THE FABULOUS PODA BIRD RESERVE IN BULGARIA

The PODA bird reserve in Bulgaria is very very special.

Special as in an area the size of the UK there are limited opportunities to experience nature undisturbed with only two bird reserves in the country.

Special as it provides fantastic nature engagement opportunities for the local community with many schools and children relying on it to access the wonderful nature it provides.

Special for international birders to experience the passage of migration on the famous Via Pontica route where Pelicans, Eagles and Storks can readily be seen.

Located on the most westerly edge of the Black Sea, 5 kilometres south of Bulgaria`s main port, Burgas, the PODA reserve is almost totally surrounded by water, proximate to the Vaya, Mandra, Burgas and Atanasovsko lakes. The reserve has an area of just over 300 hectares, formed of mainly, marshland, brackish pools and scrub.

The site was declared a protected area in 1989 and achieved Ramsar conservation status in 2002. It is administered by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) with funding raised by the small entrance fee, shop sales and donations. BSPB, part of Birdlife International, has a second site in the Rhodopes mountains where there has been a successful conservation programme for Gryphon Vultures.

In the UK we would designate PODA a brownfield site with remnants of it`s oil industry heritage still existing with pipes and pylons dotted around the site. The first time I volunteered one of the pylons was home to over 80 Cormorant nests the next time I went this pylon had fallen, Cormorant excrement had eaten through an already pretty rotten structure; thankfully post breeding season.

PODA and the lakes are ideally situated on the Eastern migration flyway or Via Pontica where birds move from East and Central Africa through the Middle East and Turkey, on their way to breed. Funnelling in around Southern Bulgaria and then on to Romania the Via Pontica opens out to stretch from East Germany right across to the Crimea. The Black Sea, lakes and marshes at PODA provide ideal food and habitat for migrating water birds and passerines.  On spring and autumn migration the reserve is a great place to experience huge numbers of Storks, both white and black, Pelicans, White and Dalmatian along with regularly sightings of Lesser Spotted, Short-toed and Booted Eagles, Honey Buzzard, Red-footed Falcon, Levant Sparrowhawk and various other raptors with the potential for seeing Greater Spotted and Imperial Eagle, Goshawk, Long-legged Buzzard and Saker Falcon.  The species list seen is verging on 300 with the reserve home to breeding Common Tern, Marsh Harrier, Great and Pygmy Cormorant, Black-winged Stilt, Spoonbill, Purple, Grey, Squacco and Night Herons various warblers including Great Reed, Nightingale, and Penduline Tit. A local breeding White-tailed Eagle regularly visits with Osprey often seen in the bay hunting on migration. In late season, alongside the usual European wintering ducks the whole area is important for Red Breasted Goose, White-headed and Ferruginous Duck.

Herpetologists regularly visit PODA with the Dice snake, European Pond Turtle and Balkan Green Lizard regularly seen whilst there maybe a chance to experience Eastern Spadefoot Toad, European Legless Lizard and Four-lined Snake.

The site is also important habitat for the Otter.

PODA along with the BSPB regularly undertake ornithological research, bird monitoring and education programmes and is close to ringing sites and a Trektellen viewing platform. However its most important day to day function is to provide an opportunity to engage with wildlife. Whilst volunteering it was most notable that many visitors were new to birdwatching and 30% of the visitors, excluding school groups were children. In the last month that I volunteered in spring 2022 the centre received over 500 visitors + 16 school groups, the majority being Bulgarian with around a third made up of seasoned birders visiting from various parts of the world.

PODA like other bird reserves has experienced its own conservation issues. Numbers of Common Terns seem to be decreasing as micro-plastics devastate the small fish populations. The Ukraine-Russia war has seen dead Dolphins appear on the Black Sea shores of Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey including at the reserve where their sonar navigation has been interfered with by constant bombing. Covid brought its own set of problems where a small picnic site 200 metres from the reserve was overrun by people desperate for a bit of greenspace, the ensuing litter problem attracted Jackals which then entered the then closed reserve to devastate ground nesting species.

Recently PODA has been through some important conservation improvements to enhance existing habitat and restore pools on the previously inaccessible northern part of the reserve. These improvements have obviously come at a cost and for a reserve that depends on footfall and donations it has meant that funds at the moment are seriously low.

The old telescopes are no longer serviceable and a new set of optics is needed for the centre to fulfil its engagement function.

I have volunteered at this reserve several times helping with visitor engagement and have seen at first-hand how important it is for young people and children as an access to nature. I have experienced the joy and delight that this access has given and despite the language differences the birds and wildlife do the talking.

If you can get the chance please visit this special birding place and if you can, please help by donating here for some new telescopes to enable PODA to maintain it`s special nature status.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/david-clark-970

Thank you.

Dave Clark (October 2023)