In a first for Bulgaria, three pink flamingos hatched at Lake Atanasovsko near Burgas, ornithologist Petar Jankov of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) announced here late Monday. The announcement came after the Lake Atanasovsko reserve celebrated its 44th anniversary.

An anniversary event was co-organized by BSPB, the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation, and the Burgas Regional Environment and Water Inspectorate.

Dr Yankov spoke about the monitoring of flamingos by the BSPB. Monitoring started on June 16 when the birds were about a week old. "They were running around the adults in the colony of about 45 nests," he said. The colony was first formed in July 2023.

Monitoring is done remotely, with binoculars. "Most colony members nest on the ground, and human presence forces the parents to abandon their nest or even leave the colony. This puts the eggs at risk because they can be eaten by seagulls.

Dr Yankov commented that the emergence of the three birds is a sign that Lake Atanasovsko is perceived by the birds as a safe home.

Flamingos only nest where the place is safe.

The pink flamingos have been inhabiting the area for eight years now, but only now have they found it safe enough to raise chicks.

Lake Atanasovsko is home to around 3500 flamingos.

Lake Atanasovsko was designated as a reserve 44 years ago yesterday.

On the occasion of the anniversary, an exhibition dedicated to the Lake with works by the artist Polina Stoyanova was opened. Entitled "Across the Dunes", it includes 20 paintings of several birds from Lake Atanasovsko and inhabitants of the sand dunes./BTA/