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RESPONDENT
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Vladimir Morozov
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SITE NAME
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East of Bolshezemel'skaya tundra and Polar Urals, Russia
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (495)1553044 // piskulka@mtu-net.ru // Shebashevski Proezd, 7-16, Moscow, 125315, Russia
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Project name:
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Studies of the Lesser White-fronted Goose
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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15.06
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25.08
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2
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
Snow accumulation was low during winter, which resulted in tundra surface becoming snow-free early, with snow remaining only under rocks, steep river banks and in ravines. Water rise during flood was very low, and many rivers (in particular, small) practically remained within the banks. Spring was early, but generally weather in June was cool, wet and cloudy. The total number of really warm days with day-time temperature above +15øC did not exceed 7 (from 8 to 10 and from 14 to 17 June). Despite cool June plant vegetation and insect flying-out occurred 15-20 days earlier than normal. Strong cold rain continued during half of a day on 20 June, but this did not adversely affect wader reproductive success, as they were still incubating at this time.
July was in general quite cold and cloudy, with frequent rains, drizzle or fogs, and day-time temperatures usually not exceeding +16øC. However, a few days of hot and sunny weather with temperatures reaching +28øC at day-time, and +13-14øC at night, occurred from 12 to 17 July. Night frost was only observed on 21 July, when temperature dropped to -4øC. Heavy rain started on 30 July and continued for 19 hours, which resulted in rise of water in rivers at 70-150 sm, a flood level exceeding that observed in spring on mountain rivers. First half of August was sunny, warm and quiet, with temperatures reaching +25-27øC at day-time.
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| Season temperature: |
average
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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: |
average
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Breeding conditions:
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Numbers of mammalian predators were very low. Arctic and Red foxes were never seen, and all inspected dens of these species were uninhabited. Ermine was seen once. Tracks of Brown Bears (including fresh ones) were quite often seen in mountains.
Owls were not seen, while nesting density of Long-tailed Skuas was very low. In June many of the latter were wandering in tundra in small flocks, which dissappeared by July, and only breeding pairs remained. Nesting birds were mostly successful in raising chicks. Northern Harriers nested at low density, but successfully. Merlin and Peregrine Falcon had average for the area nesting numbers. Rough-legged Buzzards started breeding at an average density in the area for this species, but clutch size was low, ranging from 1 to 5 eggs, with a mean 3.0 (n=9). Chicks hatched in most nests, however, many of the latter were deserted due to shortage of food in mid-summer, and chicks were eaten by each other and adult birds. Few pairs that managed to preserve nests until middle of July had successful reporduction, and all chicks, surviving to this moment, fledged. Average brood size was 2.0 (n=7).
Birds arrived earlier than usual, and many species started nesting immedeately. Consequently, hatching and fledging were earlier than in phenologically normal years. Hatching in most Ruff and Common Snipe nests occurred after 20 June, while chicks in nests of Redwings, Little Buntings, and many pairs of Common Reed-Buntings fledged around 25 June.
Among waders very low density of Golden Plover and Pintail Snipe, which were common species on tundra watersheds in previous years, is notable. In 2001 these species could be entirely absent from wide areas. Dotterel had low numbers in mountain tundra of Polar Urals. As usual, Ringed Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Temminck's Stint, Red-necked Phalarope, Common and Great snipes, and Jacksnipe were common, while Whimbrel was rare. Common Sandpiper had higher density than in most of the previous study years, but Ruff and Wood Sandpiper were the most numerous. A substantial number of nests of two latter species were found, and nests success was determined for many of them. Despite apparently not optimal weather conditions and high numbers of avain predators in context of low rodent numbers nest success of was high, with a single nest (of Red-necked Phalarope) destroyed among 26 under control. Reproductive success of Ringed Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, Common Snipe and Wood Sandpiper I evaluate as high based on numbers of broods and adults birds alarming near juveniles. Reproductive success of Ruff was average as density of broods was notably lower in comparison with species numbers during incubation. Avian predators and cold rainy weather with heavy showers in June and July could, probably, adversely affect Ruff productivity. Heavy rains in June coinsided with hatching in most nests of Ruffs. In August juvenile Ruffs were very rare in comparison with juveniles of other waders.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Numbers of voles and, probably, lemmings were average in the end of winter and spring, judging by density of winter nests and nesting numbers of rodent-specialized predators. However, in late spring and early summer rodent numbers decreased, judging by substantial decrease in frequency of Narrow-skulled Voles' records. In the end of June - beginning of July not a single vole could be seen during few days. In the second half of July numbers of Narrow-skulled and Red voles and Siberian Lemmings began to increase quickly. Frequency of visual and acoustic records of rodents was increasing from July to August, including common juveniles, and avian predators started to leave some bodies of rodents in nests unconsumed.
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Rodent species recorded:
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| Latin | Abundance |
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| Lemmus sibiricus | |
| Clethrionomys rutilus | |
| Microtus gregalis | |
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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