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SITE NAME
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Malaya Balakhnya River lower reaches, Taimyr, Russia
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (499)780-16-53 // taimyr@orc.ru // Glavnaya St. 19A-193, Moscow, 105173, Russia
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Project name:
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Expedition of the Taimyr Reserve
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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7.07
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25.08
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6
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| Middle of July was very warm, with air temperature reaching +27.6øC and temperature on soil reaching +40øC. Weather in late July and August was typical for the area, with mean air temperatures +7-12øC and first frost on 10 August. By 7 July snow remained only in th deepest cloughs and completely melted even there by 20 July. Ice-break in Khatanga was 5-10 early than average. July and August were rainy, and precipitation occurred on 20 days in the period from 7 July to 25 August, occasionally reaching more than 20 mm per day. Thunderstorms were observed 2-3 times a day during 4 days in the beginning of August. Strong wind (exceeding 10 m/s) was infrequent and occurred on 10 days during observation period.
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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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Arctic Foxes were seen on only 6 occasions during whole period of observations. None of the 40 examined dens were inhabited, and no more than 10% of this number carried signs of fox digging. According to reports of local hunters Arctic Foxes breed in this area only in years with peak lemming numbers. Rough-legged Buzzards were common and nested successfully (3-5 chicks per brood), with approximately half of chicks already hatched in most nests by the date of arrival (7 July). Few instances of cannibalism were recorded in August among chicks of similar size, presumably, stimulated by decline of lemming numbers. One nest of Peregrine Falcon with 2 chicks was found, and Merlin seen a number of times. Snowy Owls were seen only once. Numbers of reindeers were also very low, and in total 9 animals were seen.
Abundance of the most species of waterfowl and waders was not high. Among waders Red-necked Phalarope and Little Stint were the most abundant, Pacific Golden Plover, Ringed Plover, Red Phalarope, Ruff and, locally, Spotted Redshank were common. Skuas and gulls were relatively uncommon, with exception of Arctic Tern which nesting density along the Malaya Balaknya River reached 1 pair per 1.5 km. Ross's Gull was found nesting in the Malaya Bakhnya River valley. Bewick's Swans were seen occasionally bayous of the Khatanga River. Among geese White-fronted Geese were common and bred, but aggregations of moulting birds were not found. Two nesting pairs of Red-breasted Geese successfully hatched 5 chicks each. Bean Goose was seen only once. Among breeding ducks Long-tailed Duck was the most abundant, while King Eider was very rare. Lapland Bunting and Shorelark were the most common among passerines on tundra, while Bluethroat and Redpoll dominating in shrubs, with nests occasionally being only 10 m far.
Mass fledging of passerines occurred between 15-20 July. First brood of White-fronted Goose was seen on 14 July, and brood of Red-breasted Goose - on 17 July. Juveniles of Rock Ptarmigan and Willow Grouse fledged on 30 July and 2 August, respectively. Juvenile Ruffs fledged on 5 August, Pacific Golden Plovers - on 6 August, Ringed Plovers - on 10 August and Spotted Redshanks - on 19 August. Juveniles of ducks, geese and divers did not fledge by 25 August.
Nesting of most bird species was successful, due to low pressure of predators and favourable weather conditions. Apparent depredation was observed for a single nest under control - of Arctic Tern.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Lemmings were common during whole study period, with 50 animals captured per 300 total trap nights (data of M.P.Telesnin and M.N.Koroleuva). Interestingly, abundance of Siberian and Collared lemmings was approximately equal. Lemming numbers slightly declined in August.
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Rodent species recorded:
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| Latin | Abundance |
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| Lemmus sibiricus | common |
| Dicrostonyx torquatus | common |
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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