OREANDA-NEWS. September 17, 2010. A new stage of The Flight of Hope, an international ecological program, commenced in the Byelozersky Federal Reserve in the Tymen Region. The Program is intended to help preserve and increase the numbers of White Crane (Sterkh), a rare species of birds entered in the Red Book. Press service of ITERA Oil and Gas Company told, that one grey and three white Sterkhs had been delivered to the Armizonsky Region where migration routes of white Sterkhs lie. White Sterkhs nest in the Yamal Peninsula, reported the press-centre of ITERA.

These birds were born this spring in the Oksky biosphere state reserve near Ryazan. They were taken to the reserve by plane. They are currently adjusting to the natural environment.

"We hope that Sterkhs, they are named as Yelon, Kazym and Nadym, shall spend two to three weeks here, - Alexander Sorokin, the national coordinator for the Flight of Hope Project, says. – This time should be sufficient for them to adjust and gain strength before a long-distance flight. Then  they will join their wild congeners or grey Sterkhs (that was the reason why we housed one grey Sterkh, named Akim, with them) and fly to warm places for wintering. To slave their migration route we installed a portable transmitter to one of these birds. We shall be receiving its signals in VNIIprirody (All Russia Scientific Research Institute for Nature) in the Oksky reserve".

According to D-r Yuri Markin (Biological Sciences), Director of the Reserve, the transmitter has been tested. The signal is stable. It is received via a satellite.

The Tumen stage of the Flight of Hope is not the only one for the current year. Five more Sterkhs shall be taken from the Ryazan Region to the Astrakhan Reserve at a later time. It is there where they expect to organize a wintering site for those graceful birds.

Just like in the past, ITERA oil and Gas Company, a long-time general sponsor for the Flight of Hope, provides assistance to ornithologists.