Lake Sarannoye is a unique water source situated in the eastern part of Bering Island. It is the place, where migrating waterfowl can take a rest in their journey while a short stay on the Commander Islands. Some of the species prefer this place to any other on the Islands. On November 2, 2016 scientists of the Commander Islands Nature and Biosphere Reserve made a count of birds on this exceptional lake.

The Commander Islands are an important part of migration for many birds, three orders of which are waterfowl – anseriformes, grebes (podicipediformes) and gaviiformes. The majority of the species from these three orders can be found on the Commander Islands everywhere.

However, there is a place to find rare birds – Lake Sarannoye. It is situated on the North-East of Nikolskoye rural area. Fresh water is isolated from the salty one by a 1.5-kilometer-wide peace of land in the narrowest part. Sarannaya River takes beginning in the lake. The river is wide but short. Sarannoye is a relict lake, which means that long ago it was a lagoon, but after the depression of the global ocean level 20 000 years ago the lake was separated and became fresh.

Sarannoye Lake

Today the surface of the lake is 12 meters higher than the sea level.

 From the end of October to the beginning of November small lakes start to freeze, because they have no wind-induced waves. Sarannoye is a large water body – surface of more than 30 km2, perimeter of 25 km – so it has wind waves and it freezes up much later. That is why there is an opposite side – conditions for boat trips are very similar to those of a marine trip, so weather is not favorable everyday.

Going for the bird count

On the lake you may find such birds as mallard duck, long-tailed duck, buff-breasted merganser, greater scaup duck, goldeneye, pintail, whooper swan, harlequin duck (anseriformes); red-necked grebe (the bird was included in the list of birds of the Commander Islands because of a description made by one of the American naturalist Leonhard Hess Steijneger in 1882 on Lake Sarannoye), horned grebe (podicipediformes); yellow-billed loon (gaviiformes, the bird was included in the list by Stejneger’s description of a bird found on the lake in 18882).

During the XXth century and even in the first decade of the XXIst century no special bird monitoring was organized on Lake Sarannoye. Scientists only marked birds seen on the lake during their general monitoring.

Flock of pintails

Literature analysis made by the employees of the Commander Islands Nature and Biosphere Reserve in early 2010s showed that the odds of finding a rare bird on the Islands are much higher on Lake Sarannoye than anywhere else. In 2013 on Lake Sarannoye special bird counts have become regular and in November 2014 we have seen the fruits of this measure. Scientists saw the horned grebe. Last time it was seen before was in the beginning of the XXth century.

The situation is the same with many other bird species, for example, yellow-billed loon or red-necked grebe.

Red-necked grebe

November 2, 2016 the scientific department of the Commander Islands Nature and Biosphere Reserve has finished a regular bird count of migrating waterfowl species. Tundra is already covered with snow, but it didn’t prevent the scientists from floating the boat out on Lake Sarannoye and monitoring the surface of the water body. The scientists observed goldeneye, mallard duck, buff-breasted merganser, long-tailed duck, whooper swan, harlequin duck and red-necked grebe.

Whopper swan

Flying harlequin ducks

It is interesting to observe the behavior of the harlequin duck as it sticks to the offshore zone and it can be found nowhere else but there and on Lake Sarannoye. It seems that harlequin ducks remember the times when the lake was a part of the ocean and continue to visit the lake during their stay on the Commander Islands.

Photos by Evgeny Mamaev