Ornithologists have installed camera traps in the nests of rare birds of the Kamchatka Wildlife Sanctuary
Field work on the study of nesting of rare species of fish-eating birds took place on the territory of the Nachikinskoe Lake nature Reserve, Kamchatka.Today reports with reference to the message of the Volcanoes of Kamchatka network of natural parks.
A joint study was conducted by the youth Laboratory for the study of anthropogenic dynamics of ecosystems at Kamchatka State University. Vitus Bering and a network of nature parks.
Snowmobile equipment and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were used to survey the territory of the reserve, including the shores of Lake Nachikinskoye and the valleys of the Taburetka, Yagodnaya, Straight, Grishkina and Gustaya rivers.
“In the immediate vicinity of the territory of the reserve, the Plotnikov River section from the source to the village of Nachiki has been surveyed. During the work, two nests of the white-winged eagle were found directly on the coast of Lake Baikal. Nachikinsky, as well as three osprey nests, just three kilometers from the northern border of the reserve,” said Daria Panicheva, head of the KamSU Youth Laboratory.
Ornithologists have installed camera traps on the nests of eagles in order to study the breeding biology of rare birds, determine the timing and characteristics of reproduction, as well as identify factors that negatively affect birds at the stage of offspring feeding.
A second visit of scientists to the nests is scheduled for July this year. During it, it is planned to ring the chicks and install GPS-GSM trackers on them to track migration. Specialists will also replace the batteries in the camera traps and extract the data accumulated over five months. This work will contribute to the conservation of Kamchatka’s rare bird species.
In the future, it is planned to use hidden camera traps to monitor compliance with the protection regime of the Lake Nachikinskoe Nature Reserve.
Photo: M.Babushkin, A.Sharov.