On the territory of the Magadan Region there is one of the
largest specially protected areas of federal significance in Russia
- the Magadansky (or Magadan) State Nature Reserve, consisting of
the Kava-Chelomdzhinsky, Seimchansky, Olsky, Yamsky Island and
Yamsky mainland sites with a total area of 883 thousand hectares.
All sites are at a great distance from each other, difficult to
access, there are no settlements or transport routes on their
territory; they sharply differ from each other in relief, climatic
conditions, flora and fauna. The central estate of the reserve is
located in the regional center - the city of Magadan (100-650 km
from the sites).
The reserve was formed to preserve in its
natural state the totality of unique landscape, floristic and faunal
complexes of northeast Asia, study the natural course of processes
and phenomena in them, develop the scientific foundations for nature
conservation in general, rare natural objects and the maximum number
of animal and plant species, especially rare and disappearing.
On the territory of the Magadan Reserve there is a reproductive
rookery of the sea lion, listed in the Red Book of Russia. Among the
birds listed in the Red Book (endangered species list) of the
Russian Federation are Steller's sea eagle, Kloktun teal, Lesser
tundra swan, osprey, golden eagle, white-tailed eagle, peregrine
falcon, Far Eastern curlew, common owl and fish owl.
The symbol
of the Magadan Reserve is the Steller's Sea Eagle, whose stylized
image is the official logo of the Reserve.
The protected rivers - Kava and
Chelomdzha - at the confluence form the Tauy River, which is the
largest river system of the Tauyskaya Bay. Chelomdzha, originating
in the upper reaches of the Okhotsk-Kolyma Range, has a length of
215 km and is entirely part of the reserve. The most significant of
its tributaries flowing through the territory of the reserve are
Mana, Elgendzha, Khetandzha, Kutana, with a length of 40 to 70 km.
All the rivers of the site have a pronounced mountainous character -
a rocky bottom, a small width and depth, a fast current, a lot of
riffles.
The exception is the Kava River, which in its middle
and lower reaches flows through a marshy lowland. In this part, the
Kava flows slowly, the banks are low, the channel is winding, the
bottom is sandy, in some places overgrown with grass.
On the
Kava-Chelomdzhinsky site, coral-shaped blackberry grows - a mushroom
listed in the Red Book of the Magadan Region.
In the
Chelomdzha River, one of the largest ecologically undisturbed
spawning grounds for chum salmon and coho salmon are located on the
North Okhotsk coast. In the upper reaches of the Kava River, early
chum salmon rise to spawn, in the Chelomdzha River - late. From
October to May, the basis of the fish population of the site is
grayling and anadromous char, with Dolly Varden predominating in
Chelomdzha, and white trout in Kava.
Of the birds, the
red-throated and black-throated loons, gray-cheeked and red-necked
grebes, whooper swan, taiga bean goose, teal-whistle, pintail,
wigeon, shoveler, mallard, sea and crested ducks, American blue-eye,
goldeneye, medium and large mergansers, as well as smew. On the
interfluve lakes there are large whooper swan moulting sites. In the
middle reaches of the Kava, on the territory of the reserve, there
is an isolated nesting center of the white-fronted goose. Only in
the Chelomdzhi valley has a sedentary population of the common pika
been found to date.
Of the birds, the red-throated and
black-throated loons, gray-cheeked and red-necked grebes, whooper
swan, taiga bean goose, teal-whistle, pintail, wigeon, shoveler,
mallard, sea and crested ducks, American blue-eye, goldeneye, medium
and large mergansers, as well as smew. On the interfluve lakes there
are large whooper swan moulting sites. In the middle reaches of the
Kava, on the territory of the reserve, there is an isolated nesting
center of the white-fronted goose. Only in the Chelomdzhi valley has
a sedentary population of the common pika been found to date.
The most typical representatives of wintering birds are the
nuthatch, the powder puff, the long-tailed tit, the bullfinch, the
waxwing, the tap dance, the scurry, woodpeckers (three-toed and
small motley). White partridge, stone capercaillie and hazel grouse
are common. There are yellow, raven, kuksha, gray shrike. On the
rifts of Chelomdzhi, which do not freeze all winter, brown dipper
and mountain snipe get food.
The Kava-Chelomdzhinsky site is
home to a significant number of species from the Red Book of the
Russian Federation: the Steller's sea eagle and osprey stably nest
here. In the Chelomdzhi valley, at the northern limit of its range,
the eagle owl nests.
In the valleys of large rivers, the
highest density and species diversity of mammals is observed. Shrews
(medium, large-toothed and even-toothed), forest voles (red and
red-gray), housekeeper vole, chipmunk, mountain hare, squirrel,
flying squirrel, brown bear, fox, sable, ermine, American mink
(introduced), otter, moose. The wolf and wolverine are common, but
not numerous. From the southwest along the coast of Okhotsk, the Far
Eastern shrew and the East Asian wood mouse penetrate here. There
are 3 species of bats in the Chelomdzhi basin (water bat, Brandt's
bat and brown long-eared bat). The muskrat is common in the Kava
valley, and in recent years it has also invaded Chelomdzha. Reindeer
is found in the interfluve and mountain taiga landscapes.
With the start of the salmon run, the common seal (larga seal)
enters the Tauy River. On pebble-sand spits at the confluence of the
Kava and Chelomdzhi, spotted seals annually form a haulout numbering
from a few to several dozen animals. Following the spawning salmon,
the spotted seal sometimes rises up the Chelomdzhi River up to 150
km from the sea (to the Khuren tributary).
The Yamsky section of the reserve is located in the
valley of the lower reaches of the Yama, the largest salmon river on
the Okhotsk coast, 180 km east of Magadan and 20 km from the small
village of Yamsk. The need to create a protected area here is due to
the growth of Siberian spruce, which is widespread throughout
Siberia, and in the Magadan region grows only in the valley of the
Yama River. Within the reserve, spruce forests are distributed
between the rivers Khurchan and Khalanchiga, the total area of
forests with spruce is about 30 square meters. km. In Yamsky Spruce
Island, spruce does not form pure plantations, but is part of mixed
forest stands formed by other forest-forming species - larch,
poplar, chosenia, tall willows, hairy alder and stone birch.
Among the plants growing on the site are species that are widespread
in the low-mountain areas of the Okhotsk-Kolyma Territory. However,
relics of more heat-loving floras have been found here: golokuchnik,
double-leaved mullet, Shamisso honeysuckle. A number of such species
are associated with the dark coniferous taiga by their origin and
distribution - brown clematis, drooping pearl barley, ostrich. Many
of them are rare and are listed in the Red Book of the Magadan
Region. Another feature of the Yamskaya Valley is the “black alder”
floodplains of hairy alder, which are rare in the Okhotsk-Kolyma
Territory. On the edges and clearings of alder groves, tall ones
dominate - as tall as a man and taller than grass: hemp-leaved
cross, meadowsweet, spear-shaped and Langsdorf reed grass.
Along with the centers of growth of Siberian spruce, spawning
grounds for Pacific salmon - chum salmon and coho salmon, which are
considered the largest in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk,
are protected in the Yamsky section of the reserve. Spawning
migration of chum salmon begins in the first half of July and ends
in late August - early September. Its peak falls at the end of July
- beginning of August, when an average of about 180 thousand
individuals are allowed to spawn. Spawning grounds for pink salmon
are located in the Yama up to the Alut tributary above the border of
the reserve. In the floodplains of the Khalanchiga and Studenaya
rivers - two high-water tributaries of the Yama, flowing within the
reserve - there are coho salmon spawning grounds. In total, the fish
fauna of the Yamsky site includes 17 species. In contrast to the
Kava-Chelomdzhinsky site, there is no Amur nine-spined smelt here,
and the grayling is represented by the East Siberian, and not the
Kamchatka subspecies.
In the Yamsky area, 90 nesting species
of birds were noted, among them wintering ones - ptarmigan, hawk
owl, three-toed woodpecker, puff. Of the migratory species, the
hobby, the shrike, the spotted cricket, the little flycatcher, the
brambling, and the baby bunting are widespread. Near-water species
make up one third of the faunistic list. For the most part, these
are also widespread species, for example, black-throated and
red-throated loons, whooper swan, whistling teal, black scaly,
merganser, osprey, carrier, gray gull, river tern.
Among the
species that live only in the Far East, the Yamsky area is inhabited
by stone capercaillie, American singa, stone eagle, Steller's sea
eagle, Far Eastern curlew, king warbler, rubythroat nightingale.
Among insectivores and rodents, there are even-toothed and
middle shrews, squirrels, chipmunk, flying squirrel, red and
red-gray voles, forest lemmings, house vole. Of the lagomorphs -
hare and northern pika. From predatory - fox, otter, brown bear,
sable and ermine. Wolverine and mink are also not rare in the Yama
Valley. In summer, bats are common in forest and meadow floodplains:
Brandt's bat and brown long-eared bat.
The Yamsky Islands are mountain
remnants rising from the water 10-15 km from the coast of the Pyagin
Peninsula in the northern part of the Sea of Okhotsk. The
archipelago consists of two large islands - Matykil and Atykan, and
three smaller ones - Baran, Hatemalnyu and Kokontse, which are huge
rocks. The islands are separated from each other by 1.5-10 km. The
water area near the islands is characterized by a complex bottom
topography, large depth differences, a very complex current regime,
and abnormally low water temperatures. Even during the calm, a
chaotic wave crowd is common here. Winds accompanied by fogs and
storms are very characteristic, especially in autumn. The average
annual wind speed here is 5.6 m/s at extreme levels above 40 m/s.
Matykil Island is the most studied island of the archipelago.
The coastline is of complex configuration, most of the coast is
sheer cliffs up to several hundred meters high. The slopes of the
island are very steep (the angle of incidence usually exceeds 60
degrees), their relief is complex and is a bizarre conglomeration of
various forms of weathering in the form of picturesque stone
pillars, walls and ridges, interspersed with scree and narrow
gorges. On the northern side of the island there is a bay protected
by a rocky cape from the north and northeast winds. At different
times and different people called it "Tamar's Bay", "Camp" or
"Northern". Regardless of the name, this is the only place on the
island where you can dry-land and set up a few tents on quiet days.
Landing conditions are dangerous, besides, stones periodically fall
on the narrow coastal beaches. In wet weather, the intensity of
rockfalls increases.
In the area of the Yamsky Islands,
located at the exit from Shelikhov Bay, the highest concentration of
plankton in the Sea of Okhotsk is noted, and the bay itself is one
of the most productive areas of the World Ocean.
Colonies of
sea birds, with a total number of up to 6 million individuals, are
present on all islands of the archipelago. The largest colonies are
located on Matykil Island - 12 species of seabirds nest here, with a
total number of 4.7 million individuals. The basis of the colony
(the largest in the Sea of Okhotsk) is made up of baby auklets.
Bazaars are formed by auks (guillemots, spectacled guillemots, axes,
ipatka, baby auklets, auklets, white belly), gulls (Pacific gull and
common kittiwake), petrels (silly) and cormorants (Bering
cormorant). At the same time, the settlements of the spectacled
guillemot are the largest in the northern part of the Sea of
Okhotsk, and the settlement of the fulmar is the largest in the Sea
of Okhotsk and the second largest colony in Asia (after Rasshua
Island in the Kuriles). A distinctive feature of the colony of
fulmars on Matykil is that many pairs build their nests on
cushion-like growths of the golden root (Rhodiola rosea).
At
the eastern tip of Matykil Island, there is the northernmost
reproductive rookery of sea lions in the Sea of Okhotsk, as well as
several bachelor rookeries that form sea lions that have not reached
breeding age. On the island you can also find a rookery of bearded
seals, located in the southern part of the island on a narrow, very
elongated pebble beach, framed by steep rocks. In other places of
the island, bearded seals do not form haulouts, but they can
sometimes be found in the water on various parts of the coast of the
island.
According to the latest data, 140 species of vascular
plants are found on Matykil Island. The flora of the Yamsky Islands
was formed under the constant influence of a colony of sea birds -
this explains its impoverishment and peculiarities. Plants on the
island have adapted to the conditions of nesting colonies - cereal
meadows covering a large surface of the slopes have a characteristic
appearance: here the Langsdorf reed grass forms tussocks with a base
of up to 1 meter. The lower part of the steep cliffs is covered with
cushion-like growths of Rhodiola rosea - the so-called "Rhodiola
belt". On such "flowerbeds" silly people willingly arrange nests.
The least studied part of the reserve, the territory on the
Pyagin Peninsula, is a narrow strip of the sea coast from Cape Yapon
to Cape Cherny, 1 km wide and 51 km long with breaks. There is no
forest vegetation on the peninsula. Of the mammals, brown bears are
the most common here.
The Seimchansky
site (117,839 ha) is located in the continental part of the region,
on the left bank of the river. Kolyma, 100 km below the village of
Seimchan. The border runs along the fairway of the Kolyma, goes to
the left bank, captures the floodplain, the terrace above the
floodplain, the slopes of the mountain framing of the valley and
again returns to the Kolyma. The security zone includes the right
side of the Kolyma up to the marginal channel. The Seimchansky
section of the Magadansky nature reserve is the only protected area
in the Kolyma basin, the largest river in the Far East. The site
preserves a variety of floodplain and valley landscapes of the upper
reaches of the river, as well as wetlands and mountain taiga in the
left-bank part of the Kolyma.
The low-mountain frame of the
protected area has a calm outline. The peaks of the hills on the
northern and western periphery of the site are located at elevations
from 350 to 750 m. From the Seimchano-Buyunda depression to the
Yakut village of Zyryanka, for almost 500 km along the Kolyma
floodplain, the world's largest under-channel talik stretches 5-6 km
wide.
Most of the protected area is occupied by mountain
taiga, swampy larch sparse areas, fresh and overgrown burnt areas,
sedge tussocks and thickets of shrub birch. The river bed, insular
floodplains, terraces above the floodplains, valleys of small
tributaries of the Kolyma, and oxbow lakes on the terraces above the
floodplains occupy a relatively small area. However, it is in these
areas that the main centers of flora diversity are concentrated, and
it is here that many relict and rare plant species live.
Chosenia, fragrant poplar, tree-like willows (Schwerin,
Boganidskaya, dewy) dominate in the riverine forests of the middle
and high floodplains. The old floodplain areas are dominated by
mixed larch-white birch and mature larch forests. In the forest
floodplains there are groves of flat-leaved birch, Asian bird
cherry, Siberian mountain ash. In the undergrowth of the islands of
the middle floodplain, wild rose, white svidin, sad currant and wild
grouse are common. The herbaceous cover is dominated by meadow
horsetail, Langsdorf's reed grass, spear-shaped spear, red
wintergreen, lateral meringia, pale sedge, and others. , hawkweed,
three-flowered gentian, etc. In the valleys of small tributaries,
large-shrub willows and swampy larch forests grow.
The
species composition of the ichthyofauna of the Seimchansky area is
fundamentally different from other areas of the reserve. The list
includes 25 species of freshwater fish, most of which are widespread
in the water bodies of Siberia, but do not penetrate into the basins
of the Sea of Okhotsk rivers. On the channel and channels of the
Kolyma, pike, perch, thin-tailed burbot, Siberian chukuchan,
Siberian dace, river minnow are common; there are ruff, Siberian
char, whitefish. On rapids and in mountain tributaries, lenok and
East Siberian grayling keep. Yakut crucian carp, perch, lake minnow
live in oxbow and thermokarst lakes.
Indigenous taiga species
nest on the site, such as stone capercaillie, hazel grouse, eagle
owl, bile, three-toed woodpecker, cuckoo, gray-headed tit, nuthatch,
and migratory species - bluetail, spotted pipit, brambling, small
flycatcher, baby bunting and some others. A characteristic feature
of the Seimchansky site and the adjacent areas of the Kolyma Valley
is the diversity and relatively high density of nesting birds of
prey - goshawk, sparrowhawk, field harrier, hobby. The osprey also
nests in the island's floodplains, and among the nocturnal predators
there are the boreal owl, the hawk owl, the great gray owl and the
short-eared owl.
Here you can meet shrew, hare, northern
pika, squirrel, chipmunk, red-gray and red-backed voles, fox, brown
bear, wolverine, sable and ermine. The elk living on the site
belongs to the large Kolyma subspecies. The brown shrew, flying
squirrel, North Siberian vole, otter and lynx live in forest and
meadow floodplains. Two American species, introduced more than half
a century ago and well established in the Northeast, can be added to
this list - the muskrat and the American mink, which are found in
all taiga areas of the reserve.
The Olsky site
is located in the south of the Magadan region at a distance of 100
km from the regional center and occupies the western part of the
Koni peninsula (103,426 ha). The northern, southern and western
boundaries of the site run along the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk,
the eastern one crosses the peninsula from north to south from Cape
Plosky to the mouth of the Antara River. The protected zone covers a
2-kilometer strip of the Sea of Okhotsk from Cape Plosky to two
nameless streams flowing into the Sea of Okhotsk 8 km east of the
Antara River. From the side of the continental border, the territory
of the regional hunting reserve adjoins the reserve. Beautiful
mountains covered with elfin coats and rocky bald patches of
snowfields, mountain rivers and lakes, traces of ancient human
settlements - all this is the Koni Peninsula, located just 50
kilometers from Magadan on the territory of the Olsky section of the
Magadansky nature reserve. The peaks of the mountains of the
peninsula rise to 1300-1500 m above sea level, the most significant
of them is Mount Skalista, 1548 m high. Traces of ancient glaciation
have been preserved in the high ridges. The geological landmark of
the site is the crystalline schists that come out on the coast near
the mouth of the Antara River. The appearance of the landscape is
enlivened by rocky ridges, glacial cirques, alpine lakes and
waterfalls.
The inner part of the peninsula is a very
inaccessible territory, surrounded by the slopes of high mountains,
which amazes with its pristine silence. Leming voles, pikas live
here, buzzards nest.
All the rivers of the peninsula
originate in the mountains and have a pronounced mountain character.
They have many rifts, a channel, a small width and depth, a rocky
bottom. The rivers are fast, often change their course and are not
navigable even for a small fleet. The largest of them are Khinja and
Burgauli. Crystal streams in the mountains form numerous waterfalls,
and alpine lakes reflect all the multicolored slopes. On rainy days,
low clouds hang over the mountains, fog creeps into the valleys,
dissolving the silhouettes of the hills surrounding the river. The
rivers of the Koni Peninsula are exclusively "pink salmon" - no
other salmon, except pink salmon, enter them to spawn. In coastal
and littoral waters there are up to 70-80 marine, including
commercial, species of fish. Pentagonal hairy and spiny crabs,
common sea urchin and mussels are numerous.
The maritime
climate and mountainous relief of the peninsula determine the
originality of its vegetation. There is no larch, which dominates
the territory of the Magadan Region, vast areas are occupied by
thickets of elfin cedar, and pure stone birches are characteristic
of the coastal slopes of the mountains. In the river valleys there
are amazing groves of fragrant poplar and chosenia, replaced in the
upper reaches by impenetrable thickets of alder and elfin cedar.
This is one of the most unique areas of the northern coast of the
Sea of Okhotsk, distinguished by the greatest plant diversity in the
entire Magadan region, which includes endemics of various regions
and relics of various ages and origins, many of which are listed in
the regional Red Book. In spring, the slopes of the peninsula
enchant with a variety of flowering rhododendrons, wild rosemary and
cassiopeia. The forests are rich in berries and mushrooms.
On
the coast of the peninsula with picturesque bays and rocky capes,
life is always in full swing: bighorn sheep graze, fox and ermine
hunt, Steller's sea eagle nests. However, the true owner of the
peninsula is the brown bear. Most of these predators gather in the
summer, during spawning - clubfoot approach the mouths of the rivers
to feast on pink salmon. Three species of true seals live in the
coastal waters of the peninsula: spotted seal, akiba and bearded
seal. Large concentrations of spotted seals have been noted near
Cape Alevina, in the mouths of small rivers and streams, and near
Cape Plosky - up to 300-400 individuals form haulouts on stones
protruding at low tide during the pink salmon run.
On the
rocks of the coast there are 48 colonies of sea birds - mainly
kittiwakes and slaty-backed gulls. Bering cormorants, spectacled
guillemots and ipatki also nest here. On the grassy slopes of the
southern coast there are 3 large settlements of puffins. In
July-August, large flocks of wandering slender-billed petrel appear
off the coast of the peninsula, whose nesting sites are located in
the distant islands of the Southern Hemisphere.
It's hard to
believe, but many centuries ago people lived on the peninsula. In
1999, archaeologist Alexander Orekhov discovered 6 ancient
settlements on the Koni coast, which were previously attributed to
the Atargan stage of the ancient Koryak culture (1500-500 years
ago).