The birds of Pasvik / E. I. Khlebosolov, O. A. Makarova, O. A. Khlebosolova [et al. ; English transl. Nikita Chernetsov]. - Ryazan : Golosgubernii, 2007. - 175 с. : ил., портр.

Introduction The Pasvik river is situated in the extreme northwest o f Russia. It originates from Lake Inari, flows through three countries, Finland, Russia, and Norway, and into the Barents Sea. Its total length is 147 km. This area has always been a bound­ ary between different countries, therefore the river Pasvik also has a Finnish and a Norwegian name, Paatsjoki and Pasvikelva, respectively. The river has given its name to the whole area which is called Pasvik. Pasvik includes the valley of the river Pasvik and adjacent areas. This area is relatively well studied from the viewpoint o f ornithology. The first data on its avifauna have been reported by Pleske (1887) and Hebei (1902). In 1907, the Norwegian researcher H.T.L. Schaanning published the first check-list o f birds o f the Pasvik valley and gave a brief description o f their ecology. The results o f the study o f Pasvik birds in the 20th century were summarised by Blair (1936), Wikan (1987), and in the Atlas of Finnmark birds compiled by B. Frantzen, H. Dransfeld and O. Hunsdal (1991). In the early 1990s, in the middle flow o f the Pasvik on both Norwegian and Russian sides, two specially protected areas were established, Pasvik state n atu re reserve (zapovednik) (1992) and Pasvik naturreservat (1993). Establishment o f these nature reserves gave new impetus to ornithological research in this area. The Russian ornithologists V.V. Bianchi, A.S. Gilyazov, S.N. Bakkal and th eir Norwegian colleagues P.G. Thingstad, M. Gunther, P. Aspholm worked there. International collaboration currently goes on within the framework of long­ term programm es and projects. One o f such projects is jo in t research in the planned trilateral Pasvik-Inari national park where scientists from Russia, Norway and F in land participate. Such a long-standing interest o f ornithologists in Pasvik is related to its geo­ graphical position. Here elements o f western and eastern sub-Arctic avifauna meet. 7