The Ninth Edition of the Saker Falcon Festival Takes Place in Malko Kadievo

On 19 July, the village of Malko Kadievo hosted the ninth edition of the Saker Falcon Festival, organised by the Green Balkans team and the Mityo Stanev 1929 Community Centre as part of the LIFE for Falcons project (LIFE20 NAT/BG/001162). Once again, the event brought together local residents, visitors and conservationists around the shared cause of protecting wildlife and the Saker Falcon. The tradition was upheld, with the festival marking the official end of the active field season. The event coincided with the moment when the last young Saker Falcon raised at the Green Balkans Wildlife Rescue Centre left the adaptation aviary (hack) and took its first free flight into the wild.

During the festival, the Green Balkans team presented the results achieved so far, the challenges faced and the long-standing efforts to restore the species’ population in Bulgaria.

A range of educational and interactive games was organised for the youngest visitors, giving them the opportunity to learn more about the lives of birds of prey. The children could also meet some of the feathered ambassadors from the Green Balkans Wildlife Rescue Centre, including “Grandpa Romeo” – the world’s oldest documented Saker Falcon!

One of the most exciting moments of the festival was the release of rehabilitated Common Kestrels that had been treated at the Wildlife Rescue Centre. The birds were released into the sky above the village by the youngest participants.

The celebration ended with a rich programme of traditional Bulgarian folk music and dance, offered as a gift to all the guests.

The Green Balkans team would like to thank the Mityo Stanev 1929 Community Centre, the residents of Malko Kadievo, and the volunteers from the BARBATUS Student Ecological Club at Trakia University.