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RESPONDENT
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Konstantin Litvin
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SITE NAME
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Kolokolkova Guba coast, Tobseda settlement, Russia
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| +7(499)135-9802/+7(499)135-9802(f) // bird.ring.rus@gmail.com; kelitvin@gmail.com // Bird Ringing Centre, Moscow, 117312, Russia
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Project name:
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Studies of Barnacle Goose ecology on coastal marshes.
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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24.05
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18.08
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7
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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| Season phenology: |
average
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Weather conditions: |
| Mean daily temperature dropped to freezing point on 24 May after an unusually warm period from 20 May. Sea ice fragmented on 7 June in the Bay, while primary feeding habitats of Barnacle Geese on beaches were completely covered by snow in mid June and cleared on 70% of surface by 23 June. The period of adverse weather from 11-13 June coicided with egg-laying in Barnacle Geese (the last snowstorm was observed on 13 June). The period from 1-20 June was cold, while July and Agust were unusually warm and dry, but thunderstorms occurred on few occasions.
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| Date of 50%
snow-cover: |
10.06
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
20.06
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BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
low
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Breeding conditions:
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First migrating Brent Geese were observed on 25 May, migration had two peaks on 2 and 7 June and was over by 9 June. Barnacle Geese also arrived on 25 May, but they were migrating in highest numbers on 7 and 10 June. We counted 70000 Brent Geese and over 8500 Barnacle Geese during the period of observations. Late migration of Barnacle Geese could be due to adverse weather or feeding conditions somewhere on migration route (e.g., Kanin Peninsula).
First nests of Barnacle Geese appeared on 1 June in the colony on dunes, while mean date of clutch initiation on marshes was 12 June. Median first egg dates were 18 June in Dunlin, 22 June in Temminck's Stint, 23 June in Ringed Plover, 24 June in Red-necked Phalarope and 27 June in Little Stint. First chicks hatched on 1 July in Dunlin.
Nesting numbers of Barnacle Geese increased by a factor of three on the continental part of the Bay compared with 2002, reaching 1200 nests. Among waders Dunlins and Red-necked Phalaropes nested at the highest density, while territories of Temminck's Stints were arranged in small groups in specific habitats (in the settlement, near lakes and along sea coast).
Breeding conditions were favourable, because summer was unusually warm and dry, despite the return of cold weather in June. Complete absense of lemmings and Arctic Foxes, typical for coastal marshes, and low to average predation by gulls and skuas resulted in successful nesting of birds. Among avian predators Arctic Skuas were seen attacking waders most often, while impact of Herring and Glaucous gulls was lower. Merlin and Peregrine Falcon were seen twice hunting in Dunlin territories. Nest success of Barnacle Geese was 87%, mean clutch size 3.9 eggs and mean brood size after hatching 2.8 chicks. Nesting success of waders was also high and broods were recorded on 70% and 75% of territories in Dunlins and Temminck's Stints, respectively. Conditions during incubation and brood-raring were also favourable, and we counted 5796 moulting adult Barnacle Geese and 4209 chicks on 8 July, which indicates relatively high production. Non-breeding and fail-breeding geese re-gained ability to fly in early August, while broods - starting from mid August.
Reproduction of waterfowl in the area was adversely affected by poaching early in the season.
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Rodent dynamics:
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
| Observation were conducted over migration of White-fronted, Brent and barnacle geese. Nest and broods were searched for intensively in waders and geese which resulted in finding and mapping of over 400 nests of Barnacle Geese, territories of waders and a colony of Arctic Terns. Records of all species of birds were made daily. Wader territories were mapped at an area 6 km2 covered by sandy dunes, lakes and sedge depressions. Intensive seaches of wader nests were conducted on 28.06-8.07, and resulted in finding of 45 nests and outlining of 198 territories.
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