Neslihan’s journey from Southeast Bulgaria to the southern Peloponnese reflects both the promise and the risks faced by migratory birds. Her story is part of the Iron Curtain to the Green Belt project, which is restoring ecological networks across one of Europe’s biodiversity hotspots to support the recovery of species such as the Egyptian vulture.
A difficult start
The young Egyptian vulture hatched in 2024 in a nest near Madzharovo. Despite her parents’ efforts to raise her, she was born too late in the season and did not have enough time to gain the strength and experience needed for the greatest challenge of all, her first migration. To give her a better chance of survival, the BSPB team took her from the nest and entrusted her to the Wildlife Rescue Centre of Green Balkans for further care. There, she grew stronger, learned to fly, and spent the winter months safely under their care.
A second chance in the wild
In the spring of 2025, Neslihan became part of the 2025 class of the “Egyptian Vulture School” in the Eastern Rhodopes, together with five other young birds. After more than two months of adaptation and socialisation, she was released, equipped with a GPS transmitter, and proudly carried the name given to her by students from a local school.
From the very first day, Neslihan showed her adventurous spirit. Unlike the other released vultures, she followed her own path, roaming across the mountains of Greece and back, spending nights on the ground and risking attacks from predators. After wandering for days and going without food for more than ten days, her strength began to fail. Thanks to the persistence of the BSPB team, the help of volunteers Neva Dryankovka and Elena Nankova, and a measure of good fortune, she was recaptured and rescued just in time.
After two weeks of recovery, Neslihan took to the skies once again, wiser and more cautious. This time, she stayed close to the other vultures, fed regularly at the supplementary feeding station, and remained within the safe release area. She had been given a third opportunity to live in the wild, and it seemed she was determined to make the most of it.
A journey south
In autumn, her exploratory behaviour returned. Instead of migrating to Africa via the Middle East, Neslihan headed west, spending a few weeks in Albania before moving south through Greece and reaching the southern tip of the Peloponnese Peninsula. At the edge of the sea, she turned back and returned north to central Greece.
Yet instinct drew her south once again, and for the second time she reached the Peloponnese. It is suspected that she was attacked by a local pair of Bonelli’s eagles and did not survive. After liaising with HOS/BirdLife Greece, a local team from the Greek Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency confirmed the news after locating her remains at the site of her last GPS signal.
Reflecting on Neslihan’s story
Neslihan was a bird with spirit, brave, curious and independent. Her story is a reminder that even with careful management and dedicated conservation efforts, survival in the wild is never guaranteed.
BSPB expresses gratitude to the teams of the Management Unit of the Southern Peloponnese Protected Areas and HOS/BirdLife Greece for their cooperation and support in uncovering Neslihan’s fate.
This article was originally published on the BSPB website. To find out more about the Iron Curtain to Green Belt restoration landscape, visit their project page.
