10/05/2022
The breeding season in the Pomorie Lagoon is in full swing
During the regular monitoring of birds at Pomorie Lake, our team reported that the breeding season 2022 is in full swing! Characteristic and emblematic for the lagoon species - Avocets, Black-winged stilts, Sandwich terns, Mute swans and others - are already here and have occupied their colonies and nests, some of them are incubating eggs, and for others the first chicks have already hatched. The two pairs of Mute swans, for example, were spotted with eight and five chicks, respectively, which is more successful than last year, when most of their eggs were eaten by predators.
We can note as a success the nesting of Avocets on the island repaired during the volunteer conservation camp, organized within the project "Life for the Pomorie Lagoon". The rise in the water level in the lake, which is due to the disturbed hydrological regime, had led to a shrinking area of the island and flooding it with water. This, combined with climatic factors, has led to a deterioration in its condition and a reduction in the number of nesting pairs of Avocets. We are pleased to note that thanks to the efforts of Green Balkans volunteers and the project team, more breeding pairs of this species have been observed this year - 93 pairs have been registered so far and better part of these are on the renovated island.
The island is also important for another emblematic species of the lake - the Sandwich tern. The noisy colony of this beautiful species is already on the island, increasing with each passing day. The birds are taking their places in the colony, courting, and some of them are already laying their eggs. The first Common terns are also arriving, and take their places in the colony, which will complement the noisy company of the Pomorie Lagoon.
The already finished nests of Black-winged stilts on the shores of the lake can also be seen. These long-legged birds and their "craters" of mud and algae are some of the most vulnerable birds from attacks by stray dogs, cats, jackals and other predators. Unscrupulous visitors are also a danger to them, as walking along the shore can endanger their nests or chicks.