Lopatka Presque Isle

Lopatka Presque Isle (shoulder blade) is among the unique natural sites of South Kamchatka Federal Reserve. Stretching on 25km for a width of 2 to 7km the Presque isle marks the south boundary of the Peninsula. It is lined in the west by Okhotsk Sea and by the Pacific Ocean in the east. Lopatka, is a very humid place and it has many tundra lakes. Bushes of alder and cedars form its rather poor vegetation. Vast fields of brown algae are the home of thousands of sea-otters in the stretches of shallow coastal waters. Many birds nest on the Presque Isle including long-tailed ducks, rock sandpipers, dunlins, red-throated Pipits and Lapland Longspurs. A very large population of migratory birds also has also been recorded, in autumn up to 9-10,000 individuals in the day. At night there are no less. Lopatka Presque Isle is a wintering place of auks, anseriformes, seagulls and gulls. In addition to sea birds tufted puffins and cormorants can also be found. The land mammals are typical of Southern Kamchatka: foxes, brown bears, stoats, wolverines, hares, etc. In the sea it is possible to sea eared seals, seals, as well as Steller’s Sea lions. The Cossacks set foot on Lopatka Presque Isle in 1771, but previous traces of colonies were found by archeologists. It is thought that they were Itelmens and maybe Ainus.