Ropotamo Nature Reserve, Burgas Province, Bulgaria

The Ropotamo, from the Ancient Greek word meaning "border river", is a 30 mile long river in south east Bulgaria. Its source is the Bosna Ridge in the Strandzha Mountains. Up until the village of Novo Panicharevo it flows in a north east direction in a deep and narrow forested valley. Further downstream from the village it leaves the mountains and turns eastwards in a wide valley. The Ropotamo then forms a narrow gorge between the ridges Medni Rid and Uzun Bair and enters a wide marshy valley near its mouth. It empties into the Black Sea in a small bay to the west of Cape Saint Demetrius between Dyuni and Primorsko. Near its mouth there is a long and wide estuary lagoon separated from the sea by sandspits.

To protect the dense riparian forests of oak, ash, elm and hornbeam, lily-clad marshes and scrub covered hillsides in the lower section of the River Ropotamo, the Ropotamo Nature Reserve was established in 1940. It was subsequently designated as a Ramsar site in 1975 which was extended in 2002 as the Ropotamo Complex covering an area of over 20 square miles and including the swamps of Lake Alepu and Lake Arkutino and several other smaller protected areas. Over 260 bird species, around 50 mammal species and 32 reptile and amphibian species have been recorded in the area.

Date: 22nd May 2018

Location: River Ropotamo, Burgas Province, Bulgaria