About Watch Russia
The lotus, a sacred flower in the East, grows abundantly in Russia — the largest lotus fields on Earth are located in the Volga River Delta.
In July, the delicate fragrance of this remarkable flower fills the hot river air. Come to admire the lotuses and observe rare birds at the Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve.
Russia’s main river, the Volga, flows into the Caspian Sea, as we all remember from our school geography and even literature lessons (thanks to Chekhov and his story The Teacher of Literature). Yet, perhaps not everyone reflects on how exactly this happens. As it prepares to merge with the sea, the river splits into numerous branches, channels and small streams these forming the Volga Delta – the largest river delta in Europe and eighth in the world. It constitutes the largest closed water body on Earth not connected to an ocean. This is a kingdom of birds and a realm of lotuses.
Almost the entire territory of the Delta is protected. The Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve was established as early as 1919. Its founder and first director was ornithologist Vladimir Khlebnikov, father of the futurist poet Velimir Khlebnikov, who is also buried there. On its expanses, birds reign supreme. Great white egrets and their black cousins, whooper swans and mute swans, Dalmatian pelicans, white-tailed eagles, golden eagles, storks, black storks and flamingos – a total of 307 species, of which 116 nest here, 237 pass through during migration periods, 78 overwinter and 59 visit irregularly.
Birds living in the Delta permanently or temporarily compete with humans for fish. Traditionally, tourists come to the Astrakhan Region primarily for fishing. Yet, the current director of the Astrakhan Biosphere Reserve, Nikolay Tsimlyansky, is trying to change this by promoting birdwatching. The Volga Delta offers unique conditions for observing birds in their natural habitat. This position taken by the Reserve is influenced by objective factors, including the significant reduction in fish stocks in the region over the last decade. This does, indeed, call for leaving nature alone, no longer intruding into its life systems, but rather protecting, observing and admiring it. And if you do go fishing along the banks of the Volga, then follow the strict rules: don’t catch more than necessary, release young fish so they can grow up and have offspring, and avoid hunting prohibited species.
Today, the Reserve offers its guests ornithological tours lasting four to eight days, during which visitors can explore all three sections of the Reserve, widely separated from each other: Damchiksky in the western part of the Astrakhan Region, Trekhizbinsky in the central area, and Obzhorovsky in the eastern lowlands of the Volga Delta. Moreover, birdwatching is possible in the Delta even in winter. No longer hidden by abundant vegetation, the birds remaining here for the winter can be observed in all their glory. Huge white-tailed eagles often perch on trees like jackfruits, scanning for prey. Or they might settle on the ice, waiting until the ice covering dead fish thaws slightly under the sun, allowing them to break it open and finally have a hearty meal. From late November, the Volga Delta becomes a giant skating rink, and one can embark on an incredible journey across its vast expanse aboard the versatile aeroboat Sever, which is equally at home on water, ice and snow. A carbon propeller creates such a powerful vortex that the Sever easily accelerates to 150 km/h. Its speed takes your breath away, yet it stops anywhere, right in the middle of the frozen water surface, so you can step out and walk on the ice. In winter, the landscape of the Delta acquires a noble monochromatic quality, pleasing to the eye, and is filled with radiance created by sunlight playing on the icy surface. Lower your gaze – and there’s life below: the underwater temperature is +4 °C, and schools of fish continue their usual promenades; raise your eyes upwards – flocks of birds circle overhead, searching for food.
Nevertheless, the best time to enjoy nature in the Delta is July when, alongside the birds, the lotuses bloom. How exactly the sacred Eastern flower came to these Caspian lands remains unknown. It’s also unclear how it managed to adapt to the very cold winters. But the fact remains: in midsummer, an entire sea of lotuses blooms in the Delta. These flowers live only three to four days. They emerge bright pink and gradually fade as they wilt. Like sakura, the lotus serves as a vivid symbol of the fleetingness of life. Its scent is exquisite: to sense it from a single flower, you must lean down close to it. But when there are many lotuses, all giving off their fragrance, it cannot be missed. It seems as though you’re inhaling pure gentleness itself.
Lotus fields alternate with beds of water lilies, underwater meadows, thick walls of reeds and islands of tall grass. In the Delta, water and land coexist. Sometimes, a seemingly endless marine expanse stretches out before your boat, while at other times you’ll find yourself in narrow labyrinths of grass and reed where it’s easy to get lost. These are true Volga jungles. You constantly need to turn your head: look down at the fish, sideways at the lotuses and water lilies, and upward at the birds that take flight as you approach. Together with swaying lotuses, reeds, and grasses stirring in the wind, their sudden ascents create a mesmerizing natural choreography. White and black egrets stand straight and haughtily survey their surroundings. Clumsy swans cannot take off immediately, instead making a dash across the water. Eagles, with their two-metre wingspan, hover in the air awaiting prey, seemingly marking the boundary between the aquatic and celestial worlds.
In this natural cycle, man plays no role at all, being merely a transient visitor. After watching the fish and birds, it’s better to withdraw quietly, without disturbing or harming anything, simply allowing oneself to feel a fleeting connection to the universe.