According to the results of a recent bird census along the entire Turkmen sector of the Caspian Sea, a record number of flamingos, which are red-listed birds, was registered.
According to the ornithological expedition, a total of 30,392 flamingos were counted. As reported by Turkmen ornithologist A.A. Shcherbina in his report, "this is an official record, both in literary data and in observations in our sea sector, which I have been engaged in since 1971," Turkmenportal.tm reports.
A. Shcherbina mentions that the naturalist and traveler of the 19th century, G.S. Karelin, described the condition of the eastern Caspian flamingo population during his expedition to the Caspian in 1836: "Red goose; in the greatest multitude on the northern shores of the Dead Kulduk Bay, especially on the islands of Zhidovinny. A wonderful bird, in its external appearance, is something between feathered birds, like a camel among quadrupeds. Molts at the end of June."
Returning to the results of the current count, it is worth noting that the most numerous birds in the Turkmen Caspian were crested cormorants - 67,305 individuals, followed by red-breasted mergansers with 39,080, and in third place were flamingos. On the fourth place were glossy ibises with 31,182, and on the fifth were common pochards with 14,870 birds.
Three more endangered species were encountered - 700 Dalmatian pelicans, 1721 white-headed ducks, and 64 red-crested pochards.
Ornithologists also recorded the presence of three species of swans - mute swan, whooper swan, and little swan, with a total of 13,104 individuals.
In general, the obtained data are close to the average multi-year figures and show that the water-meadow areas of the Turkmen Caspian, despite the ongoing natural changes in the coastline, maintain their status as migration routes and mass wintering grounds for birds.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
February 20, 2024