Aviation ornithology. Video blog about owls, lizards and a cat: getting to know an ornithologist

A professional ornithologist is a qualified specialist who studies birds in detail, the characteristics of their reproduction and migration. A competent craftsman is especially valued in the aircraft industry for the formation of engine protection.

So how much does an ornithologist earn in different countries of the world?

Profit of a specialized scientist on the territory of the Russian Federation

Quite often, an ornithologist is called an “architect” of birds, since specialists in this profile construct feeders and save wounded “birds” from death.

An expert's salary largely depends on grants and personal degrees.

A qualified employee receives from 400 to 700 dollars per month.

The average salary of an ornithologist in Russia is 24,000 rubles per month (approximately 413 US dollars).

The largest number of official vacancies are open in the Moscow and Leningrad regions.

How much does a specialized specialist earn in different regions of the country? Let's take a closer look:

• Bryansk region – 27,500 rubles;
• Tver region – 28,750 rubles;
• Kamchatka Territory – 30,000 rubles;
• Magadan territory – 30,150 rubles;
• Krasnoyarsk district - 30,300 rubles;
• Leningrad province - 30,500 rubles;
• Voronezh region – 33,000 rubles;
• Moscow region – 37,500 rubles;
• Nenets Autonomy – 45,000 rubles;
• Crimean Republic – 60,000 rubles.

A standard vacancy for a professional ornithologist in Moscow with a salary of 20,000 rubles ($344) is as follows:

• The specialist’s responsibilities include supervision of the maintenance, proper feeding and breeding of poultry;
• the employee must have in-depth knowledge of bird care;
• high level of dedication to work, passionate love for animals;
• developed ability to analyze current data, study large amounts of information and observe objectively;
• the work schedule is as follows: 5/2 or 6/1.

The lack of prestige of the profession is primarily associated with its payment.

So, for example, having found employment in a state reserve (research institute status), a professional can count on a monthly income of 6,500 rubles per month.

Ornithological research in Russia is not valued at the proper level.

Where then does the average profit for the country come from?

The thing is that prestigious nature reserves and large nature reserves with excursion bureaus recruit real experts into their staff.

This is where performers are paid good money.

For example, the revenue of the performer in the Prioksko-Terrasny Reserve is 47,000 rubles per month (about 810 USD).

The candidate requirements are as follows:

• understanding the basics of scientific and environmental activities;
• presence of higher education;
• bold use of a PC and modern communication mechanisms;
• good health to perform work in the field;
• presence of a driver's license for trucks and passenger vehicles;
• responsible and disciplined execution of assigned tasks;
• organizational skills in a team.

Stable salary for a specialist in Ukraine and Kazakhstan

The profession of ornithologist is not particularly popular in the country.

You can get the appropriate education here at the Kharkov Veterinary Academy, where specialists with bachelor's and master's degrees are graduated.

The average salary of an ornithologist in the country reaches 6000 hryvnia (222 dollars).

However, the recruitment process leaves much to be desired.

An expert can find a stable job in:

• environmental societies;
• universities;
• zoos;
• agricultural academies.

Masters in the veterinary ornithology segment are in particular demand, earning up to 10,000 hryvnia (370 bucks).

The responsibilities of such an executor include the following aspects:

The largest nature reserve in Ukraine is Askania-Nova.

It is here that talented researchers and qualified experts are recruited for permanent employment.

Ornithologist makes money here from 3500 to 8000 hryvnia per month.

The final level of an expert’s profit depends on his interview results and responsibility directly on the territory.

In Kazakhstan, the position of an aviation ornithology engineer is considered to be quite in demand.

An ornithologist is a biologist who specializes in the study of birds. The profession is so attractive that even Russian President Vladimir Putin tried it on himself - in 2012, he flew together with West Siberian Siberian Cranes in order to teach the Red Book cranes to fly correctly. Such an unusual PR campaign was later condemned by many scientists, and the population of birds of this species was almost extinct as of 2017 - about 20 individuals remained.

The specialty also received the attention of another famous person - Ian Fleming, author of Bond. He “stole” the first and last name for his hero from an American ornithologist. The writer later met with him and presented the book with the caption “To the real James Bond from his identity thief.”

And yet, many ornithologists do not pursue fame. Nikolai Gerasimov, for example, sacrificed 20 years of his life and all his savings to do the impossible - to bring back to life the population of the Aleutian Canada goose that had disappeared in Asia. He succeeded. And, say, in Japan the works of the Russian scientist were highly appreciated, they even issued a medal with his image. But in his homeland he is known only to a few.

However, such situations occur in any profession. Regardless of whether you want to fly with Red Book cranes or save endangered populations, we invite you to talk in more detail about your specialty.

What is an ornithologist? Description of the profession

An ornithologist is a zoologist or biologist who specializes in the study of birds. This profession usually involves the study of wild species and has little to do with agriculture, except when farmers are involved in raising non-domesticated birds, such as ostriches. The specialty is relatively young and rare. At the same time, it is extremely important. Almost 10 thousand species of birds live on the planet, many of them have not yet been studied, some are almost extinct. It is the efforts of ornithologists that allow us to delve deeper into the world of birds and save the rarest populations from complete extinction.

Amateur ornithology has also become widespread in the post-Soviet countries. Due to low salaries for specialists in the regions, many cannot afford to become professional ornithologists. The love for birds and the desire to protect them motivates such people to become public figures or amateur ornithologists. They carry out seasonal expeditions, seek the opening of wild bird rehabilitation centers in their regions, and initiate amendments to regulations and regulations.

Many amateurs become bloggers - they administer communities, publish posts, photos and videos on popular platforms or personal websites.

What does an ornithologist do and what does he study?

An ornithologist is first and foremost a scientist. Therefore, the basis of his professional activity is research, which is based on observations. The work is predominantly desk-based - short-term seasonal expeditions are replaced by long-term analysis of the collected information. The specialist studies species and individual populations of wild birds, examines various aspects of their life in certain territories. The scope of responsibilities largely depends on qualifications (professional or amateur), experience, direction and place of work.

What does an ornithologist do as a scientist:

• Collects information about birds during expeditions, mainly by observation.
• Analyzes the collected data, identifies patterns and trends, determines the features of the anatomical structure, life activity and reproduction of a certain species of birds.
• Determines the size of the population and the risks of its extinction in a given territory.
• Studies the behavior of birds in certain situations.
• Systematizes data about specific species and discovers new ones, describing their characteristics, traits, habits, and behavior.
• Tracks migration, analyzes the survival of birds during migration cycles.
• Initiates and implements the protection of rare and endangered species.

A specialist can also conduct active public activities, initiate the adoption of regulations or decisions on the protection of certain species of birds in the regions or throughout the country. Many ornithologists implement programs to preserve bird populations, or devote their lives to independent work on their revival.

Unfortunately, the number of government initiatives for the conservation of endangered species of wild birds in Russia remains insufficient. The financing of the industry, as many scientists admit, also leaves much to be desired. Therefore, amateur and “individual” ornithology becomes the basis for the protection of Red Book birds.

Where to study to become an ornithologist? TOP 5 Universities

Over 87% of specialists have higher education, but it is not always specialized.

Many ornithologists are biologists and zoologists who have narrowed their specialization. Specialized education does not play a significant role, but starting a career with an extensive knowledge base is much easier. Therefore, it makes sense to try to enroll in one of the leading universities to major in ornithology, since the competition is relatively low. If universities in your city do not train such specialists, and there is no way to leave, enroll in biology, zoology and related specialties.

To enter a university to major in Zoology, you will need to pass the Unified State Exam in biology. About how to prepare for the exam and pass it with the maximum score -.

TOP-5 Russian universities training ornithologists:

1. Agrarian University named after. Timiryazev.
2. Moscow State University named after Lomonosov.
3. St. Petersburg State University.
4. Kazan Federal University.
5. Kuban State University.

At the same time, the profession does not require mandatory higher education; the key indicator for employment is the experience, research and scientific work of an ornithologist.

You can graduate from a secondary specialized educational institution and develop in your chosen direction. There is only one drawback to this decision - starting a career with a secondary education is extremely difficult. The probability that you will be able to defend a candidate’s or doctoral dissertation in this case also tends to zero. Therefore, it is worth trying to get a higher and, if possible, specialized education. Unless, of course, you want to be an amateur ornithologist.

What personal qualities should you have?

• Intellectual development. You will have to carry out complex analytical work, guided by the accumulated knowledge base. It is necessary not only to know a lot, but also to be able to apply knowledge in practice and strive for constant professional development.
• Patience. The key method of collecting information for an ornithologist is observation. You have to watch birds for several hours, and sometimes for several days. In this situation, patience is a key quality that does not allow you to lose the attention necessary for research.
• Good physical fitness. Although most experts rarely undertake expeditions, they are a key source of information about birds. During each trip you work in wild conditions - this requires endurance and good physical fitness.
• Attentiveness. You must be prepared for the fact that you will not just contemplate the birds, but try to notice something new in their life activity, behavior, relationship with relatives and the environment. The success of the research largely depends on your attention.
• Love of science and birds. Motivation is important in any job. Ornithologists rarely receive high salaries; many of them even spend their own money on research. The only possible motivation in this case is a sincere love for science and birds.

Where can a specialist work?

1. Bird watching stations. Usually they are engaged not only in the study of birds in the region, but also in the rehabilitation of wild birds with their subsequent return to the wild. These are in no way zoos or reserve administrators. Employees of ornithological stations simultaneously conduct powerful scientific research and are engaged in the protection of rare and endangered species, and sometimes in the restoration of populations that have disappeared in a given area. It is important to note that stations are never operated for the benefit of hunting clubs or agricultural businesses.
2. Research institutes . Here, the key goal of the employees is to conduct research related to the identification and description of new bird species, studying the characteristics of their habitat in certain territories, and analyzing migration and threats to the population. Often, research institutes develop and monitor the implementation of regional or federal programs for the protection of birds listed in the Red Book. Organizations can also initiate the process of adding a certain species of birds to the Red Book of Russia.
3. Educational institutions . Many ornithologists remain to work at the universities from which they graduated. Here, career growth is largely determined by scientific and teaching activities. After graduating from a university, a young specialist strives to defend a candidate’s and subsequently a doctor’s dissertation. At the same time, he conducts scientific research, develops programs for the protection of endangered bird species, monitors the process of their implementation, analyzes their effectiveness, and makes adjustments and additions.

Pros and cons of the ornithologist profession

It is important to understand that advantages and disadvantages are relative. For some, the opportunity to watch birds for hours is an obvious plus, but for others it is torture. Some people are not ready to work their whole lives for 25-30 thousand rubles a month, but for others this is a completely acceptable amount. Try to take this into account in the process of analyzing and selecting a specialty.

Key advantages ornithologist professions:

• Maximum closeness with nature during expeditions;
• Respectable, status specialty;
• A profession significant for science and society;
• A real chance to become the savior of dozens of endangered bird species;
• The opportunity to make grandiose scientific discoveries.

Flaws ornithologist professions:

• Relatively low wages;
• Complex, mostly “desk” work;
• Often difficult traveling conditions during expeditions;
• The need to take responsibility for the research;
• Constant struggle with bureaucracy and lack of funding.

If we talk about the lack of funding and the same bureaucracy, then these problems may be resolved in the near future. But there is no reason to expect that the work process itself will become simpler, and that expeditions will no longer require colossal expenditures of effort. So try weigh the obvious pros and cons in advance profession before admission.

How much do ornithologists earn in Russia and abroad?

The average salary of a specialist with 3 years of work experience in Russia is 26 thousand rubles.

In Moscow, St. Petersburg and the Far East the amount is higher - about 35 thousand rubles. But in the Volga region, many ornithologists are forced to be content with salaries of 21-23 thousand rubles. The salary depends not only on the achievements and experience of each individual specialist, but also on his place of work.

Thus, research workers with a doctorate degree receive on average 5-7 thousand rubles more than their colleagues working at ornithological stations. Due to low salaries, many specialists combine their main activities with teaching, working as teachers in higher and secondary specialized educational institutions. If we consider foreign salaries, ornithologists from the USA (on average 52 thousand dollars per year), Switzerland (51.5 thousand dollars) and Japan (49 thousand dollars) earn the most.

Summary and conclusions

Ornithology is an interesting and complex science. It can be done by a person who sincerely loves birds and wants to make every effort to preserve their populations and conduct important scientific research. Ornithologist is an extremely important profession. She is interesting in her own way and boring in her own way. And for all its importance, it remains not the highest paid in Russia and the countries of the post-Soviet space.

Maria Kositsyna

Editor of the Info-Profi portal, head of the center for supporting student projects at Tyumen State University.

Did you know that owls can sit almost like humans, eat salad, but can easily break your arm with their paw? Aviation ornithologist Nika Zubra from Moscow talks about these birds and their neighbors in one of the apartments.

Owl mafia and big boss Yol

Domestic ferrets are no longer new; sometimes crows or jackdaws are found among domestic animals, but rarely owls (although sometimes they are sold in stores even in Belarus). Nika Zubra, or Nika Ryzhova - an aviation ornithologist from Moscow.

She is the owner of a popular blog that can be easily found onyoutube, if you watch videos about animals ( first channel Andsecond channel, duplicate, with slightly different content). By the way, the author is very against non-compliance with copyright.

Nika Zubra keeps at home an owl Yol, owls, a goshawk, a gecko and other animals. She began to study birds seriously, as she herself wrote, in 2000, although her education was not at all ornithological - she studied statistics and economics.

“I’m used to monitoring the situation around me”

The first bird is a Far Eastern large-billed crow, which Nika came to know back in her school days. After filming, she was sent to the school zoo, bald, lame, and unable to fly. The girl came out with the help of the Russian Songbird Lovers Club. Then the bird was taken away, but the story did not end there.

Then there was my own raven, growing from a fledgling, meeting a falconer, raising a hawk and participating in competitions. In 2006, the heroine began working as an aviation ornithologist at Moscow Domodedovo Airport. Her “job is to scare away seagulls, pigeons and other birds in the area around Domodedovo Airport, along with the hawk Silva,” writes the website daily.afisha.ru on July 7, 2017.

“I’m so used to monitoring the situation around me that I almost never look into the eyes of my interlocutor,” says Nika.

Some people get offended, but this skill is the result of understanding how and when a bird behaves, the habit of noticing everything important before it does.

Five videos to try: owl “UGU” and hawk baths

On the firstyoutube-the channel, which is hosted by Nika Zubra, has 170,000 subscribers, and the videos have from a couple of thousand to 1.2 million views. We have selected the most viewed:

• Filina Yol is being recorded for film dubbing. The cat Murloc sits below and controls the process.

• The bird's embarrassment and details about how it manages while it's alone at home.

• And here - about a small scops owl (Otus scops) and a stabilizer: it does not take its eyes off the cat, even if it is rotated around its own axis. Fits in a lamp box.

• A goshawk hypnotizes the bathtub water and bathes carefully. They say that the second time she floundered without thinking.

• The tree blooms when you water it

Owls are cute, but you don't need to have them

“Looking at my videos with the eagle owl Yolka, many wanted such a cute bird for themselves,” – writes Nika Zubra under one of the filmings and assures: it’s not worth getting an eagle owl.

Raising a balanced bird is difficult, but getting disabled in the process is easy. For example, the fingers of an owl are almost as thick as those of the owner, their length is about 6 centimeters, the claws are another 4. The total length is enough to clasp the palm. The design of the joints is such that it is impossible to pull something out by force; they only compress it more strongly.

« Yol and her experience of living among people is, in fact, a unique phenomenon, without embellishment. They write to me from some European countries that ornithologists watch my videos as aids, studying the behavior of my birds. Because it’s impossible for them, it’s simply prohibited there,” writes the author. Foreign ornithologists gain knowledge from videos, but Nika Zubra gains knowledge at the cost of her own mistakes. Some of them are marked with scars.

About the escaped hawk: “She didn’t jump out of the sky.”

“I often come across under my posts and publications demands from complete strangers and incompetent people to “release the birds into the wild” , says the ornithologist.

Do all birds want this? At least one is not. In the text on birds.vc, Nika tells the story of Silva the hawk themselves. The bird was born wild, but at 4 months old it fell into a trap. She was injured there and was treated for a long time. After 4 years, the bird flew away, and after another 10 days it returned.

“Of course, she didn’t jump onto her hands from the sky with cries of joy and tears in her eyes,” Nika writes. The bird was found in the same place as the first time - in the same crow trap, eating a slaughtered crow. “Without any problems, she allowed herself to be picked up, reaching the enclosures by car, like an already mature bird, calmly, without trying to break loose and run away.”

Owls do not need salvation, but houses

We advise you to read a couple more texts. The first is about what it is like to keep an owl, the second is about how the superpower of little owls and their walks outside the nest are connected. You should not pick up such chicks - most likely, their walks are supervised by careful adults.

“It’s better to hang houses for owls from baskets, boxes and old buckets where they will nest, then everything around will be owled and blessed,” - Nika advises.

In addition: other channels about animals

For those who didn’t have enough stories from Nika, here’s another great one. channel :

“Everything is like animals” is a program about what people are like. They promise to tell you something that the BBC and Animal Kingdom have been discreetly silent about. “But someone has to!” – its creators present the channel. The program is filmed on the Atlantic, in Croatia, Kenya and more, and the authors are from Russia.

There are also ratings that can be found by searching for “youtube channel animals”. They advise, for example, this channel about incredible animals, this about helping homeless animals and, of course,

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) records about five thousand cases of airplane and helicopter collisions with birds every year around the world. To prevent accidents, a team of ornithologists works at each airport, who daily ensure that birds do not interfere with aircraft. The Village visited Pulkovo Airport and learned how disco balls can be used to scare away birds, how a laser gun differs from a gas gun, and why a falcon is more effective than a hawk.

COLLISION FREQUENCY
WITH DIFFERENT KINDS OF BIRDS

AVIATION ORNITHOLOGY GROUP
PULKOVO AIRPORT

In 1983, the position of ornithologist engineer first appeared on the staff of Pulkovo Airport. But officially the year of creation of the special ornithological service is considered to be 1986. This year, two experts on birds of prey were invited to help the engineer at the airport. Today, there are 13 people on our permanent bird control staff. This is the leader of the group with the self-explanatory surname Sokolov, three ornithological engineers, masters conducting duty on the strips, and two specialists in birds of prey.

AIRPLANE PARTS,
WHICH BIRDS FALL INTO

The main task of the ornithological service is to make the airport area as unattractive as possible for birds. To do this, employees regularly cut down bushes, drain wetlands and remove garbage to eliminate nesting and feeding areas. The open reservoir on the territory of Pulkovo is covered with a special net - this is the only way to keep waterfowl away. With the onset of spring, Pulkovo ornithologists have more work: the number of birds in the city and surrounding area increases due to spring migration, which means the potential danger of their collision with airplanes during takeoff and landing increases.

Reservoirs covered with a protective net.
Reservoirs covered with a protective net.
Reservoirs covered with a protective net.
Reservoirs covered with a protective net.

REPELLENTS

In Pulkovo, both the latest technical means and traditional methods - birds of prey - are used to scare away birds.

NOISE

Bioacoustic posts. At Pulkovo Airport, 13 bioacoustic posts are installed on each runway. The post is a special structure capable of emitting scaring signals: each type of bird has its own special sound. The installation is equipped with a video camera with a 360-degree viewing angle so that the situation on the take-off sites can be monitored from a laptop screen.

Bioacoustic post.
Bioacoustic post.

Noise gas guns. Such guns most often operate in automatic mode. Using sensors, they determine the number of birds around and, depending on the situation, fire from one shot every 10 minutes to two or three per minute. Guns are also used for targeted operations. For example, when you need to drive away a flying flock from the airport.

Noise gas gun.
Noise gas gun.

LIGHT

Portable laser guns. The guns operate on the principle of a laser pointer and scare away birds with concentrated beams of light. True, the arsenal of the ornithological group at Pulkovo Airport will receive new equipment only in June of this year.

Reflective balls. They are actually large disco balls that reflect sunlight. They affect the vision of birds, disorient them and scare them away. In total, there are about 20 such balloons installed at the airport.

Reflective ball to scare away birds.
Reflective ball to scare away birds.

PREDATORS

To combat unwanted guests in Pulkovo, specially trained falcons, peregrine falcons and saker falcons are used. Flying at high altitude, the falcon is able to scare away birds within a radius of one or two kilometers. Hawks fly low, at an altitude of about 200-300 meters, so they are usually used to disperse small flocks.A big problem for Pulkovo ornithologists is the southern city landfill on the Volkhonskoye Highway, where seagulls and crows look for food.

A hood is a special cap that is placed on the birds’ heads during transportation so that they feel comfortable and not nervous.

The set of special equipment also includes a falcon glove and straps with which the bird is secured in the hand while moving - entanglements.
Equipment is not produced in Russia, so we have to order it abroad, mainly in Arab countries.
In Pulkovo, specially trained peregrine falcons and saker falcons are used to scare away migratory birds.
The nervous behavior of falcons is explained by the fact that they are currently hatching chicks.
Another inhabitant of the ornithological base in Pulkovo is the black raven.