RARE SPECIES AND CONCENTRATIONS OF BIRDS IN THE TEMRYUK AREA (EASTERN COAST OF THE SEA OF AZOV) IN 2020–2021

As a result of ornithological observations in the Temryuk area (Eastern Azov region) in different seasons of 2020–2021 new information was obtained on the presence of 17 species and subspecies of rare and protected birds: the Black-throated loon Gavia arctica arctica (Linnaeus, 1758), Dalmatian pelican Pelecanus crispus Bruch, 1832, Pygmy cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmaeus (Pallas, 1773), Squacco heron Ardeola ralloides ( Scopoli, 1769), Glossy ibis Plegadis falcinellus (Linnaeus, 1766), White-tailed eagle Haliaetus albicilla (Linnaeus, 1758), Red-footed falcon Falco vespertinus Linnaeus, 1766, Common crane Grus grus (Linnaeus, 1758), Black-winged stilt Himantopus himantopus (Linnaeus, 1758), Eurasian oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus longipes Buturlin, 1910, Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa (Linnaeus, 1758), Pallas’s gull Larus ichthyaetus Pallas, 1773, Mediterranean gull Larus melanocephalus Temminck, 1820, Slenderbilled gull Larus genei Brême, 1840, Sandwich tern Thalasseus sandvicensis (Latham, 1787), Caspian tern Hydroprogne caspia (Pallas, 1770), Little tern Sterna albifrons Pallas, 1764. Mixed colonies of the Whiskered tern Chlidonias hybridus (Pallas, 1811), Common tern Sterna hirundo Linnaeus, 1758, and Great crested grebe Podiceps cristatus (Linnaeus, 1758) were found. In mid-March 2021 the anseriformes, as well as Dalmatian pelicans, great cormorants and other species, which stopped migration due to a sharp drop in temperature in the region, have formed large concentrations on the estuaries of the Kuban delta. At the beginning of September 2021, aggregations of the Slender-billed gull, Sandwich tern, which also included great cormorant, the Caspian gull Larus cachinnans Pallas, 1811, blackheaded gull Larus ridibundus Linnaeus, 1766, Caspian and common terns, were found on the coast of the bay, sandbars and islets. At that time, the coot Fulica atra Linnaeus, 1758 began to concentrate on the estuaries. The diversity of habitats in the area of Temryuk Bay is a valuable natural resource that supports the species diversity of birds in different seasons. During the migration period, sandy spits and islands are a refuge for breeding and migratory species and contribute to maintaining the number of Ciconiiformes, Charadriiformes et al. Sea shallow bays are a feeding habitat for waterfowl and seabirds, and estuaries are a nesting, feeding and resting place during the migration period for numerous waterfowl, grebes, herons, swans, geese, ducks, waders, gulls and terns. In summer, the estuaries Bolshoy Chervonny, Maly Chervonny and Dolgiy have well-developed “meadows” of underwater vegetation, which serve as a nesting habitat for whiskered terns, common terns and grebes. Concentrations of birds form during the non-breeding season on most of the surveyed estuaries. A special role is played by the agricultural branch of rice cultivation with a system of irrigation canals, overgrown with reeds, and paddy fields flooded with water, which attract many bird species, including Black-winged stilt and Glossy ibis. Some of the species subject to protection, in particular the Squacco heron and Glossy ibis, show relative resistance to the disturbance factor in places of recreation, near road.

birds, rare species, aggregations, floodplains, Temryuk Bay