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SITE NAME
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Cape Vostochny, Piasina delta, Taimyr, Russia
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| // LGU@maths.uct.ac.za //
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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27.06
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18.07
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5
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| The temperature exceeded 6øC for only a few hours in the period from arrival until 11 July. After 14 July, midday temperatures ranged between 15øC and 22øC, remarkably warm for the tundra at 74øN, and were accompanied by swarms of hostile and mean mosquitos. Snow cover was estimated visually from the air on arrival at 60%, and decreased rapidly. Much of the snow disappeared as a result of wind and rain, rather than melting with increasing temperatures.
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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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Among checked dens of Arctic Foxes in the area one had recently been used, and one was occupied by a pair of foxes with a litter. On 29 June, there were at least forty dead lemmings at the den, of which all were Siberian Lemmings, except two Collared Lemmings.
Rough-legged buzzards and Snowy owls were rare and did not breed. Non-breeding Pomarine skuas were frequently seen, mostly single birds, but occasionally in pairs.
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Rodent dynamics:
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On arrival, there were many Siberian lemmings at camp, but there were very few in the tundra (estimated rate per hour; probably less than 0.2 lemmings per hour).
During the first visit to a fox den on 29 June, 28 Siberian Lemmings were accessible from the outside and were examined briefly before being replaced. Two were too badly mauled to be aged. Of the 28 lemmings, 11 were males (9 adults, 1 subadult, 1 unknown) and 17 females (8 adults, 8 subadults, 1 unknown).
First set of traps (set 28 June, checked 29 June-1 July) near camp caught no lemmings over three days. Second set (set 1 July, checked 2-4 July), caught three the first day, three the second day, and one on the third day. So 2002 was not the "lemming peak year" it was anticipated to be.
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Rodent species recorded:
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| Latin | Abundance |
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| Lemmus sibiricus | common |
| Dicrostonyx torquatus | rare |
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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