The Importance of the Western Caspian Coast for Migrating And
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Shubin:Importance of westernCaspian for migratingand winteringwaders The importance of the western Caspian coastfor migrating and wintering waders A.O. Shubin Shubin,A.O. 1998. The importanceof the westernCaspian coast for migratingand wintering waders. International Wader Studies 10: 403-412. Between1981-91, 44 migratingand 28 winteringspecies of waderswere recorded on the western Caspiancoast. On wetlandsin thenorthern part of theAgrakhan Peninsula more than 5,000 waderswere countedin late Octoberin oneplace, the majorityof whichwere Dunlin Calidris alpina.On the 4 krn sandybeach in the southernpart of theAgrakhan Peninsula about 5,000 waderscan occur at any onetime in autumn,with SanderlingCalidris alba (48%) and Dunlin most abundant.In April-Mayup to 1,000waders gather here, including over 600 Terek Sandpipers Xenuscinereus. In someyears, on the 4 krn sandybeach at the Samurriver mouth,about 500 Sanderlingsand 500Little Stints Calidris minuta may gatherin August. Over200 Wood SandpipersTringa glareola and 200 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago also stop here on a 90 ha emptyfishery pond. On wetlandsat KirovBay about 30,000 waders accumulate in August,with Black-tailedGodwit Limosa limosa (40%), Curlew Sandpiper Calidrisferruginea (19%) and Kentish PloverCharadrius alexandrinus (12%) being most abundant. Other regions of the westernCaspian coastare largely unsuitable for waders:the coastto the northof theAgrakhan Peninsula is completelycovered by reedsand all of the southerncoast suffers from manyhuman activities. Moreover,current sea-level changes and coastalerosion have led to the disappearanceof the beach flats. Winterconcentrations of wadersin Kirov Bayare now apparentlythe largestin the Caspian Sea. In 1984-86about 7,000 Redshank Tringa totanus, 4,000 Dunlin and 2,000Black-tailed Godwit were countedthere. Numbersof winteringAvocet Recurvirostra avosetta and Curlew Numenius arquatadecreased between 1967 and 1986,but the numberof Black-tailedGodwits increased markedly. A.O. Shubin,Department of Zoology,Moscow State Pedagogical University, Kibalchicha, 6, building 5, Moscow 129278, Russo. Illy6.u, A.O. t998, 3Haqcu•4c 3ana•uoro no6cpcm•.s Kacns•icKoro •ops hasM•4rp•4py•ou.l•4X •4 31tMyiOII,DIX Kya•4•OS. International Wader Studies 10: 403-412. B nep•o^c t98t not99t r. 6•,laoaaper•c•rpsposauo 44 •rp•py•sx • 28 as•y•sx s•os •ya•os nasanaAno• no6epe•ue Kacn•a. B soAno-6oaoTnb•xyroAbax s cesepno• qacTu Arpaxauc•oron-sa 6•ao yulerios oAno••ec•e cs•me5,000 •ya•os s •on•e o•6pa, s 6oabm•ncTseqepno306aSS Calidris alpina. Ha nccqano•hasroe aasuo• 4 • s DmnO•qaCTn Arpaxaucsoron-sa o•oao 5,•0 syasros•oryT BcTpeqaTbC• OanOSpe•eUUO SaD6oe spe•s ocen•, ripss•o• ca• o6•a•u• 6•ma• necqan•aCali&is alba (48%) s qepuo3o6•.B anpeae-•aesaec• c•paDTCa got,000 •ya.•os, s •o• qucaecsb•me 600 •opoayuo•Xen• cinere•.B ovaeabub•eroab• Ha •eTb•pex•aaOMeVpOBUOM necqauoM hasroe B yCTbe p, CaMyp B aBrycTeMoryt CO6apatbCa O•OaO 500 nec•ano•s 500 •yaa•OS-Sopo6beBCalidris minuta. 3AeCb oc•anaBasBa•otcata•me CBb•me200 •.•. Tringaglareola. 200 O6b•SnOBeUab•X6e•acoB Gallinagogallinago na ocymennoMpb•6osogaeC•OM npygy nao•aAb•o 90 ra. B BOgnO-6OaOt.blX yroabaxB 3aaaBe Ka•Ba o•oao50,000 •yas•os •o.•entpspy•tca BaBrycte, s CaMb•MS MUOrO.aCaeanb•M.cpeaanax 6bIBa•t 6oabmo• •epetemm• Limosa limosa (40%), •pacHo3o6a• Cali&isfermginea(i9%). Mopc•o• aye• Chara&ius alexan&inus (i2%). Apyrae pafio.• aanaaaorono6epeaba Kacnaa no 6oabme6 qagT• .enparoaub• aaa •yaa•OB: no6epeabe Mops • cenepyoT Arpaxanc•oro n-Ba Bee no•pb• 3apocaaM•tpoctna•a a BeeD•noe no6epeabe ctpagaeTOT MHO•HX anTponorennb•x ge•CTBnfi, Boaee Toro, CoBpeMeUnb•e n3Me.e•l•a ypoBna MopsBMeCTe Ca6paaaea 6epera npaBea. • .cqeanoBen.•npa6pe•nb•x OTMeaefi. 3.Maae c•onaenaa•yaa.OB S 3aaaBeKapoBa Tenepb, nO-SaAaMOMy, caMb•e •pynnb•e B6acceaae Kacnaac.oro•opa. B t984-86rr. tam6b•ao yqteno o•oao 7,•0 tpasns•o•Tringa totanm, 4,000 aepno3o6a•o•a 2,000 6oabmax •e•tenna•OB. qacaenuoctb aaMy•O•aX msao•a•BOS Recumirostraavosetta • 6oabmax •ponmaenoB Numenius arquata cnaaaaacb Meaay t967 a i986 rr.,torga •a• aaMe•UoBoapocao •Oaa•eCtBO 6oabmax Bepeteuna•OB. 4O3 International Wader Studies 10: 403-412 Introduction extremelyscarce and almostexclusively concerns the numbersof winteringwaders at the Kirov Bay, Verylarge numbers of wadersmigrate along the southernAzerbaijan (Tugarinov & Kozlova- westerncoast of the CaspianSea, a proportionof Pushkareva1938; Adolf et al. 1958;Spangenberg which alsooverwinter in the southernCaspian 1959;Dobrokhotov 1963; Oliger 1967;Mikheev & region(Bogdanov 1879; Radde 1884; Satunin 1907; Orlov 1972). Up until now therehave been no data Vereschagin1950; Tugarinov 1950; Grekov 1965; Zlotin 1963; Mustafaev 1972,1974; Bondarev & on wadernumbers at the placeswhere they stopto feed duringmigration. Bondarev 1980; Mikheev 1985; Rezanov 1983; Shubin 1986, 1990,1991a,b). Nevertheless,the While studyingthe ecologyand behaviourof numberof wadersthat stopover in theseareas still migratingand winteringwaders in areaswith large remainsone of the leaststudied subjects. concentrations,the author also conducted wader Informationpublished before the 1980sis counts. These data were used as the basis for this paper. Study areas Most of the datawere obtainedduring two to four . week expeditionsto variousareas of the western Caspiancoast during different times of the migrationor winteringseasons. The main study areas(Figure 1) were:(1) the southernpart of the .. AgrakhanPeninsula in the Novyi Terekriver mouth,October-November 1983, April-May 1984 -- CaspianSea .... -•; .;. INSET: a - Kulaginarea; b - Ivanovskybank; c - .., Karakushmudflats; d - Kaban'yaspit; e - Lebiazh'yaspit; f - Krestovskayaspit. Dotted line indicatesboundary of nature reserve. Figure1. Main geographicalnames mentioned in the paperand the distributionof recreationalestablishments and 1986,September-October 1985, August- on the CaspianCoast ß (fromMolchanova 1989). Named September1986; (2) the coastsin the Samurriver locations are: mouth, where observations were conducted throughoutthe year (exceptmid-winter and mid- 1 - AgrakhanPeninsula, southern part; summer);(3) Kyzyl-AgachNature Reservein Kirov 2 - the Samur river mouth Bay,August 1984 and 1985,January-February 1981- 3 - KirovBay, Kyzyl-^gach Nature Reserve: 1986. In theseareas daily censuseswere conducted 4 - Kizlyar Bay; on transectsor controlplots. Singlevisits were also 5 - AgrakhanPeninsula, northern part; madeto otherparts of the westernCaspian coast: 6 - the Sulak river mouth; (4) to KizliarskyBay, (5) the northernpart of the ? - the surroundngsof Neftechalasettlement; AgrakhanPeninsula, (6) the Sulakriver mouth,and 8 - Shirvanisteppe; (7) the coastsnear Neftechala settlement. 9 - Lenkoran coast; 10 - the VolgaDelta 11- North-EasternCaspian coast with surroundings; 12 - KrasnovodskBay; 13 - Gasan-Kuli Nature Reserve; 14 - Miankaleh Peninsula; 4O4 Shubin:Importance of westernCaspian for migratingand winteringwaders Current stateof the western CaspianCoast billed SandpiperLimicolafalcinelIus, and Knot Currently,the western Caspian coast suffers from CaIidriscanutus (Shubin 1986)were the first for the intensehuman influence,as it is well devoloped westernCaspian coast. economicallyand supportsa numberof recreation areas(Figure 1). Theleast damaged northern part In winter we recorded28 wader species;the most of thewestern Caspian coast, extending north from diversefauna (which included all the recorded theAgrakhan Peninsula to KizlyarBay and further species)was found at Kirov Bay (Kyzyl-Agach to the VolgaDelta is almostcompletely overgrown Nature Reserve). Othershave recordedseveral with reeds and thus is unsuitable for waders. Thus, morespecies at Kirov Bayin the winter:Dotterel suitableconditions for thesebirds only occurin Charadriusmorinellus, Terek Sandpiper Xenus severalprotected areas on the middleand southern cinereus,Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus Iobatus, partsof thewestern Caspian coast, i.e. the TumstoneArenaria interpres, Ruff Philomachus Agrakhanand SamurNature Sanctuariesand the pugnax,Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii and Kyzyl-AgachNature Reserve in the Kirov Bay. SanderlingCalidris alba (Satunin 1907; Tugarinov & Kozlova-Pushkareva1938; Oliger 1967;Mustafayev Most of the westernCaspian coast to the southof 1972,1974; Rezanov 1983). In otherregions of the theAgrakhan Peninsula is dominatedby sandy westernCaspian coast, the wader faunais much beaches,which are being reduced drastically due to lessdiverse: nine winteringspecies are known for intensecoastal erosion caused by the continuous the Lenkoran'coasts (Mustafayev 1972), five for the advanceof the CaspianSea. Vastmudflats and Shirvanisteppes (Zlotin 1963) and 13for the Samur shallowwaters, which are preferred by waders,are river delta (V.T.Butiev & E.A. Lebedevapers. found at the AgrakhanPeninsula and in Kirov Bay. comm.).At the AgrakhanPeninsula in 1975 At theAgrakhan Peninsula they stretch for c.10km waders were not recordedin winter at all (A.V. alongthe coastlineof the northernpart of the Mikheevpers. comm.). Peninsula.A smallcoastal area in the Novyi Terek river mouth on the southernpart of this Peninsula Numbers of waders at stopoversites during also turned out to be favourable for waders, due to migration its ratherhigh habitat diversity: numerous sandy The areawhere the largestnumbers of waders spits,mudflats in thebays and river mouthand a concentrateduring migration along the western marshyarea of coastallowland. In Kirov Bay CaspianCoast is Kirov Bay(Kyzyl-Agach Nature conditions favourable for waders