In the turbulent waters of the Danube between the Bulgarian towns of Belene and Nikopol lies a breathtakingly beautiful archipelago. Persin Island stands out among the chunks of land that seem to float in the river - it is the largest Bulgarian island and the fourth largest along the Danube. Persin is 15 km long and 6 km wide. The nature park "Persina" is named after the island. Spanning several of the neighbouring islands and wetlands, the reserve is alive with flutter of wings, chirping and birdsong. This is the realm of birds, not man.

The area is home to over 220 species of birds, some of which are endangered. Among the inhabitants of the floodplain forests and marshes are the lesser cormorant, the red-breasted goose, the white-eyed pochard, the meadow pipit and the sea eagle.

The colony of Dalmatian pelicans, which is even more numerous than in the Srebarna reserve, 300 km east along the Danube, is a source of pride for the park managers.

The largest bird at these latitudes, the Dalmatian pelican, is simply fascinating with its mane of curly feathers and pouch under the beak. It feeds exclusively on fish and nests in colonies.

In fact, the bird is extremely conservative - once it chooses a place to nest, it stays there permanently, we learn from Veselin Koev, chief expert at the Persina Nature Park Directorate.

"For several years, through joint efforts with several NGOs, we have managed to attract the Dalmatian pelican as a breeding species in Persina. Initially the birds nested only in Srebarna.Two or three years ago we built a special platform for the colony and since last spring we have nesting pairs that have produced offspring," says Veselin Koev.

Right now the birds are sitting on their eggs and brooding. The pelican chicks will be hatched by the end of April, together many othernewly-hatched chicks.

This year, however, there is a problem - an outbreak of bird flu in the Balkans.Several colonies in Prespa Lake in neighbouring Greece and in the Danube Delta in Romania are affected. And birds often fly from these regions into Persina. For now, however, our birds are alive and well, Vesselin Koev reassures us. But there is one more worry:

We have some 30 couples of Dalmatian pelicans now. And this year is notfavorable for nesting. The level of the Danube is very low and the wetlands have almost dried out. These are not ideal nesting conditions for Dalmatian pelicans and some other species. However, the colony nests with us, but now we don't have as many pairs as last year when we had over 80," explains Veselin Koev.

Persin Island is becoming a destination for eco-tourism. In recent years, birdwatching tours have been organized here, with observation towers built for amateur twitchers, as well as roads - narrow asphalt paths that run along to the marshes.

The Bulgarian Persina nature park is part of the International Association of Danube Parks, which includes some 20 protected areas stretching from Germany to the river delta in Romania. Its representatives work together on several projects related to the conservation of these unique river treasures.

Photos: Persina nature park

English version: Elizabeth Radkova