5500 ducks left for wintering

5500 ducks left for wintering


Mospriroda specialists summed up the results of the winter duck census within the framework of the All-Russian action "Gray neck-2023". It turned out that about 5,500 waterfowl remained in the capital for the winter.

weather, winter, snow, ducks.  Photo by Yulia Smagrinskaya

The census took place on 15 January. We have already written about the history of this initiative (https://mospravda.ru/2023/01/17/670341/) and answered basic questions. Let us briefly repeat the main theses.

Ducks stay in the city because there is open water, especially in the lower reaches of the Moskva River, in the South-East of the capital. In open water they always find food for themselves.

Open water in the city appeared historically recently - when central heating began to develop, and power plants also appeared. The city generates heat, heat warms the earth and springs - as a result, water bodies freeze much worse than before.

And in winter, ducks are counted not only because it is interesting how many of them remain, but also because stray guests from the North spend the winter on our reservoirs. These are gogols, sluts, mergansers, black sea. If you want to see them, go to Kolomenskoye. Just keep in mind: these birds are from wild places, they are not used to humans, they try to stay away.

Let's add one more thesis: the whole calculation takes place in one day. The fact is that birds may well fly from one reservoir to another. To cover fifty-hundred kilometers per day in search of an unfrozen polynya is a couple of trifles for them. Birds are irresponsible creatures, they will not tell the counter: “Hey, bro, you already counted me yesterday!”. And such internal migration spoils all the statistics.

— This year, we counted the waterfowl and near-water birds that remained for wintering in the reservoirs of 11 natural areas of Moscow. About 5,500 waterfowl have remained in Moscow's specially protected natural areas for the winter this year. Basically, these are mallards, as well as tangerines, - said Vera Strukova, deputy head of the State Budgetary Institution "Mospriroda".

To be more precise, 5383 mallards were counted in the city. Of these, 2986 drakes and 2397 ducks. However, do not worry about single males: pairs are formed in them in the spring, and by this time more ducks will arrive in the city.

Most mallards were counted in the reservoirs of the natural and historical park "Kuzminki-Lyublino" - 1721 mallards. In second place is the Ostankino Natural and Historical Park, 1307 individuals were seen there. And the specialists of the natural and historical park "Tsaritsyno" counted 928 mallards. In addition to mallards, mandarin ducks were recorded in the Yauza River Valley (Ostankino Natural and Historical Park) during the survey.

Yana MAYEVSKAYA.

Photo by Yulia Smagrinskaya.



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