Words cannot describe the feeling of seeing your dream come true. And the Lammergeiers’egg is just that. Since the foundation of the Centre in 1996 one of the ideas of the team has been the reintroduction of species now extinct in Bulgaria, and the Lammergeier has always ranked high in the list of favorites.
The first step towards the realization of this dream was made in 2007 with the arrival of two Lammergeiers in the Centre of Green Balkans; the birds were sent by Dr Hans Frei from the specialized Richard Faust Breeding Centre in Austria.
The female’s origin is 25% Cretan and 75% Asian; she is very important because of her link to the Balkans. Unfortunately, a month after the arrival at the Centre, the original male from the pair died from aspergillosis (a fungal disease). Thus the feathered lady got her present partner; he is a year older and is 100% Asian by origin.
The two birds are the only living Lammegeiers in Bulgaria today, since the extinction of the species in mid-20th century.
Eight long years of expectations followed until the first copulation was observed in 2015. The event was accompanied by rather vigorous aggressive displays by the female and the beautiful plumage of the male took some serious damage.
In the beginning of 2016 the pair bred again and after a month of copulative acts repeated many times every day, early in the morning today an egg was laid.
The young mother is amazingly attentive despite her lack of experience; she barely leaves the nest. This gives the team reason to believe that the pair will successfully hatch it by themselves.
Still, four experts, two in Bulgaria, one in Austria and one in Spain, monitor closely the birds’ behaviour via cage-mounted cameras, and the Green Balkans team is ready to respond immediately should the need arise.
The pair of Lammergeiers arrived at the Centre of Green Balkans as part of the efforts of the European Endangered Species Programme network, coordinated by our friends at VCF. According to information from our colleagues the first Lammergeier chick from the network this year hatched in the Breeding Centre in Andalucia, Spain. A total of 32 pairs of Lammergeiers participate in the programme; in 2016 the total number of eggs (together with the egg from Bulgaria) is 50.
Of course, there is a lot more to be done for the realization of the ultimate goal: to see the Lammergeiers in Bulgarian skies once again. This new egg, however, is a substantial step towards success. An achievement that we can all celebrate.
The first Lammergeier egg in Bulgaria for more than half a century laid in the Wildlife Rescue Centre of Green Balkans
