Record number pairs of Griffon Vultures in the Eastern Rhodopes

Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) reports a record number of breeding vultures in the Eastern Rhodopes.

In the first 10 days of April BSPB-teams  carried out a survey in the Eastern Rhodope region. All cliffs along the Arda River were visited and a total of60 occupied nests was registered. Last year, the total number was 56.

The conservation of Griffon vulture is one of the most successful activities of BSPB. In the 1960s this impressive vulture unfortunately got exterminated in Bulgaria. In the 1970s the Griffons started breeding again.I In the late 80s the breeding population again reached the 10+ level, due to good conservation measurements.   Safe food (non-contaminated carcasses) and good PR about the important ecological role of scavengers helped the vultures to re-establish a healthy population. The 2012 preliminary total of 60 breeding pairs is good news for the Griffon Vultures and a congratulations to the BSPBThe monitoring will continue in the coming months to determine nesting success and the number of chicks that successfully fledge.

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