear from the country’s fauna is the destruction of the wetlands, which provide suitable conditions for feeding and raising offspring. 20 breeding pairs were last seen in the Batak Swamp before it was flooded during the construction of the Batak Dam. Gray cranes disappeared from the Dragoman marsh in the period 1900-1907.