UNDP/GEF
Conservation of Biodiversity on Kamchatka's 4 Protected Areas

Bird Watching in Kamchatka

 Kamchatka's ecosystems

The Kamchatka Peninsula offers excellent bird watching conditions because of a variety of habitats. Terrestrial ecosystems include snow covered peaks, mountain glaciers, deciduous and coniferous forests, shrub and alpine tundra, peat bogs, sedge meadows, and stone birch forests. Aquatic ecosystems include lakes, rivers, streams, ponds, bogs, fjords, bays, estuaries, gravel, sand, mud, rocky coastlines, and remote offshore islands.

Bird Watching Seasons
The best time for bird watching on Kamchatka is between June and September. Kamchatka’s wet, cold summer climate accounts for one of the latest and shortest nesting times in the north Pacific. The weather not only affects bird populations, but also bird watching conditions and access to remote areas. The best areas for bird watching are Avacha Bay, close to the main city of the region, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, and the protected areas.

Download List of Kamchatka birds

Starichkov Island and Avacha Bay
Bird watching can be as nearby as the downtown Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky area. A walk on the beach across from the regional administration building and onto nearby Nikolskoye Hill offers the opportunity to observe Tufted Puffins, Slatey-backed Gulls, Pelagic Cormorants and many other birds. To expand this opportunity, several boats can be chartered through our advertisers for a cruise of about 6 hours to Starichkov Island. Most of these cruises follow the same route, heading out of Avacha Bay past the “Three Brothers” rocky pinnacles, through the mouth of the bay to Starichkov Island. Once the boats near Starichkov Island, seabird colonies are impressive, as the precipitous cliffs rise vertically from the sea and provide nesting habitat. Starichkov Island’s name comes from the Russian name for Ancient Murrelets, as the island boasts one of the world’s largest colonies. Other bird species include nearly 20,000 Tufted and Horned Puffins, Pacific and Red-faced Cormorants, gulls, and other birds. You may contact our advertisers for more information about bird watching cruises in this area.

Nalychevo Nature Park
Nalychevo Nature Park, located near Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and Yelizovo, is a microcosm of nearly every ecosystem found on Kamchatka. The parks’ 125 bird species may be seen in three main areas: Nalychevo Point, Nalychevo River valley and the high volcanic zone. These three areas provide habitat to some of Kamchatka’s most spectacular birds, including Steller Sea Eagles, Capercaillie Grouse, marine birds on the coast, and an abundance of waterfowl on the lakes, rivers and ponds. A compact and helpful book, “Birds of Nalychevo Nature Park” was published in 2000, but is written in Russian. The book includes explanations of some of the better birding areas, a park species list (Latin and common name in English) and offers seven suggested birding itineraries. You may contact our advertisers for more information about bird watching tours in the park.

Kronotsky State Biosphere Preserve
The Kronotsky State Biosphere Preserve has 224 species and subspecies of birds known to inhabit or pass through its territory. In alignment with the priorities of conservation and research, the preserve is open to scientific research and a controlled quota of ecological tours within specific territories set aside for that purpose. Birders may visit the wonderful Valley of Geysers and Uzon Caldera, where the bird population has adapted to the unique geological and geothermal systems that exist in these areas. In the area of the Semyacheskiy Leman estuary, over 10,000 birds nest, making this a viable and productive contributor to avifauna. The Aleutian Curlew and other Red Book species nest in the estuary and in the nearby forest several Steller Sea Eagle nests can be observed. You may contact our advertisers for more information about bird watching tours in this area.

Yuzhno-Kamchatsky Reserve
The southernmost tip of the peninsula, where the Yuzhno-Kamchatsky Reserve is located, lies at the confluence of the Bering Sea, Sea of Okhotsk, and the Kuril Islands. Because of this location, the reserve is part of the autumn migratory bird corridor heading south to Japan and beyond for the winter. In the fall, by day and night, fantastic numbers of birds, fly over the lowest point of the peninsula. The highest concentrations of migrating birds are the Oriental Greenfinch, followed by the Reed’s Bunting along with many Pipits and Wagtails. Also many of the smaller birds of prey are part of this southern migration. At Kurilskoye Lake, a large colony of nesting Pacific Gulls can be found. In winter the largest concentration of Steller Sea Eagles in the world congregate around Kurilskoye Lake and river systems, where they feed on the late spawning salmon. They are usually joined by the Golden and White-tailed Sea Eagles. Researchers have documented over 120 species of migrating birds in the reserve. You may contact our advertisers for more information about bird watching tours in this area.

Bystrinsky Nature Park
The massive Bystrinsky Nature Park is located in the interior of Kamchatka. The park offers opportunities to observe birds that are native to areas with high volcanic activity and comprised of alpine tundra, birch and conifer forests and meadows. One hundred-four species of birds are known to inhabit the park. More than being home to particularly unusual species, here one can observe typical avifauna for a wide range of habitats demonstrating the history of bird species distribution on the peninsula. Thus birding in Bystrinsky Park can give participants ample opportunity to become acquainted with many of Kamchatka’s common birds. Bystrinsky Park is the only park on Kamchatka, where Bohemian Waxwing, Sooty Flycatcher, Coal Tit, and Red Crossbill nest. You may contact our advertisers for more information about bird watching tours in this area.