Headstarting is a collaborative effort between WWT, BirdsRussia and the RSPB, and occurs as part of the International Arctic Expedition mounted each year by BirdsRussia under the leadership of Dr. Evgeny Syroechkovskiy.

Our first grim discovery – 16 June 2011

16 June 2011

I felt sickened  today, to see one of the birds I had been watching dead, to know it had laid eggs in the same small gulley where I watched a pair together in the sun days before and saw the male on guard was rather sad.

Natural predators are a part of what happens, it has always been so. It is sobering when you lose such a precious bird but they have co-existed with them over time. A healthy population can cope with such losses a threatened one will find it a much bigger blow.

I rather hope it was a natural predation rather than something like dogs, it certainly looked like a surprised chance attack from the air but that is speculation and we have no proof to suggest for sure.

  1. Barbara Fletcher Reply

    So sad but don’t be down – just carry on with the viyal work you are doing. Good luck!
    Babs the birder.

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