The Kostanay region in northern Kazakstan is extremely important for the LWfG
When the Polar Ural bird ? 3502? now in April 2007 returns to the Kostanay area on spring migration, it again demonstrates how extremely important this area is for migrating lesser white-fronted geese of the whole Western Palearctic population of the species. The breeding distribution of this population, estimated at 8,000-13,000 individuals, is stretching from Taimyr in Siberia to Fennoscandia. The Kostanay region is probably the only area where almost all birds stop for a shorter or longer period during both spring and autumn migration. Read more??
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Survey of spring migration of geese at the Manych Lake, Russia
(BirdLife IBA RU165?) On 16-18 March 2007 a survey of spring migration of geese at the Manych Lake in Kalmykia was carried out. In the buffer zone of the zapovednik ?Chernye Zemli? Lesser white-fronted geese were observed four times. The site is the same as was visited by the satellite transmitter tagged bird from Polar Ural on 9 March (See?From Polar Ural in European Russia 2006?). 16.03.07 On the northern coast of Manych (46?14`259N 42? 57`553E) on the eastern spit of Kirista Peninsula 68 lesser white-fronted geese were seen feeding in the flock of 10 000 red-breasted geese and 50 white-fronted geese. On the same point, one lesser white-fronted goose was recorded in a flock of 13 WFG, flying south. 17.03.07 On the southern coast of Manych (46?19`406N 42?39`509E) 26 lesser white-fronted geese were feeding in a flock of 350 WfG and 250 Red-breasted geese. 18.03.07 On the southern coast of Manych (46?15`927N 42?51`731E) four lesser white-fronted geese flew south in a flock of 74 WfG from the Pushechnyi Island, where they spent the night.?A map with the sites can be viewed here? (the red line shows the migration of the satellite transmitter tagged bird away from the site).
0 March 2007 by Sonya Rozenfeld Institute of Animal Ecology and Evolution & Victor Badmaev, Zapovednik ?Chernye Zemly?
LWfG found in eastern Syria
An expedition was carried out on 9-11 February 2007 with the main aim of visiting and researching three poorly known sites in Eastern Syria, very close to the Iraqi border. The motive for the expedition was based on the recent discovery of a Russian Lesser White-fronted Goose individual wintering in Eastern Syria. The migration of these birds can be seen at the Gis-Lab web pages - LWfG internet mapping? Participants included Anssi Kullberg currently working for the Finnish Embassy in Damascus and Beirut, Ahmed Abdallah from Palmyra who is a guide specialized in nature and birds, and Perttu Kantonen who is the trainee of the Finnish Embassy in Damascus and volunteered to be the photographer of the expedition. The satellite transmitter tagged bird unfortunately left to Iraq early the same week before the expedition could start. However, many of the findings were still significant, highlighted in the discovery of at least 8, probably many more, lesser white-fronted geese, and a number of other interesting species, including for example 7 Red-wattled Plover Hoplopterus indicus, 15 Smew Mergellus albellus, very significant numbers of Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea, White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons and Greylag Goose Anser anser. Download the full report (pdf 800KB) by Anssi Kullberg here?
0 February 2007 by
The migrating LWfG from the Putorana mountains in Siberia are now in Iraq
Both LWfG that are tracked by The Goose, swan and duck study group of Northern Eurasia (RGG?) are now in Iraq. Bird 3H was located on 4 February in the Tigris River one km from the large town Samarra?. This place is situated just 125 km north of Baghdad. The other bird 0H is still in the same area 30 km south of the city Al Kut (and the lake - Haur Al Suwayqiyah). This is the same site as used by the bird with PTT 24677 on 7 January 2005 (See autumn 2004 to autumn 2005?).?More about this project you can see at the pages of Gis-Lab here?
0 February 2007 by
Kazakhstan joins the Ramsar Convention!
More details on the Ramsar website and in a press release by BirdLife International. In October 2002, WWF organised an international seminar on the conservation of the wetlands of the Kostanay region, Kazakstan, and in the resolution of the seminar it was proposed to include the Kostanay region wetlands in the Ramsar list (see an article on this topic in the Fennoscandian LWfG conservation project report 2001-2003, pp 41-43).
0 January 2007 by