April 1 was declared International Bird Day in 1906, under the International Convention for the Protection of Birds. The date symbolizes mankind's responsibility for the conservation and preservation of wildlife. Today, 119 years after its introduction, more and more young people in Bulgaria are showing increased interest in environmental conservation. A large number of them are also turning to the study of the avian world. The reason for the spread of this type of hobby is likely rooted in the vast biodiversity that allows us to observe 70% of all bird species in Europe right here in our own country.

425 different bird species can be found in Bulgaria, 26 of which are highly endangered. Out of the 38 species of birds of prey, 36 inhabit the territory of Bulgaria.

Bulgaria ranks third in Europe in terms of natural component diversity, after Spain and Greece – reminds ornithologist Lyubomir Profirov, a member of the Bulgarian National Rarities Committee, co-author of the book ''Birds of the Balkan Peninsula'' and lecturer at the Botanica Life Foundation. He recently returned from another ornithological course organized by the foundation, during which, under his guidance, the group published the results of their research on the world's largest information platform, eBird.

"The participants were people with an interest in birds, mostly amateurs. At this time of year, many birds return, and we observed their migration and nesting. We managed to observe 96 species of birds. Many of them were photographed because the participants had specialized equipment – telephoto lenses, binoculars and spotting scopes. It was both an educational course and a professional event. Each of them will remember the locations, as well as how to recognize birds and distinguish them from other species. The variety of birds in Bulgaria is very large, and we had the opportunity to observe and photograph a quarter of them", said Lyubomir Profirov.

"Some species from the Red Data Book attracted great interest – among them were many birds of prey. We observed the migration of ospreys (fish hawks), which are currently heading north to the territories of the Scandinavian countries where they nest, as well as lesser spotted eagles (Clanga pomarina) heading towards Poland and Germany. 

There were also short-toed snake eagles, as well as black kites (Milvus migrans). We also conducted very interesting observations of the ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea). It is listed in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria, and at one of the water bodies, we observed a gathering of more than 20 birds.

Ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)

 Of the less common birds in the Shumen area, we observed the pied avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta) and some species of plovers (Charadrius). The most interesting for the participants were the black storks.They were in flocks of 16 to 20 birds that were migrating. When the rainfalls began, the birds temporarily stopped their migration and landed at convenient resting spots.''

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An interesting find for birdwatching enthusiasts was the encounter with the Spanish sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis) – its distinctive feature is that it nests in the large nests of the white stork, thus protecting its young from predators.

Lyubomir Profirov adds that thanks to conservation initiatives, some species that were once declared extinct or listed in the Red Data Book as endangered have populations today. Such is the case with the black vulture, which has been breeding in the wild for three years. In addition, the population of the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni) has been fully restored.

"I have been working with birds and have been involved in nature conservation for 40 years, and over the last 7-10 years, I have observed a very intense expansion of these interests through social media. For example, there are 4 Facebook groups dedicated to birds in Bulgaria, with some of them having over 30,000 members. These are people who are interested in birds and want to identify some species in the area where they live or during their travels. When they can't determine what the bird is, they ask questions on Facebook, receive expert opinions and even get recommendations on how to proceed further. So, we already have a community of over 50,000 people with specific interests in birds", concludes Lyubomir Profirov.