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Russia Northwest Russia

Common Snipe Gallinago gallinagoŠSue & Andy Tranter http://www.suesbirdphotos.co.uk/

Northwestern Russia consists of the 'Oblasts' of St Petersburg, Novgorod, Pskov and the geographical exclave of Kaliningrad.

North-West of Russia is an interesting ornithological territory. The Baltic Sea washes the banks of Kaliningradskaya region, and a lot of bird migration routes cross here. Finckiy bay also attracts a great number of bird species. Here you can find almost all species of geese, ducks, swans, gulls, terns, etc. which have been recorded in Northern Europe.

Mixed forests are very varied in this region: the north is dominated by dense spruce taiga, and in the south this gives way to light pine forests. These forests also possess a rich bird species collection; more than 100 species are present throughout the summer. The well-developed system of rivers and lakes, which includes such great ones as Ladozhskoe & Chudskoe lakes, and Svir & Velikaya rivers, give shelter to a lot of ducks, waders, gulls.

top sites

Kurshkaya Kosa National Park

Kurshskaya spit is a wonderful place to observe birds during their spring migrations. During this season both waterfowl. This narrow isthmus stretching out into the sea is used as a place to rest and forage by thousands of birds. The best time to come here is the last part of March, April and the beginning of May.

Nyzhneswirsky Reserve

More than 256 bird species of birds have been as it has a rich diversity of sites, which are useful for forest-living, water-dependent and meadow birds. You can find here such interesting species as Honey-buzzard, Merlin, Great Gray Owl and Ural Owl. It is also possible to see rare forest-living birds, for example, Black Stork, Osprey, Willow Grouse, Stock-dove and Eagle Owl. From the group of water dependent birds the most special are: Bald-coot, Great-crested Grebe, Spotted Crake, Wood sandpiper, Ruff & Black-tailed Godwit. The rich avifauna have settled on the bogs in the reserve. A very dense breeding population of Cranes is also situated here. Also you can find such typical birds for this habitat as Snipe, Curlew, Whimbrel, Great Snipe & Golden Plover. In spring, during the migration season, on the lakes of Svir-river floodplain there concentrate a lot of ducks, especially Scoter, Long-tailed duck & Black Scoter.

Polistovskie Swamps

This site represents an exceptional wetland complex. The characteristic peculiarity of Polistovo-Lovatsky swamps is an abundance of small rivers, streams and lakes. More than 140 species of birds, which are associated with swamps, have been founded in this region; some rare species have an important nesting site here. For example, the biggest population of Curlew lives in the Polistovsky reserve. Other interesting rare bird, such as White-tailed Eagle, Golden Eagle, Osprey, Black Stork, Golden Plover and Black-throated Diver can be seen in these swamps as can both breeding species and migrants.

contributor

Olga Batova
Ornithologist
(Ecological Travel Center - Moscow)
info@ecotravel.ru
http://www.ecotravel.ru

useful reading

Where to Watch Birds in Europe & Russia

Nigel Wheatly Paperback - 416 pages (28 April, 2000) Christopher Helm
ISBN: 0713648708
Buy this book from NHBS.com

observatories

Rybachy Biological Station

http://www.zin.ru/rybachy/general.html
The Courish Spit on the Baltic Sea (Kurische Nehrung in German) has been known since the end of the last century for its large concentration of migrating birds, unique in Europe. The spit is a strip of sandy terrain, 97 km in length and 0.4 to 3.6 km in width separating the Courish Lagoon from the Baltic Sea...

museums

The Russian State Museum of Arctic and Antarctic

http://www.polarmuseum.sp.ru/Eng/arctica.htm
In November 1930 the museum was founded by the order of the Soviet Government as a Department of the Arctic Research Institute called the Arctic Museum, based on exhibits and material of Polar Exhibitions which were held in Leningrad, Moscow, Arkhangelsk during 1923. Marata 24a, The Russian State museum of Arctic and Antarctic, St.Petersburg, Russia, 191040 Phone: +7 812 1131998. Fax: +7 812 1646818. E-mail: vicaar@mail.wplus.net Director: Dr. Victor I. Boyarsky

reserves

Lake Ladoga

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Ladoga
Lake Ladoga is a unique natural object, the state of which is the decisive factor influencing the climatic, environmental and economic characteristics in most of the Baltic Sea drainage area...

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you cant find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page give them a try!

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