Scientific publications

In the Leningrad Region, the Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis C. L. Brehm was recorded 10 times in 1937 and between 1959 and 1999. In 2011, a pair was observed in one of the reservoirs of the former sludge beds of the South-West Wastewater Treatment Plant of St. Petersburg. In 2012, the first breeding record and two broods per season were detected at the same site. First brood chicks hatched at around June 7–8, the second – July 16–17. Detailed information on habitats and breeding features is presented. An analysis of data on the species occurrence in the neighboring countries showed that in five of the eight years when the Black-necked Grebe was found in the Leningrad Region it was also observed in Finland and/or Estonia. Presumably, in these years invasions were most pronounced. The increased abundance and early arrival in 2011 and 2012 may be a result of the abnormally hot and dry summer in the main breeding range in Russia in 2010. St. Petersburg (59̊49' N, 30̊08' E) is the northernmost place of proven breeding of the Black-necked Grebe. Pair-formation in the wintering grounds or migration staging areas is one of the factors that allows this species to breed far away from the main breeding range, in places where the probability of meeting a partner is extremely limited, and even to raise two broods, despite greater migration distance.