Numbers and Distribution of Wintering Waterfowl in Belarus

Abstract

Changes in numbers and distribution of wintering waterfowl species in Belarus observed in recent decades are analysed. Data on species composition and numbers of wintering waterbirds were collected by means of surveys conducted in 19811998. The total number of wintering species in Belarus increased from 13 to 35 during 19672000 and the number of regularly wintering species did so from one in the 1960s to 13 in the late 1980s. Numbers of wintering waterfowl increased from about 1,000 individuals in 1967 to over 50,000 birds in 1991. Most waterbirds were recorded in southwestern and central Belarus, where winters are milder than in the north of the country. The majority of species and the largest concentrations of wintering birds were recorded on artificial reservoirs polluted by heated waste waters near large industrial centres. It is likely that in Belarus the northernmost ice-free wintering sites were firstly colonised by short-distance late migrants adapted to the environment with low air temperature.

Recent Changes in Distribution of Wintering Populations of Waterfowl Established on the Basis of Lithuanian Ringing Recoveries

“…decades. This corroborates the results of the long-term mid-winter census of wintering waterfowl populations conducted in Lithuania, Belarus, and the Kaliningrad Region of Russia (Ðvaþas et al, 2001;Kozulin & Sidorenko, 2001;Grishanov, 2001 (Ðvaþas et al, 2001;Kozulin & Sidorenko, 2001). It is likely that in winter part of the Lithuanian breeding population of Common Pochard concentrates in the nearest important wintering grounds established in the Szczecin, Dars, Rugen Lagoons, and at other sites along the southeastern Baltic coast.…”

“…Numbers of wintering Coots have recently increased in Austria and other countries of Central Europe (Delany et al, 1999). During the last two decades new wintering grounds of the species also formed in Belarus, Lithuania, and the Kaliningrad Region of Russia (Ðvaþas et al, 2001;Kozulin & Sidorenko, 2001;Grishanov, 2001).…”

“…Recent recoveries from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Denmark, northern Germany, and Poland might also be a reflection of the changes in the wintering grounds, though those differences were not significant. The recovery from Belarus indicates that the rapidly increasing wintering population of Coot in that country (Kozulin & Sidorenko, 2001) can include birds of the Lithuanian population and, possibly, those from other Baltic countries.…”

Food resource availability for American black ducks wintering in southern New Jersey

“…Although dabbling ducks sort into foraging niches (Pöysä 1986), quantifying the degree of overlap within Anatidae (and to taxonomic groups beyond) causing shared resource depletion, may prove especially challenging and have significant ramifications to extrapolating resource availability to the landscape scale. Sympatric species' concentrations and shared resource depletion may be further increased when large ice events reduce habitat availability (Pojar 1970, Kozulin et al 2001). Finally, human disturbance has the potential to both directly and indirectly affect the quantity of food availability.…”

The Multi-Factor Model of Air Temperature Dependence upon Atmospheric Elements

“…That was the outcome of climate warming, frequent warm winters. The greatest number of wintering water birds was recorded in the southwestern part of Belarus where winters are warmer in comparison with the northern part (Kozulin et al 2001).…”