|
|
RESPONDENT
|
|
Benoit Sittler
|
|
|
SITE NAME
|
|
Traill Island, Karupelv Valley, Greenland, Denmark
|
|
| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (49-761)2033629/(49-761)2033638 // sittler@ruf.uni-freiburg.de // Institut fur Landespflege Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg D-79085 Freiburg, Germany
|
|
PROJECT DETAILS |
|
|
|
Start of survey:
|
End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
|
|
|
|
|
WEATHER
CONDITIONS
|
| Season phenology: |
average
|
|
|
Weather conditions: |
| Snow melt pattern was in the average range.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
|
|
| Date of final loss of
snow: |
|
|
BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
|
| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
low
|
|
|
Breeding conditions:
|
Snowy Owls were absent, and any breeding attempts among Long-tailed Skuas were not recorded. Only one Arctic Fox den (in the whole valley) was occupied by a family with cubs. Regarding Stoats, the record of predation of winter nests has shown that few individuals must have been present in early winter 2000/2001 but indications provided by trapping in summer suggested that they were then pushed to the edge of local extinction. These observations remain in line with the general trend suggesting a delayed response of the Stoats to the lemming fluctuations.
Tundra breeding birds like King Eiders and Long-tailed Ducks suffered from the increased predation pressure, and the scarcity of Ptarmigans may also have been related to a shift on alternate prey. Apparently waders were also affected judging from the very few juveniles observed in early August. Based on the long-term patterns becoming apparent in this system, we expect an outbreak of the lemming during the present winter 2001/2002.
|
|
|
Rodent dynamics:
|
| The routine surveys of the lemming winter nests has revealed a continuation of the low, even if a slight recovery became apparent when compared to the deep depression recorded in 2000. The poor abundance of lemmings as also inferred from trapping efforts throughout the summer (only two animals caught!) was reflected in the response of predators.
|
|
Rodent species recorded:
|
|
|
|
|
Summary
of fauna studies: |
|
|
|