In the past weekend the group of young naturalists-biologists Feldman Ecopark visited the National natural park the “Gomolshansky Forests” (the Zmeev district of the Kharkiv region). There they were engaged in studying of the migrating birds and other aves. The young naturalists together with the employees of the reserve had several excursions on woody and the marshland, from special viewpoints observed the representatives of gomolshansky fauna in field-glasses, fixed their behavior with the help of the photoequipment with strengthened optics, and entered the obtained data in the field diary. The expedition lasted two days – young researchers spent the night in a forest area in the territory of the park.
“Our young naturalists often visit the National natural park the”Gomolshansky Woods” with which the Regional Landscape Park Feldman Ecopark cooperates for years. Such excursions are an obligatory element of scientific and practical work of future biologists. This is the opportunity for them to fill up a knowledge base, to learn basics of the chosen profession, to get acquainted and communicate to the senior colleagues, – the head of the senior group of the Club of biologists Feldman Ecopark Anton Plotnikov told. – A variety of biotypes of this natural complex defines richness of fauna that makes it the ideal place for field researches. In the territory of the park about 130 bird species live; most of them has the status rare for Europe. Also the large birds of prey included in the Red List of Ukraine nest here. The goal of a current expedition – studying and accounting of the migrating birds. Now it is the ideal time for this – with the beginning of autumn they actively prepare for the flight to warm regions. We managed to observe not only behavior of buzzards, ducks and others natatorial, but also to see the osprey in the native habitat – one of the rarest winged fishers in our area”.
During the expedition the young naturalists Feldman Ecopark combined scientific work with nature protection activity. They took part in release of a steppe eagle into the nature.
“Representatives of this small and constantly reduced species meet very seldom in our latitudes. This, quite large individual, has been caught in the Kharkiv region. The steppe eagle decided to hunt on a domestic dog, but hasn’t calculated forces, time and place – he was attacked by rack of dogs. Locals saved the bird who was injured in a fight and gave it us, – the research associate of NPP “Gomilshansky Forests”, Stanislav Viter, Doctor of Biological Sciences told. – We treated an eagle and now, having previously ringed, we release it to the environment. We will look whether he will return to the Kharkiv region after the wintering or will give preference to habitats, more east, traditional for this species”.
And for those birds who will precisely winter in the “Gomolshansky Forests «the young naturalists have built nests. They hanged out nesting boxes at sites of the young forest – where are no tree hollows in trunks of trees yet, so there are no natural shelters for birds.
