The snowy winter in Kamchatka prevented counting all the animals in the reserve
The results of the annual winter census of the forest population were summed up in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve. The field work was carried out from February 28 to March 25, the reserve told Kamchatka.Today.
21 people took part in the winter route surveys. But the snowless winter made adjustments to their work.
On February 27, the first group of accountants managed to get by helicopter to the coast of Kronotsky Lake and the Kronotskaya River, as well as to the caldera of Uzon volcano.
The second one arrived at the seaside cordons near the Semyachik estuary and Olga Bay later due to the bad weather in Kamchatka. Gale force winds and lack of snow prevented the planned work from being carried out.
The length of the routes traveled was only 126 kilometers instead of the usual 400-500. At first there was no snow, then prolonged blizzards with sleet, and in the caldera of Uzon volcano there is a traditional frost due to constant winds. All this does not contribute to the work.
“The most successful surveys were in the vicinity of Kronotsky Lake and on the Lazovsky site – all planned routes were completed there. In order to correctly estimate the number of animals in such a large area as the Kronotsky Nature Reserve, it is necessary to complete a certain minimum of kilometers of routes, otherwise the calculations may be incorrect. This year, it was not possible to “reach” this minimum,” said Evgenia Volkova, a researcher at the reserve.
But even with a small amount of data, it can be said that the natural decline in the white hare population, which began in 2023, continues.
The number of Kamchatka sable, for which the Kronotsky Reserve was created in 1934, remains stable, and perhaps even slightly increased (estimated number – 3939 individuals, last year – 3384). Most representatives of this species live in areas where the records have been fully completed.
This year, the accountants also more often registered traces of wolverines and moose. In the floodplain of the Olga River, which flows into the bay of the same name in the Kronotsky Bay, these animals even personally went to the accountants on the route.
Photo: Makar Berdichevsky, Dmitry Balakirev, Evgenia Volkova, Elena Subbotina/Kronotsky Nature Reserve.