Branta Issues > Issue №10 (2007)

Migrating and accidental birds of Molochny Liman: Gaviiformes, Podicipediformes, Procellariiformes, Pelecaniformes

E.A.Diadicheva, A.I.Koshelev, I.I.Chernichko

This paper presents the observation results on seasonal migrations and counts of waterbirds at Molochny Liman and adjacent part of the AzovSea coastline (Zaporizhzhia region) over the 1980-2000 and summarizes the data on 4 taxon groups such as Gaviiformes, Podicipediformes, Procellariiformes, Pelecaniformes. There are given terms and characteristics of migrations of some species, number dynamics of many years, author’s and published data on meetings of rare accidental species.

Over the last decades (from 1990s to 2000s) in spring-autumn period at Molochny Liman and adjacent areas there were observed 2 species of grebes, 5 species of grebes (including one accidental species), 1 species of shearwaters (rare accidental), 1 species of pelicans (rare accidental), 2 species of cormorants. Pygmy Cormorant began being recorded more frequent as an accidental species. Over the recent years the number of the Great Crested Grebe in autumn concentrations is characterized by a trend of decreasing while breeding numbers are also reducing. It is possibly caused by the condition of feeding base. As the feeding base of Molochny Liman for fish-eating birds is unstable, the liman is not very valuable for seasonal distribution of these groups of birds. More likely, its territory is used as temporary migratory stopovers. The paper considers areas of Molochny liman, which are the most important for location of birds.