Zubakin et al.. Rarebreeding waders of the Moscowregion: distribution and numbers Rare breeding waders of the Moscow 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 the Moscowregion: distribution and numbers. International Wader Studies 10: 303-308. Elevenwader speciesare included in the firstversion of the Red Data Bookof the Moscowregion. Oneof thesespecies - Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus - ceased breeding at the end of the 19thor beginningof the 20thcentury; three species, i.e. Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus, Wood SandpiperTringa glareola and Greenshank T. nebulariabreed in the Moscowregion 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), Curlew Numenius arquata (70-90, but probablyup to 100-110 pairs)and Black-tailedGodwit Limosa limosa (200-250 pairs) breed regularly in the Moscowregion. 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, Russia 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 Tringa glareola, Greenshank Tringa amongthese members. During the studiesalmost nebularia,Redshank Tringa totanus, Marsh Sandpiper 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 Gallinago media, Curlew Breedingwas supposed in caseswhen eitherthe 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 Taldom 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 Oka river between Kolomna 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 beginningor 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 flood-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 Moskva breedingrecord - in the Egoryevskarea (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 Marsh Sandpiper Tringastagnatilis town; two adultswere alarmingnearby (A.L. MarshSandpiper was sporadicallyrecorded on Mischenkopers. comm.). Sporadic records of this migrationin the firsthalf of the presentcentury; 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 Dmitrov (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 the end 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 birds thisstatus may have resultedin confusing showinganxiety behaviour (indicating the 3O4 Zubakinet al. ßRare breeding waders of the Moscowregion: distribution and numbers DubnaRiver Moscow-Volga• . •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 Dubna 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,Klyazma and Tsnaflood-plains, at the Oka river in the Stupinodistrict,