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It was founded on April 13, 1960, with the aim of preserving the untouched forests of the central Volga region. The total area of the reserve, taking into account the latest decree of the government of the Russian Federation of 2001, is 10 thousand hectares. Most of the territory is occupied by forests, about 100 hectares are reservoirs and another 100 hectares are meadows. One of the features Volga-Kama Reserve is its division into several sections - Saralovsky and Raifsky which are 100 km apart from each other. The reserve itself is located in Tatarstan in the Zelenodolsk and Laishevsky regions of the republic.
Relief protected area formed long before the glaciers. Raifa section Volga-Kama Reserve its relief is flat. Despite the changes in nature, interesting and beautiful Raifa lake, which feeds many small streams, as well as the largest of them - the river. Bag, r. Sopa and r. Ser Bulak. The soil cover is mainly sandy, sandy-podzolic, loamy-podzolic and loamy.
On the Saralovsky site, it is distinguished by a significant fluctuation in absolute heights, the soil cover is podzolic.
Climate Volga-Kama Reserve predominantly continental. average temperature for the year is 3 ° C; the temperature in winter fluctuates around -13 ° C, in summer - 20 ° C; precipitation is more than 500 mm.
AT Raifa section Since ancient times, there has been no deforestation, so the indigenous forest has been preserved here. More than 90% of the forest is pine, although the influence of three natural areas- deciduous forests, southern taiga and mixed forests. Linden, oak, birch, spruce, aspen, fir, and larch are also common here. Broad-leaved forests are represented by oak forest formations, mixed forests - lime forests with oak and spruce. Of great interest to researchers are birch-sphagnum bogs with marsh myrtle and rosemary growing on them, boletus and cinquefoil, duckweed and heather, salvinia and cranberry, single-leaved pulp and marsh sheikhceria.
Vegetable world Raifa section Volga-Kama Reserve has more than 500 species of vascular plants. Some of the rare plant species are calypso tuberous, pulp unifolia, chaff sedge, calloused schizahna. About 150 moss species have been registered, including 24 sphagnum mosses, 30 liver mosses and 104 brian mosses.
On its second site, it is a continuous forest cover, and most of the forest stand consists of pine and linden. The close presence to the steppe shows the presence of other types of forests in the Saralovsky area - lingonberry, cereal, blueberry, aspen and oak. Vegetable world Saralovsky section represented by Siberian bellflower, sleep-grass, purple goat, Sumy cornflower, intermediate couch grass, Marshall's wormwood, Polissya fescue, sandy astragalus, keleria bluish, etc. Feather grass, drooping gekalia and squat sedge are less common.
Very rich in animals. The fauna of the reserve is more than 80% of the inhabitants of Tatarstan. According to researchers, there are 6 species of insectivores in the reserve - an ordinary hedgehog, shrews, moles, shrews, small and common shrews; There are 9 species of bats: two-color leather, water, pond and mustachioed bats, giant evening bats, long-eared bats, Nathusius bat.
Of the rodents, flying squirrel and common squirrel, red-backed vole, garden dormouse, river beaver, wood mouse, wood mouse, hare and hare are represented. From predatory there are a bear, a wolf, a lynx, a forest ferret, an ermine, a roe deer, a hamster; common fox. tawny ground squirrel and elk, badger, weasel, raccoon dog, American mink and pine marten.
The world of birds, both nesting and migratory, is rich and diverse. The most widespread - black grouse, gray partridge, hazel grouse, quail, wood pigeon, turtle dove, stockhead, corncrake, gray heron, chauffeur, chernysh, woodcock, less often lapwing, capercaillie and gray crane. Of the migratory species, the morodunk, great snipe, oystercatcher, turukhtan, river and little terns, fifi, mallard, pintail, goldeneye, gray duck, wigeon, etc. have been registered. Volga-Kama Reserve you can see the Tawny Owl, the Rough-legged and Passerine Owl, the Brown Owl, the Scops Owl, the Greater Spotted Eagle, the Short-toed Eagle, the Imperial Eagle, the Golden Eagle, the Peregrine Falcon, the Black Kite, the Hobby, the Marsh and Meadow Harrier, etc.
Of the reptiles, 5 species were found, including spindle, agile and viviparous lizards, common vipers and copperheads.
Of the amphibians, according to recent studies, 10 species have been identified and studied. These are, for example, common and crested newts, common spadefoot, red-bellied toad, green and gray toads, as well as 4 types of frogs. From the ichthyofauna, you can catch roach, tench, ide, gudgeon, bream, silver bream, crucian carp, perch, pike, ruff, asp, sterlet, carp, etc.
Rightfully proud of his garden - Raifa Dendrological Garden. Which is represented by the American (47 species of trees and shrubs), European (65 species) and Asian (60 species) department. Total population trees and shrubs in the Raifa dendrological garden reaches 172.
The main direction of scientific research- the influence of the Kuibyshev reservoir on the Raifa forest.
Saralovskoye forestry (12 thousand hectares) was part of Laishevsky forestry and was located in the floodplains of the Volga and Kama rivers. After the formation of the Kuibyshev reservoir, the territory was reduced to about 4 thousand hectares, of which 3692 hectares were transferred to the reserve.
About intensive economic use of the entire Saralovsky forest in the past is evidenced by preserved semi-decayed oak stumps of large diameter, as well as plantings of pine and oak (there are pine plantations aged 100 years or more). Oak forests were cut down mainly for riveting, which was harvested here back in the 20-30s. With the formation of the Kuibyshev reservoir, the floodplain natural complex disappeared, and instead shallow waters, bays and channels were formed, where from the very first years wetland vegetation began to thrive and favorable conditions were created for fish and waterfowl.
Volzhsko-Kamsky Reserve is a biosphere reserve in Russia .
Volga-Kama State Natural biosphere reserve It was established on April 13, 1960 by the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR No. 510 in order to protect the preserved undisturbed forest and forest-steppe ecosystems of the middle Volga region.
The reserve consists of two sections - Saralovsky and Raifsky. These sites are separated from each other by 100 km. The Saralovsky site is located 50 km south of Kazan.
On the other side of it is a part of the Kuibyshev reservoir, with an area of 1.3 thousand hectares, in the place where the Volga, Kama and Mesha merge. Secured territory in accordance with the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan No. 407 dated June 21, 1995 is 15,000 ha.
The territory of the VKGPZ borders on the lands of seven agricultural enterprises, including a poultry farm, a fur farm, and a vegetable farm. Modern tasks scientific department the reserve consists in studying the natural course of processes in the natural complexes of the subzone of the southern taiga of the Middle Volga region; consequences of the introduction of exotic tree species; influence of the Kuibyshev reservoir and other anthropogenic factors on natural complexes reserve; in the development of measures for the conservation and restoration of the natural ecosystems of the reserve.
Plot Reserve It is located in the Pre-Kama region, the climate of which is characterized as temperate continental, with sharp fluctuations in temperature and uneven precipitation.
The frost-free period lasts an average of 128 days. An average of 552.1 mm of precipitation falls annually, mainly in the warm period (April-October) - 319.4 mm.
The average annual temperature is 3.1°, the average warm month(July) 23.8 °, the coldest (January) -19.3 °. The absolute minimum is -48° (in January 1979), the maximum is 36.2° (in July 1981). Average duration stable snow cover - 146-147 days, vegetation period - 162-175 days. Sunshine - about 2000 hours a year.
The territory of the reserve lies on the left-bank terraces of the Volga. Peculiarities of geology, relief and hydrographic network
In the relief of the Saralovsky area, there is a significant difference in absolute heights (50-140 m).
It is divided into two parts: the high terraces and part of the first terrace above the floodplain are included in the mainland, 10 islands are in the island. The shores of the reservoir, formed by ledges of the first (Wurm) and second (Ris) terraces above the floodplain, are now being rapidly destroyed by the Kuibyshev reservoir.
The mainland is composed mainly of sands and clays, under which brown-brown loams occur. The relief of the islands is dune-hilly. Individual dunes rise up to 20 m above the level of the reservoir. The floodplain of the Volga and Kama has turned into a shallow part of the Kuibyshev reservoir. Only manes in the floodplain rise 0.5-1 m above the water in the form of elongated low islands from several tens to hundreds of meters long. In changing the surface, the main role is now played by erosion-accumulation processes and soil subsidence under the action of groundwater. The growth of ravines and soil erosion proceed most intensively in the buffer zone.
AT reserve mainly soddy-podzolic soils, which, depending on the location in the relief, parent rocks, woody vegetation, under the influence of which they develop, have different degrees of podzolization (from cryptopodzolic to strongly podzolic), humus content (humus - from 0.5 to 5% ) and mechanical composition - from loose sands to loams.
Soils with excessive moisture are also common, and gray forest soils are rare.
In a relatively small area Volga-Kama Reserve forest, meadow, marsh and water landscapes coexist.
The types of vegetation in this section of the reserve are diverse, but forest dominates everywhere. In a small area, almost all the main types of forests of the Volga-Kama region are found. Here the formations of three forest zones of the European part of the USSR are combined - the southern taiga, mixed and broad-leaved forests.
The forests are dominated by pine (68% of the forest area), much less birch (13%), linden (11%), oak (5%) and spruce (3%). Some local plantings have been preserved in such a state that there are hardly equivalent places not only nearby, but also among the vast massifs of the Urals and Western Siberia.
The Saralovsky site is 91% covered with forests, of which 60% are pine and linden. Pine forests predominate in the coastal strip of the Saralovsky forestry. Sandy mounds are occupied by dry forests with lichen cover, there are no spruce forests, only occasional solitary spruce trees are found in the lowlands. The steppe vegetation is richer here, especially diverse along the edges of the forest: the slopes of Lysaya Gora are covered with thickets of steppe cherry and feather grass.
Broad-leaved oak and linden forests are characteristic of the northeastern part of the forest area. However, as a result of intensive logging at the end of the last and the beginning of this century, the most valuable oak plantations were replaced by linden and birch forests. Forest-forming species - pine, oak, linden; there are few taiga elements.
The Saralov forests no longer belong to the subzone of coniferous-deciduous forests, but to the forest-steppe. They contain more plants typical of the clarified forests of this zone, such as pinnate pinnate, northern bedstraw, etc. Lichen, lingonberry, lingonberry-moss, lingonberry-cereal with linden, blueberry-moss with aspen, and linden with aspen pine forests predominate here.
FLOWERING OF THE STEPPE CHERRY
Particularly interesting are the steppe pine forests on the terraces, where there are elements of the steppe flora: Siberian bellflower, purple goat, sleep-grass, Sumy cornflower, Marshall's wormwood, intermediate couch grass, Polissya fescue, cornflower head, sandy astragalus, gray keleria, spiked speedwell, and also rare species: feather grass, sedge squat, drooping hakelia.
In the Saralovsky forestry, original "grass" cereal pine forests are common, representing a transition from lingonberry-moss to complex lime pine forests. In the group of mixed forests, linden forests with oak and spruce are interesting, with a well-defined layering. In a very lush grass cover, there are usually a lot of goutweed and perennial woodland, medicinal lungwort, budra and ferns - male boletus, crepuscular boletus, female kochedyzhnik. There are also linden aspen forests with pine, oak forests with sedge and sedge with pine and sedge with snot.
The ground cover of the forests of the reserve combines elements of coniferous and broad-leaved forests. In the spruce forests there are oxalis, blueberries, gout and green mosses. In lichen pine forests, the soil is covered with a carpet fruticose lichens cladonia, in lingonberry pine forests there are a lot of lingonberries, flattened club moss, wintergreens, sleep-grass and lily of the valley bloom profusely in spring, a lot of strawberries and edible mushrooms. Blueberry-moss pine forests are characterized by blueberries, lingonberries, stone berries, round-leaved wintergreen, moliniya, hairy sorrel, two-leaved mullet, European seven-leafed, northern linnaea, etc .; hylocomium is common from green mosses. AT best conditions blueberry-moss pine forests are replaced by sour-moss with large-leaved mosses (mnium, pink rhodobrium) and rare plants coniferous forests of the Volga region: one-flowered large-flowered and tuberous calypso. In complex pine forests with a thick grass cover, goutweed, bramble and forest sedges dominate.
MOUTH OF THE RIVER MESH - KUIBYSHEV RESERVOIR
Fauna Volga-Kama Reserve characterized by a mixture of taiga, oak and steppe fauna with a clear predominance of northern forest species (Popov, 1969). There are 55 species of mammals from 17 families in the reserve. These are taiga species (hare, flying squirrel, red-backed vole, lynx, elk), species of deciduous forests ( hazel dormouse, yellow-throated mouse), steppe species (hare, reddish ground squirrel, field mouse, steppe polecat). Just as in the vegetation, the Raifa site has more taiga elements of the fauna, while the Saralovsky site has more forest-steppe elements.
VIEW OF THE RESERVE FROM THE SIDE OF THE KAMSKY STATE - THE RIGHT BANK OF THE VOLGA
Of the insectivores, the hedgehog, the mole, and the common shrew are common in both areas. The hedgehog appears in the spring, in late April - early May, even at the end of March, often feeding on the outskirts settlements, at forest cordons; sometimes up to 12 hedgehogs gather at the same time. In forest ecosystems, the role of moles is very significant (Voronov, 1958), especially in the formation of the soil cover and the regulation of the abundance of soil invertebrates. Wormholes serve as migration routes and shelters for small vertebrates and invertebrates. The common shrew is found in all forest types, but is very numerous in broad-leaved ones.
RACCOON DOG
Characteristic for the reserve are both types of hares - hare and hare. The white hare almost does not go beyond the boundaries of the forest, the hare is an inhabitant of fields, meadows, usually does not go deep into the forest far from the edges. The number of rabbits varies significantly. In 1983-1984 there were 50-150 hares of both species in the reserve.
Of the carnivores, foxes are the most common. They prey mainly on mouse-like rodents, hares, birds, sometimes May chafers and large night butterflies, eat lily of the valley berries, and collect “emissions” along the shore of the reservoir. Wolves and raccoon dogs are rare in the reserve. Raccoon dogs released in 1934 for the purpose of acclimatization in Tataria are more numerous in the Saralovsky area, where the banks and channels of the reservoir provide them with more favorable living conditions. Wolves lived in the Saralovsky forests back in the 50s. But now they only enter the territory of the reserve almost every year and most often in winter.
Badgers are the largest of the mustelids and are common in the reserve. They are the only mustelids that fall into hibernation. The first digs of badgers on the thawed areas appear along the northern roadsides of the clearings at the end of April. Their food is varied - from earthworms and beetle larvae to small mammals. Especially willingly and a lot they eat dung beetles and May beetles. In spring, badgers catch numerous frogs and spadefoots. American minks are not uncommon, especially in the Saralovsky area. For 50 years, these animals have mastered the entire territory of Tatarstan, displacing native European minks. Weasels are constantly found, more often along the edges of the forest. These small predators are able to overcome even yellow-throated mice, and voles are hunted right in their burrows. Stoats are rare in the entire reserve - only 3-5 animals, in some years they are completely absent. The lynx is very rare - the only feline in the reserve. Lynxes are usually seen in summer, no more than 1-2 times a year. The permanent habitats of bears in Tataria are unknown.
GOLDEN bee-eater
There are 195 species in the reserve's list of birds, of which 176 are found in the Raifa area, 153 in the Saralovsky area. It is on birds that you can see the mixture of taiga faunas (wood grouse, hazel grouse, upland owl, long-tailed owl, deaf cuckoo, three-toed woodpecker, song thrush, bullfinch, nutcracker, etc.), broad-leaved forests (glutukh, green and white-backed woodpeckers, blackbird , white-necked flycatcher, etc.), steppes (quail, gray partridge, common kestrel, field harrier, roller roll, hoopoe, field lark, meadow chaser, wheatear), including meadow Asian species (dubrovnik oatmeal).
AT reserve there are 9 species of birds listed in the Red Books of the USSR and the RSFSR - white-tailed eagle, golden eagle, imperial eagle, short-toed eagle, osprey, peregrine falcon, saker falcon, black stork, black-headed gull. In 1984, a feeding stork was first seen on Saralovskoye, but the nest was not found. Every year, more than a dozen white-tailed eagles keep in this area (in the summer of 1981, 12 eagles fed at the same time). Some eagles stay for the winter, feeding most often on the landfill of the neighboring poultry farm. Whitetails nested in different years in 12 locations.
In the Saralovsky area, the golden eagle nested in the early 50s. And the osprey in the Saralovsky area - in 1971, 1979, 1981 and 1983.
In the floodplain of the Volga and Kama, before the formation of the reservoir, the osprey accounted for 2.4% of birds of prey, and near the banks of the reservoir in the 60s, already 4.4%.
The saker falcon nested in the Saralovsky area until 1971 and was recorded there in 1982 and 1983. The black-headed gull flew to the Kuibyshev reservoir in 1975.
Small passerines are the background group of birds of the reserve. In different types of forests, these are the chaffinch, the forest pipit, the common bunting, the willow warbler, the starling, the white-throated flycatcher, the lentil, the black-headed warbler, the mocking, the rattle warbler, the nightingale. In the main forest types, each of these species makes up more than 5% during the nesting period. Of the non-passerine birds, this group includes the common dove.
Before flooding of the Volga and Kama floodplains by the Kuibyshev Reservoir, Dubrovnik bunting (27%), yellow and yellow-headed wagtails (16%), meadow chasing (9.2%), common bunting (7.4%), badger warbler (6 .9%), lentils (5.9%).
After the formation of the reservoir, the chaffinch, the forest pipit, the common bunting, in some years the common redstart, the brown-headed tit, the willow warbler, as well as the oriole, the gray flycatcher, the green warbler, and the mockingbird began to predominate. On Ornithological Island, which is the remains of a cape between the Volga and Kama, in the forested areas, the background species are the chaffinch, starling, hooded crow, common bunting, and sometimes magpie, finches, field sparrow, field thrush, great tit. In the drying shallow waters of the reservoir, 29 species of birds nest, among which the skylark, yellow wagtail, reed bunting, hooded crow, badger warbler, light-winged tern, mallard, teal gadfly, lapwing, common tern, black tern, black-tailed godwit, marshmallow, lake gull. There are more aquatic, semi-aquatic and diurnal birds of prey, as well as migrants, on the Saralovsky site.
Of the passerine birds, the wren is considered rare for Tataria. Sometimes the nutcracker appears in the reserve in August (it feeds on fillies and grasshoppers), which disappears in November-January. In 1972, the Thrush warbler nested for the first time in the Saralovsky area, and in 1977, 2-3 pairs already nested there.
There are 6 species in the herpetofauna of the reserve - spindleworm, agile and viviparous lizards, common snake, copperhead and common viper. Most mass view reptiles - an ordinary snake, found in various biotopes: from the shores of reservoirs to settlements, where it can do without reservoirs, since near human habitation it finds suitable conditions for feeding, breeding and wintering. Heaps of manure and rotting garbage serve as excellent incubators, ensuring the development of embryos in eggs, even in cold and rainy summer, and snakes hibernate in buildings. Sometimes snakes die en masse on the roads during migrations to wintering grounds. They feed mainly on moor frogs and spadefoots. The period of activity of snakes almost coincides with the period of activity of these amphibians, averaging; 124 days, which is close to the number of frost-free days.
In the Saralovsky area, especially on the islands, vipers are still quite common, although not numerous. After the floodplain was flooded by the reservoir, the number of rodents decreased, and vipers began to destroy the nests of low-lying and ground-nesting birds (garden warbler, marsh warbler, eastern nightingale).
All 10 species of amphibians of Tataria live in both parts of the reserve. These are common and crested newts, red-bellied toad, common spadefoot, gray and green toads, lake, pond, grass and moor frogs. Of these, lake and pond frogs and spadefoot are background on the Saralovsky site; moor and pond frogs. The green toad and common frog are rare everywhere, and in Saralovskoye the common toad is rare.
The common toad is rare in the Saralovsky area, which is less common than the green toad. Common frog is rare at both sites. All these amphibians are found singly and not every year. Due to the fact that in Tatarstan and in the entire southern half of the Volga-Kama region, the common toad - rare view and practically disappears as the area of old forests decreases and the general drying up of the territory,
There are 30 species of fish in the ichthyofauna of the reserve (28 in the Saralovsky area, 14 in the Raifsky area). Of the sturgeons in the waters of the Saralovsky area, only the sterlet has survived. Tyulka, peled and smelt appeared after the formation of the Volga reservoirs. There are fewer pike in the reservoir. Also in the reservoir - catfish, pike perch and bersh. Perch and ruff are found in both sites. carp fish(9 species in the reservoirs of Raifa and 17 species in the reservoir) make up 78-87%, of which more than 66% are roach, silver bream and sabrefish.
In the 1950s and 1970s, V.A. Popov is the organizer of the country's first department of nature protection at Kazan University, one of the initiators and active creators of the Volga-Kama Reserve. His works are devoted to the fauna and ecology of terrestrial vertebrates of the reserve.
In the Saralovsky area, zoological studies began in 1946. The ecology of the raccoon dog, bank and red-backed voles, badger, and the influence of the Kuibyshev reservoir on the formation of coastal biogeocenoses were studied.
It has been established that plant communities in the shallow waters of the Kuibyshev Reservoir go through three stages: the dominance of free-floating plants (duckweed lesser, salvinia, polyrhizome); violent development of air-water and submerged species (broad-leaved and narrow-leaved cattail, pondweeds); displacement of broad-leaved aquatic forbs by narrow-leaved ones.
Forestry research began in the 1940s. Since 1932, after the transfer of the Volga Forest Engineering Institute to the city of Yoshkar-Ola, Mari ASSR,
The relief, hydrology and landscapes of the reserve were studied. Scientific research in the reserve is also carried out by the Department of Nature Protection of Kazan University. The main and obligatory in the reserve is the maintenance of the "Chronicle of Nature". The first book of the "Chronicles of Nature" included materials from 1960-1963, in subsequent ones - for individual years. A total of 22 books "Chronicles of Nature" have been prepared.
The modern tasks of the scientific department of the reserve are to study the natural course of processes in the natural complexes of the southern taiga subzone of the Middle Volga region; consequences of the introduction of exotic tree species; the influence of the Kuibyshev reservoir and other anthropogenic factors on the natural complexes of the reserve; in the development of measures for the conservation and restoration of the natural ecosystems of the reserve. Comprehensive research covers geomorphology, hydrology, soil science, floristry, geobotany, forest science, all sections of zoology and ecology. About 200 permanent test plots, permanent observation points for the height of the snow cover, 40 permanent profiles for monitoring the destruction of the banks of the reservoir, permanent counting routes for animals, black grouse and waterfowl have been established. A meteorological station has been operating since 1975.
SARALOV SECTION
The main bird of the reserve
Everything is still covered with snow: the endless expanse of the reservoir, and the channels, and the forest. Only the day became longer and the sun shone brighter from a cloudless blue sky. You hardly feel spring yet, but in the morning, despite the frost, you can already hear the drumming of woodpeckers in the forest. Crows in the sky with a spring cry make deft pirouettes, and from somewhere above, from the boundless blue, the scream of eagles is heard. So spring comes to the reserve.
From time immemorial, the wide floodplains of two great rivers with many lakes, channels and swamps, with huge black-tailed eagles along the banks, have been home to many generations of white-tailed eagles, as well as to other near-water birds and animals. But with the construction of the Kuibyshev reservoir, all this turned out to be under water. The fate of the animals that inhabited the flooded floodplains developed differently. Some species, like the muskrat, have completely disappeared, others have more or less adapted.
White-tailed eagles are lucky. With the organization of the Volga-Kama Reserve in 1960, they had a small, only 4,000 hectares, forest area where they could live and raise offspring in complete safety.
The white-tailed eagle is the largest raptor in Tatarstan. Powerful wings in a span of about 2.5 meters allow him to soar in the air for hours. He looks a little heavy. The color of the plumage is rather dull, dirty brown. The head of old birds is whitish, very light with a large, also light beak. No wonder the white-tailed eagle is the closest relative of the American bald eagle. The wedge-shaped tail of adult birds is bright white. The weight of the eagles reaches 5 - 6 kg. Here are the main "passport" data of this wonderful bird.
This is not surprising. Eagles build nests in very large old trees. Usually these are pines, aspens and poplars. The nest itself, 1.5 meters in diameter and up to 1 m in height, is located in a fork of thick knots at the top of a tree. Birds annually complete its construction and often have 1-2 more non-residential nests in stock. It is interesting that lodgers - field sparrows - settle in the thickness of the nests. At the very beginning of April, the female lays two small white eggs, and after a month of joint incubation, two white fluffy chicks are born. Often only one hatches. In July, the young begin to fly.
There are now 7 residential nests in the Saralovsky forestry of the reserve.
Nests are located at a distance of 1.5-3 km from each other. This is a very high density. Young eagles have to choose a place for a nest already in an unprotected area. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. It is difficult to find large trees near the shore, and there are a lot of vacationers near the water in summer. So there are few quiet places on the coast. So white-tails have to build a nest far from the water and fly for food for many kilometers. This happened in the Raifa forestry, where the eagles built a nest, and fly to feed on the Volga, to Sviyazhsk.
The eagles are especially fond of the channels of reservoirs, sometimes you can see more than a dozen birds in the sky at the same time. Once in shallow water during fish spawning we counted 28 whitetails. It is difficult to say whether the number of eagles is growing or, on the contrary, decreasing. Serious work on the study of white-tailed eagles has not been carried out in Tatarstan for a long time.
Orderlies of the forest - wolves
By the 60s of the last century, the number of wolves in the country had sharply decreased everywhere. The ideas of nature conservation became more and more popular. In scientific circles, the question arose: how bad is the wolf in the wild. The concept of nurse wolves was born, removing only sick and old animals. Television and newspapers helped this idea to take root deeply among the people.
Restrictions on hunting generally led to a weakening of the hunt for the wolf. It didn't take long to show up. In the 70s, during the years of the highest "fashion" for fighting in defense of the wolf, an unexpected explosion in the number of these animals occurred. They have again become common in densely populated areas of the country. How strong were the ideas of the usefulness of the wolf among the people, is evidenced by the fact that in our republic people seriously believed that in their area wolves were released into the forest.
But let's get closer to our wolves. Wolves have not been seen in the Raifa Forest for a long time. But in the Saralovsky section of the reserve after prolonged absence they are back. A pair of wolves spent the whole winter in the Saralovsky forest, but in the spring the male died. AT next year the female found herself a new friend, and they raised two wolf cubs.
The appearance of wolves in the reserve is very welcome. Any hunting in our reserves is prohibited by law, and the wild boars that appeared in the 80s of the last century live by their own laws. They literally plow up the entire reserve, changing the living conditions for many plants, destroy anthills, do not disdain either dead fish or snakes. They were out of control for many years. The wolf, as a predator, is simply necessary in the reserve.
(Evgeny Prokhorov, head of environmental education department)
Nurse of the forest dwellers
Spruce seeds, which are in cones, are very nutritious and serve as excellent food for many animals and birds. Some of them simply cannot exist without spruce.
Spruce crossbill.
Even the name of this bird speaks of their inseparable connection. In harvest years in spruce forests in winter you can hear his simple song. And no wonder. Thanks to the abundance of cones, it is in the cold winter months able to incubate offspring and feed their chicks with spruce seeds.
The very appearance of the crossbill is somewhat awkward. The edges of the beak, crossing, go beyond each other. In addition to peeling fir cones, such a beak is no longer adapted to anything. So the crossbill has to drop a lot of cones on the ground untouched, where in summer months he looks for them among the moss under the firs, waiting for a new harvest.
Some of the cones that have fallen to the ground are found by voles. For them, spruce seeds are also a long-awaited delicacy.
The squirrel also feeds mainly on spruce seeds in winter. It is not difficult for her to climb to her top for cones. On the ground, under the crown of old fir trees, on which the squirrel fed, scales of gnawed cones are scattered like small coins.
At first glance, it may seem that squirrel crossbills are food competitors. But in nature, not everything is so simple. By dropping untouched cones down, crossbills also provide food for squirrels for a long period. Squirrels hunt for cones on the ground and eat their seeds.
The great spotted woodpecker, the most numerous of our woodpeckers, is also a big fan of spruce seeds. Every now and then a black and white silhouette of a woodpecker flickers, flying from the top of a spruce to a gnarled tree. Here, having fixed a bump in the crevice of a knot, the woodpecker crushes it with its strong beak, extracting tasty and nutritious seeds. Having chosen a comfortable tree, the woodpecker drags cones to it for a long time. Far in the frosty air, the steady sound of a woodpecker is heard. No wonder people call this place the woodpecker's forge. In spring, a whole bunch of crushed cones gather on the ground near the trunk ...
The cones that remained on the trees open up in the spring under the rays of the sun and the seeds, spinning, fall on the still lying snow. Here immediately begins a feast for small birds. Gaiters, crested tits, siskins and tap dances search for seeds, covering the surface of the snow with intricate laces of their footprints. Voles and shrews also collect seeds from the snow cover - scientists have noted about 40 species of birds that eat spruce seeds ...
(Evgeny Prokhorov, Head of the Environmental Education Department of the Volga-Kama
state reserve).
About boars
A meeting in the forest with a wild boar, even for a person not from a timid one, causes unpleasant sensations when the gaze stops at a tightly built body, weighing up to 350 kilograms, reaching a height at the shoulders of one meter, and a length of up to two meters. Rigid bristles on the ridge, standing on end, ten-centimeter trihedral fangs curved and wrapped upwards, and small slanting prickly eyes complete the formidable appearance of this "barmaley".
The boar does not tolerate being annoyed, and quickly goes on the offensive. Wounded, he is dangerous even for an experienced hunter. The boar attacks with incredible speed. In such situations, the main thing is not to lose composure, to give him the opportunity to come up to a close distance, and then quickly jump to the side - there is a chance that the boar will run past, since he is not dexterous enough to turn sharply.
The author of these lines had to make a similar maneuver while hunting for wild boars. As I remember now: the dogs stopped a rather large billhook. After the shot, the shaggy carcass fell down like a mowed down. Satisfied, the hunter slung his gun over his shoulder and moved towards the fallen beast, drawing a knife as he went to slit his throat. And suddenly the billhook quickly rises and briskly runs at the hunter. Having torn off the gun from his shoulder, the hunter jumped aside and fired a fatal shot at point-blank range for the boar.
The portrait of our hero would not be complete without mentioning that this aggressive monster is also a polygamist. The harems of the most "cool" bulls have up to eight concubines.
If before the beginning of the 70s there was no wild boar in Tataria, then today it already lives in Udmurtia, Kirov, Vologda, Arkhangelsk regions, in the Komi Republic. What is the reason for such a rapid and successful expansion of territories that were previously unsuitable and suddenly became suitable for a wild boar? It is believed that the main factor limiting its expansion to the north is the height of the snow cover. Well, in the last thirty years, the snow has become less or the legs of the boar have lengthened? No, most likely our Agriculture More precisely, the increasing number of “uncompressed strips” providing additional food everywhere encourages growing wild boar populations to expand their range.
The Volzhsko-Kamsky nature reserve liked the wild boar, since the crops of agricultural crops almost completely encircle its territory.
And the abundance of oak forests, hay meadows, river valleys, swamps offer him to diversify the “menu”. In the period of deep snow, the wild boar finds favorable habitats in the dense undergrowth of spruce, which occupies a quarter of its area in the Raifa section of the reserve. Here the depth of the snow cover is much less than in other parts of the forest. In addition, the wild boar is practically not disturbed in the reserve. Although this beast is not one of the timid, frequent meetings with a person do not add to his comfort.
How many wild boars can be found in the protected Saralin forests? Until 1972 - not a single one, in 1980-81. - up to thirty animals, and in 1984 - already more than two hundred. Later, the number of wild boars began to decline steadily and in 1994 fell to forty individuals. For recent years the wild boar population is relatively stable and varies within 40-50 animals.
In nature, there is a pattern called the acclimatization effect. It consists in the following: the newcomer occupies a free ecological niche - in the usual language, a free apartment with a plentiful table. Under such favorable conditions of existence, at first there is an increase in the number of new settlers. But after some time, the apartment becomes cramped, and the table is poor. And part of the settlers, in our case, wild boars, with numerous offspring that they managed to acquire (the female brings up to twelve piglets a year) is forced to either go in search of new habitats, or fight for a place under the sun in the old place.
But the law of nature is harsh - the strongest survive. So, ladies and gentlemen, be careful if you decide to cross the border of the reserve - only the strongest wild boars live here.
(Yuri Gorshkov, director of the Volga-Kama Reserve)
Volga-Kama State Reserve
Organized in 1960 Currently square Reserve 8034 hectares, including 7079 hectares forested, 58 hectares occupied by meadows and 62 hectares - reservoirs. It consists of two separate sections - Raifsky and Saralovsky, located at a distance of about 100 km from each other.
Raifa section situated in the Zelenodolsky district of Tatarstan, 25 km west of Kazan; Saralovsky - in the Laishevsky district of Tatarstan, 60 km south of Kazan, on the left bank of the Volga.
The formation of the relief and hydrological network of the reserve is connected with the history of the development of the Volga and Kama valleys, which arose long before the Ice Age on the Russian Plain. Relief The Raifa massif (height 62-105 m above sea level) is mostly flat, with a well-defined ravine-beam network. The most beautiful Raifskoe lake, into which the Sumka river flows, has been preserved, there are other, smaller forest lakes - Rotten, Dolgoe, Ilantovo, Linevo, as well as the Sopa and Ser-Bulak rivers. There is a process of siltation and shallowing of lakes and rivers. The soils of the Raifa area are quite diverse: sandy, sandy loamy podzolic, sandy loamy podzolic, loamy. The area is dominated by sandy soils of varying degrees of podzolization, formed on the Wurm deposits. The slopes of the upper terrace are composed of sandy loams and loams of rice age.
The relief of the Saralovsky site is characterized by a significant fluctuation in absolute heights - from 50 to 140 m, the soils are strongly podzolic.
Climate reserve atlantic-continental forest area. The average annual temperature is 2.5°C; the average temperature in January is 13°C, in July 19.1°C; annual rainfall is 506 mm. The snow cover in the forest lasts for about 200 days, reaching a thickness of 72 cm. The prevailing winds are south and west.
In the Raifa area from the 16th century there were no final fellings, so the primary forest with typical flora and fauna has been preserved here.
The nature vegetation The site belongs to the subzone of mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, but biocenoses of three natural zones are combined here: the southern taiga, mixed and broad-leaved forests. About 87% of the area is covered with forest, dominated by pine. Other forest-forming species are oak, linden, spruce, birch, aspen; in a small amount there are fir and larch. The main types of forests are sedge oak forests, maple-linden spit and nettle-spit forests, spruce-proles lime forest, oxalis spruce forest with linden, scops pine forests with linden, linden, lingonberry, blueberry, marsh. The formation of pine forests is represented by all the main groups of associations - from dry lichen forests to swampy sphagnum forests; it is possible to observe all stages of spruce entry under the pine canopy. The southern border of the distribution of spruce and fir in the European part of Russia passes along the Raifsky site; and the oak grows here almost on the northern border of its range. Mixed forests are represented by linden forests with oak and wormwood forests with oak and spruce, which characterize the contact zone between spruce and oak. Birch-cotton grass-sphagnum bogs with wild rosemary, marsh myrtle, podbel, cinquefoil, shift, duckweed, salvinia, heather, cranberry, marsh sheikhzeria, single-leaved pulp, sedges, etc. are interesting. The flora of Raifa includes about 570 species of vascular plants. Rare species - single-leaved pulp, calypso tuberous, chaff sedge, tangled and two-seeded, callused sedge. 160 species of mosses have been registered, including 32 species of hepatic, 24 sphagnum and 104 species of briaceae.
Saralovsky section 91% is covered with forest, 60% of the forest stand is pine and linden. Once upon a time, spruce-fir forests grew here, as evidenced by strongly podzolic soils. The forests adjoin the forest-steppe and are represented by lichen, lingonberry, moss, grass pine forests with linden, bilberry, linden with aspen, snot-sedge oak forests with pine and other types of forest. The most interesting are steppe pine woodlands on sandy hills and ledges of terraces, where steppe elements penetrate: Siberian bluebell, purple goat, sleep-grass, Sumy cornflower, Marshall's wormwood, intermediate couch grass, Polissian fescue, cornflower head, sandy astragalus, gray keleria, spiked speedwell and others. Of the rare species, there are pinnate feather grass, squat sedge, and drooping hakelia. A total of 500 species of vascular plants have been registered. The species composition of aquatic vegetation is rather poor. Wide-leaved cattail, bur-reed, reed, duckweed, multi-root, salvinia, etc. are common.
In the flora of the reserve there are 80% orchids, 60% sedges and 8 wintergreen species typical for the European part of Russia; 40% of the flora are taiga elements, 34% are nemoral. 51 species of trees and shrubs were noted, including 43 species of local flora and 8 species that settled from the Raifa dendrological garden.
Fauna The reserve is rich, 80% of the animals found in Tataria live here. 6 species of insectivores were noted, including the common hedgehog, mole, shrews - shrews, common and small shrews; 9 species of bats: pond, water, Natterer and mustachioed bats, long-eared bat, red and giant evening bats, Nathusius bat, two-color leather (widespread). The fauna of rodents includes 21 species, including flying squirrel and common squirrel, river beaver (reacclimatized), garden and forest dormouse, wood mouse, wood and yellow-throated mice, red-backed vole, etc .; hare hare and hare. Occasionally there are a wolf, a bear, a lynx, an ermine, a forest polecat, a roe deer, a reddish ground squirrel, a hamster; fox and elk are common; badger, raccoon dog, weasel, American mink, pine marten are quite numerous.
Numerous birds: black grouse, hazel grouse, gray partridge, quail, turtle dove, wood pigeon, stock dove, blue dove, corncrake, chauffeur; common gray heron; shorebirds include black waders, ferry waders, woodcocks, snipes, less often lapwings and small plovers; there is a capercaillie and a gray crane. On migration, the morodunka, oystercatcher, great snipe, turukhtan, fifi, river and little terns, mallard, teal, whistle and cracker, pintail, gray duck, goldeneye, wigeon, red-headed pochard, etc. are noted. pygmy owls, scops scops owls, among predators - the greater spotted eagle, serpent eagle, golden eagle, imperial eagle, white-tailed eagle, peregrine falcon, hobby falcon, black kite, marsh and meadow harrier, etc. Eared and marsh owls, eagle owl are not uncommon.
herpetofauna It is represented by 5 species of reptiles: spindle, quick and viviparous lizards, copperhead, common viper. Amphibians 10 species: common and crested newts, red-bellied toad, common spadefoot, gray and green toads, 4 species of frogs. Of the fish, roach, ide, tench, minnow, silver bream, bream, crucian carp, pike, perch, ruff, sterlet, asp, sabrefish, carp, pike perch, etc.
The value of the reserve is the Raifa Dendrological Garden, represented by the American (47 species of trees and shrubs), European (65 species) and Asian (60 species) divisions. There are 172 species of trees and shrubs in the garden.
Scientific profile of the reserve- study of the dynamics of the processes of the main elements of the natural complex of the Raifa forest area, as well as the Saralovsky site, which is under the influence of the Kuibyshev reservoir.
| In chapter " Reserves of Russia"You can familiarize yourself with the descriptions of the following reserves: Altai State Reserve, Astrakhan State Reserve, Baikal State Reserve, Barguzinsky State Reserve, Bashkir State Reserve, Bolshekhekhtsirsky State Reserve, Visimsky State Reserve, Volzhsko-Kamsky State Reserve, Voronezh State Reserve, State Reserve" Galichya mountain ", |
The Volga-Kama State Natural Biosphere Reserve was established on April 13, 1960. In 2005, by decision of UNESCO, the Volga-Kama Reserve was given the status of a biosphere reserve, and the Raifsky and Saralinsky sites received UNESCO reserve certificates. In 2007, Spassky and Sviyazhsky state nature reserves of a complex profile of regional significance were included in the Bolshoi Volga-Kamsky Biosphere Reserve.
Unlike reserves, whose main task is to preserve natural heritage, as well as typical and unique ecosystems, biosphere territories should ensure the development of harmonious relations between modern society and its environment. In other words, the reserve has three main functions: the preservation of the natural heritage, the promotion of sustainable socio-economic development, and the control of the balance between the first two functions. On the territory of the reserve management there is a small hotel for 11 people, so anyone can not only visit the reserve, but also live in it. Also, training seminars for adults and children are regularly held here, where they are taught to take care of the world around them.
The white-tailed eagle, a species listed in the International Red Book, has become the symbol of the Volga-Kama State Natural Biosphere Reserve. The main range of these birds in the reserve is the Saralin area. Eight to nine pairs of this bird of prey. The park has a special place for watching eagles, from which you can also admire the flights of gulls, terns, kites and many other birds. If you're lucky, you can watch elk swimming across the channel, wild boars, see beavers and even a raccoon dog. Any visitor to the reserve can look at the animals, the main thing is to coordinate this with the administration in advance.
In total, more than 50 species of animals, 230 species of birds, six species of reptiles, 11 species of amphibians, 41 species of fish and several thousand species of invertebrates live in the reserve. Many of them are listed in the Red Books of the Republic of Tatarstan and Russian Federation. The Red Book of Russia included the giant evening, black-throated loon, osprey, imperial eagle, golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, saker falcon, peregrine falcon, oystercatcher, curlew, black-headed gull, small tern, eagle owl, gray shrike, white tit, odorous beauty, common hermit, carpenter bee, mnemosyne, common apollo.
An arboretum, founded in 1921, is also located on the territory of the Volga-Kama Reserve. Later, a collection site was created on its territory, where unique plants were brought, with an area of 3.5 hectares. Each plant was placed in the section corresponding to its geographical origin - "America", "Europe", "Asia". Subsequently, the arboretum greatly increased in size and became part of the reserve, but retained these unique sections. The modern collection of the arboretum includes more than 500 species and varieties of woody plants and is the largest in the Volga region.
In total, there are more than 600 species of algae, 207 species of mosses, four species of club moss, six species of horsetail, 16 species of ferns, five species of conifers and more than 800 species of flowering plants on the territory of the reserve. Many species are rare and endangered in the region. 19 species of bryophytes and 93 species of vascular plants are listed in the Red Data Book of the Republic of Tatarstan. Species such as red pollenhead, Traunsteiner's fingernail, neottianta klobuchkovy, feather grass are in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
Also in the Volga-Kama Reserve there are about 700 species of mushrooms, of which 38 are listed in the Red Book of the Republic of Tatarstan and four in the Red Book of the Russian Federation (spherical sarcosoma, lacquered tinder fungus, curly gryfola, branched tinder fungus). A wide variety of mushrooms is an indicator of the age of protected forests. At the same time, as scientists believe, due to the large species diversity, the number certain types in the reserve is relatively low. Another indicator of the age of these forests, as well as the fact that people have hardly interfered in their life, is that Lobaria pulmonaria grows here. This type of lichen is in the Red Book of the Russian Federation.
The Volga-Kama State Natural Biosphere Reserve is located in the village of Sadovy, Zelenodolsky District, Republic of Tatarstan. You can get to it by car. To do this, you need to drive through the Gorkovskoye highway along the A295 highway until the turn to Raifa, and then through the forest area of the reserve to the village of Sadovy. You can also get here by public transport from Kazan. Two bus routes run from the Kazan-2 station: No. 522 Kazan - Kulbashi and No. 544 Kazan - Bishnya. You need to get off at the stop "Sadovy Settlement".
