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This report presents the results of survey of a 46-kilometer section of the overhead line (OHL) powering the cathodic protection of the Bukhara – Ural Gas Pipeline within the Aktobe Region of the Republicof Kazakhstan. 7 kilometersof this section were previously equipped with bird protection devices (BPDs), which are now totally lost due to destruction of their fastening elements. Inspection of the 46-km section of this OHL has revealed deaths of 2 eagles (Aquilasp.), 1 Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), 1 Black Kite (Milvus migrans), and 3 Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus). The conclusion was made that the BPDs of this OHL needed renewal. It was also concluded that instead of OHLs laid along the pipeline route it was advisable to consider other options, including stations of cathodic protection fed from modular-packaged electrical power plants with self-contained micro-turbine units, such as used at the Beineu – Bozoy – Shymkent Gas Pipeline.

Determining the dynamics of where and when individuals occur is necessary to understand population declines and identify critical areas for populations of conservation concern. However, there are few examples where a spatially and temporally explicit model has been used to evaluate the migratory dynamics of a bird population across its entire annual cycle. We used geolocator-derived migration tracks of 84 Dunlin (Calidris alpina) on the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) to construct a migratory network describing annual subspecies-specific migration patterns in space and time. We found that Dunlin subspecies exhibited unique patterns of spatial and temporal flyway use. Spatially, C. a. arcticola predominated in regions along the eastern edge of the flyway (e.g., western Alaska and central Japan), whereas C. a. sakhalina predominated in regions along the western edge of the flyway (e.g., N China and inland China). No individual Dunlin that wintered in Japan also wintered in the Yellow Sea, China seas, or inland China, and vice-versa. However, similar proportions of the 4 subspecies used many of the same regions at the center of the flyway (e.g., N Sakhalin Island and the Yellow Sea). Temporally, Dunlin subspecies staggered their south migrations and exhibited little temporal overlap among subspecies within shared migration regions. In contrast, Dunlin subspecies migrated simultaneously during north migration. South migration was also characterized by individuals stopping more often and for more days than during north migration. Taken together, these spatial-temporal migration dynamics indicate Dunlin subspecies may be differentially affected by regional habitat change and population declines according to where and when they occur. We suggest that the migration dynamics presented here are useful for guiding on-the-ground survey efforts to quantify subspecies’ use of specific sites, and to estimate subspecies’ population sizes and long-term trends. Such studies would significantly advance our understanding of Dunlin space-time dynamics and the coordination of Dunlin conservation actions across the EAAF.