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Russia Far East

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Pallas's Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus �Alister Benn http://www.pbase.com/alibenn/birds

The Russian Far East is generally considered to consist of The 'Krays' of Khabarovsk and Primorsky along with the 'Oblasts' of Chukotia, Magadan, Amur and the Island of Sakalin and the Kuril Islands.

This region stretches out along the Pacific Ocean shore for thousands of kilometers. It is situated in an area of contrasting natural phenomena. Almost all of the mountain ridges run parallel to the shore. Earthquakes and tsunamis are very frequent here. The North lowlands are covered by tundra, and larch forests cross it along river valleys. To the south is situated the taiga zone, where larch is the dominant tree species. On the rocky shores and islands of the Okhotskoe Sea can be found a lot of rookeries.

But the most unusual landscapes is in the southern part of the region. Inside this territory taiga forest gets mixed up with subtropical woods, making incredible combinations. Spruces are wrapped round by wild grape. Larch forests and lime-tree forests with jasmine in the underbrush can be found just on the same mountainside. Such unusual forests tree species as Manchurian walnut, Cork oak and many others grow here. On the planes, foothills and river valleys broad-leaved forests consists of poplar, elm, hornbeam, maple and ash-tree. Such forest usually has well-developed underbrush of jasmine and honeysuckle, and a lot of vines such as magnolia-vine, wild grape and tara-vine. Ferns and mosses form continuous cover. Up on the mountainsides there are mixed coniferous forests of larch, spruce, cedar-pine and fir. Somewhere on the peaks there is a tundra level with cedar-pine elfin woods and lichens. In the big river valley it�s possible to find plots of wet meadows with high grass. The avifauna of this region is very multifarious.

Together with taiga birds you can see here such specialities as Broad-billed Roller, Mandarin Duck, Little Green Heron, Chestnut Bittern, Harlequin Duck, Scaly-sided Merganser, Siberian Spruce Grouse, Hooded Crane, Australian Curlew, Black-tailed Gull, Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo, Indian Scops Owl, Ashy Minivet, Bull-headed Shrike, Blue Rock Thrush, Parrotbill, Short-tailed Bush Warbler, Japanese Blue Flycatcher, Eastern Blue Magpie and White-eyes.

Top Sites

Chaivo Bay

This bay is a part of north-east shore of Sakhalin. It stretches out along the Sea of Okhotsk. Some rivers drain into the bay. There are small islands situated in the north and middle parts of the bay. The main landscapes here are sea-shore, larch forests, scrub, moss tundra and meadows. The most comfortable breeding and migrating sites for waterfowls, waterbirds and predatory birds are the sand banks & spits, lakes and wetlands. Such birds as Osprey, White-tailed Eagle, Steller�s Sea Eagle, Siberian Spruce Grouse, Spotted Greenshank, Red-necked Phalarope, Long-toed Stint, Black-bellied Sandpiper, Aleutian Tern and Little Crake breed here.

Komsomolsky Reserve

This site is situated on the mountainous left bank of Amur-River in the mouth of Gorin-River. There are mostly coniferous forests here, but they include such broad-leaved trees as elm, ash-tree and corkoak. Close to the rivers grow willows, alders and poplars, and in well-drained places there are broad-leaved forests of elm, Manchurian walnut, Amur oak tree and maple. Falcated Duck, Goosander and Scaly-sided Merganser can be found on the rivers. Bird communities on the islands and floodplain forests are rich in species such as Masked Bunting, Narcissus Flycatcher, White-eye, Ashy Minivet, Mandarin Duck and Chinese Grosbeak. The most interesting birds of coniferous forests are White-throated Thrush, Chinese Meadow Bunting, Pallas�s Warbler, Japanese Waxwing & Siberian Spruce Grouse.

Sikhote-Alinsky Reserve

The landscapes on the reserve are typical of the far east, which change markedly with altitude. On the shore, where a lot of rocky places Sooty Guillemot & Temminck�s Cormorant, and Blue Rock Thrush can be found. Plain oak forests hold such birds as Black-Throated Oriole, Brown Flycatcher and Masked Bunting. The most wonderful woods are the mixed cedar-broad-leaved ones. Many interesting species of birds live here, for example, Ashy Minivet, White-eye, Hodgson's Hawk Cuckoo, Indian Scops Owl, Short-tailed Bush Warbler and Chinese Grosbeak. The floodplain forest consists mostly of poplars, alders and willows. Here you can find Broad-billed Roller, Eastern Blue Magpie, and also hollow-nesting Ducks, such as Mandarin Duck and Scaly-sided Merganser.

Wrangel Island

This is an excellent site for anybody who likes northern nature. This island is a kingdom of tundra, stone, lichens and sedge bogs. Only in the middle part of the island is it possible to find willow bushes up to 1m height. There are some rare species here, for example there is a big breeding colony of Snow Goose. It�s easy to observe Brent Goose, Red-throated Diver, Eider and King Eider. Among the waders there are such specialities as Robin Sandpiper, Long-toed Stint, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Black-bellied Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper. The most common Gulls are Glaucous Gull & Sabine�s Gull. The typical tundra birds, such as Snowy Owl also live here.

Contributor

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

Useful Reading

A Field Guide to Birds of Russia and Adjacent Territories

V. Flint, R. Boehme, Y. Kostin, A. Kuznetsov Paperback - 440 pages (December 1983) Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691024308
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Sea Birds and Mammals of Russia's Far East

A Field Guide YB Artyukhin and VN Burkanov 215 pages Pensoft 1999
ISBN: 5237044751
Buy this book from NHBS.com

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

Museums & Universities

Sakhalin Museum

As many as 372 bird species have been noted in the Sakhalin region. Among them are nesting birds of passage, nesting and wintering birds, wintering only species, and casual visitors. About 50 of them are rare in the fauna of Russia, and are entered and registered in the Red Book. The collection of rare birds includes the visiting White-naped Crane (Grus vipio) and two storks (Ciconiidae) - a Far Eastern Stork (Ciconia boy-ciana) and a Black Stork (Ciconia nigra); birds of prey (Accipitridae) - a White-tailed Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla); and a White-shouldered Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus pelagicus); falcons (Falconidae) - a Peregrine Falcon (Faico peregrinus) and Gyrfalcon (Faico gyrfaico); ducks (Anatidae) -Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata); sandpipers (Charadriidae); a Japanese Snipe (Gallinago hardwickii) and a Mountain Great Snipe (Gallinago solitaire); and pigeons (Columbidae) like the Green Pigeon (Sphenurus sieboldii).

Reserves

Khankaisky Nature Reserve

Website
334 species of birds have been recorded in the Reserve and its adjacent protected areas. Most of them are classified as endangered species; 49 species have been included in the Russian Red Book and 12 species in the International Red Book. In consideration of the number of bird species and the number of rare species, the Reserve has a leading position (among equally sized reserves) not only in Russia but also within all protected areas in temperate Europe and Asia...

Kuril Islands

Website
Nesting Birds of the Kuril Islands...

Lake Khanka

Website
Lake Khanka in the Russian Far East is one of the largest bodies of freshwater in Asia. The wetlands of Lake Khanka, which reaches into China, provide important nesting and stopover areas for hundreds of migratory birds...

Muraviovka Park

Website
Dedicated to the Preservation of endangered Cranes and the promotion of Sustainable Agriculture in harmony with nature - Tambovka District Amurskaya Oblast...

Trip Reports

This section sponsored by:

2003 [June] - Nigel Redman

Report

Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk is literally half a world away from Moscow - as far an outpost as you can get in the world's biggest country. Despite the long journey, we were keen to see some far-eastern birds, and before long we were watching Harlequin Ducks along a rocky coastline, Latham's Snipes displaying over the road and perching on top of telegraph posts, and summer-plumaged Lesser Sand Plovers in the gloom of the sea mist...

Forums & Mailing Lists

Birds in Russia

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To post to list:BirdsinRussia@yahoogroups.com
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Information and discussion list on all aspects of biology, ecology, behaviour, number, distribution, migrations and conservation etc. of all bird species of Eastern Europe and Northern Asia (within the borders of the ex-USSR). Founder Jevgeni Shergalin.

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