MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS Correspondent Dmitry Osipov/. Maria Vladimirtseva has been studying the Siberian crane's eastern population for more than 25 years - their habits, numbers and routes. While following cranes, which were threatened with complete extinction not so long ago, she has crossed almost the entire Yakut tundra, which, she admits, "reveals a person in-and-out." She told TASS about ornithological expeditions in the Arctic and about how Siberian cranes "sing" about love.

From reference books to the PhD degree

Maria Vladimirtseva grew up in a country house not far from Yakutsk. Whenever birds had their nesting season, she always was curious which birds were singing there and why. Her grandfather, a hunter, helped her a lot. He had special reference books.

"I was curious about all birds that lived around. Back then, I was doing practically what I am doing now," she said. "When it was time to decide on higher education, at first I chose veterinary, but my mother dissuaded me, saying if it's about nature, rather go to the Biology and Geography Department at the University of Yakutsk. That's what I did. I chose the zoological direction, focusing on ornithology."

In the second year, the summer internship was conducted by a visiting researcher from the Institute of Biological Problems of the Cryolithozone of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ornithologist Zakhar Borisov. His tours made such an impression on Maria that she decided to work at that institute, and she is still connected with it.

Her scientific supervisor for the thesis was Nikolay Germogenov, who invited the young researcher to join a large-scale international project to study Siberian cranes.

"The international project for the conservation of the Siberian crane was initiated by famous Yakut ornithologist Yury Labutin after he met a co-founder of the International Crane Conservation Foundation, George Archibald of Wisconsin," Maria said. "When the situation allowed, Professor Archibald often visited Yakutia. We've recently met at a conference in China. He has always been with us, supported Yakutia, the crane preservation. The Foundation has financed the crane conservation. George Archibald is called the "crane man." He is 78 now."

Interest in the rare crane

Before this project, the Siberian crane was a poorly studied species under threat of extinction. International studies have helped to find out the migration routes. It turned out that they fly from the subarctic tundra along Yakutia's Rivers Yana, Indigirka, Kolyma, the middle Aldan, crossing the Amur Region into China. Almost 90% of the Siberian crane population winters on Lake Poyang in Jiangxi Province in the Yangtze River Basin in southeastern China.

The collaboration of scientists from different countries has favored the population growth. "The rare bird has been preserved thanks to the efforts of several countries, including Russia, China, the USA and Japan," Maria said. "For example, their flight path has been verified only thanks to the international project to tag birds with satellite sensors. Specialists have identified their traditional stops for up to a month - nowadays those are specially protected natural areas. While in the mid-1980s the population was estimated at about 800 birds, nowadays it is about 5,600 and even close to 6,000."

A critical situation has developed with the western and central populations that nested in the lower reaches of the Ob River. The central population used to fly to India for the winter, and the western - to Iran. Birds stopped coming to India for the winter in the early 2000s, and the last bird, named Omid ("Hope"), did not come to Iran last year.

"The central population has already died out," the ornithologist explained. "George Archibald has developed a non-contact method for raising cranes in captivity - it was first used to restore the world's rarest American crane, which also has a predominantly white plumage. A specialist in a white outfit and having on his arm a crane-feeding device, looking exactly like the head of a crane, leads the crane chicks through crane habitats and shows them where and how to get food so that they did not get used to humans and could live in the wild. This method is used in the nursery of rare cranes in the Oka State Natural Biosphere Reserve, where live descendants of our eastern crane population. However, the population is not recovering properly yet."

Relations between Canadian and Siberian cranes

During her first expedition in 1998, Maria did not manage to see cranes. "That year, Nikolay Germogenov and I saw the first case that the Canadian crane nested on the Indigirka River's left bank. That species has been expanding the nesting area westbound for quite a long time. Nowadays, the species successfully breeds in the Indigirka River's lower reaches. This subspecies, the small Canadian crane, is numerous in North America, in Chukotka, in the Kolyma River's lower reaches, and further on its nesting area has stretched to Yakutia," the scientist continued. "The Lesser Canadian Sandhill crane winters in the southern states of North America."

Some scientists are concerned about competition between the species: the Canadian crane can nest in different places, while the Siberian crane depends greatly on watered lowlands.

"Right now, we cannot observe a major ecological competition between the species. The Siberian crane dominates. As for territorial conflicts, we can see often intraspecific incidents: as a rule, a pair of Siberian cranes occupying a nesting site would not allow other representatives of their species inside its boundaries. At the same time, we can often observe pairs or individuals of the Canadian crane in the areas with the Siberian crane. Should there be a serious feed competition, this would not have happened. Siberian cranes are more adapted to watered low tundras," she continued. "With a huge powerful beak, they can extract sedge rhizomes from great depths, and they catch successfully quite large fish in shallow water during lake flooding. It is possible that the Canadian crane uses the Siberian crane's advantages in foraging, for example, by picking up leftovers after them."

Siberian crane is a smart bird

Before the anti-Russian sanctions, many foreigners used to visit Yakutia. In spring, the local tundra is very scenic: new life is emerging, small Siberian cranes and other chicks are born. The plumages shimmer with bright colors as birds perform mating dances.

"It is in the nesting areas that males of most Arctic bird species acquire a beautiful mating color. Only here you can see their mating dances, fights, or hear them singing," the ornithologist said.

There is a Yakut belief: a person who has seen the Siberian crane's dance at least once will know true happiness. People believe Siberian cranes create couples forever and therefore those birds are a symbol of strong love.

"Their dance is a little different from dances of other birds, the main element is the vocalization, where they throw back their heads. The male has a lower cry and the female has a high cry. With this dance they announce a couple has formed. People used to believe for a long time that all cranes are monogamous, and indeed, a pair can persist for several years. But recent studies of other crane species find that birds can cheat on each other, they can "divorce" and change partners. In our research we have recorded four partner change cases in ringed individuals, and in one case it happened because the partner had died," she continued.

Siberian cranes have high intelligence, she said confidently. For example, more than other researchers Siberian cranes trust ornithologist Sergey Sleptsov, who has been watching birds longer than anybody else. "When we arrive, it feels like they do recognize us. On the first day, they necessarily fly over us in a "greeting": they make a circle, looking at us," Maria said.

"Experiments have proved that other bird species can remember a person by sight," the scientist continued. "I do not doubt that the intelligent birds like the Siberian crane, of course, can remember a person. In the past, the term "intellectual" was used with caution in relation to birds, as specialists feared to be considered false scientists. Nowadays, it is a generally accepted approach. For example, ornithologist Nikolay Gerasimov, who studies geese, believes that all the feelings known to humans - jealousy, love for a partner, for children, or hatred - manifest in them in almost the same way as in humans."

Tundra reveals what a person is like

The Arctic has become an integral part of Maria's life. She loves the spring tundra, its expanses, when nature sings and blooms. The Arctic weather is changing rapidly: clear skies can suddenly get wrapped up with fog, which later on will be dispersed by the wind. "Once, a huntsman said if it weren't for mosquitoes and the lack of vegetables and fruits, the Arctic could have been a paradise," she said.

In her opinion, the tundra reveals a person in-and-out. "When you stay with a person in the tundra for a long time, he shows himself and begins to be who he really is," Maria said. "I think we need to react calmly to possible psychological breakdowns and, no matter how the situation develops, it is important to treat a person with respect and understanding."

A "terrible and insane love for birds" is what is needed to withstand hard field conditions. "Fanaticism is needed. Without the love for birds, a person will not last long. Those who come to help us and are not involved in our research begin to suffer on the second day," the ornithologist said.

We were talking with the scientist at the institute's laboratory on a day off. Her graduate students from the NEFU (Northeastern Federal University) Institute of Natural Sciences were working next to her. A master's degree graduate Natalia Safonova, and a bachelor's degree graduate Aigul Elizarova have picked topics related to ornithology. They are preparing for an early defense of their theses and plan to join the supervisor to the tundra.

Maria said the postgraduates are heroes, because they will have to change comfortable urban conditions to the tundra with mosquitoes and domestic hardships. "Another young ornithologist is growing up - Ramil Semenov is graduating from school in the Arctic village. Not many are choosing ornithology, though, perhaps, they are just as many as necessary," Maria said in conclusion.