Results of the 2022 mid winter waterfowl and waterbird count on the warmed waters of Bortnychi sewage treatment plant (BSTP)

Vitalii Kazannyk, Valentyn Serebryakov, Igor Davydenko. Results of the 2022 mid winter waterfowl and waterbird count on the warmed waters of Bortnychi sewage treatment plant (BSTP). Abstracts of the 14th European Ornithologists’ Union Congress (Sweden, Lund, 21-25 August 2023). Department of Biology, Lund University, 2023. P. 274.

The regular and soon numerous wintering group of waterfowl and waterbirds had been formed on the territory of Kyiv city agglomeration since 70-s of 20th century. The most numerous gathering within the agglomeration exists on the outflow cannel of BSTP. It’s ever warm and rich in food waters always attract waterfowl and many other wetland species. Scientists conduct to monitor birds here over 40 years. Last our observations were done in January 2022. 3393 birds of 17 species were recorded. As
usual the most numerous among them were Anas platyrhynchos – 2780 (81.9%) birds, Larus cachinnans – 331 (9.7%). Large gathering of Phalacrocorax carbo was also observed – 189 (5.6%) birds. It is an absolute record for all years of observation. There were no more than 30-40 individuals before. The other common species were less numerous (Egretta alba, Ardea cinerea, Cygnus olor, Aythya fuligula, Bucephala clangula, Haliaeetus albicilla, Fulica atra, Larus canus) and it was 2.1% of them among others. A group of rare species consist of Tachybaptus ruficollis, Anas crecca, Rallus aquaticus, Gallinula chloropus, Alcedo atthis, Remiz pendulinus – less than 10 birds of each kind were recorded. The total numbers of the birds on this territory in 2022 was the highest for last 5 years of observation. It can be explained with cold weather which was established since first decade of January. As a result the Dnieper River and other water bodies in Kyiv were covered with ice what made wintering water birds to concentrate themselves on warm waters of BSTP.