Cormorants of Transcarpathia

The first thing that comes to mind for the average Ukrainian man in the street when reading the title of the article, is that the further story, apparently in a negative light, will be referred to some residents of the Transcarpathian region. This is because the word “cormorant”, which is pronounced in Russian and Ukrainian languages like “baklan”, is quite commonly used with the negative meaning. More and more often I hear this word in the evening in dark corners of Uzhgorod yards. May be, partly, the fame of this word is well-deserved. It is known that cormorants, which are mainly sea birds, “have a bulimia disease”, if translated into the human language. They eat constantly. Not waiting enough time to swallow the fish, the cormorant is again looking for a prey. Even in cormorants’ excrements it is always possible to find the remnants of undigested food. I’ve read much about cormorants once, having returned from the Black Sea, where I spent some time on the sand searching for a great shot to take pictures of this bird. In some of the articles the tangible refutation of the fact that cormorants suffer "bulimia" were cited. The main purpose was such that in places where there is really a lot of food, cormorants can behave this way, but if the quantity of available prey is not so big, they calmly eat nearly 400 grams of fish per day and feel totally comfortable.

Continue reading   Comments (0)   30.03.2010. 14:33  

The Turuls of Transcarpathia

The bronze statue of an eagle, “Turul”, stands on one of the bastions of the “Palanok” castle in Mukachevo town. The weight of this “Turul” is 850 kilograms. The wingspan is 4 meters. The height of the statue is 2 meters. Alexander Andyaloshi is the author of the statue. The mythical bird “Turul”, holding a sword in its claws, is the national symbol of Hungary.

Continue reading   Comments (0)   09.03.2010. 08:17  

Stuzhitsa village. Mineral stream. Old oaks.

The village Stuzhitsa of the Velykobereznians’kyi area is known, first of all, due to its mineral stream and a few old oak trees, which are several hundred years old. There are several sources, in fact, but most of them are very difficult to reach, that’s why the attention should be paid to one. The village Stuzhitsa was found in 1559. Its territory is 6.5 square kilometers. Approximately a thousand people live in the village.

Continue reading   Comments (0)   09.03.2010. 08:14  

Ostrich Farm in Khust

The ostrich farm, which is located on the outskirts of the city Khust near the bypass road, nowadays, attracts more and more tourists. The farm has existed since 2002, when the owner Vasiliy Perets acquired his first ostriches from the neighboring Slovak Republic. Vasiliy had some difficulties in the process of transportation of the first 6 ostriches through the border. Customs officers were detaining his “live load” at the border for nearly two weeks. Despite the fact that the ostriches were originally imported from Namibia, Africa, our Transcarpathian climate proved to be very favorable for them. They easily endure the cold, eat everything and actively lay eggs. In the best years on the farm there were several hundred of ostriches. Vasiliy grows ostriches for sale. A few other ostrich farms were founded in Transcarpathia during last years. One of them is situated on the outskirts of the village Onok in Vynohradiv area, another is very close to Uzhgorod – in the village Kholmtsy. The farm in Kholmsy belongs to one very popular entrepreneur – Syvokon’. There is one more private farm of a “closed” type somewhere in Transcarpathia.

Continue reading   Comments (0)   09.03.2010. 08:09  

Arpad Line. Shelter on the Uklin Pass.

The most convenient route to visit dozens of objects of the Arpad Line in Volovets area is the passage through the pass Uklin, named after the village with the same name, to the villages Verkhnia Hrabivnitsa and Podpolozye. The biggest amount of the objects is situated here. Your trip should be followed by a visit to the tract “Maidan”, belonging to the village Podpolozye, but located quite far from it.

Continue reading   Comments (0)   09.03.2010. 08:03