Branta Issues > Issue №8 (2005)

Wintering of waterfowls and waterbirds at Oleksandria

A.O. Shevtsov

This paper presents the data collected during wintering seasons of 1996-1997 and 2003-2004 on the territory of thе town Oleksandria (Kyrovograd region) and in some inhabited localities around. During eight wintering seasons there were registered in total 19 species of wetland birds, and one more species is known from literary sources (periodic press). Generally six wintering areas of wetland birds are found a Oleksandria: 1) place of sewage disposal into the river Ingulets between Oleksandria and the village Zvenygorodka (the length is 300 m); 2) section of the Ingulets located below the dam of Inguletskoye storage lake (200 m long); 3) section of the Ingulets above the bridge, near the "Veteran House" (30 m long); 4) section of the river Mala Berezivka in Oleksandria, between bridges on Lenin Avenue and Shevchenko Street (120 m long); 5 Baidakivs'kyy coal open-cast mine; 6) granite-pit. The most valuable are the first two areas, where in different years there were recorded 9 and 4 species or 45% and 20% of their total numbers. Terms of development of a wintering area in the region are changeable and depend on weather conditions of the year. As usual it forms over December. The break-up of the wintering area also depends on meteorological conditions, as a rule it decomposes during the second half of February - first half of March. Out of 20 recorded only five species winter regularly: Little Grebe, Mallard, Coot, Wren, Reed Bunting. Of them only Mallard can be regarded as a numerous wintering species. All other species are scanty and rare migratory birds or birds of passage. The material of the paper again proves that inner water bodies of villages and towns are not able to support considerable quantities of waterfowls in winter period.