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Tomsk hosted its first ever birding rally in Tomsk with the support of SIBUR

29 september 2022

The first ever birding rally in Tomsk was held in September in the framework of the Territory of the Lapwing project implemented under SIBUR's Formula for Good Deeds social investment program with the assistance from Birds and People, a non-profit partnership, and Tomsk State University.

A birding rally is a team competition where participants are required to drive their cars along a certain route in the allotted timeframe, take pictures of and then correctly identify as many species of birds as possible.

A total of 57 participants, organized into 13 teams, appeared on the starting line of the rally race. All interested residents of Tomsk and the city’s guests could take part in the rally, as no special training was required! The length of the rally’s route was about 100 kilometers along public roads, accessible for any car.
 

We are pleased that the best practices of our Formula for Good Deeds social investment program are being successfully implemented in further regions. The first birding rally in Tomsk attracted as many bird fanciers as it did in Tobolsk where we have already held similar competitions on two occasions. It is particularly gratifying that birders from Moscow and Novosibirsk came specifically to attend our birding rally. We can observe that in all cities where SIBUR operates there are many supporters of active eco-leisure activities, and a community of like-minded people who care about their environment and impart these values to the younger generation is continuing to take shape, Elena Snezhko, manager, head of the Formula for Good Deeds social investment program, noted.

The rally’s route was specially laid out so that competitors could spot forest and meadow birds, waterfowl, and semiaquatic birds. The most likely bird sightings were marked on maps for those who are new to ornithology. A special tour of the biological station at Tomsk State University was given to all participants of the competition.

A birding rally is, first and foremost, an event focusing on environmental education and on promoting environmental responsibility. It is gratifying to see that a lot of children take part in the competition because it is important to start developing the habit of caring for the environment from an early age on. Thanks to the birding rally, its participants could go out to the countryside and visit local iconic places. Now they can visit these places on their own, knowing and understanding what's going on around them a lot better. Birds are the key to wildlife, opening up many patterns. Birds enrich everything humans experience in the outdoors. Everything can be seen in a different light through the world of birds, Sergey Gashkov, chair of the birding rally’s jury, Candidate of Sciences (Biol.), a department head at the Zoological Museum of Tomsk State University, noted.

All in all, the teams encountered and photographed 54 species of birds in the course of the competition. Their cameras’ lenses caught sight of a rustic bunting and a great grey shrike both of whom are listed in the Red Book of Russia. The first place was taken by the team of Woodpeckers who managed to photograph 47 species of birds. The second place went to the Fieldfare team, with the third place being shared by the teams of the City Hall of Birds and the Black Stork.

Russia is incredibly vast, with unique and interesting species of birds found in various geographical areas. There are birds found in Tomsk Oblast that cannot be spotted in central Russia. Bird photography is my hobby. And photo hunting in the form of a birding rally gives me the thrill of a competition, the excitement of a sports tournament. Our team has been participating in birding competitions for more than 10 years. When an opportunity presented itself to see and photograph new species of birds while also taking part in a birding rally, we didn’t hesitate for a second and bought tickets to fly to Tomsk, Mikhail Podsokhin, the captain of the Woodpeckers team who came to the birding rally all the way from Moscow, emphasized.

I've been fascinated by birds ever since high school. At first, I was a mere observer, but then I bought a camera and binoculars, and started photographing birds. I graduated from the Zoological Institute of Tomsk State University, and I'm about to enroll in a graduate school. I had participated in such events before, but I really liked this competition format. The route of the rally was well designed, there were useful competition materials made available to us, and, overall, the organization of the birding rally was top-notch! Anastasia Harain, captain of the Fieldfares team, noted.