11 September 2008 | The rare Dalmatian Pelican species can still be seen along the Bulgarian banks of the Danube, as their migration to the south was postponed, national media reported today.

The unusually warm weather and the favorable feeding conditions delayed by about a month the pelicans’ migration from the Srebarna natural reserve in north-eastern Bulgaria, environmental authorities told the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency.

About 250 birds of the rare Dalmatian Pelican species have been observed by ecologists, the publication noted. The adult birds and their offspring, which have already learned to fly and catch fish, can be seen along the current of the Danube River – between the Srebarna and the Persina reserve, which is located further to the west on the river.

The Dalmatian Pelican, the largest of the pelican family, stands out with its curly nape feathers. The species has declined greatly through habitat loss and persecution. As of 1994, there were around 1,000 breeding pairs in Europe, most of them in Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Albania.

According to ecologists, the pelicans that nest in Bulgaria usually leave the Srabarna Lake around mid-August. As the weather cools down, they will fly to the lakes around the city of Burgas, on Bulgaria’s southern Black Sea coast, and then to Turkey, Israel or North Africa, where they spend the winters.

The Srebarna natural reserve is located 2 kilometres south of the Danube in north-eastern Bulgaria. Located on the main migratory birds’ route between Europe and Africa, the Via Pontica, more than 220 bird species, including the Dalmatian Pelican, use its grounds for nesting.

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