The Life for Falcons Project at the 10th Uzana Polyana Fest

Just a few days ago, the 10th anniversary edition of the Uzana Polyana Fest — a festival dedicated to green ideas and initiatives — came to an end.

This year, once again, the Green Balkans team did not miss the opportunity to take part in this iconic festival. In front of thousands of visitors, we presented our work, focusing on the efforts of the Life for Falcons project. Through this project, together with colleagues from Bulgaria and other countries, we are working to protect this rare species.

We were joined by students from Trakia University, members of the student eco club "Barbatus", as well as volunteers from Bulgaria, the USA, and Belgium.

We organised puzzle games, live bird demonstrations, and gave out many prizes to everyone eager to learn more about our activities.

Of course, our participation wouldn’t be complete without what has now become a tradition — the release of birds that have either completed a course of rehabilitation or were hatched at the Green Balkans Wildlife Rehabilitation and Breeding Centre. From the hands of the official guests — the Mayor of Gabrovo, Mrs. Hristova, and the Regional Governor, Mrs. Basheva — as well as dozens of children, seven Common Kestrels soared into the sky above Uzana. During the release, we explained the species' characteristics, its importance to humans, how we track released birds through ringing, and how everyone can help wild animals in distress.

At our stand, we also shared information about other Green Balkans initiatives, including the Bearded Vulture LIFE and LIFE for Lesser Kestrel projects, about our Wildlife Rehabilitation and Breeding Centre, our volunteer programmes, donor campaigns, and much more.