In the sky over Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk and its suburbs day and night you can see flocks of large migratory birds with long necks. Some observers are confused – the birds look like swans, but usually their autumn migration begins much later, with the onset of stable cold weather. Our permanent consultant, game biologist Andrey Zdorikov clarified the situation:
– Flocks of geese of various species fly over the southern part of Sakhalin. First in this goose marathon were taiga bean geese, which nest and raise young in the forests of Yakutia, Chukotka and Kamchatka. Geese of this subspecies are the largest among Far Eastern relatives. The flight lasted from September 4 and ended by early October. About 600 bean geese went to Japan for the winter.
The goose marathon on September 20 was continued by the tundra goose. They are smaller than the forest ones. The peak of the passage fell on October 3, the birds pull day and night. In the dark, they move along lighted settlements and routes.
In parallel, the Canadian goose performs an autumn migration over Sakhalin. These geese have black plumage and “squeaky” voices. They are accompanied by flocks of white-fronted geese – they can be distinguished both by color and “talkativeness”. Birds actively communicate with each other with “shrill” voices.
Every year, the number of flights over Sakhalin of another species – the white polar goose – increases.
The goose migration will continue until the third ten days of October, which is in line with the usual timing.
In late October – early November, wedges of swans can be seen in the sky. Now they are gradually beginning to gather for a future flight in the Okha region and partly in the Nogliki region.
Semyon NESMEYANOV.