Shorebirds Tracking Project on Ayopechan Island (West Chukotka, Russia)

The wader tracking project on Ayopechan Island, part of the Chaun Delta in Western Chukotka, is focused on investigating the migration and demography of Arctic waders. In 2025, large-scale capture efforts were resumed at the field station during both the breeding and post-breeding periods. As part of the project, captured waders are ringed, and GPS-GSM trackers are deployed on individuals of suitable body mass. Fieldwork is conducted during the summer months.

In the first year of the project, we successfully deployed four GPS-GSM trackers on juvenile male Ruffs Calidris pugnax. One of the trackers has already transmitted data outlining a portion of the migration route. In addition, we ringed juveniles and adults of several other species, including Dunlins, Pectoral Sandpipers, Red-necked Phalaropes, the Common Snipe, and Common Ringed Plovers.