Top competitive ornithologists selected at the tournaments held in Amur, Tomsk and Tyumen Oblasts

18 october 2021

Results of Tobolsk’s first-ever birding rally and of school tournaments held within the framework of the Eurasian Bird Count in three regions of SIBUR's presence have been announced to the public. These events took place over the first weekend of October as part of the Land of the Lapwing project conducted under SIBUR's Formula for Good Deeds social investment program.

It was a real delight to see such a great number of participants taking part in these ornithology tournaments. It is thanks to events like these that we get to see that interest in studying and conserving nature is really on the rise in our region and that formats such as this one are in great demand. Our congratulations to the winners! We will be happy to see them again taking part in other events of the Formula for Good Deeds’ projects! Elena Belskaya, Head of Department for Government Relations and Social and Economic Projects at ZapSibNeftekhim LLC, noted.

A total of 53 nature lovers representing 14 teams took part in the birding rally supported by Tyumen’s Regional Chapter of the Russian Geographical Society and by Birds and People, a non-profit partnership.

The competitors drove down a marked 140-km course around Tobolsk along which they searched for and photographed birds. Having completed their field assignment, they had to fill in checklists where they needed to indicate which species of birds featured in the photographs they had taken. All completed checklists and photos were submitted to a professional jury of ornithologists for review.

Along their route, the competitors were fortunate to spot many rare species of birds including a whole flock of whooper swans, a rough-legged buzzard, a white-tailed eagle, a tufted duck, a Northern shoveler, a grey-headed woodpecker, a chaffinch, a Eurasian blue tit. These encounters suggest that in the area around Tobolsk there is a great diversity of fauna species.

I've been into ornithology and bird photography for a long time, but this was the first time my family and I have taken part in a competitive ornithology tournament. Previously, we had not even been aware that such competitions existed at all! We were really excited to spot so many birds and to be able to complete the course in general, Olga Davidovich, captain of the Our Flock team, commented.

After reviewing the checklists and bird photographs submitted by the participants, a jury made up of professional ornithologists chose the contest’s winners and runners-up. The top prize was awarded to the team called Our Flock whose members had been able to photograph and correctly identify 26 species of birds! The second prize went to CAR72, a Tyumen-based team, whereas the third one was awarded to the Vogel Team. Our congratulations to the attentive photographer! All winners are entitled to memorable gifts and diplomas.

In the meantime, winners of school ornithology tournaments held within the framework of the Eurasian Bird Count were selected in Amur Oblast’s Svobodnensky District, as well as in Tomsk and Tyumen Oblasts.

In Svobodnensky District, the tournament’s top three places were awarded to Semyonovskaya School, Sychevskaya School, and Kostyukovskaya School, respectively. In Tomsk Oblast, the list of top performers included Kargasoksky District’s Staroyuginskaya School, Children's Ecological and Biological Center in Kolpashevo, and Tomsk’s Forest Sanatorium School. After tallying up the results of the tournament held in Tyumen Oblast, the top prizes went to School 14, Neimyshev School 16, and to Setovskaya School. Well done! The winning schools will be presented memorable prizes by the Land of the Lapwing project.

“We shan’t save all we should like to – but we shall save a great deal more than if we never tried.” This is the quote from Sir Peter Scott, founding chairman of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Our taking part in the Eurasian Bird Count is the least that we and our students can do to help ornithologists and ultimately help save nature. That's why we derive such a great pleasure out of taking part in campaigns like these, Natalia Shmal, a teacher at Tomsk Oblast’s Staroyuginskay School, noted.

Background information:

The Formula for Good Deeds, SIBUR's social investment program, was launched on February 1, 2016, in all key cities where the company operates. It is being implemented across six focus areas covering all essential social sector domains: urban development, education and science, sports and healthy living, environmental protection, culture, and volunteering. Further information about the program is available at www.formula-hd.ru.

The Land of the Lapwing is a comprehensive bird conservation project implemented on the grounds of ZapSibNeftekhim, SIBUR's largest petrochemical complex in Russia. The project has been under implementation since 2019 as part of the Environmental Protection focus area of the Formula for Good Deeds, SIBUR’s social investment program. Detailed information about the project is available at https://www.formula-hd.ru/projects/nature/chibisi/.