site.btaData on White Stork Population in Bulgaria to Be Presented October 9

The findings of the 8th International White Stork Census will be presented at a BTA-hosted news conference in Sofia on October 9. The data on the Bulgarian population of this migratory species - a key indicator of the health and quality of the environment - was collected under the coordination of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB).

The census coordinator, Svilеn Cheshmedzhiev of BSPB, will give detailed information on the distribution of nests by region and municipality, and the development of the white stork population over the last 30 years, the BSPB said in a press release.

Last year, preliminary results from the census indicated an increase in white stork numbers, with 4,482 active nests in 112 municipalities and an average number of chicks per nest of 2.52. The final results depend on the data collected this summer.

In 2024, over 100 volunteers, BSPB workers, experts from Regional Inspectorates for Environment and Water, representatives of NGOs, Nature Park employees, and bird and nature enthusiasts were involved in the the count across Bulgaria. They surveyed all municipalities and documented each stork nest, including information on whether the nest is occupied, if it contains chicks and how many, its location, and any potential threats to the nest. Using the Smartbirds Pro app, participants had access to the locations of all nests recorded during the previous census conducted ten years ago, enabling faster nest detection and accurate data collection.

The International White Stork Census is conducted once every ten years across more than 40 countries. The first census was conducted at Germany's initiative in 1934, and Bulgaria joined in the 1970s. The organizer is BirdLife International, and the BSPB is the coordinating organization for Bulgaria, with the Executive Environment Agency as its main partner.