Changes in Number and Distribution of Wintering Waterfowl Populations in the Kliningrad Region of Russia

Changes in numbers and distribution of wintering waterfowl populations in the Kaliningrad Region of Russia are analysed. Regular mid-winter surveys of wintering waterfowl in the region were carried out from 1989. About 13,000 wintering waterbirds were counted on inland wetlands and inshore marine waters of the region in mid-January 2000; the total estimated number of wintering waterfowl was over 50,000 individuals. In recent decades, wintering areas of certain waterfowl species in the Kaliningrad Region have shifted northwards and north-eastwards due to general climatic amelioration, frequent mild winters, and colonization of new man-made habitats.