Curlew Sandpipers Calidris ferruginea in the Caspian Sea area: a review of current knowledge

On the coastline of the Caspian Sea, Curlew Sandpipers were recorded on southward migration more frequently than on northward migration, and the western Caspian coast was more important for staging and foraging than the eastern coast. In Kirov Bay, the maximum number staging simultaneously may reach 3,000 birds. Stopover time was about two days. Peak northward migration through the western Caspian coast was in the first half of May. Southward migration was recorded from late July to early October, peaking in August. Variations
in the water level of the Caspian Sea, which are naturally cyclic, create and destroy ecosystems and have major impacts on the migration of all waders and other waterbirds. Food supply during northward migration seems to be more rich and diverse on steppe lakes, but during southward migration it is better on the Caspian Sea coasts.