The white-tailed eagle is the largest bird of prey in Bulgaria – with a wingspan of up to about two and a half metres, a powerful yellow bill and, in adults, a distinctive white tail. It is a protected species listed in the Red Data Book of Bulgaria, and only a small number of pairs breed in the country. The marsh harrier is smaller but no less impressive – it hunts in low, slow flights over the reed beds and nests right in the reeds.
Both species are closely tied to wetlands. The white-tailed eagle feeds mainly on fish and waterbirds, the harrier on small mammals, birds and frogs. Both need large, quiet territories with abundant food and tall trees or extensive reeds for resting and nesting. That is exactly what Ecopark Vaya offers.
In 2024 the ecopark began deliberately tracking the presence of white-tailed eagles and marsh harriers and maintaining the conditions they depend on: quiet zones closed to visitors, tall trees as lookout posts for the eagles, extensive reed beds for the harriers, and stable populations of fish and birds that are their food.
Predators at the top of the food chain are the most accurate measure of an ecosystem’s health. They cannot exist where there is not enough food, quiet and space. Every white-tailed eagle perched on a dead tree above the ponds of Vaya is confirmation that the years of work restoring the wetland have paid off.
The activity is carried out with our own funds and labour. The ecopark’s hides give visitors the chance to see these birds without disturbing them.
White-tailed eagles and marsh harriers are not inhabitants that can be ‘introduced’. They come only where nature is rich enough to feed them. And they come to Vaya.
Project summary
Project: Protection of white-tailed eagles and marsh harriers
Year: 2024
Location: Ecopark Vaya
Activity: tracking their presence, maintaining quiet zones, tall trees and reed beds, stable food resources
Funding: own funds and volunteer work
Status: completed, ongoing
Photo: Phil Robson / Unsplash