Vulture News 69 November 2015

SHORT COMMUNICATIONS, NOTES AND REPORTS

Five years overview of the reintroduction of Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus in Gorge,

Emilian Stoynov¹*, Hristo Peshev¹, Atanas Grozdanov² and Nadia Vangelova¹

¹Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna, 2700 Blagoevgrad, 49 Ivan Michaylov Str, room 327, Bulgaria

²University of Sofia “St. Kliment Ohridski” Faculty of Biology, 8 Dragan Tzankov Blvd., 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria

*Corresponding author: @fwff.org http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/vulnew.v69i1.3

Introduction between Pirin Mountain on the east and Maleshevska Mountain to the On 20.02.2015 we acknowledged the west (UTM, FM73). It represents fifth anniversary of the first release rough terrain of silicate rocky of the Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus habitats and degraded deciduous in Kresna Gorge with which the re- forests with Mediterranean climate introduction of the species has influence. It is in close proximity to started. It was initiated and the Bulgarian border with Greece performed in 2010 by Fund for wild and FYR of Macedonia, where flora and fauna (FWFF) – a local suitable vulture habitats and small nature conservation NGO. This populations are still present. report provides an assessment and The species used to breed in the analysis of the achievements. area until the end of 1950s, when was extirpated by massive, long- Background lasting and well organized on state level campaign for poison baits use The Kresna Gorge of River is for eradication of terrestrial predators found in southwest Bulgaria, – mainly the wolf Canis lupus.

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Vulture News 69 November 2015

On 18.02.2010 following a overwintered and 2-3 pairs were several years of preparation (e.g. formed. The nest of one pair was preventive against-poison campaign, documented, where an egg was laid public information and involvement, on 17.02.2011 and hatched in mid- feeding site establishment and April 2011. The chick was observed acclimatization aviary construction) in the nest until mid-June 2011, the first group of 26 Griffon Vultures when it disappeared. The reason arrived at Kresna Gorge with the remains unknown. support of the Spanish GREFA. In 2012 the project almost started Two days after the birds’ arrival from the beginning again, as the first a strong wind partly opened the cage group dispersed, before the release of and 15 birds succeeded to escape – the next group of birds. This same all subadults and adults. Intensive year the LIFE for Kresna Gorge food provision let about 10 of the project started and funding was birds to keep close contact with the secured for the basic things related to release site. Three days later the first the reintroduction program. Releases exogenous, an immature Griffon of a second large group of 12 birds Vulture, was recorded, which took place in July-August 2012 – this marked the start of permanent visits time being immature birds, which from migrating, wintering, vagrant settled in the area and formed a and summering individuals native to stable nucleus. This same year the Balkans. first Egyptian Vultures were A poisoning incident in June attracted to the area. It seems the 2010, related to the provision of release of Griffon Vultures and a poisoned wild boar as food for the feeding site in operation at the same vultures at the feeding site killed two time is a good tool for attracting birds and one was observed to be floaters of Egyptian Vultures, sick, but recovered on its own. All described also by Stoynov & the others also fed from the same Grozdanov (2010) for Kotel carcass, but only those three, Mountian in Bulgaria. mentioned above that probably ate In 2013, the next large group of the gut of the boar and its contents 15 birds was released (escaped) became acutely affected. again in a storm accident with the Until the end of the year after aviary. But it was in time, and some dispersal and immigrations of despite the ruining of the aviary, wild birds eight Griffon Vultures there was not any problem for the 34

Vulture News 69 November 2015

Griffon Vultures, which spent important pylons and the problem several months in acclimatization. was solved. Thus the local group reached more In 2014 Griffon Vulture presence than 20 birds in Kresna Gorge. Two continued to increase in the area with Black Vultures, three Egyptian record numbers of simultaneously Vultures and more than 70 different present individuals at the roosting Griffon Vultures were attracted in site - 28 on 02 October 2014 and the area and identified and monitored again registered presence of more thanks to newly developed version of than 70 exogenous individuals for the visual marking method (Hristov some time in different periods of the & Stoynov 2002, Stoynov & Peshev year. Thus in total nearly 100 2014, Stoynov et.al. 2015). The different Griffon Vultures have been method includes frequent and year- observed in Kresna Gorge in 2014, round photographing of the vultures including those released within the in flight and distinguishing different project, but also migrating, birds based on individual plumage summering, wintering and vagrant characteristics (scratches, missing birds from other parts of the Balkan feathers etc.), downloaded in Adobe Peninsula. Marked birds from Israel, Light Room software, which allows Greece, Serbia, Croatia and other synchronic movements of two parts of Bulgaria have been comparable pictures/birds in flight observed. Birds released in Kresna and searching the matches/ Gorge were observed in Serbia, Italy, dismatches. The visual marking Greece, and FYR of Macedonia, as method seems to be a very important well as other parts of Bulgaria tool for small vultures populations, (Vrachanski Balkan, Sinite Kamani, where all individuals could be Central Balkan, Kotel, and Eastern photographed and visually marked. Rodopi). This year the Griffon This way maximum numbers, Vultures spent even more time in the dynamics and individuals’ presence National Parks of Rila and Pirin (at could be monitored. altitudes above 2500 m) during the In 2012 and 2013 four vultures hot summer months, where they have were electrocuted on 20 kV power been recorded by their transmitters, lines, two of which were close to the but also they were directly observed release site in Kresna gorge. We and photographed by tourists and immediately initiated mounting of park authorities in the area of perch discouragers to eight most and Todorka peaks, Koncheto, Orlite 35

Vulture News 69 November 2015 and Spano Pole in Pirin National the non-hatched egg 72 days after Park. laying. Although an unsuccessful This year for the second year in a attempt, we hope that this is because row, Black Vultures (Aegypius most of the birds in the pairs are still monachus) were observed in the area young at 4-5 years old. of Kresna Gorge. This time two So in five years the area of different birds were photographed Kresna Gorge, where vultures were and their presence well-documented. very rarely observed in the last few For the first time feeding and decades turned to be one of the most presence for more than 15 days of an important places for the vultures in Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca was Bulgaria. It is now an important documented at the feeding site and stepping stone for the migrating, nearby area in Kresna Gorge. wintering, summering and vagrant No mortality cases of vultures Griffon Vultures on the Balkans, as were recorded in 2014 in Kresna well as a safe refuge for non Gorge, nor for birds released within breeding Egyptian and Black the project. Vultures. Such stepping stones are Conservation measures for very important in the Balkans now, improving the habitat for vultures in because with the wolf Canis lupus Kresna Gorge are still underway – population recovery, and increasing providing food for the vultures, anti- conflict with farmers, the threat of poison activities, compensation for poison bait use is beginning to farmers and prevention program emerge. against livestock depredation, eco- FWFF continues to work in the tourism promotion, insulation of frame of the project “Conservation dangerous power-lines, introduction of birds of prey in Kresna Gorge, of rare breeds of cattle, Fallow deer, Bulgaria” supported by LIFE+ etc. financial instrument of EC and co- In 2015 the colony plus wintering funded by private donors such as Griffon Vultures from Serbia and Friends of Vienna Zoo, Austria and Croatia numbers 22-25 birds and at Bioparc Zoo de Doue, France. the start of the breeding season six pairs formed, of which four built Post script nests and two laid eggs. One of the pairs failed in incubation ten days In 2015, after the initial submission after the laying, while the other left of this article, some new data were 36

Vulture News 69 November 2015 obtained for the vultures and the At the pre-release stage the project feeding site in Kresna Gorge that is was financially supported by: worth mentioning. The number of Deutche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, observed Griffon Vultures at once Frankfurt Zoological Society, reached 47 on 15.10.2015 and we Foundation Ensemble, Rufford Small had a record of 14 juveniles of the Grants, Whitley Fund for Nature, year seen together on 20.10.2015. An Black Vulture Conservation increase in the number of the group Foundation, EAZA Carnivore that overwinters in the area was also initiative, Zoo Sainte de la Croix, recorded and reached more than 40 and others. birds. An increase was also noted in We are grateful to GREFA (Ernesto the number of Black Vultures (4 Xsusto and Manuel Crespo) and different individuals present for more Spanish Government for the Griffon than 60 days) and Egyptian Vultures Vultures provided for release. (2 adults observed together for 15 We are also grateful to all colleagues days) that spent time in the area. and nature lovers that provided Two new species for the area information for observing Griffon were also attracted to the feeding site Vultures: Sergey Panayotov; Stefan - White-tailed Sea Eagle Haliaeetus Kostov – Mayor of Rakitna; Blagoi albicilla (1 adult bird photographed Stefanov- Mayor of Brezhani; Hristo by camera trap at the feeding site on Milev- Mayor of Mechkul; Stefan 14.10.2015) and a Steppe Eagle Avramov- BBF; George Stoyanov - Aquila nipalensis (photographed by BPPS; Elena Kmetova- Green camera trap at the feeding site on Balkans; Lachezar Bonchev – 20.05.2015). FWFF; Blagoi Simov- authority; Theodora Skartsi – Acknowledgements WWF Greece, Dadia Project; Marin Kurtev – BSPB; Rosen Aleksov – Since June 2012 the project is RIEW Blagoevgrad; Goran Susic – supported by the LIFE+ financial Caput Insulae, Beli, Croatia; Sasha instrument of EU within the project Marinkovic and Irena Hrisbek – “Conservation of Birds of Prey in Birds of Prey Protection Fund, Kresna Gorge” LIFE11 NAT Serbia, Ohad Hatzofe – NPA, Israel /BG/363, and is co-financed by and others. Friends of Vienna Zoo, Austria and Bioparc Zoo de Doue, France. 37

Vulture News 69 November 2015

Key words: Griffon Vulture, Gyps fulvus, Kresna Gorge, Bulgaria, reintroduction.

References

Hristov, H. & Stoynov, E. 2002. National Action Plan for the Conservation of the Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) in Bulgaria 2002-2006. – In: Yankov, P. (ed.). Globally threatened species of birds in Bulgaria. National Action Plans for conservation, Part I. BSPB- MOEW, Conservation series, Book 4, BSPB, Sofia, pp. 106-132. (in Bulgarian) Peshev, H. & Stoynov, E. 2015. Re-introduction of Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) in Kresna Gorge of Struma River, Bulgaria, Annual Report 2014. Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna, Blagoevgrad. http://fwff.org/griffon- vulture-reintroduction-in-kresna-gorge/ [Accessed April 2015] Stoynov, E. & Grozdanov, A. 2010. Re-introduction of Griffon vultures and consequent return of Egyptian vultures in the Kotel Mountains in Bulgaria. In: Soorae, P.S. (ed.) 2010. Global Reintroduction Perspectives: Additional case-studies from around the globe. IUCN/SSC Re- introduction Specialist Group, Abu Dhabi, UAE, pp. 147-150. Stoynov, E. & Peshev, H. 2011. Re-introduction of Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) in Kresna Gorge of Struma River, Bulgaria, Annual Report 2010. Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna, Blagoevgrad. http://fwff.org/griffon- vulture-reintroduction-in-kresna-gorge/ [Accessed April 2015] Stoynov, E. & Peshev H. 2012. Re-introduction of Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) in Kresna Gorge of Struma River, Bulgaria, Annual Report 2011. Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna, Blagoevgrad. http://fwff.org/griffon- vulture-reintroduction-in-kresna-gorge/ [Accessed April 2015] Stoynov, E. & Peshev, H. 2013. Re-introduction of Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) in Kresna Gorge of Struma River, Bulgaria, Annual Report 2012, Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna, Blagoevgrad. http://fwff.org/griffon- vulture-reintroduction-in-kresna-gorge/ [Accessed April 2015] Stoynov E. & Peshev H. 2014. Re-introduction of Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) in Kresna Gorge of Struma River, Bulgaria, Annual Report 2013.

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Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna, Blagoevgrad. http://fwff.org/griffon- vulture-reintroduction-in-kresna-gorge/ [Accessed April 2015] Stoynov, E., Peshev, H., Grozdanov, V. Delov, N., Vangelova, N. & Peshev, D. 2015. New data for the presence and numbers of some conservation dependent birds in Kresna Gorge with proposal of original method for individual identification of vultures. Annuaire de l’Université de Sofia “St. Kliment Ohridski” Faculte De Biologie 2015, volume, livre 4, pp. First National Conference of Biotechnology, Sofia 2014.

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