!!!Kamtschatka-East
Photos by Stanislav Sedov and
Dmitry Moiseenko,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

15 May 2019

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Kamchatka Peninsula, Eastern coast, Bering sea, Russia

Kamchatka Krai occupies the north-eastern part of the Russian
Federation. It is an outstretched peninsula bounded by water on three
sides: to the west by the Okhotsk Sea, to the east and to the south by
the Bering Sea of the Pacific Ocean. Such geographical location has
influenced the terrain and the climate of the area.

The eastern coastline has stretched for more than 2,000 km. There are
the large bays of Korfa, Ozerny, Kamchatsky, Kronotsky and Avachinsky,
as well as the famous Kronotsky Nature Reserve. Near its southern
border, there is the Semyachik Liman separated from the Pacific Ocean by
a completely "bold" sand spit.

[{Image src='01_Semyachikskaya spit.jpg' caption='Semyachikskaya spit\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='516'}]

A liman is an enlarged estuary with low banks at the widening mouth of
the river before flowing into the sea. The Semyachik Liman has an area
of 780 ha. It is a vast shallow waterbody that feeds on thermal waters
creating perfect conditions for different representatives of fauna. The
abundance of fish attracts bears, otters, seals, foxes and other
predators as well as birds.

[{Image src='02_Semyachikskaya liman.jpg' caption='Semyachiksky liman\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='266'}]

In addition, the Semyachik Liman provides the birds with comfortable
seats for nesting on its marshy banks. The warm waters make it a good
place for overwintering. The biodiversity of the Semyachik Liman
resulted in including this place into the list of the most significant
water-marshy grounds of the national importance.

You can see unique animals, including steller sea lions, not only in
this place but also in the area of the Kozlov River in the Kronotsky
Nature Reserve. This species is the largest of the eared seals and is
sometimes called the "northern sea lion". The most loved place of these
animals is the Kozlov Stone that lies on their migration path.

[{Image src='03_Kozlov's stone. Steller sea lions rookery.jpg' caption='Kozlov's stone. Steller sea lions rookery\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false'}]

At the end of April, the male-seals appear here, occupy the place and
protect the territory of other claimants. Soon the females join them and
the breeding season starts. At the beginning of May, there are around
100 animals near the Kozlov Stone and around 300 through the whole
summer season. It is a record high level. Another good place for
watching steller sea lions is Cape Kekurny located 50 km away from
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.

[{Image src='04_Kekurny Cape. Steller sea lions.jpg' caption='Kekurny Cape. Steller sea lions\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='570'}]

In the southern part of the peninsula, there is the South Kamchatka
Sanctuary named after T.I. Shpilenok. In 1996, it was listed as a UNESCO
world heritage site under the nomination "Volcanoes of Kamchatka" due to
its unique natural features and the diverse landscape. One of its most
remarkable places is a small rocky island of Utashud of around 80 meters
high. In fact, it is not a single but three adjoining islands that merge
into one common area during low tides. The island is reef-edged with
occasional laminaria bushes. The view is animated with a partially sank
shipwreck and acute steep sea stacks being 153 and 183 meters high.

[{Image src='05_Semyachiksky liman.jpg' caption='Semyachiksky liman\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='852'}]

Bears occasionally come to Utashud, while the main inhabitants of the
island are sea otters, spotted and insular seals. From spring to late
December, a small group of grey whales stays near the coast of the
island. The colonies of 10 seabird species counting more than 22,000
pairs are also located on the island.

Kamchatka is the kingdom of nature with minimal human impact. Have a
journey to these incredible places together with AirPano!

[{Image src='06_Kamenistaya Bay.jpg' caption='Kamenistaya Bay\\© [AirPano|https://www.AirPano.com]' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='446'}]

AirPano team would like to express our gratitude to the admistration of
the Kronotsky Biosphere Reserve: director Peter Shpilenok, Roman
Korchigin, Nikolay Pozdnyakov and Anisifor Krupenin ship's crew: Andrey
Polischuk, Igor Girev and Roman Polischuk for perfect organization of
the photo shoot, and warm welcome.

\\ \\
[12 panoramas of Kamtschatka-East|Geography/Asia/Russia/Pictures/Kamtschatka-East]

[{SET customtitle='Kamtschatka-East (AP)'}]












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