Protective shelters and signboards In Novaraistis
06-05-2021
The project staff brought protective shelters for chicks and signboards in Novaraistis. These protective measures will be distributed in all project sites before the breeding season starts. Caspian gulls and Northern lapwings already breed, soon the Black-headed gulls and Common terns will settle the territory.
Novaraistis is an exploited and partly flooded peatbog overgrown with aquatic vegetation and several islands. The State ornithological reserve was established in 1988. Novaraistis SPA was designated in 2004 by the Decree of the Lithuanian Government for protection of the Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) and migrating Common Crane (Grus grus). The peat extraction company was the principal user of the bog. After the end of the exploitation of peat resources in 1979, the supervision of the area was delegated to the Šakiai State Forest Enterprise. A half of the area was flooded with water for prevention of peat fires.
The area is overgrown with young trees and shrubs that represent good breeding and feeding ground for elks, deer, wild boars and hares. In the area 2 species included into the Annexes of the EU Habitats Directive are registered: a few wolf Canis lupus families live in the peatland and surrounding forests as well as beavers Castor fiber are regulating water level in the area. The re-establishment of natural flora is just beginning in the exploited peat bog.
The site is of special importance for birds: species typical to open water areas, bogs, waterlogged meadows and bogged forests inhabit Novaraistis. Over 30 species, listed in the Annex I of the Birds directive, have been registered in the area: Eurasian Bittern (Botaurus stellaris), Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus), Black Stork (Ciconia nigra), Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus), Black Kite (Milvus migrans), European Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus), Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus), Montagu's Harrier (Circus pygargus), Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila pomarina), White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla), Western Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) and other, 34 species are included in the Lithuanian Red Data Book, out of them 17 breed on the site.
The Common Tern population in Novaraistis is app. 100 pairs, which makes 4% of the national population. One of the biggest threats on the site – overgrowing of the peat islands with shrubs as well as natural predation of Caspian gulls, which feed on terns’ chicks.
Protective shelters. Photo by Gediminas Petkus
Nest of Caspian Gull. Photo by Gediminas Petkus
