Sofya Rozenfeld is a PhD in Biology and a researcher at the Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution. She explores the status of the rare goose populations in Yamal, the Arctic-Info news agency reports.

She uses a small ultralight aircraft to monitor waterfowl. She photographs flocks of birds and makes GPS records of the flock's location to add the coordinates to a digital map. In addition, she identifies bird types, their gender and age distribution. The study will help count the number of waterfowl in the Arctic Region.

"This data will help us adjust the terms and standards for bird hunting and for rare species conservation activities. Our task is to monitor these birds using ultralight aircraft. The results should be used for hunting quotas and nature protection," Rozenfeld said.  

Rozenfeld and her fellow pilot Georgy Kirtayev have explored the territory of Dvuobye, including the north of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area — Yugra. They next plan to conduct research in Ust-Yuribei and the Baidarata Bay, and then they will fly along the coast to Naryan-Mar and then to Mezenskaya Bay.

The research results will be presented at an international conference for waterfowl studies in Salekhard in early December.