Current view: Text account
Site description (2000 baseline):
Site location and context
This mountainous area forms the north-easternmost part of the Stara Planina mountains. There are rocky massifs, two reservoirs˜Eleshnitza (100 ha) and Tzonevo (300 ha)˜and three rivers. Broadleaved forests of
Quercus,
Fagus and
Tilia predominate, with cultivated land and pastures scattered between forests and villages. Human activity is only absent from the Strict Reserves.
This is one of the most important breeding areas in the country for some raptors (
Neophron percnopterus,
Aquila chrysaetos) and forest species (
Dendrocopos medius,
Ficedula semitorquata). The eastern part of the mountain is also a major migratory bottleneck site, where huge numbers of large soaring migrants pass overhead in autumn, especially
Ciconia ciconia (up to 80,000 per season) and
Aquila pomarina. Significant proportion (³1%) of national population breeding at site:
Ciconia nigra (3-4 pairs),
Circaetus gallicus (1 pair),
Buteo rufinus (2 pairs),
Aquila pomarina (1 pair),
Bubo bubo (2-3 pairs).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Some current problems are caused by unsustainable forest exploitation for timber (forestry activity near raptors' nests also causes disturbance), uncontrolled recreation, and quarries. There are three Strict Reserves with Buffer Zones and three National Monuments, covering less than 1% of the area.
National Low
International None54 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Kirov Dol, 54 ha). 44 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Valtchi Prehod, 44 ha). 71 ha of IBA covered by Nature Reserve (Varbov Dol, 71 ha). 60 ha of IBA covered by National Monument (Orlov kamak, 60 ha). 4 ha of IBA covered by National Monument (Siniat Vir, 4 ha). 13 ha of IBA covered by National Monument (Tchudnite Skali, 13 ha). 27 ha of IBA covered by Buffer Zone (Kirov Dol, 27 ha). 87 ha of IBA covered by Buffer Zone (Valtchi Prehod, 87 ha). 61 ha of IBA covered by Buffer Zone (Varbov Dol, 61 ha).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kamchiyska Mountain (Bulgaria). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kamchiyska-mountain-iba-bulgaria on 23/12/2024.
