Cover photo by Maria Nalbantova, WaterLANDS Artist-in-Residence
For the third consecutive year, the BALKANI Wildlife Society, in partnership with the Bulgarian Ornithological Center – Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, and WWF Bulgaria, organised a bird ringing camp at the Dragoman Marsh.
The Dragoman Marsh is famous for its birdlife and is home to over half of all bird species in Bulgaria.
This year the bird ringing was held over four weekends, from mid-September to mid-October 2024. The event attracted volunteers who were interested in learning more about birds and about the process of bird ringing as a scientific method for studying bird migration.
What is bird ringing?
Bird ringing (placing a ring with a unique number on the bird's leg) is a research method that allows scientists to identify trends in bird migration, register new species for the country, and track the movement of individual species. Marking allows you to monitor both the movement of birds within a given territory and the long-distance migration to and from their wintering grounds.
Ringing is often the only way to monitor the life expectancy of birds and the age at which they reach sexual maturity and begin breeding. Thanks to this method, data are generated on the survival rate, causes of death, age, and population size for different bird species.
Since 2019, a volunteer ringing camp has been held on Durankulak, and in 2022 and 2023 there was also bird ringing on the Dragoman Marsh. In addition to obtaining scientific data, ringing camps also have educational purposes. During the camps, new researchers and bird ringers are trained, and volunteers and visitors of all ages learn more about the study and conservation of nature.
Dragoman Marsh Ring Camp Results 2023
The ringing in 2023 involved 41 licensed ringers and volunteers who are being trained, and the camp was visited by 390 people. The ringing took place only on weekends. For 15 days, 876 birds of 42 species were ringed. The species diversity proves the importance of the Dragoman Marsh as a habitat providing food and rest for migratory birds, as well as suitable wintering conditions for some species.
Dragoman Marsh Ring Camp Results 2022
In 2022, 1540 birds of 54 species were ringed. Nearly 50 people (ringers and volunteers) took part in the ringing. During the camp, a barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) was recaptured, which was ringed in Slovakia. Some of the rare species or species caught that are rarely caught in a net are nightjars (Caprimulgus europaeus), mustachioed (Panurus biarmicus), river crickets (Locustella fluviatilis), whirlpools (Jynx torquilla), common bee-eaters (Merops apiaster), partridges (Perdix perdix), gray shrike (Lanius excubitor), small spotted woodpecker (Dryobates minor).
In addition to studying bird migration, the ringing camp provides important information about the Dragoman Marsh that contributes to its management. Data collection continues with the monthly bird counts, which are organised with the help of ornithologists and volunteers.
These activities are led by the BALKANI Wildlife Society with the support of the WaterLANDS project under EU Horizon 2020, which is implemented in partnership with WWF Bulgaria.
