Record number of gyrfalcons recorded in Yamal

Researchers from the Arctic Research Station of the Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences returned to Labytnangi from the expedition. Scientists observed the nesting of gyrfalcons on the world's northernmost railroad Obskaya-Karskaya - on its bridge crossings Red Book birds make their homes. This was announced on its website by the government of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.

“This year ornithologists discovered 12 gyrfalcon nests at once. In nine of them, the parents continue to incubate, and in some families the first chicks have already appeared. Scientists installed automatic cameras at each nest, planning to track the breeding success of raptors. In total, 30 adults were noted on the track, which is a record for all the years of observation,” the report says.

The growth of the population of this bird of prey, which is located at the top of the food chain in the Arctic, indicates a favorable state of the Yamal ecosystems, experts say.

“First of all, this growth is facilitated by the high number of partridge in recent years, the main prey of the gyrfalcon. In July, we plan to return to the track in order to take automatic cameras and take samples for genetic analysis, ”the words of Alexander Sokolov, senior researcher at the Arctic Research Station, are quoted in the message.

The scientist emphasizes that the Obskaya-Karskaya highway has created unique conditions for the advancement of the gyrfalcon to the north of its natural range.