Penza, 31 January 2016. PenzaNews. The Penza volunteers, for the first time, joined the countrywide campaign “Grey Neck” [named after the eponymous Russian tale by Dmitry Mamin-Sibiryak], during which they are able to help scientists in counting the birds spending winter in the region.

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The volunteers held a gathering on the Sura river embankment on Saturday, January 30.

The activists were briefed by Igor Pantyushov, chairman of the regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society, and Tatyana Krasnonosova, state environment inspector of the Penza region Rosprirodnadzor department.

“The ornithologists are doing the bird count: however, they often cannot encompass all wintering grounds and do not have information on all wintering locations of ducks. Our participation, particularly by the youth, will be a great contribution to the scientists who will receive the information on wintering locations that we’ll be gathering,” Igor Pantyushov noted.

The monitoring is important from a practical point of view, he added.

“Information on bird head count and location can indicate change in social and economic situation, water status and cleanness,” Igor Pantyushov explained.

According to the regional branch of the Russian Geographical Society, the volunteers counted 15 mallards on Sura river by the Rostok monument. The largest water bird wintering grounds –287 birds – was spotted by them is under the TPP dam. Moreover, they noticed 41 birds in the open water on the Pobedy prospekt river by the TSNTI, and 54 birds on the Old Sura below the draining facilities of “Mayak.”