A collaborative guide to birding, hiking and conservation actvities in Bulgaria
This book is a collaborative guide to the authentic conservation activities in Bulgaria focused on the protection of birds habitats:
- 30 interviews with participants and organisers;
- 10 free & budget-friendly holiday activities;
- 7 bird-watching and hiking spots in Bulgaria.
More than 3000 of the blog visitors have already downloaded the book (English and Bulgarian versions). It has been recognised by various prestigious awards. .
In 2022, it brought me a victory in the Bulgarian National Contest in Green Journalism. In 2023, the photo of the oldest Bulgarian volunteer vacation Atanasovsko Camp got the first prize in the Bulgarian National Festival of Public Art Civil Alarm.
The goal of my study was twofold – to promote the achievements of the strongest in Bulgaria volunteer network and to train the volunteers to communicate about their successes, as well as to reflect them on the CVs.
This research was partly funded by the Bulgarian Fund for Women in the framework of the Programme Gender Equality and Climate Justice 2021 implemented with the financial support of the Open Society Institute - Sofia and the Open Society Foundations.
Discovering new meanings of old places
Overall, this guide presents ten recreational projects related to bird watching in Bulgaria and lots of online tools useful for birders and nature lovers.
How can the reader benefit from this diversity? It is wise to consider the remark of Petar Yankov, one of the founders of the Atanasovsko Lake Camp, academic and ornithologist: 'We don't give people fish, we teach them how to catch it'.
From my experience, I can add - simply regard each project like a game where you can score more or less but never lose. Some of the bonuses are working for good causes with like-minded people, learning about nature, and discovering new meanings of old places.
In every chapter, the volunteers and organizers share insights into the conservation projects, which offer various comfortable options for collaborative learning for people of different ages and social backgrounds (lectures, workshops, meetings with environmentalists, conservation activities, etc.).
The oldest projects - the Atanasovsko Lake Camp (33 years) and the Pomorie Lake Volunteer Brigade (26 years) - focus on the reconstruction of artificial islands for pelicans and sandwich terns, respectively.
The newest one – Durankulak Bird-Ringing Camp, set up just three years ago - is devoted to bird monitoring during the autumn bird migration.
Why write about birding activities and enthusiasts?
The desire to write this book in such an unusual manner - together with my teammates - stems from my interest in bird-watching and its potential for communities. This enthusiasm is twofold - personal and professional.
I live on the busiest Bulgarian birds' spot - the second largest in Europe bird migration route Via Pontica (Burgas region) - and actively participate in plenty of birding activities: from an educational Bird ID course to conservational projects.
I intend this manual on sustainable pastimes with birds for ordinary nature-lovers who enjoy meaningful and inspiring activities in nature (e.g. hiking and watching salt harvesting at Atanasovsko Lake) and environmental professionals that deal with volunteers.