As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Saturday 6 April 2013

Russian Bird Migration Delayed by Cold


MOSCOW, March 25 (RIA Novosti) – Cold weather in Russia has delayed the annual northward migration of birds, the Russian Bird Conservation Union said on Monday.

“The [bird] migration in the European part of Russia has stalled, except for the rooks. Those bird colonies are almost all already in place,” a spokeswoman for the group said.

Strong northern winds and -30 degree Celsius temperatures have also stopped the migration of birds to Russia’s Far East, in particular the Amur region, she said.

Another bird expert said there was nothing unusual about the halt in the migration, however.
During flight, birds quickly lose their fat reserves, and if they see that it is cold and that there is nothing to eat they normally stop and do not fly any further, said Sergei Ogurtsov, an associate professor at the Moscow State University School of Biology.

“If it gets colder they can roam around and even move back a little further south,” Ogurtsov said.

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