birding...

Black-throated Thrush Turdus ruficollis atrogularis © Charlie Moores http://10000birds.com/

The Urals area of Russia consists of the Republics of Komi, Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Chuvashia, Mari El and Udmurtia and the 'oblasts' of Kirov, Perm, Novgorod, Ul'yanovsk, Sanara, Saratov, Orenburg, Chelyabinsk, Kurgan and Yekaterinburg.

The region is interesting because of its location: the Ural mountings represent a natural border between Europe and Asia. In such a way, the flora and fauna of the region is very rich and can have radical differences from one place to another. On the south of the Urals lays the steppe zone where it’s possible to see such birds as Steppe Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Demoiselle Crane and Little Bustard.

Along the Belaya-river remain large plots of old forests, and numerous populations of predatory birds, for example, Eagle Owl, breed here. Closer to the north, the steppe changes to mountain taiga. Fast-flowing rivers with stone bottoms, taiga forests, elfin woodlands and mountain tundra will meet you here. The highest site is 1894m up, and usual height at the Middle Ural is close to 800-1000m above sea level.

Dark coniferous forests dominate on the west mountain sides, and on the east side pine and cedar-pine are more common. More than 150 species of birds have been recorded here, and among them there are a lot of Siberian species, such as Red-flanked Bluetail, Black-throated Thrush and Pine Bunting. Up in the taiga forests and the tundra are Willow Grouse, Tundra Grouse, Common Dotterel and many others.