There are more nesting small grebes in the Moscow region

An increase in the number of nesting small grebes was recorded in the Moscow region. Birds are listed in the Red Book of the region as a very rare, irregular breeding species outside the main range.

Ornithologists have been observing the birds since 2018. The generalized monitoring results were presented in the Moskovka magazine, the regional Ministry of Ecology and Nature Management reported.

According to experts, a few years ago, encounters with small toadstools were isolated and accidental. From 2018 to 2020, scientists were unable to systematize data on the presence of birds in the Moscow region, but now the situation has changed — they began to appear more often.

One of the key habitats of grebes was the Biserovsky fish farm with a system of feeding and rearing ponds on the Bolshaya Sester River. This is facilitated by favorable conditions — an abundance of food, a calm water surface and sufficient protection — have created an ideal environment for nesting small grebes.

Experts have estimated that 5 to 10 pairs of these rare birds nest in each reservoir of the fish farm and in the adjacent tracts, writes the online publication Podmoskovye Segodnya. This population density suggests that the number of the species may increase significantly in the coming years.