Each fact of creation of a nature protection area in our country can be considered as a miracle. Therefore, the emergence of a new ornithological reserve «Azov Heron» was met with applause of all those who care about the state of wildlife, in conditions when it is aggressively pushed by man, his recreation and urbanization.
Belosarayskaya Spit became the place of appearance of the new wildlife sanctuary. It is one of those peninsulas, which were washed out of sand and «joined» to the south-eastern part of Ukraine by the waves of the Azov Sea. The length of the newly formed outgrowth is equal to 14 km, width at the base — 10 km. Between Donetsk region and Bilosarayskaya Spit there is Taranya Bay, and the spit itself is the border separating Taganrog Bay from the main water area of the Sea of Azov. The total area of the spit is 416 hectares, which allowed to place on it not only residential facilities, but also to allocate space for nature protection area.
Visitors to the Belosarayskaya Spit will be amazed by the marvelous, ethereal landscapes. The relatively narrow strip of land is covered with broken shells and solonchaks, small lakes and estuaries. In winter and early spring, part of the spit is flooded with water. Later the liquid evaporates and allows salt tolerant hydrophilic plants to grow.
From spring to late fall the spit is overgrown with reeds, reed, sedge, cattail, cattail and bechmannia. Aster, saltwort and saltwort reign on islands of solonchaks. The tops of sand dunes are occupied by giant spikelets. The only nuance is that trees cannot take root on a spit without groundwater. The ones that are there, clumped together at the base of the Belosarai peninsula.
Such conditions have become ideal for the habitat and nesting places for a huge number of birds. It is similar to «bird bazaars», which are famous for the islands of Antarctica, Canadian Arctic Archipelago and the western part of South America. Only here it is not full-bodied loons and eider ducks that bargain for a place under the sun, but silver gulls, thin-legged sandpipers, grumpy mallards, gray geese and well-fed swans fattened on Azov fish. The most numerous colony of little white heron deserves special attention. Thanks to these graceful creatures this territory was lucky to become an ornithological reserve.
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Local residents, neighbors of this ornithological bomond, have problems due to the lack of a fresh water source on the spit. This is due to the history of the formation of the sandy peninsula. People here are engaged in fishing for flounder, pikeperch, gobies, pelengas, and fresh water is brought from the «mainland».
If you have planned vacation on Belosarajskaya spit, you should be ready to save water and observe the rules of life of the nature conservation site — cleanliness and silence. Those who dare to visit this landmark of Priazovia for recreational purposes will be rewarded with a swim in the warm sea, the melody of waves, the sound of birds and tasting fried, salted and smoked fish, recently floating in the bay Taraniya.