04/01/2025 April 1 – International Bird Day
This day is not only a time of jokes and laughter, but also the most international ecological holiday dedicated to birds. Its goal is to preserve the species diversity and population of birds, as well as to draw attention to their problems. Today many migratory species have returned from wintering and their polyphonic singing, sonorous trills and excited twittering can be heard in forests, fields and parks. The holiday is celebrated in early April for a reason: at this time birds enter a crucial period of life — nesting. So on Bird Day it is customary to hang birdhouses and improve their habitats. The history of the holiday began at the end of the 19th century, when it appeared in the United States of America, and then, quickly gaining popularity, spread throughout Europe. We celebrate this date thanks to the efforts of the Russian Bird Conservation Union. Since 1996 the organization annually selects the “Bird of the Year”. This title is given to a well-recognized but endangered species. In 2025 the symbol became the rook (Corvus frugilegus), whose population in Russia is steadily declining for a number of reasons. We congratulate everyone on the spring bird holiday and ask to be attentive to our feathered neighbors and their problems.
The final weekend at the Festival “Primordial Russia”
On the 29th of March the specialists from the Department of Environmental Education and Educational Tourism of the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve took part in the XII All-Russian Nature Festival “Primordial Russia”. The weekend at the festival was marked by science, ecology and innovative projects. On Saturday the guests were invited to the thematic day “Day of Reserve Discoveries”, organized by the Roszapoved Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia. In addition to the impressive photo exhibition, which includes 450 works by 31 recognized wildlife photographers, visitors could chat with the staff of the protected areas, whose work is related to the study and preservation of the unique flora, fauna and natural complexes of our country. Natalia Shpilenok, Deputy Director for Development, and Irina Pushkova, Chief Specialist for Environmental Education, showed a presentation on the history of the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve and plans for celebrating its 80th anniversary. The specialists of the Reserve also presented an interactive program, including a series of quizzes and master classes. On this day representatives of the Voronezh, Nizhne-Svirsky, Voroninsky, Oka, Sikhote-Alinsky nature reserves, as well as the Vodlozersky and Ladoga Skerries national parks performed on the main stage. They shared observations, hypotheses and discoveries related to their work. Documentaries about specially protected natural territories of Russia were shown in the cinema hall.
