The winter registrations of water-birds have already become traditional in our country. From year to year more and more initiating participants are involved in this event. In this year the practice of winter registration of water-birds was marked by simultaneously organized visiting of ornithologists to some water bodies in different provinces of Uzbekistan. Members of the student club ‘Phasianus’ and employees of the Society of Birds Protection went to one of the most important territories for birds in the Tashkent province – Tuyabuguz reservoir (Tashkent Sea). Large gathering of birds was not noticed, may be because of bad weather. The groups of Wigeons and Greenshanks were marked among interesting species. The group of four White Storks, that for already several years wintering in our country was revealed near the road, not far from the inflow of the Angren river into the Tuyabugur reservoir. Among the birds of prey the participants of the registration met Common Kestrel, Black Kite, White-tailed Eagle, Common Buzzard, Long-Legged Buzzard. To the participant’s surprise, in this year they did not meet such usual waterfowl as Eurasian Coot. Numerous flocks of these birds several years ago were marked all over the reservoir. Members and leaders of the student ornithological club ‘Flamingo’ founded at the Samarkand State University carried out the winter registration of water-birds on the Kattakurgan reservoir of the Samarkand province. The weather conditions were rather favourable for implementation of registration, but there were few birds on the water surface. Accountants went round reservoir and only at one place noticed gathering of birds numbering about 1500 individuals. This group mainly consisted of Mallard ducks and teals. During the period of monitoring in all 29 species of birds were marked. According to the survey data in this year a lot of wintering Anseriformes were noticed on the water bodies of Kashkadarya province. In the same period members of the student club ‘Ivolga (Oriole)’ at Bukhara State University carried out monitoring of birds on the Tudakul and Kuyimazar reservoirs and also at Kagan and Bukhara fish farms located in the Bukhara and Navoi provinces. Gathering of over 25 thousands of Mallard ducks, over one thousand Eurasian Coots and over two thousands of Red-crested Pochards were marked on the Kuyimazar reservoir. The participants of registration noticed the accumulations of Tufted ducks, Red-crested and Common Pochards, Eurasian Coots, Red-necked Grebes and other waterfowls on Tudakul reservoir.It once again proved the importance of these water bodies and the necessity of their including into the Ramsar List. In this year one more club – the student ornithological club ‘Ok layak (White Stork)’ recently founded at the initiative of the students of the Kokand Pedagogical Institute joined to the International Winter Registration of Water-Birds in Uzbekistan. Members and leaders of the new club carried out monitoring of waterfowls on the Sarikkamaish lake at the Fergana valley. Weather in the day of registration was cloudy and there were few birds on the lake surface. In this year there are few birds on the water bodies of the Fergana province. The participants of the registration saw such species of birds as Great and Pygmy Cormorants, Mallard ducks, Marsh and Hen Harriers and also Great Black- headed Gull, included into the Red List of Uzbekistan. Implemented registration gave the opportunity to identify how much has total numbers of water-birds changed in comparison with last years of monitoring. Such events with participation of specialists-ornithologists and students-biologists greatly contribute to the research of biodiversity as well as to the educational process of high educational institutions. Data received during the registrations will be sent to the coordinator of the international program ‘Wetlands International’ researching waterfowls all over the world.
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