The migration routes of waterfowl and their protection in

Extract only - complete publication at www.jncc.gov.uk/worldwaterbirds
Waterbirds around
the world
A global overview of the conservation,
management and research of the
world's waterbird flyways
Edited by G.C. Boere, C.A. Galbraith and D.A. Stroud
Assisted by L.K. Bridge, I. Colquhoun, D.A. Scott,
D.B.A. Thompson and L.G. Underhill
EDINBURGH, UK: THE STATIONERY OFFICE
Extract only - complete publication at www.jncc.gov.uk/worldwaterbirds
© Scottish Natural Heritage 2006
First published in 2006 by The Stationery Office Limited
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Applications for reproduction should be made to Scottish Natural Heritage,
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ISBN 0 11 497333 4
Recommended citation:
Boere, G.C., Galbraith, C.A. & Stroud, D.A. (eds). 2006.
Waterbirds around the world. The Stationery Office, Edinburgh, UK. 960 pp.
Names used for geographical entities do not imply recognition, by the organisers of the Waterbirds around the world conference or other
supporting organisations or governments, of the political status or boundaries of any particular territory. Names of territories used (and
any alternatives) are included solely to help users of this publication apply information contained within this volume for waterbird
conservation purposes. The views expressed in papers included within this volume do not necessarily represent views of the editors
or the organisations and governments that supported the conference and this publication.
Cover photography:
Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus arriving at Martin Mere, England. Photo: Paul Marshall.
(www.paulmarshallphotography.com)
Copyright of all photographs used in this publication resides with the named photographers.
Waterbirds around the world
The migration routes of waterfowl and their protection in Baikal
Siberia
Yuri I. Mel’nikov
State Nature Reserve ‘Baikalo-Lenskiy’, Irkutsk, 291 B Baikalskaja St. a/b 3580, 664050, Russia. (email: [email protected])
Mel’nikov, Yu.I. 2006. The migration routes of waterfowl and their protection in Baikal Siberia. Waterbirds around the world.
Eds. G.C. Boere, C.A. Galbraith & D.A. Stroud. The Stationery Office, Edinburgh, UK. pp. 357-362.
ABSTRACT
Long-term studies have been used to determine features of the
migration of waterfowl (ducks, geese and swans) in Baikal
Siberia. For the first time, the major and minor migratory routes
have been identified, and the way in which these have developed
in relation to the mountainous areas and plains of the region has
been revealed. Important staging areas, supporting at least
20 000 individuals during the migration seasons, are identified.
It is estimated that at least 10-12 million waterfowl pass through
Baikal Siberia in autumn. However, there is a poor level of
protection for waterfowl in the region. The existing specially
protected areas, primarily hunting reserves, do not provide
adequate protection for waterbirds, and a decrease in the numbers
has been observed in recent years. There is now an urgent need
for the creation of a special system of protected areas for the
protection and rational use of waterfowl in the region.
Baikal Siberia is characterized by continental climatic
conditions. This is especially marked in inter-montane depressions (Zhukov 1965). There is relatively little precipitation, and
there are few large lake systems. Coniferous taiga forest dominates everywhere, and there are only small areas of forest-steppe
and steppe in the relatively warm, inter-montane basins.
Permafrost is widely distributed almost throughout the territory.
This paper is based on the results of 40 years of personal
research, and makes use of the published literature and interviews
with the local population, waterfowl hunters and forestry experts.
Over 15 000 km were covered on foot or by boat during the
course of the research, and about 2 000 hours were spent making
observations from fixed observation posts. Fieldwork was carried
out in most of the large wetland systems in the region. The migration of waterfowl was studied in detail at fixed observation posts
at the mouth of the Irkut River, in the Selenga River delta, and in
the basins of rivers in East Sajan (Oka, Goloustnaja, Uda, Zima,
Malyi Tagul and Toisik). The results of some of these studies
have already been published (Mel’nikov 2000a, 2000b, 2001).
On the basis of the published material and personal research,
migration routes of waterfowl in the region have been mapped.
INTRODUCTION
The waterfowl and shorebirds of Baikal Siberia migrate along
the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. An analysis of the recoveries from about 170 000 ringed birds (Pizhjanov 1998) has
shown that the western limits of the wintering range of waterbirds from Baikal Siberia are in central and eastern India
(Mel’nikov 1999), while the majority of birds winter in Japan,
China, South-east Asia, the Philippines, New Guinea and
Australia (Skryabin et al. 1978, 1981, Pizhjanov 1998,
Mel’nikov 1999). The migration routes of waterfowl in the East
Asian-Australasian Flyway are poorly known. In Baikal Siberia,
investigations have been carried out only at the most important
staging areas and along the main migration routes. Little information is available on the numbers of waterfowl present, and
details of the migration routes through the highlands of this
region are practically unknown.
RESULTS
Spring migration
Two major migration routes (flyways) pass through southern
Transbaikalia: the Selenga and the Khingan. They are formed in
Mongolia and China (Mel’nikov 1999, 2000b). In early spring,
the Selenga flyway reaches the delta of this river, and then
divides into several smaller flyways. The Khingan flyway
divides into two in the region of Dalay-nor Lake, with one
branch following the Argun River (Khingan-Argun) and the
other proceeding to the Torej lakes (Khingan-Torej). The first of
these soon leaves the limits of Baikal Siberia in the basin of the
Aldan River (Gavrin & Rakov 1960). The second divides into
three smaller flyways: the Torej-Olekma, Torej-KirengaTunguska and Torej-Baikal-Angara.
Migrating waterfowl first appear in southern Transbaikalia
(in the region of Kyakhta and the Torej basin) in the second half
of March (Molleson 1897, Gavrin & Rakov 1959). In years with
an early spring, small groups of Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna
ferruginea, and sometimes Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, have
already appeared in the Selenga River delta and at Verchnee
Priangarie (Irkutsk and Ust-Orda) by the end of March. The first
large wave of migrating waterfowl appears in southern
Transbaikalia as soon as the average daily air temperature
exceeds 0˚C (Gavrin & Rakov 1959, Shinkarenko 1988). This
usually occurs with a significant intrusion of warm air from
Mongolia and China at the beginning of April. Waterfowl
arriving at this time include early-breeding dabbling ducks, such
as Mallard, Common Teal Anas crecca, Northern Pintail A. acuta
STUDY AREA, MATERIALS AND METHODS
The extensive territory in the south of eastern Siberia, located
around Lake Baikal, is referred to as Baikal Siberia (Peshkova
1972). It lies at the centre of the Asian continent on the boundary
between the steppe and forest zones, and is an important ecological
barrier in the distribution of many species of animals and plants.
The Sajan-Baikal plateau, with its uplifted and strongly shattered
ranges (2 500-3 500 m), divides the south of the region into two
parts: Prebaikalia and Transbaikalia. Land to the north and south of
the plateau has low- and mid-mountainous relief (800-1 800 m),
with numerous depressions in the south (Florensov & Oljunin
1965). The Angara valley in the central Sajan-Baikal plateau is
open to a southerly air-stream from the valley of the Selenga River
to the south, and this warm air supports steppe and forest-steppe
zones along the Angara River and lower portions of its tributaries,
on Olkhon Island and in Priolkhonje (Peshkova 1972).
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Waterbirds around the world
remains under snow and presents a serious barrier to the birds.
Both north-easterly and south-westerly movements of birds have
been observed along the eastern edge of Lake Baikal at this time
of year (Skryabin 1975), and it has not been possible to identify
separate migration routes in this area. Groups of ducks that
breed locally are already arriving on their breeding grounds in
southern Prebaikalia in the middle of April, often before the first
major wave of spring migrants (Mel’nikov 1998).
The appearance of the first migrants in early spring always
occurs during short warm spells, which are usually followed by
cold periods (of three to four days), with air temperatures of
–5 to –7˚C. The mass migration of waterfowl begins when the
average daily air temperatures rises above 0˚C throughout much
of the territory (Shinkarenko 1988). This usually occurs at the
end of April or the beginning of May, although there may still be
short cold spells. However, snow cover in the low mountain
ranges between the rivers disappears and conditions for migration improve considerably. Migration occurs on a much broader
front, with birds beginning to appear on the southern slopes of
high mountainous areas. At this time, birds begin to fly through
some of the lower passes in the mountain ranges of East Sajan to
reach the Uda river valley, which they follow in a northerly or
north-westerly direction. However, the main Yenisei flyway,
which includes birds from the East Tuva staging area
(Emeljanov & Savchenko 2000), is rather poorly represented in
Baikal Siberia.
In other mountain ranges in East Sajan, there are minor
flyways of birds from the Khangaiy flyway which originates in
Mongolia. These minor flyways, having passed around the high,
snow-covered mountain ranges, enter large river valleys with
favourable conditions for further migration. However, the
number of birds involved is small. Also during this period, a
rather small flyway (Vitim-Paton) is formed in the large lake
system in the Vitim Mountains (Ivano-Arahley, Eravna and
Baunt lakes), and this has several minor branches in the highlands of the Vitim, Severo-Baikal and Patom plateaux
(Mel’nikov 2000a).
In the second half of May, waterfowl migration in southern
Baikal Siberia comes to an end, while in northern areas, the mass
migration begins. At this time of year, migration occurs everywhere on a broad front, and large concentrations of birds can be
found at staging areas at large lake systems. The location of
these staging areas determines the directions of the minor
flyways. Concentrations of birds elsewhere along the flyways
are observed only at certain strategically important locations
and, in high mountains, in certain mountain passes. At present,
there is a well-defined flyway through the Baikal Mountains
leading to the Nizhnjaja Tunguska river valley.
Female Mallard Anas platyrhynchos and young. Photo: Paul Marshall.
and Eurasian Wigeon A. penelope, and Common Goldeneye
Bucephala clangula. The north-south orientation of the basins in
Transbaikalia promotes rapid penetration of warm air to the
north, and the wave of migrants quickly reaches the northernmost areas of forest-steppe, although the numbers are much
lower in the north.
The movement of birds far to the north in the first stages of
the spring migration is facilitated by a gap in the mountain
ranges in the area of the Selenga River delta and a tributary of
the Angara River, and also the large areas of steppe on the
Irkutsk-Cheremchovo plain and on the edge of the Prebaikalia
lowlands. There is already, in the early stages of spring migration in southern Baikal, a well-defined flyway (Baikal-AngaraYenisei) that leaves in a north-westerly direction to the Yenisei
via the extensive Irkutsk-Cheremchovo plain and southern edge
of the Leno-Angara plateau.
From this major flyway, smaller flyways diverge to the north
and north-east, passing through Verkholeniy (Kachug settlement)
and Ust-Kut in the Lena valley, where there are small areas of
steppe and agricultural land. Around Irkutsk, the Baikal-AngaraYenisei flyway divides into two branches. The main branch
continues on in a north-westerly direction, while the other (the
Baikal-Angara-Tunguska flyway) turns north and follows the
valley of the Nizyhnjaja Tunguska River to Erbogachen plain,
where it joins up with the Torej-Kirenga-Tunguska flyway. Birds
reaching the basin of the Lena River follow this valley in a northeasterly direction. Other flyways formed in the Selenga River
delta are insignificant in size, and are used by birds moving to
breeding areas within Baikal Siberia.
In this first period of the spring migration, the birds migrate
exclusively along river valleys, as the land between the valleys
Moult migration
A return migration of the drakes of some waterfowl species is
observed at moulting areas even before the end of the spring
migration. The timing of the moult migration is closely linked to
the breeding phenology of the birds. Even within southern
Baikal Siberia, there is a two-week difference in dates of first
egg-laying between the earliest breeders in southern areas and
those in northern areas. Differences in the main egg-laying
period are more indicative in this respect. The difference
between breeders in northern Baikal Siberia (Nizhnjaja
Tunguska river valley) and those in the south (Selenga River
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Waterbirds around the world
The main directions of the movements in spring and autumn
almost exactly coincide. Migration occurs on a broad front, with
some funnelling along flyways in certain areas. The minor
flyways are used by only small numbers of birds, mostly on their
way to the main staging areas where they congregate in larger
flocks. The number of birds migrating through high mountainous areas, even in favourable conditions, is insignificant,
although almost all species migrate in small numbers along
flyways at low and middle elevations in the mountains.
Migration through mountain passes is far from uniform.
During some seasons, it can occur on a large scale. It is clearly
related to weather conditions, with birds not flying through some
passes if there is a deterioration in the local weather. In periods
of very severe weather, when most or all of the passes are closed,
the bird congregate on lakes in the river valleys where they
remain until the weather improves.
Three or four waves of migration are observed during autumn,
each producing a big increase in the numbers of birds at the main
staging areas. The species composition of each wave differs, but
Mallard, Common Teal, Northern Pintail, Eurasian Wigeon,
Tufted Duck and Common Goldeneye dominate in all waves. The
first consists mainly of dabbling ducks, and the last, mainly diving
ducks, geese and swans. The total number of birds seen migrating
along the main flyways varies considerably from year to year (by
as much as eight fold), and obviously depends on conditions along
the migration route. Observations made from the ground take into
account only those birds flying at low level, while non-stop migration at high altitude (true migration) goes unrecorded.
With the onset of heavy snowfall in the high mountains in
the first half of September, migration through these areas almost
stops, although there are occasional flocks of geese and
Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus. Discrete flyways begin to
appear in the valleys, and these are well pronounced by late
autumn, when the shallow lakes become covered in ice. In
Prebaikalia, the last of the migrants gather on the reservoirs of
Ust-Ilym, Bratsk and Irkutsk, and the large lakes of IrkutskCheremhovo plain and Prebaikala plain (Ochaul, Berikul,
Kondakov and others). The last wave of the autumn migration
appears in the second ten days of November, and passes through
the Verkhnee Priangaryei, Primorskyi ridge, Selenga River delta
and Torej lakes on the way to Mongolia and China.
delta) is three weeks. In years with an early spring, drake
Mallard and Northern Pintail begin to pursue females in the first
few days of May. Some 10-15 days after disintegration of the
pair bond, the drakes form small flocks (Mel’nikov 1998), and
start to undertake local movements to good feeding areas. The
number of drakes involved in these movements rapidly builds
up, and by early June, drakes greatly outnumber nesting birds at
the important moulting sites. By the beginning of July, the
moulting drakes have been joined by many females (sometimes
30-35%), presumably birds that have had an unsuccessful
breeding season.
The first species to begin their moult migration are those that
nest earliest, e.g. Mallard, Common Teal, Garganey Anas
querquedula and Northern Pintail. Moult migrations occur on a
broad front and under very favourable conditions, with moulting
flocks of drakes occurring on practically all wetlands in Baikal
Siberia. The direction of the moult migrations basically coincides with the spring and autumn flyways (Mel’nikov 2000b).
The long duration of the moult migrations (ranging from 2.0 to
3.5-4.0 months according to species) is a result of the length of
the breeding season. Even in mid-July, some ducks remain
paired and are still breeding. This late nesting is due to the laying
of one or even two replacement clutches, being most common in
Gadwall Anas strepera, Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula, Common
Pochard A. ferina, Common Goldeneye and Smew Mergellus
albellus. The moult migration of these late breeders may be
delayed until the end of August. Furthermore, birds from
northern breeding areas migrate to southern areas to moult, and
having nested later than southern breeders, also undertake their
moult later. This further extends the duration of the moulting
period.
In Baikal Siberia, mass moulting of waterfowl occurs only in
the south of the region, in the Selenga River delta and Torej
lakes. Depending on water levels, there are between several
hundred and up to 30 000-50 000 moulting drakes in these areas.
However, throughout Baikal Siberia, some of the drakes moult
in their breeding areas, and do not undertake long-distance
moult migrations. Usually these are late breeders which gather
in groups of five to ten individuals in secure areas with optimum
feeding conditions. Only on those lakes with the best conditions
are there moulting concentrations of up to some hundreds (but
no more than 1 000) individuals. The scarcity of important
moulting areas in Baikal Siberia, particularly for diving ducks
and dabbling ducks that feed on invertebrates, such as the
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata, is thought to be due to the
small number of reservoirs in the region, and their low productivity. Even in the northern limits of the forest-steppe zone,
conditions are still very poor for moulting birds, although there
are some fairly large concentrations of moulting drakes in this
area.
Staging areas
The most important staging areas during the spring, moult and
autumn migrations are the large lake systems along the major
flyways. The largest of these are located on the border of the
forest-steppe and steppe zones, the most significant being the
Torej lakes and Selenga River delta. Staging areas in the Baikal
basin (Barguzin river valley, Arangatujy lakes, Verkhnjaja
Angara and Kichera river mouths, and Verkhneangarsk expansion) are less important. The chain of Angarsk reservoirs is an
important staging area, as also are the Irkutsk, Bratsk and UstIlym reservoirs. One of the most important staging areas in
northern Baikal Siberia is Erbogachen plain, in the Nizhnjaja
Tunguska valley. Many other smaller sites support up to about
20 000 waterfowl during the migration seasons. The location of
these staging areas determines the direction of many of the
minor flyways, as bird move from one staging area to another.
The total number of a waterfowl using the staging areas in
Baikal Siberia is considerable. Unfortunately, it is very difficult
Autumn migration
The autumn migration begins under favourable conditions in the
middle or at the end of August. Large concentrations of birds
that have bred locally gather on the largest lake systems in the
region, and the first dabbling ducks begin to depart. Formerly
there were appreciable movements of Baikal Teal Anas formosa
at this time, but this is now an extremely rare species in Baikal
Siberia. The last birds to depart are the diving ducks, sawbills,
geese and swans.
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Waterbirds around the world
to provide a reliable estimate of numbers on the basis of the
available data. However, counts of the large concentrations of
waterfowl during autumn migration at the two most important
staging areas in Baikal Siberia (Selenga River delta and Torej
lakes) allow us to make a tentative estimate of total numbers.
It should be noted that there are few areas of mass concentration
of waterfowl near the southern borders of Baikal Siberia, and
most of these are much less important than the Selenga River
delta and Torej lakes. An exception is the Argun River along
which migrate at least half of the waterfowl entering Russian
territory via the Khingan flyway. However, waterfowl following
the Khingan-Argun flyway soon leave Baikal Siberia via the
Aldan valley. There has been no accurate estimation of numbers
in this flyway for many years, and as the flyway lies largely
outside Baikal Siberia, it has not been considered here.
At the end of twentieth century, some research was carried
out on the migration of waterfowl in the Selenga River delta and
Torej lakes, and this included an estimation of numbers. This
work has shown that, depending on the year, between two
million and five million waterfowl stop off in the Selenga River
delta during the autumn migration (Skryabin 1995), while
between three million and five million waterfowl stop off in the
Torej lakes (Goroshko 1998). It has been estimated that a further
two million birds occur at the many other, less important sites,
including sites that hold less than 20 000 individuals. Hence, the
total number of waterfowl occurring at staging areas in Baikal
Siberia during the autumn migration is estimated at 10-12
million individuals. This is a minimum estimate for the number
Rare waterbirds to Baikal Siberia such as the Bewick's Swan Cygnus
columbianus bewickii sometimes occur at important staging areas in the
north of the region. Photo: Paul Marshall.
Moulting flocks of drake Mallards Anas platyrhynchos as well as other ducks occur in autumn on practically all wetlands in Baikal Siberia.
Photo: Crawford Prentice.
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Waterbirds around the world
areas in the Selenga River delta and Torej basin, and then divide
into a series of smaller flyways. A significant proportion of the
birds finish their migration in Baikal Siberia, and settle down to
breed here and in adjoining regions. During the autumn migration, birds use a wide network of minor flyways to reach the
main staging areas in Baikal Siberia, whence they continue
along the major flyways to their wintering areas.
The large and well-defined flyways reflect the main directions of the migrations of long-distance migrants: north-west in
spring and south-east in autumn. In spring, these flyways appear
much earlier in southern Baikal Siberia than flyways in other
directions, and in autumn, continue until the middle of
November, when migration on other flyways has ceased. Many
of the birds in these major flyways breed in central and eastern
Taymyr, where there are very high breeding densities of many
species of waterfowl.
The formation of well-pronounced flyways in Baikal Siberia
is principally caused by the natural features and climatic conditions of the region. The Sajan-Baikal plateau is relatively low in
elevation, and has gaps through which southerly air streams can
penetrate in early spring, bringing warm air to the Selenga and
Angara valleys. This is reflected in the presence of large areas of
steppe vegetation. Other, less well-pronounced flyways are
formed later in the spring, and are connected with the movement
of birds through high mountain ranges (2 500-3 000 m). It has
been demonstrated that orographic features and the latitudinal
distribution of vegetation zones have a big influence on the
direction and intensity of the migration routes of waterfowl.
Despite the scarcity of large lake systems in Baikal Siberia,
very large concentrations of waterfowl occur at staging areas
during the spring and autumn migration seasons. There would
appear to be abundant food resources for the migrating birds, as
the quality of the wetlands in Baikal Siberia has essentially not
changed in recent decades. However, the numbers of migrating
waterfowl are now much lower than they were in the middle of
twentieth century.
The wetlands of southern Baikal Siberia are of great importance for migratory waterfowl, providing staging areas where the
birds can build up their fat reserves before continuing their
migration. However, the present system of state protected territories is obviously insufficient to provide adequate protection for
waterfowl and maintain species diversity. The main reason for
this is that, until now, the creation of a system of protected areas
has focused exclusively on the preservation of fur-bearing
animals because of their high economic value. The development
of a special system of protected territories is therefore required
for the protection of breeding and migrating waterfowl.
of waterfowl passing through Baikal Siberia, as an unknown
proportion passes through southern Baikal Siberia without stopping to rest. Significant annual fluctuations in the numbers of
waterfowl recorded at staging areas are related to the condition
of the wetlands. In years with high water levels, the numbers of
birds increase sharply, while in years with low water levels,
numbers are greatly reduced.
Protection of waterfowl
Sites of importance for the protection of waterfowl are poorly
represented in the current network of specially protected natural
territories (SPNT), which includes various categories of protected
area. Indeed, most of the internationally important wetlands are
unprotected. Furthermore, the fact that a site of high importance
as a breeding or staging area for waterfowl has been designated as
a SPNT at local level (territorial hunting reserve) does not mean
that it is well protected. Infringement of the regulations
concerning the exploitation of wildlife resources in territorial
hunting reserves is now the usual situation. Only twelve of the 30
most important areas for waterfowl are formally protected; in two
reserves (Dauria and Olekma), two national parks (Prebaikalian
and Transbaikalian) and eight hunting reserves. All of these are
sites of international importance.
With a few exceptions, important staging areas for waterfowl on the main flyways in Baikal Siberia are not specially
protected, and this is the main deficiency in waterfowl protection
in the region. Many of these staging areas are unique wetlands
and support a high diversity of waterfowl. The southern lake
systems are especially interesting in this respect, as they often
support a number of specially protected species such as Greylag
Goose Anser anser, Swan Goose A. cygnoides, Baer’s Pochard
Aythya baeri and Baikal Teal. Important staging areas in the
north of the region support rare species such as Bewick’s Swan
Cygnus columbianus bewickii, Middendorff’s Bean Goose
Anser fabalis middendorffi, Lesser White-fronted Goose A.
erythropus, Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus and
White-winged Scoter Melanitta (fusca) deglandi, and also
require more protection.
The extreme importance of the Selenga River delta for waterfowl was recognized in the 1980s, and yet this site remains unprotected. The establishment of a protected area in the delta is a high
priority, as also is the establishment of an ornithological reserve to
protect the Inarigda lake complex in the Nizhnjaja Tunguska
valley (Nizhnetungusskiy). All other important sites require, if not
full protection, then at least regulations concerning the economic
exploitation of waterfowl resources. In the creation of the SPNT
network, no consideration was given to the special protection of
waterfowl, although this group of birds includes many species that
require special attention. Special approaches are required in the
planning of a system of protection and management for waterfowl, as well as for various other groups of birds.
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Florensov, N.A. & Oljunin, V.N. 1965. Relief and geological structure. In: I.P. Gerasimov (ed) Prebaikalia and Transbaikalia.
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Gavrin, V.F. & Rakov, N.V. 1959. Materials from studying the
spring flight of waterfowl in the headwaters of the Argun
DISCUSSION
Hitherto, the waterfowl flyways of Baikal Siberia have been
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present the first overview of the main directions and character of
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