Things start to develop!

Today got the print-run of our questionnaire - with the joint (from the Kandalaksha reserve and from myself) appeal to the local people living along the White Sea coast - to help with counts and other simple data-gathering on Oystercatcher, Common Crane, Feral Pigeon and House Sparrow. The latter three were added upon request from the nature reserve staff. I even objected at first - seems it could distract attention from "my" beloved Oystercatcher as the main 2008 target - but then understood additional positive reasons to have these three extra species also in. If a person replies from a village telling about Cranes and Sparrows, but giving zero numbers for Oystercatchers - there is a fair chance that Oystercatchers are indeed not there.
Thus tonight and tomorrow practice the direct mailing ;-) for birds and nature. Besides mailed leaflets also a number of local newspapers promised help to publicize the questionnaire - and for them extra stories are needed as well. And on Oystercatchers I can talk and write for hours - so that people share the great care and all other feelings towards these birds!
Meanwhile the questionnaire in Russian in pdf version can also be downloaded - this is mainly for tourist groups who are also most welcome to help. Link valid till end of June, to be prolonged later.
As some of you might know - we do not have a practice of volunteer/students birdwatching, neither we have a network of bird-friendly people along the White Sea coasts. Therefore I am really really curious what we get from this first ever try to get bird data from local rural White Sea people.