The article presents data from field studies of the fauna and bird population of mountainous areas of the Varangerfjord southern coast. This area has erspectives to be included in the boundaries of the projected “Voryema” Federal Reserve. We carried field studies during the 2019–2021 breeding period in the northwestern part of the Pechengsky district of the Murmansk region. In the course of the work, we surveyed mountainous areas from areas adjacent to the Voryema River valley to areas near the iinahamari settlement. The total length of survey routes was 81.8 km. Analysis of the received field materials shows that at least 53 bird species occur in the breeding season. Tundra and rocky areas are breeding sites for skuas, gulls, loons, and a number of sandpipers’ and ducks’ species. The combination of different habitats creates the possibility of the presence of four species of pipits on this territory at once. Therefore, this territory can be a good model for studying the effects of climate change on a number of closely related species living together. In general, the results of the study show that the surveyed territories of the mountainous areas of the Varangerfjord southern coast are promising for inclusion in the boundaries of the projected Voryema Federal Reserve. They have a characteristic bird population structure and serve as breeding grounds for a number of rare species (whooper swan, whooper, golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, kestrel, white-throated thrush).
Keywords: ornithofauna, Murmansk region, the projected Voryema Reserve
Article published in number 2 for 2024 DOI: 10.25750/1995-4301-2024-2-211-218
ISSN 1995-4301
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