On the international day of birds, we are glad to share great news for both professional ornithologists and all those who are inspired by birds - the first field guide Birds of Kamchatka and the Commander Islands has been released in Kamchatka.
Many experts and amateur birdwatchers know firsthand about the lack of information about the species diversity of Kamchatka birds. It is rather difficult to find a quality field guide in Russia, and it is not always convenient to use foreign ones, in addition the information in them regarding such a remote and complex region as Kamchatka Krai may be unreliable. Now the problem has been solved - a modern, colorful edition meeting international standarts will soon be presented to a wide range of readers.
The Kamchatka avifauna is original; it is determined by its marginal position, volcanogenic factors, and active cyclonic activity. The list of bird species is constantly updated here. Вuring the five years that we worked on the guide, 7 more new species were registered. Now there are 373 species with subspecies in Kamchatka Krai, of which more than 240 species are registered on the Commander Islands. At the same time, the list of Russian birds in 2014 included 912 species. The field guide describes each species in detail and is a great visual material for study of Kamchatka and Commander birds. It is pleasant to touch, intuitive and easy to understand. Its authors are Evgeny Georgievich Lobkov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor of Kamchatka State Technical University, author of about 400 scientific papers (including 7 monographs) and Yuri Nikolaevich Gerasimov, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Senior Researcher of the Kamchatka Branch of the Pacific Institute of Geography of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, have done a tremendous amount of work on this edition.
Lobkov Evgeny Georgievich
Gerasimov Yuri Nikolaevich
The essays are accompanied by classic drawings by talented zoological artists Alexei Alexandrovich Mosalov and Evgeny Alexandrovich Koblik, reflecting the visual signs of species in all color variants and silhouettes of birds in flight. The pages have schematic maps, on which simply and accurately show the areals of species on the territory of Kamchatka.
Mosalov Alexey Alexandrovich
Koblik Evgeny Alexandrovich
The scientific management of the project was carried out by Kamchatka Zapovednaya Association of Specially Protected Natural Areas, which includes the FSBI State Natural Biosphere Reserve Komandorsky named after S.V. Marakova, FSBI Kronotsky State Natural Biosphere Reserve and KGBU Volcanoes of Kamchatka Natural Park . The Commander Islands Nature and Biosphere Reserve acted as the project coordinator. Its researchers - Deputy Director for Science Evgeny Georgievich Mamaev and ornithologist Dmitry Vladimirovich Pilipenko took part in the work and advised its authors on the avifauna of the Commander Islands.
Evgeny Georgievich Mamaev and Dmitry Vladimirovich Pilipenko - scientists of the CINBR at work on Bering Island
On April 1, as part of supporting the release of the field guide, we start a large-scale ecological and educational program called Kamchatka Spreads Its Wings, aimed at promoting the appreciation of the protected nature of Kamchatka and popularizing ornithology among the population and guests of the region. The program is designed for a year and will include many activities and competitions for schoolchildren and students of the peninsula. Also, within the framework of the program, schools and libraries of the region will receive free copies of the guide. For the convenience of all those interested in birds, the wildkamchatka.ru website has been launched, where you can follow the current news of the ornithological program.
“You are holding in your hands the first in Russia truly complete field guide to birds of Kamchatka and the Commander Islands. For this publication to appear, a team of authors processed a huge volume of long-term ornithological observations in the most remote region of Russia. The history of these studies goes back almost three centuries,” commented Vsevolod Borisovich Stepanitsky, Honored Ecologist of the Russian Federation, “The field guide to the birds of Kamchatka and the Commander Islands will become indispensable for both professionals and nature lovers. This is especially important right now, when ecotourism and birdwatching have become global trends."
You don't need to have special skills to better understand the world around us through birds. It is enough to have hearing, vision and a bit of lively interest, and the new field guide Birds of Kamchatka and the Commander Islands will become an excellent assistant and guide to this unknown world.
We invite schools, inspired teachers, professional communities and everyone who is interested in the world of our feathered neighbors on the planet for cooperation. We want to make scientific discoveries, share experiences and opinions together, as well as show how amazing and diverse the nature of Kamchatka Krai is. Our responsibility is to study and nurture it.
