Mid-winter count of waterfowl begins on January 15

10.01.2026 | Animal world

From January 15 to 18, the mid-winter count of wintering waterfowl in Bulgaria will take place. The 50th anniversary edition of the campaign, which covers over 320 wetlands, will collect data on bird numbers and determine indicators of environmental condition.

Снимка от OceanAtoll, Wikimedia Commons, под лиценз CC BY 2.0

From January 15th to 18th, the mid-winter census of wintering waterfowl will be held, organized by the Executive Environment Agency (EEA). This is the jubilee 50th edition of the campaign.

The census covers over 320 wetlands, including the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, rivers, reservoirs, lakes, marshes, and fish farms. The goal is to determine the number of wintering birds in these territories.

The data will be entered into the EEA's Information System and reported to “Wetlands International”.

The collected information is crucial for determining the indicator “Change in the number of wintering waterfowl in Bulgaria”.

The census is part of the National Monitoring System and is organized jointly with partner organizations and volunteers. The initiative began in 1967, and Bulgaria joined in 1977.

Data from previous censuses show a decrease in the population of waterfowl.