SAINT-PETERSBURG REGION IN THE SYSTEM OF BIRD MIGRATION ROUTES IN THE WESTERN PALEARCTIC
Based on the observations on bird migrations conducted since 1958, data on bird ringing and a review of other studies we show that Saint-Petersburg and the Leningrad Region (especially eastern Gulf of Finland and southern Lake Ladoga) host massive stopovers of migrating birds. Non-breeding starlings, corvids, some duck species aggregate there at the beginning of the summer. In mid-summer adults and juveniles join them, together with representatives of other species such as thrushes, finches, gulls, waders. Thus, birds from Northwest Russia, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Sweden spend 1-3 month nearby Saint-Petersburg. Ring recoveries showed that their main wintering areas are located in the following zones: 1) western Baltic Sea and southern North Sea, coastal areas of Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Germany; 2) western Mediterranean Sea, coastal areas of France, Spain, Italy; 3) equatorial western Africa and adjacent Atlantic areas; 4) eastern coasts of the Mediterranean and Black Seas; 5) Nile valley, western Red Sea coast and equatorial eastern Africa; 6) South-Eastern Asia. During the spring migration the area around Saint-Petersburg, especially eastern Gulf of Finland and Lake Ladoga, is also a massive stopover for migrating birds because of its suitable geographic position and favourable climatic conditions. The special significance of this area as part of flyways of western palaearctic birds dictates the need for enhancing the protection of migrating birds and for establishing additional protected areas in massive stopover locations.