Visit From a Black Stork: Rare Birds Return to Moscow After Century of Absence

19:22 13.06.2017

Moscow Region biologists discovered a black stork's nest; the bird features on the Red List of Threatened Species in Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Ukraine and some other countries.

In contrast to white storks, black storks are very cautious and prefer to live in remote and hard to reach places, away from humans. The last time this rare species was spotted living and nested in Moscow Region was in the 1920s.

Ornithologists didn't reveal the exact location of the nest to keep it away from bumbling bird-watchers which they feared could cause discomfort to the black stork family. Now the birds are being observed in real time.

If a couple of black storks deliver offspring, this forest area may be declared a natural monument of regional significance, according to the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

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A rare Northern Hawk Owl draws attention on the Palouse

By Rachel Dubrovin Published: Jan 20, 2014 at 8:37 AM PST

Bird watchers mourn rare owl after it was hit by a car.

MOSCOW, ID - Birdwatchers on the Palouse are mourning the loss of a rare bird that's been living in eastern Moscow since early December.

This is footage of the rare Northern Hawk Owl that Reporter Rachel Dubrovin shot last week near the Eastside Marketplace. Palouse Audubon Society Member, Terry Gray said he got a call Thursday afternoon from fellow bird watchers who found the owl after it was hit by a car on Mountain View Road. Gray said it's a tragic loss, but he wasn't shocked to hear it was hit.

"It's something that happens a lot I think," said Gray. "These very rare birds that come into an area that are not used to being in a place where there's a lot more danger, and they don't usually make it back to where they're initially supposed to be."

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'Zombie Pigeons' Invade Moscow Sparking Fears Of Bird Apocalypse

The streets of Moscow have been littered with dead and dying pigeons in recent weeks, prompting fears the birds had fallen victim to a "zombie apocalypse".

Video footage of the birds twisting their necks, walking backwards and standing motionless in the paths of oncoming traffic added to the alarm, Russia's Life News revealed.

According to RT.com, initial reports had suggested the birds' abnormal behaviour was caused by Newcastle disease - a virus which can spread to humans.

"Before death, they start to resemble zombies: they lose their orientation and fly without a sense of direction, then fall, already lacking the strength to get up," wrote Konstantin Ranks, a science columnist at the website Slon.ru.

But Russia's chief sanitary official Gennady Onishchenko has since announced the birds are actually suffering from salmonella poisoning.

He announced the news at a press conference on Friday, and ensured his contempt for the animals, which are understood to have died extremely painful deaths, was made clear.

He said: "In the hands of Picasso a pigeon became the embodiment of peace.

"But in fact, in a sanitary sense, it is the most untidy and one of the most stupid birds," the Moscow Times reported.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/08/21/zombie-pigeons--moscow-bird-apocalypse_n_3790257.html?utm_hp_ref=uk