On February 13-14 there was a settled bird account in the Prioksko-Terrasny nature reserve. Last time this event was held at the beginning of winter, December 13-14.

As in previous years birds were counted by volunteers-ornithologists from Moscow. Last weekend, there helped high school students and the students of the biology circle “VOOP” in the state Darwin Museum under the administration of Ekaterina Preobrazhenskaya and the team of young naturalists “Gamma”. In two days “young naturalist landing” of 16 people crossed about 90 km in total through the nature reserve and its surroundings.
The data collected during the account will enable the ornithologists to assess whether birds survived the winter, how their number changed since the beginning of December. The results of observations have already provided an opportunity to conclude that this winter was generally favorable for birds, and there was not any significant reduction of their number.
Quite large tit flocks of up to 15-20 birds are still seen in the forest. There are coal Tits, blue Tits and crested Tits, a lot of goldcrests except willow Tits in these flocks. There is a couple of treecreepers and nuthatches in almost every flock. But long-tailed Tits being the usual tit flocks participants are taken into account this time a little.
Except tit flocks in the forest there are a lot of woodpeckers, especially great spotted ones.  On the whole 6 species of woodpeckers are registered during the account; they are black, grey-headed, lesser spotted, white-backed, three-toed woodpeckers except the great spotted one.
There are flocks of siskins in the alder thickets along the rivers; one can see hazel grouse tracks in the thickets of young fir trees along the streams. It`s very interesting for ornithologists to meet marsh Tits during the account. The main area of its habitat is at about 200 km South and West of the reserve, but in recent years there has been a tendency of spreading of the species to the North and East. All in all, 27 species of birds were registered in the reserve and its surroundings, including the species counted in nearby villages–Danki, Karpova Polyana and Enino.

Three-toed woodpecker

Lesser spotted woodpecker