8 Saker falcon chicks were delivered to Kamsko-Ustinsky district for adaptation in the wild
The Ministry of Ecology of Tatarstan has launched the third stage of a unique project for the return of Red Book birds.
A group of eight Saker falcon chicks has been delivered to the Kamsko-Ustinsky district of the Republic of Tatarstan today. Among them are two chicks born in Tatarstan for the first time in almost 50 years, and six chicks from the Sapsan nursery near Moscow.
The event was attended by Olga Manidicheva, Deputy Minister of Ecology of Tatarstan, Alexander Zhalyuk, Head of Ecology of Kazanorgsintez, Dmitry Shiller, Chairman of the regional Russian Geographical Society, Ildar Yenaleev, President of the Union of falconry enthusiasts “Russian Falcon”, Ian Murzakhanov, Director of the Volga-Kama Reserve, and Nail Vazikhov, Head of the Kamsko-Ustinsky District.
"The uniqueness of this stage is that for the first time in 50 years, two chicks appeared on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan. They were born in the Kazan Zoo from birds brought in last year. We can already declare that we are releasing our compatriots, our countrymen – two chicks from the Republic of Tatarstan – to continue this unique Volga-Kama population," Olga Manidicheva emphasized.
The chicks brought to Kamsko-Ustinsky district today are only 20-30 days old. Each chick was ringed and placed in an artificial nest. The falcons will be fed and watched, thanks to the installed video cameras. A little later, when the chicks grow up, the hake will be opened so that the birds can start to fly.
"The project would not have been possible if we had not worked together, and the combination is society, science, government and business. It is being implemented with the grant support of SIBUR, as well as with the support of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. It contributes to the achievement of the goals of the national project "Environmental well-being" initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin. This goal is to restore biodiversity, preserve nature and ecology," Manidicheva noted.
According to the Deputy minister, there are early signs of the project's success: "You have already heard from our experts that today we have heard the voice of an adult falcon in these parts, and this is not for nothing. So the bird has overwintered and returned."
Ildar Yenaleev, President of the Russian Falcon Union of Falconry Enthusiasts, praised the results of the program and called the Tatarstan project one of the best in Russia:
"The project is developing very successfully. I am well aware of how the project is going in other parts of the country – the Sverdlovsk Region, the Southern Urals, and Altai. But the Tatarstan project is more successful. Firstly, it is stable, developing in breadth and depth. Secondly, what is very important, this year two chicks are being produced in Kazan, they hatched and grew up to adolescence in the city."
The project is working on equipping birds with trackers to track their migrations. Alexander Zhalyuk said: "We are exploring the possibility of installing trackers on our chicks in order to see how the falcon returns to our region, what migration routes it has. We plan to implement it this year."
According to him, two versions of the devices are being considered: "The first is a domestic, unique Russian development, including using SIBUR plastic. They are lightweight. The second story is being worked out with colleagues from China."
The project is being implemented with the support of the Russian Geographical Society and the A. I. Shchepovskikh Foundation.
"The plans include scaling up the project and its additional relocation to the territory of the Volga-Kama Nature Reserve, where a saker falcon was spotted nesting about 40-50 years ago. We would like to restore the population. We are currently preparing a justification for the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment," said the director of the Volzhsko-Kama Reserve Yan Murzakhanov.
The project is being implemented with the grant support of SIBUR through the Formula of Good Deeds program.
Over the previous two years, 16 birds were released into the natural habitat in the Kamsko-Ustinsky district of the republic: ten falcons in 2023 and six in 2024.
Help: The Saker Falcon is a rare species listed in the Red Books of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Russia and Tatarstan. The last nesting of the species on the territory of the republic was recorded in 1974 on the territory of the Saralinsky section of the Volzhsko-Kama Reserve. The project is implemented in support of the national project "Ecological well-being" and contributes to the restoration of the region's biodiversity.