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RESPONDENT
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Sergey Paskhalny
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SITE NAME
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Polar Urals, Russia
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| Contact
details (phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (34992) 5-19-10 // spas2006@yandex.ru // Zelyonaya Gorka, 18-1, Labytnangi, Tumenskaya oblast, 629400, Russia |
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PROJECT DETAILS
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Project name:
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Biological resources of the Polar Urals |
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey:
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Team
size:
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26.06 |
28.07 |
4 |
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WEATHER CONDITIONS
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| Season
phenology: |
average |
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Weather conditions: |
| Spring was average in time, and summer was moderately cold and rainy (in particular August). Weather was unstable with alternating warming and cooling. Temperature dropped to freezing in July, and snow fell above 600 m in the mountains. Extremal weather events capable to cause chick and juvenile mortality were not observed. Mean air temperatures in May, June and July were 0.7-2.7øC higher than in 2001, while in August temperature was 1øC lower than in 2001. |
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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: |
high |
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Breeding conditions:
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Rough-legged Buzzards bred at high density (0.4 pair/sq.km locally, or 0.8-6 pairs/km of transect in different areas). We also observed breeding of Northern Harriers and Short-eared Owls.
Successful nesting was observed in Common Gull, ducks (European Wigeon, Teal and Red-breasted Merganser), Willow Grouse and Rock Ptarmigan, passerines. Unsuitable habitats were responsible for low density of waders in the study area, but nests, broods or alarming adults were observed in almost all recorded species. Among common waders for the area successful nesting was proved for Dotterel, Eurasian Golden Plover, Common and Pintal snipes and Wood Sandpiper. Alarming adults were recorded in Ringed Plover, Common and Terek sandpipers, Temminck's Stint. |
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Numbers of rodents (voles in mountains and lemmings at foothills) peaked and reached 15-20 animals/100 trap-nights in July-August. Active reproduction of rodents occurred in July, and their populations presumably crashed in autumn after early snowfalls, rains and icing in September-October. The following densities of rodents were recorded in the mountains and foothills, respectively, animals/100 trap-nights: Narrow-skulled Vole 10.9/2.5, Shot-tailed Vole 0.2/0.4, Ruddy Vole 3.5/0, Grey-sided Vole 0.8/0, Siberian Lemming 0.1/6.2, Collared Lemming 0/0.4. Rodent populations presumably crashed in autumn also on the Yamal Peninsula, judging by mass migration of juvenile Arctic Foxes to the south early in winter. They became abundant in the Ob' River lower reaches in November, feeding near human habitations and starving.
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Rodent species recorded:
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| Latin | Abundance |
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| Lemmus sibiricus | common |
| Dicrostonyx torquatus | rare |
| Microtus agrestis | rare |
| Clethrionomys rufocannus | common |
| Clethrionomys rutilus | common |
| Microtus gregalis | abundant |
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
| Bird counts were conducted using mapping on 4 plots (50.8, 5.3, 1.3, 2.7 sq.km) in alpine and subalpine habitats of the Main Ural ridge. Transect counts and faunistic observation were made in adjacent areas during excursions on foot, from boat and from all-terraine vehicle. |
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