TASS, May 27. Scientists of the Arctic research center at the Institute of Ecology of Plants and Animals (the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Urals Branch) surveyed bridges above the Ob - Kara railway passage (the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Region), where they found a record number of nests, built by gyrfalcons, which are on the Red Data Book, the regional government’s press service said on Thursday.
"A team of specialists from the Arctic research center at the Institute of Ecology of Plants and Animals has surveyed bridges above the Ob - Kara railway passage," the press service said. "This year, they have seen a record number of gyrfalcon nests - ten couples simultaneously are incubating their clutches, one couple has got chicks already."
"This is an absolute record in the history of scientific observations," the press service added.
The scientists explain the increased number of gyrfalcons by bigger numbers of partridges - the main food for gyrfalcons. Gyrfalcons do not build own nests - they occupy nests built by other bird species. Along the railroad passage, the scientists have discovered and checked 69 nests built by crows, and in 21 of them the birds were incubating clutches - that was also a historic record, the regional government said.
The scientific center’s Deputy Director Alexander Sokolov stressed the scientists also for the first time had recorded unique adaptation of gyrfalcons to the presence of humans - two females without interrupting the incubating process allowed the specialists to install automatic cameras on their nests.