The Saker Falcon, an “invisible” star at BIG DAY 2025 – how birdwatchers in Romania can help monitor an endangered species

Nov. 17, 2025

Between October 17–19, Dobrogea became the stage for one of the most anticipated competitions dedicated to birdwatching enthusiasts: BIG DAY – Ornithological Marathon 2025. Now in its sixth edition, the event brought together twelve teams of birdwatchers from across the country, who covered over one thousand square kilometres in search of bird species in the region.

The competition area, which includes several Special Protection Areas for birds in Dobrogea, is also one of the regions targeted by the LIFE FOR FALCONS project, dedicated to the conservation of the Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) – a globally endangered species listed on the Red List in both Romania and Bulgaria.
For this reason, our organization considered it a great opportunity to present during the event the actions implemented in Romania within the LIFE for Falcons project, which have a direct impact on the conservation of this species: installation of artificial nests, insulation of dangerous power lines, video surveillance to combat poaching, and field monitoring during the breeding season.

In the spirit of the event, Ciprian Fântână, coordinator of the Romanian activities of the international LIFE FOR FALCONS project, also launched a challenge to the participants: awarding a special prize for spotting a Saker Falcon during the competition. Birdwatchers were encouraged to report any sighting of this rare species, whose population in southern Romania is continuously declining.
The initiative sparked enthusiasm and reminded participants of the importance of involving the amateur birdwatching community in activities related to the monitoring and conservation of threatened species.

In total, participants in BIG DAY 2025 observed 171 bird species, including rarities such as the White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala), Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), and European Shag (Gulosus aristotelis), one of which was ringed in Bulgaria.

The competition was organized by the Romanian Ornithological Society in partnership with the “Prof. Dr. Ioan Borcea” Marine Biological Station Agigea of “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași. Beyond the competitive aspect, the event also had an educational dimension, promoting respect for nature and the importance of reporting bird observations on monitoring platforms.

Although the LIFE FOR FALCONS prize had no winner in 2025, we hope that the Saker Falcon will make an appearance flying over Dobrogea during BIG DAY 2026, when we can finally award the postponed prize.