Today we had the pleasure of an afternoon walk with Koichiro Fukui, the Japanese Ambassador to Bulgaria.

It was his first visit to Srebarna and the Reserve. He came both to see the Lake and also to visit our Japanese (J.I.C.A.) volunteer Toshi Izawa, who is working in cooperation with Kolyo Mihof of the Bulgarian Acadamy of Sciences.

He was very fortunate in that some young Pelicans remained on the Lake for him to get a good view.

He met first with Georgi Boev the mayor of Srebarna and his staff then we spent 3 hours walking on the eco-trails. Mr Fukui has a real love of nature and really enjoyed his time here. From left to right..Koichiro Fukui, Violet Boeva, Georgi Boev, Mike Black, 2 of the Mayors Staff, Jerry Black and Toshiko Izawa.

Swiss visitors go 'Cuckoo' over Srebarna.

This article was written by Mike for a local newspaper ....

Some late migrating arrivals were spotted by Ornithologists at Srebarna Biosphere Reserve last week, they were a group of 13 Swiss bird-watchers on a tour organised by Rossy Ganevska of Bulgarian Rainbow Travel. They were touring the country visiting various areas to witness Bulgaria’s natural beauty and birdlife in authentic surroundings.

They stayed in Srebarna for 4 days and spent 3 of those at the Reserve accompanied by Ornithologist and Bird-Guide Minko Madjarov from Varna. One of the group Peter, told me that ‘The people here are very friendly and the nature is still unspoiled, we really hope that it stays this way’

The visitors were very impressed by the facilities at the Reserve, one of them Anne-Marie, commented ‘The lakeside nature trails make it really easy to view the birds’
Her friend Anne agreed ‘The benches and lookout huts make very good bird-watching points, it is important that they are maintained to allow easy access, today we saw 76 different species’

Accommodation was provided in the village by Srebarna Hotel and Pelican Lake Guesthouse. When I asked Ruth, a member of the party, about her time in Srebarna she said, ‘It really felt like we were at home, Luba made us feel like one big happy family and her home-made food was great.’

I am also a keen amateur Ornithologist, so I took the opportunity to join the group for one of their outings. It was very encouraging to see visitors making use of the lakeside eco-trails. I spoke with Therese who told me, ‘People should ensure that the Reserve stays the way it is and that the paths are kept clear so that more visitors can enjoy the beauty of this wonderful place.