“HIGH AND SAFE” – Pigeon sport with a commitment to wildlife conservation

On June 3, the campaign “High and Safe” was officially launched – the first highflying pigeon competition of its kind in Bulgaria, combining a passion for the pigeon sport with a deep care for nature. This initiative is part of the collaboration between the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) and the Bulgarian Federation of Highflyers, supported by the “LIFE for Falcons” project, funded by the EU’s LIFE Programme, and AviRings.

The campaign aims not only to promote the use of cutting-edge technologies in pigeon sport, but also to encourage the adoption of legal and nature-friendly methods for preventing raptors’ attacks on highflying pigeons. All participants in the competition applied precaution measures that are proven to be both effective and safe for wildlife. One such method is the wing eye-marking of pigeons, which significantly reduces the risk of raptor attacks (read more about the method HERE).

For the first time in Bulgaria, the innovative AviRings system was used, allowing precise, real-time altitude tracking through barometric sensors. Already implemented in Serbia, the technology achieves an accuracy of 1–2 meters and provides new possibilities for monitoring flight performance without affecting the birds’ flying ability.

The first test flight involved 10 highflyers owned by Boyan Sabevski – one of Bulgaria’s most successful highflying pigeon fanciers (a short video of the flight is available HERE). Five of the birds were equipped with barometric rings, and all were visually marked as a protective measure against raptors. One of the pigeons reached an altitude of 1,445 meters above the loft, and another flew for 7 hours and 29 minutes (detailed flight statistics available HERE).

The event brought together dozens of pigeon fanciers, representatives of the Federation, a wide online audience who could follow live flight data in real time. Unfortunately, a temporary technical issue led to the loss of data during part of the flight, which requires the competition to be repeated, this time with enhanced accuracy through a combination of barometric and GPS rings provided by BSPB.

During the flight, a Booted Eagle was observed twice near the loft – fortunately, without any incident. This is exactly the field where the LIFE for Falcons project is active – and this collaboration marks a key step in building sustainable partnerships between BSPB and one of the main stakeholder groups in the protection of the Saker Falcon in Bulgaria: the pigeon fancier community. The “High and Safe” campaign clearly demonstrates how pigeon sport and wild bird conservation can thrive side by side.