sign in sign up
<<
Home , Drezna, Dubna, Dubna (Volga), Great snipe, Jack snipe, Ruza (river)

Zubakin et al.. Rarebreeding of the Moscowregion: distribution and numbers

Rare breeding waders of the region: distribution and numbers VA. Zubakin, T.V. Sviridova, V.V. Kontorschikov, O.S. Grinchenko, E.V. Smirnova, S.V. Volkov, E.D. Krasnova & M.L. Kreindlin

Zubakin, V.A., Sviridova, T.V., Kontorschikov, V.V., Grinchenko, O.S., Smirnova, E.V., Volkov, S.V., Krasnova,E.D. & Kreindlin,M.L. 1998. Rarebreeding waders of theMoscow region: distribution and numbers. International Studies 10: 303-308.

Elevenwader speciesare included in the firstversion of the Red Data Bookof the Moscowregion. Oneof thesespecies - Jack Lymnocryptes minimus - ceased breeding at the end of the 19thor beginningof the 20thcentury; three , i.e. Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, Wood SandpiperTringa glareola and Greenshank T. nebulariabreed in theMoscow region irregularl)5 as the regionlies at the edgeof their breedingranges. The remainingseven species - RedshankTringa totanus(several humdred pairs), Marsh SandpiperTringa stagnalis (up to 150-200pairs), Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus (up to 100pairs), Ruff Philomachuspugnax (up to 150pairs), Great Snipe Gallinagomedia (up to 100-150pairs), Numenius arquata (70-90, but probablyup to 100-110 pairs)and Black-tailedGodwit Limosa limosa (200-250 pairs) breed regularly in theMoscow region. The mostthreatened species are Great Snipe and Ruff; Curlew is lessvulnerable.

Zubakin, VA., Sviridova,T.V., Kontorschikov,V.V, Grinchenko,O.S., Smirnova,E.V., Volkov,S.V., Krasnova,E.D. & Kreindlin,M.L. RussianBird ConservationUnion, Shosse Entusiastov, 60, building1, Moscow,

3y6aKuu,B.A., CsupuAosa, T.B., Kouropm•Kos, B.B., Fpuuuea•o, O.C., Ct, mpuosa, E.B., Bon•os, C.B.,Kpacuosa, E.A., • Kpe•i•An•,M.A. t998. Pe•e r•ea•ut•ec• s•s• •ya•KosMoc•osc•o•i o6aacr•:pacnpe•,eaeu•e • q•caennoc•b. International Wader Studies 1O: 303-308.

B Kpacuy••uury Moc•oscKo•i o6nacru 3auecema tt suAos •ynu•os. O•n u3•rux autos raprouenLymnoc•ptes mini•s - ne•c•aaru•c• s •ou•et•oro •a• s uauaae2•oro •e•a;tpu •uAa,a u•e•o •ynu•-co•a Hae•topusostrale•s, • Tringaglareola • •a•moa yaut Z nebulanarueaAarca s M•osc•o• o6aactuue•ryaapno, riotoMy •ro o6nacrbpacnono•eua ua rpauugeux rneaAosb•xapeanos. •ransu•e ceMssu•os - rpasuu• T•ngatotanus (u•ons•o c•en nap),nopyue•nu• T•nga stag•alis (•o t•2• nap), •opo•yu•aXenus cinere• (•o cornunap), rypyxrau Philo•ch• pu•x (•o t50nap), •ynens Gallmagomedia (•o t•-t• nap),•nsmol •umuen Numeniusarcata (70-•, uo,sepo•ruo, •o t•-ttO nap)u •nbmo• se•reun• Limosalimosa (2•-2• nap),•ryn•uo rnea•rc•

Introduction of rarebirds (the "Fauna"programme) were used. The latter studieswere conductedby a large Elevenwader species have been included in the first version of the Red Data Book of the Moscow numberof studentsand specialists,who were mostlythe membersof the Groupfor Nature Region,adopted in October1993. They arethe Conservationof BiologicalFaculty, Moscow State following:Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, University.The authorsof this reportwere also WoodSandpiper glareola, Greenshank Tringa amongthese members. During the studiesalmost nebularia,Redshank Tringa totanus, Marsh the whole areaof MoscowRegion was surveyed. Tringastagnatilis, Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus, Breedingof any specieswas considered as proved, if Ruff Philomachuspugnax, Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes clutchesor downy/unfledgedchicks were found. minimus,Great Snipe media, Curlew Breedingwas supposed in caseswhen either the Numeniusarquata and Black-tailedGodwit Limosa anxietybehaviour of waderswas observedin the limosa. breedingseason, or displayingmales were present In thispaper we attemptto summariseall known data on the distribution and numbers of these at the samesite during one or severalbreeding seasons. wadersfor the whole areaof the MoscowRegion (47,000km2). Bothpublished data and information collectedbetween 1977-1993 during special studies

3O3 International Wader Studies 10: 303-308

oversummeringand late migrantbirds with breedingGreenshank. Greenshank is currently extremelyrare in the region,and singlepairs breed mostyears. On migrationit is quite common, althoughless common than WoodSandpiper. Three provedbreeding records are known:on 25 May ; ]Study-'Area\ 1941a nestwith a completedfresh clutch was found nearPolyshkino settlement in the westernpart of the region(Ptushenko & Inozemtsev1968); on 28 June1962 a downy Greenshankchick was caughtat the regeneratingpeatland-pits south of town (Butiev1973); and on 27 May 1978a nestwith ß four incubatedeggs was found at the peatlandpit in the vicinity of Voimezhnoyelake in the eastof the region(Garushants et al. 1990). Accordingto our data breedingis probablealso on the Batkovskoye Results raisedbog in •.henorthern part of Sergiev-Posad district,where one displayingmale was observed OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus from 28 May to 1 June1986; at the peat-excavation Oystercatcherbreeds most years as singlepairs on pitsnorth of Beloomutsettlement, where single the banks of the river between town foragingbirds were recordedduring summer1991; and the boundaryof RyazanRegion. A nestwas and north of Shaturadistrict, where pairs and single foundon 13 June1962 near the Lovtsy(Ptushenko birdswere observedin differentsites late in May & Inozemtsev,1968), and a singlebird was observed 1979-1990(Figure 1). nearthat place on 28 June1980 (Zubakin et al. 1986). A pair of adult Oystercatcherswith a grown RedshankTringa totanus unfledgedchick was recorded on 16June 1992 at the Redshankhave bred in the Moscowregion probably Oka river bankin RyazanRegion 1 km from the sincethe beginning or the middleof the 20th boundarywith Moscowregion (V.M. Yemelyanov, century;breeding was proved for the first time only pers.comm.). in 1966 (Butiev 1973;Zubakin et al. 1986). This speciescurrently rarely breeds,its populationis Wood Sandpiper Tringaglareola dispersedmostly in the easternpart of Moscow WoodSandpiper was consideredhistorically to be a region(Figure 1). Singlepairs and groupsof two to commonmigratory and breedingwader of Moscow sevenpairs inhabitflood-plain grass marshes, Region(Lorenz 1892; Polyakov 1924; Smolin 1948), pastoralparts of -plainmeadows, regenerating althoughit is quiteprobable that oversummering peatlandpits and otherboggy areas where peat has individualsand late migrantswere supposedby beenformerly extracted. The largestknown colony theseauthors to be breeding.Ptushenko & of Redshankis at the Vinogradovoflood-plain (the Inozemtsev(1968) mentioned only oneproved left bankof the Faustovoflood-plain of the breedingrecord - in theEgoryevsk area (the eastern river);50 to 55 breedingpairs of this specieswere part of the region),but did not giveany detailsof recordedthere in 1983 (Zubakin et al. 1988). In total thisrecord. We know of only onecase of proved we estimatethe Redshankpopulation inhabiting the breeding(Figure 1): on 10 July1990 one recently Moscowregion to be severalhundred pairs. fledgedyoung chick was frightened away at the regeneratingpeatland-pits 7 km southof Taldom Tringastagnatilis town; two adultswere alarmingnearby (A.L. MarshSandpiper was sporadicallyrecorded on Mischenkopers. comm.). Sporadic records of this migrationin the firsthalf of thepresent century; no speciesand evenof displayingbirds are known for breedingrecords were indicated(Lorenz 1892; thebreeding season at somefishery ponds, Polyakov1924; Smolin,1948), although breeding in peatlandsand flood-plainmarshes in northernand morerecent years was indicatedby someauthors easternparts of the region,although the majorityof (Ptushenko& Inozemtsev,1968). The speciesis 'theserecords probably relate to late migrantsand currentlya rarebreeder, and mainly inhabitsthe oversummeringnon-breeders. Evidently, Wood northernand easternparts of the Region.Breeding Sandpiperis an extremelyrare and sporadic hasbeen confirmed only for the V'mogradovoflood- breedingspecies, found in the Moscowregion at the plain (Zubakinet al. 1988),the Yahromariver flood- southernlimit of its breedingrange. On migration, plain nearthe town of (Kislenkoet al. however, this wader is common. 1990),the Klyazmariver flood-plain near the Dreznariver mouth (ES. Tomkovich,pets. comm.), GreenshankTringa nebularia and the Oka flood-plainin the vicinityof the Greenshank was considered to be a common settlementsof Dedinovoand Lubychy. In 1966 breedingspecies at theend of the 19thand the MarshSandpipers were evidently breeding at the beginningof the 20th century(Lorenz 1892; sewagereservoirs near Lubertsytown Polyakov1924); however, as for WoodSandpiper (Spangenberg& Zhuravlev1967). Pairsof thisstatus may have resultedin confusing showinganxiety behaviour (indicating the

3O4 Zubakinet al. ßRare breeding waders of theMoscow region: distribution and numbers

DubnaRiver

Moscow-• . . •W-.-

..' Yahro•rn.a'•.,X •"'-,,' River•¾Dmitrov

Klyaz'ma'

• z:x • •x•'.Mozhaisk• ...... •J #

Wo• Sandpiper B confirmedbreeding • possiblebreeding •reensnanK • confi•edbreeding 0 possiblebreeding Redshank • confi•edbreeding • • possiblebreeding

Figure1. Distributionof WoodSandpiper, Greenshank and Redshank. probabilityof breeding),were recordedin the 1980s Schadilov1980), but in 1979-1992breeding was and early 1990sin restrictedareas of the confirmedon the Vinogradovoflood-plain (Zubakin river flood-plain(Kislenko et al. 1990),in the et al., 1988),on the flood-plainof the left bank of the Moskva, and Tsnaflood-plains, at the Oka river in the Stupinodistrict, at theponds of the smallsewage ponds near the PavlovskayaSloboda Klinskyfish farm (Zubakinet al. 1986),at the settlement(V.T. Butiev pers. comm.), and on wet Borisovoponds within Moscow(Tomkovich 1990), meadowsin the northwestof the Region. Several the surroundingsof Dmitrov town (Kislenkoet al. displayingmales were observed from lateApril to 1990),and on the Klyazmariver flood-plainnear the earlyMay in the extremesouthwest of the region Dreznariver mouth(P.S. Tomkovich, pers. comm.). (Mozhaiskdistrict) and in the southernpart of Basedon recordsfrom thereproductive period, Egorievskdistrict (Figure 2). breedingis alsothought to haveoccurred at the sewagewater-reservoirs near Lubertsytown MarshSandpipers inhabit mostly wet flood-plain (Kislenkoet al. 1990),in thesouth-eastern part of meadowsor pastoralsites, where at leastsmall Egorievskdistrict, near Lotoshinofish farm, on the water bodies(draining canals, ponds etc.) are Moskvariver flood-plainnear the Gzhelkariver present.It is alsofound, though comparatively mouth(Figure 2). Breedingis alsoprobable on the rarely,in thebottom of emptyfishery ponds Oka flood-plainnear Dedinovo and Lubychy (Tornkovich1990) and boggy areas where peat settlements(north-west of Beloomut),where Terek excavationhas taken place. Most Marsh Sandpiperswere regularlyobserved during ,65 to 70 breedingpairs, are foundon breedingseasons in the 1980s;nevertheless, during the Vinogradovoflood-plain (Zubakin et al. 1988), thoroughsurveys in 1991only wandering single however, at other localities it is recorded either as birdswere found there. TerekSandpipers nest on singlepairs or in groupsof two to eightpairs. The bareground, often at siteswith a completeabsence totalregional population of MarshSandpiper hardly of any grasscover (bare fallows, peatlands, dry exceeds150-200 breeding pairs. Accordingto some mudflatsat thebottom of fisheryponds, near the data its numbersare slowlyincreasing. water reservoirsor at the edgesof drainagecanals). As thesesites are temporary, the birds change Terek SandpiperXenus cinereus nestingsites, and evenbreeding localities between TerekSandpiper is currentlya rareand sporadic years.The totalregional breeding population of breeder.Until the mid 20thcentury it was TerekSandpiper is lessthan 100pairs. consideredin the regionas a rm'emigrant, even as a vagrant,and the firstnests were foundonly in 1973 Ruff Philomachuspugnax (Blagosklonov1976). Before 1979 breeding was only Bothin the past and currentlyRuff hasbeen recordedat the Lublinosewage water reservoirsand consideredas a commonmigrating, and rare at the Ruzawater reservoir (Blagosklonov 1976; sporadicbreeding species (Lorenz 1892; Polyakov

3O5 International Wader Studies 10: 303-308

1924;Smolin 1948; Zubakin et al. 1986). Recentlythe only areawhere breeding has been confirmed is on However,these specimens are not available,and it is the Vinogradovoflood-plain, where at least15 impossibleto confirmwhether the identification constantleks and c. 100breeding females were was correct.Broods of JackSnipe were alsofound recordedin the first half of the 1980s(Zubakin et al. in the pastcentury in theTver Region(Kozlova 1988). Judgingby observationsof females 1962),Vladimir and Orel Regions(Menzbier 1895), displayinganxiety behaviour in late June1983, a sothe breeding of thisspecies was quite possible in smallnumber of Ruffsbreed alsoat the right bank of the MoscowRegion also. In the 20th centurythe the Moskvariver (on the bank oppositethe onlyindication of breedingby thisspecies in the Vinogradovoflood-plain). Accordingto published MoscowRegion was in the 1930s(Yevtiukhov 1941), data small numbers of Ruffs bred in 1982 on the basedon questionnairescompleted by game- Yahromaand Dubnaflood-plains, and in 1986 hunters.No morerecent data on breedingby this breedingwas supposedat the Lubertsysewage wader areknown, although displaying birds were water-reservoirs(Kislenko et al. 1990;Figure 2). observedin spring1986 at thebog southof Telma settlement(c. 40 km southeastof Shaturatown; A.N. Unfortunatelyit is still not knownwhether these Pegova,pers. comm.). As it was not observedthere reportsare based on nestingrecords, or only on laterin thebreeding season, this record probably is recordsof femalesin the breedingseason. Although of a displayby a migratingmale. JackSnipe ceased thereis no otherinformation on the breedingof Ruff breedingin the MoscowRegion at the end of 19th/ in otherparts of the MoscowRegion, the existence beginningof the20th century; in the 19thcentury it of asyet unknownsmall breeding colonies seems probablynested there sporadically (Polyakov 1924), quiteprobable. For example,it is mostprobable that asis typicalat the edgeof thebreeding range. they breedon the undamagedflood-plain meadows alongthe Klyazmariver, as breeding records are Great Snipe Gallinagomedia known for nearbyareas in Vladimir Region Thenumber of GreatSnipe had alreadysharply (Kislenkoet al. 1990). The total regionalpopulation decreasedby thebeginning of the 20th century of Ruff, evenwith suchpresumed breeding colonies, (Polyakov1924); and currentlythe speciesfaces the is lessthan 150breeding females. threatof completeextinction in the region. The mainreason for this decline is the drainage of fens Jack Snipe Lymnocryptesrainlinus and grass/boggyareas, and the ploughingof flood- The only known and confirmedbreeding record of plain meadows.Currently only threeareas are JackSnipe for the MoscowRegion was describedin knownin thewhole region, where leks of Great the paperby Lorenz(1892); he mentionedthe Sniperemain. Theseare in the Vinogradovoflood- captureof unfledgedchicks on 11July 1865on the plain of the Moskvariver (threeto five leks in mid- bogsalong the Voryariver near Kablukovo 1980s,each of nine to 70 birds; Zubakin et al. 1988), settlement(30 km southfrom Sergiev-Posad). the Oka flood-plainnear the Dedinovoand Lubychy

DubnaRiver d '• • Moscow-Volga.•1•. .... ½ Canal •' "•'- ./aK]om,•

[ , , •'• Rive•mitrov •--• l [ 0 •• Yahroma•_••• Sergiev-P•ad• -- Klyaz'ma• •

'• ' • ' '•0 'Shatural

• •_ . • _ River X • • • • • Tsna • • I River• Ru• t Kolomna• •0

=•arsh Sandpiper ' . confirmedbreeding • • • • I po•ible breeding • • Terek Sandpiper • confirmedbreeding I ½ 0 6O km • po•iblebreeding •

Figure2. Distributionof Marsh Sandpiper,Terek Sandpiper and Ruff.

3O6 Zubakinet al.: Rarebreeding waders of the Moscowregion: distribution and numbers

DubnaRiver Moscow-Volga Canal • • •["_

•' • ..

.' Klyaz•at • River•

_• I•Moskva •River• • • • • •M•isk

' • - • ß • • GreatSnipe- B confirmedbreeding ' • possiblebreeding Curlew • •irmedbrewing 0 possiblebrewing Black-tailedGodwit • confirmedbreeding • possiblebrewing

Figure3. Distributionof GreatSnipe, Curlew and Black-tailedGodwit settlements, where at least two leks (6-15 estimatedto be between55-60, and probablyup to individuals)are known since1987, and the Klyazma 70 pairs. Of these35-45 inhabited upland and river flood-plainin the northernpart of the transitorybogs of the Dubnabog massif,with the district,where 15 to 20 GreatSnipe were countedon remaining15-25 pairs nesting on the nearby 2-3 May 1990on a 3 km route throughthe flooded meadowsand farmland. The otherbreeding sites of meadows as well as a small lek which was recorded thisspecies in the MoscowRegion are by A.P.Petrischeva (pers. comm.) at the end of May comparativelysmall (not more than a few pairs), (Figure3). Nestswere only found at the firsttwo and are locatedin the remnantsof peatbogs, localities,although breeding also seems quite peatlandsthat are regeneratingafter exploitation, probablein the third mentionedarea. Accordingto and on the meadows of Dmitrov district (Kislenko information from local inhabitants, the existence of et al. 1990),the Shakhovskoydistrict (Mischenko & smallleks and breeding Great Snipe can also be Sukhanova1990), and Sergievo-Posad,Pavlovo- supposedon the Klyazmariver flood-plain Posad, Shatura and Mozhaisk districts. The total (Orekhovo-Zuevodistrict), on the Polya and Yalma regionalbreeding population is estimatedas 70-90 river flood-plains(central and southernparts of the pairs,probably up to 100-110pairs. Numbersare Shaturadistrict), and in the meadowsalong the currentlystable. peatlandsat theboundary of Orekhovo-Zuevoand Shaturadistricts. The breedingpopulation of Great Black-tailed Lirnosa lirnosa Snipein the MoscowRegion is lessthan 100-150 Black-tailed Godwit, in contrast to Curlew, was rare displayingmales. in the regionat the beginningof the 20th century. Although numbershave increasedsince that time, it Curlew Numeniusarquata is still a comparativelyrare . Black-tailed Curlew was a commonbreeding species, inhabiting Godwit inhabitmeadows, pastures, as well as old peat-bogsand flood-plainmeadows, until the peat-fields;and moreoften than Curlew it also beginningof the 20th century(Polyakov 1924; occupiesfields of winter cerealsand other Smolin1948). Owing to the drainageof peatlands cultivatedcrops. Currently there are six known and the ploughingof flood-plainmeadows, areaswhere this specieshas been confirmed numbershad drasticallydeclined by the 1960s, breeding;in ten moreareas breeding is probablebut disappearingfrom mostprevious breeding areas, hasyet to be proved(Figure 3). The largestBlack- and remainingonly in severalrestricted sites tailedGodwit breedingsite is locatedon the (Zubakinet al. 1986). Currently,only nine placesare V'mogradovoflood-plain of the Moskvariver, where known wherebreeding by Curlew hasbeen either 100-120pairs of birdsbred on hay-meadowsand confirmedor is probable(Figure 3). It hasbeen pasturesbetween 1985-1988 (Zybakin et al. 1988). confirmedwith nestrecords in the Taldomregion The secondlargest population was found at the and in the vicinity of the "Homelandof the Cranes" meadowsalong the Khotchaand Dubna rivers in Nature Reserve.According to countsbetween 1984- Taldom district ("Homeland of the Cranes" Nature 1986the numbersof breedingCurlew were Reserveand the surroundingarea); 35-40 breeding

307 Internattonal Wader Studtes 10. 303-308

pairswere countedthere in 1984. In otherknown Garushants, K.Yu., Morozov, V.V. & Mischenko, A.L. 1990. areasBlack-tailed Godwit nest as single pairs or in New dataon the recordsand breeding of rarebirds smallgroups. The totalnumber of birdscounted in of the Moscowregion. Ornithology(Moscow) 24: suchareas is c. 200birds; thus taking into account 144-145. probableunknown small breeding areas, we Kislenko,G.S., Leonovich, V.V. & Nikolaevsky,L.A. 1990. estimatethe total regional population of thisspecies Materials on rare of the Moscow to be about250 pairs. Numbersof this speciesin region. In: V.T. Butiev (ed.),Rare birds of theCentral the MoscowRegion are still increasing. EuropeanRussia (Central Nechernozemye), pp. 124- 129. CentralResearch Laboratory for Game- managementof theRussian State Game Inspection, Discussion Moscow. If we excludefrom considerationthose species Kozlova,E.V. 1962. Charadriiformes.Suborder Limicola. occurringin the MoscowRegion at the limits of Faunaof theUSSR. Birds,Vol. 2. Issue1. Part 3. theirbreeding ranges, i.e. Oystercatcher, Wood Moscow-LeningradAcad. of Sci.Press. Sandpiperand Greenshank,the most vulnerable Lorenz,Ph. 1892. Die Vogeldes Moskauer wadersare Ruff, Great Snipe and Curlew. Ruff and Gouvemements. Bull. Soc.Nat. Mosc.6(2): 263-321. GreatSnipe have very specifichabitat requirements, Menzbier,M.A. 1895. Birdsof Russia, Vol. 1. Kushnerev and their survivalin the MoscowRegion depends and Co. Press, Moscow. mostlyon the conservationof vastflood-plain Mischenko, A.L. & Sukhanova, O.V. 1990. Rare birds of meadows.Recently the Vinogradovo flood-plain, theYauza and VerkhnyayaRuza (the Upper Ruza) the main breedingarea of thesespecies, as well asof water reservoirs.In: V.T.Butiev (ed.), Rare birds of many otherrare waders, was declaredas a theCentral European Russia (Central Nechernozemye), protectedterritory. In 1986a 2,000ha regional pp. 83-85. CentralResearch Laboratory for Game- natural sanctuarywas formedthere. Unfortunately managementof the RussianState Game Inspection, the continuingchanges in land-usepolicy can Moscow. negativelyinfluence the futureof thissanctuary, Polyakov,G.I. 1924. Birdsof theBogorodsk district. which w asformed from the fertileagricultural BogorodskInst. of LocalLore, Moscow. lands of former collective farms. Ptushenko,E.S. & Inozemtsev,A.A. 1968. Biologyand economicimportance of birdsof theMoscow region and Curlew seemsmore ecologically adaptable than nearbyareas. Moscow State Univ., Moscow. Ruff and GreatSnipe and canpartly switchto Schadilov, Yu.M. 1980. The formation of vertebate breedingon farmland,although this process has communities at small water reservoirs of Moscow someconstraints. It is alsosignificant that those region. In: Yu.A. Scherbakov(ed.), Complex studies habitatsprefered by this species,i.e. large bogs, andrational use of natural resources. Nauka, Kalinin. havebeen protected as well. In four out of nine Smolin,P.P. 1948. Birds. In: M.A. Synelobov(ed.), knownbreeding sites special sanctuaries have been Calendarof Russian Nature, pp. 303-346.Moscow createdand the majorpart of thebreeding Soc. of Naturalists, Moscow. populationis protectedin the "Homelandof the Spangenberg,E.P. & Zhuravlev,M.N. 1967. On the Cranes" Nature Reserve. changesin rangeand numbersof Marsh Sandpiper.Bull. of Moscow Soc. of Naturalists Biol. As Redshank,Marsh Sandpiper, Terek Sandpiper Branch72(3). and Black-tailed Godwit have even broader habitat Tornkovich,P.S. 1990. Rarebirds at the Borisovoponds of selection and seem to be able to breed on farmland Moscow. In: V.T.Butiev (ed.),Rare birds of the without difficulty,the futurestatus of thesespecies CentralEuropean Russia (Central Nechernozemye), pp. doesnot give graveconcern. 124-129.Central Research Laboratory for Game- managementof the RussianState Game Inspection, Acknowledgements Moscow. Yevtiukhov,N. 1941. The main peculiaritiesof bird We are greatlyobliged to Dr. V.T.Butiev, V.M. distributionin the Moskvariver flood-plain.In: Yemelyanov,A.N. Pegova,A.P. Petrischeva and to V.N. Makarov (ed.),Nature and social economy, 8(2): Dr. P.S.Tomkovich for allowingthe use of their 334-348. USSR Soc. of Nature Conservation, unpublisheddata on breedingwaders. We also Moscow. expressour gratitudeto all the participantsof field Zubakin, V.A., Mischenko, A.L., Abonosimova, E.V., studies,especially the membersof the "Fauna" Voloshina,O.N., Kovalkovsky,S.Yu., Krasnova, group,for theirvaluable contributions to data E.D., Mogylner,A.A., Nikolayeva,N.G., Sobolev, collection. N.A., Sukhanova, O.V. & Schwarts E.A. 1986. Rare birdsof the Moscowregion. Non-passeriformes. References Ornithology(Moscow) 21: 77-93. Blagosklonov,K.N. 1976.Some new and rarebreeding Zubakin, V.A., Morozov, V.V., Kharitonov, S.P.,Leonovich, birdsof Moscow.Bull. of Moscow Soc. of Naturalists V.V. & Mischenko, A.L. 1988. Bird fauna of Biol. Branch.81(4): 23. In Russian. Vinogradovoflood-plain (Moscow region). In: V.E. Butiev, V.T. 1973. Materials on distribution and numbers Flint & P.S.Tomkovich (eds.), Birds of the developed of somerare waders in the Europeanpart of the territories,pp. 126-127.Moscow State Univ., USSR.In: V.E.Flint (ed.),Fauna and ecology of Moscow. waders2: 17-19. Moscow State Univ., Moscow.

3O8