|
|
RESPONDENT
|
|
Vasili Baranyuk
|
|
|
SITE NAME
|
|
Tundrovaya River valley, Wrangel Island, Russia
|
|
| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (095)441-12-16 // vvbar@vvbar.msk.ru // Lomonosovsky Pr., 35-40, Moscow, Russia
|
|
PROJECT DETAILS |
|
|
|
Start of survey:
|
End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
|
|
|
|
|
WEATHER
CONDITIONS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
|
|
| Date of final loss of
snow: |
|
|
BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
|
| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
average
|
|
|
Breeding conditions:
|
Tundrovaya River area was one of the local patches with average lemming numbers, and four pairs of Snowy Owls nested in one of the stream valleys there. Arctic Foxes were common and bred in the colony vicinity, but were rare on the most island territory. Pomarine Skuas did not bred and were not observed in summer in most places including the colony area.
Early spring and rapid snow melt allowed extremely early nesting in Snow Geese. Colony formation was not affected by a shortage of suitable nesting habitat, which resulted in the absence of cuckoldry and egg-laying outside nests. First nests in the main colony were initiated already between 20-25 May, which is 7-10 days earlier than average. The main colony had approximately 25,000 nests. Snow Geese left the colony by 8 July, non-breeding geese started to depart from the island in early August, and first departing juveniles were recorded on 10 August, which is earlier than average (20-22 August). Despite high nest success (approximately 80%) breeding performance of Snow Geese was average, due to stronger pressure of predators during brood-raring. As usual in the years after lemming peaks goose broods on the northern plains of the island suffered increased predation pressure from Arctic Foxes and Glaucous Gulls. Juvenile proportion on wintering grounds in January was 13%, while nest success allowed to expect 20%. Wader broods were common in the southern parts of the island where Arctic Foxes are extremely rare.
|
|
|
Rodent dynamics:
|
| Lemming numbers were low overall, with the exception of local areas with average numbers in the central part of the island.
|
|
Rodent species recorded:
|
|
|
|
|
Summary
of fauna studies: |
|
|
|