A very recent update from Srebarna Dalmatian Pelican colony

In 2012, a third two-metre high wooden pile breeding platform was erected in the Srebarna Biosphere Reserve in Bulgaria designed to attract new pairs of Dalmatian Pelicans and allow nests to be built above flood water levels.

Since 1998 the watchword for the Srebarna Dalmatian Pelican Project has been to support one of the species last breeding colonies beside Lake Srebarna in Bulgaria, and specifically by creating new breeding platforms, we can prevent nesting birds from drowning when the Danube is in flood and also protect the young pelicans from predators.

The construction of the pile platforms was made in the frame of the Srebarna Dalmatian Pelican Conservation Programme, carried out by Le Balkan Foundation with the financial support of Swarovski Optik and the technical assistance of Branta-Tours Birdwatching Company.

With an increase from just 50-60 pairs when the project began in 1998 to around 120 in 2009 and 2010, the success of the Dalmatian Pelican Conservation Project in Srebarna also shows that with the right management and targeted financial support there is still room for this large and beautiful waterbird to not only survive but prosper on this planet we all share.


The year 2014 will celebrate the 17th anniversary of the successful long term partnership between Le Balkan, Swarovski Optik and Branta-Tours. Further details of the celebrations will follow in due course.

Pavel Simeonov

Project-manager of the Srebarna Dalmatian Pelican Project &

Co-leader of the Red-breasted Goose Bulgaria-U.S. project initiative

info@branta-tours.com