This became clear during the monitoring of the nests, which was done by the team from project “Life for Lesser Kestrel’’ LIFE19 NAT/BG/001017, carried out by Green Balkans with the support of Programme LIFE of the European Union.
The check-up performed by the team uncovered that three out of eight platforms were occupied. “Considering that is barely the first breeding season since their placement, this is a very promising result”, commented the project manager Dr. Gradimir Gradev.
The other good news is that thanks to the special material the new nests are made of, they maintain lower temperature during the hot summer days compared to the other type of platforms and so they create additional comfort for the bird families.
The selection of a suitable model of artificial nests is key to our activities for the recovery of the Lesser Kestrel and to strengthening the existing colonies in our country. This stems from the fact that at the moment 60-70% of the birds from the colonies of the species in Bulgaria raise their young precisely in such facilities. That’s why it’s important for them to be reliable, sustainable and to offer maximum comfort for the birds and their offspring.
We can safely say that this new type of nest meets all these conditions. Of course, the team of Green Balkans will continue to observe and evaluate their effect on the colony and, if necessary, will make changes in the name of our mission to restore this species that had disappeared for years from our nature.
