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RESPONDENT
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Alexander Sokolov
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SITE NAME
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Erkatayakha River, Yamal Peninsula, Russia
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| Contact
details (phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (34992)5-71-86/5-71-85 // sokhol@yandex.ru; sokolov@ipae.uran.ru // Zelyonaya Gorka, 18-9, Labytnangi, Tumenskaya oblast, 629400, Russia |
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PROJECT DETAILS
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey:
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Team
size:
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22.06 |
31.07 |
9 |
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WEATHER CONDITIONS
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| Season
phenology: |
average |
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Weather conditions: |
| Summer was hot and dry, with only 3 weak rains during more than 30 days. Air temperature often exceeded +20øC at day-time, while at night did not normally fell below +5øC. |
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| Date of ice-break
on rivers: |
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| Date of final loss
of snow: |
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BIOTIC CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
low |
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Breeding conditions:
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Solitary adult Arctic Foxes were common, but inhabited dens were not found in the study area. Single pair of Rough-legged Buzzards nested in a 100 sq.km. plot, which was occupied by 16 pairs in 1999. Breeding success of buzzards was 3 fledgings raised from 7 eggs; two of their nests were 40 and 200 m from two different nests of Peregrine Falcons, and the third one - 300 m from a tent of Nenets people, established yet in March. Peregrine Falcons occupied all suitable steep river banks, and their breeding success was 88.2%. Non-breeding Snowy Owls were rather common - up to 2 birds per 10 sq.km, perhaps due to rodent depression in their nesting area to the north of our study site. Numbers of Grouses started to increase in 2000, and owl pellets contained remains of these birds more often than rodent remains. Among skuas wandering Arctic Skuas were relatively common.
Among passerines Lapland Buntings were less abundant compared to 1999, while pipits were common. Lemming numbers depression should have adversely affected breeding success of tundra birds, but apparent specialization of both owls and foxes on abundant ptarmigans (nests and broods), probably, relaxed the pressure on waders. Fledgelings of almost all wader species and broods of various ducks were seen. |
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Deep depression of both Siberian (very rare and only in pellets) and Collared lemming populations was observed in 2000, and numbers of Microtus voles decreased by a factor of two compared to 1999.
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Rodent species recorded:
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| Latin | Abundance |
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| Dicrostonyx torquatus | rare |
| Microtus middendorffi | common |
| Microtus gregalis | rare |
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
| Studies of ecology of Rough-legged Buzzard included collecting data on numbers, nesting density, breeding success, factors affecting nest-site choice and diet. |
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