The Neva Bay of the Gulf of Finland is one of the key migration stopover areas for birds moving along the Baltic Sea – White Sea flyway. The coastal shallow waters of the bay provide food resources for many species of waterfowl forming migratory stopovers. In our work, we studied the main spring migration sites of three species of swans (Mute Swan Cygnus olor, Bewick’s Swan Cygnus columbianus bewickii, and Whooper Swan Cygnus cygnus) at the Neva Bay within the boundaries of St. Petersburg in 2018 – 2021. Particular attention was paid to the number of
birds, distribution within the area, and anthropogenic impact on the stopovers. We conducted route counts of swans at 16 migration sites and visited traditional and new stopovers formed near the reclaimed coastline.
The maximum number of Bewick’s Swan recorded in the 2018 – 2021 varied from 135 to 561 individuals per year. At the traditional sites, the maximum number of birds reached 315 individuals in 2020. At the reclaimed sites the maximum number of swans reached 246 individuals in 2020. In 2021, the maximum number of individuals decreased at the traditional sites (100 birds) and remained stable in reclaimed sites. The maximum number of Whooper Swan recorded in the 2018 – 2021 year varied from 106 to 366 individuals per year. At the traditional
sites, the maximum number of birds reached 299 individuals in 2019. At the reclaimed sites the maximum number of swans reached 75 individuals in 2020. In 2021, the maximum number of individuals decreased at the traditional sites (we observed 51 birds only) and remained unchanged in reclaimed sites. Mute swan was observed nesting in Neva Bay first time in 2017, in the 2021 year we found five nests of this species. In the shallow waters of Neva Bay, the number
of birds at migratory sites near reclaimed areas increased since 2018 and stayed stable in 2020 – 2021, which may be due to the formation of stable forage resources in these areas.