Survey on arctic bird migration and congregations in the White Sea 2004

The main purpose of the Survey Expedition 2004 was to confirm the most important staging areas of waterfowl in the White Sea area. This kind of expedition was conducted for the first time in 1999 by the Finnish ornithologists group and this was the second time.

Both expeditions took place at the same study areas. The data collected during the three weeks field trip at the sea from the ship confirmed that the areas at White Sea and especially round Onega Bay and Dwina Bay are the most  important staging areas. It also showed that these areas create channels or Fly-Ways which most of the migratory arctic birds uses. This collected data gives good background information to promote the conservation of staging areas. It also shows the importance of the staging areas along the whole Fly-way route from breeding areas to wintering areas. These areas must be taken into account when protecting birds during migration periods. Many staging areas face several risks, e.g. large oil spills may destroy the majority of a sub-population in a single area.  

The target group of studied birds consisted of divers, swans, geese, ducks, waders, and skuas. Many of these bird species are considered to be threatened in European scale. Many of the birds mentioned here breed in Northern Russia and migrate every year to and from their wintering grounds on Baltic Sea, North Sea, West Atlantic and Black Sea.

The observations from the two expeditions makes the best available database. This data can now be used for different purposes and by different user groups or stakeholders like environmental authorities, decision-makers and institutions both in Finland and Russia, and also scientists in respective countries for their work

During this expedition two Russian ornithologists were trained to the methodology of waterfowl line transect counting and monitoring bird migration according to the plan of the expedition.

The Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE) was responsible to organize this expedition. It took place from the 21st of September to the 10th of October 2004. The expedition was a joint venture with the Karelian Research Centre, Russian Academy of Sciences in Petrozavodsk, Karelia, Russia. The ornithologists involved on this expedition were: Timo Asanti, leader and head of the expedition, SYKE, Aleksi Lehikoinen, head of research, SYKE, Pekka Rusanen, SYKE, Olli Lamminsalo, SYKE, Jorma Pessa, North Ostrobothnian Environment Centre and Esko Gustafsson, South-West Environment Centre. The coordinator from the Russian partner Karelian Research Institute was Vasili Kovalenko. The two Russian ornithologists were Nikolay V. Lapsin from the Karelian Research Centre and Alexander V. Kondratyev from  Biological Institute of St. Petersburg State University.

The White Sea
Compared to the Baltic Sea the total area of which is 442.000 km2, the White Sea area is approx. 90.000 km2, about 1/5 of the Baltic Sea. The average depth is 60 and the maximum depth is round 330 m. It has three larger bays namely in South-East direction the Onega Bay (Äänislahti), the Dwina Bay (Vienanlahti) in West-Eastern direction, and the Kandalaksha Bay (Kantalahti) to the Northwest direction. White Sea and especially Kandalaksha area is very famous of its white whales Belugas.

White Sea is connected to the Barents Sea through the White Sea Channel almost to the direction North-East. The channel is 160 kilometers long and about 50 kilometers broad. White Sea is also connected to the Gulf of Finland by the Baltitskij-Belomorsk (Sorokka) channel, called also the Stalin Canal. The bigger lakes along the route are Lake Ladoga (Laatokka), Lake Onega (Ääninen) and Lake Vygozero.

About one third of the White Sea is shallow with depths of up to 30 m, which makes the areas very suitable for bottom-diving ducks. The shallows in Onega Bay stretch far out from the coast and the tidal zone is several kilometers wide, and it is very important feeding area for dabbling ducks and geese. The coastal zone and the shallow waters around islands are the most important staging areas for marine birds. The blue mussel is common and is very important prey item for several waterfowl species such as the common eider, black scoter and golden eye.  
 
Some figures of the different target bird species observed
during the expedition
Diver species (Read-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver) had heavy migration, about 54.000 individuals were counted altogether of which about 30.000 during 30.9.-2.10. At that time the direction of the wind changed from southern to northern which started the migration. Of the total number of identified diver species 3/4 were black-throated divers.

Geese were observed about 160.000 and most of those were Barnacle Geese. Most of the geese (ca. 115.000) migrated on the same days as the divers. Brent Geese were seen only 7.500 and Anser geese were identified only about 5.000.


Duck species total arouse to over 400.000 of which half were long-tailed ducks. Wigeons were observed about 90.000 and half of this (about 55.000) were found at a staging area in Unskaja Bay near the Pertominsk village. Compared to the situation five years ago the number of Wigeons were over four times bigger and also several times more of  pintails (3.840) and Scaups (4.400) were observed. Common Scoters were seen round Onega Bay namely Virma Bay and outer archipelago of Suhoe  (7.200), outer archipelago of Jukova (10.000), Hedostrov island shallows (6.000) and Pertominsk (7.400) and Velvet Scoters round Hedostrov island shallows (4.200).

Skua species were observed in total about 460 of which about 360 Arctic Skuas. In total during the expedition 133 different bird species were observed.



Text and photos:

Timo Asanti, Finnish Environment Institute
Senior advisor, head of the expedition
E-mail: timo.asanti@ymparisto.fi

Pekka Rusanen, Finnish Environment Institute
Researcher, ornithologist
E-mail: pekka.rusanen@ymparisto.fi

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