Birds of prey, the lords of the skies of Thrace, are an integral and valuable part of the region’s natural heritage. In recent years, they have been thoroughly studied in some areas, such as the Dadia Forest National Park and the Southern Evros Forest Complex, while in others less so.

For the second consecutive year, the Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace (SPBT) has been monitoring and recording the birds of prey living in the Dereio Valley, bringing to light valuable information on the raptor species present in the area, as well as the places where they live, feed and moving. Until now, such data were not available, as the area had not been subject to systematic monitoring of these species.

For five months, from March to July 2025, the SPBT’s research team, together with volunteers from the European Solidarity Corps, spent many hours recording birds from view points and along road transects. They covered dozens of kilometers across the lush green slopes and alongside the streams that cross the Dereio Valley. They observed birds performing impressive flights while hunting prey, attracting mates or chasing away “unwelcome visitors” from their nests, adults carrying food to their chicks, and the first flights of young birds hatched this year.

Based on approximately 1,000 observations, 22 different species of birds of prey were recorded, along with 111 territories belonging to 17 breeding species. The most frequent records concerned Common Buzzards, Honey Buzzards and Short-toed Eagles. The study highlighted the area’s importance as a highly significant refuge for species such as the Egyptian Vulture, the Golden Eagle, the Lesser Spotted Eagle and the Bootted Eagle, which breed in the area, as well as for many other threatened species.

The third year of monitoring will begin in March 2026 and will be completed in July 2026, aiming to record birds of prey and the changes in their territories within the years.

The “Oreinos Evros – Koilada Dereiou” area has been designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) within the Natura 2000 network. Monitoring birds of prey in this area is particularly important as it borders two SPAs, “Dasos Dadia - Soufli” and the “Notio Dasiko Symplegma Evrou”, which were burned over most of their area during the wildfires of 2022 and 2023. Fortunately, the Dereio Valley was only minimally affected, mainly in its southern and western parts. As a result, it is expected to be one of the areas where birds of prey that can no longer breed in the burned SPAs may seek refuge. The results of this research can contribute to informed decision-making and the planning of management actions for the effective protection of the area and neighboring regions affected by last year’s devastating wildfire.

The technical report presenting the results of the monitoring of birds of prey in the Dereio Valley is available at: https://spbt.gr/downloads/

The raptor monitoring Dereio Valley is performed in the framework of the "Greek Wildlife Alliance" an initiative implemented with the support of WWF in cooperation with 11 Greek environmental NGOs with a common vision of the well-being of wildlife and humans.