During the bird monitoring of Atanasovsko Lake, which is implemented by the team from Bulgarian Society for the protection of birds (BSPB) / BirdLife Bulgaria within the "Lagoon of Life" project (LIFE 17 NAT / BG / 000558), on December 15, 2021 Petar Yankov and Radoslav Moldovanski observed and documented two Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus) - a species that has not yet been observed in Bulgaria.

The Long-billed Dowitcher is a marsh bird that nests at the coast of Alaska, north-western Canada and the north-eastern parts of Russia. Wandering individuals have been observed many times in Europe. They are most often registered in Great Britain, but also in Ireland, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Italy, France, Spain. On the Balkan Peninsula the species was found only in Greece but a long time ago - in May 1962.

The treasure found in Atanasovsko Lake once again confirms the exceptional importance of the site and the great responsibility that our country bears for its protection. In recent years, the main activities for the protection of the lake are carried out by the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, Black Sea Salinas Ltd. and Zaedno 2011 Association within the Lagoon of Life Project funded by LIFE Programme of the European Union.

Here you can watch the video of the ornithologists that found the species https://youtu.be/Bgzjmjz9XFg

For more information Dr. Petar Yankov, tel. +359 878 599373