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SITE NAME
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Nome area, Alaska, USA
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| 406-587-7305/4069943190(f) // owjohnson2105@aol.com // Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 USA
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Project name:
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Nome area, Alaska, USA
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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15.06
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23.06
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3
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| The entire region was essentially snow-free when we arrived on 15 June, and vegetative development along with substantial numbers of mosquitoes indicated an early spring. Snow completely melted probably about 1 June. Weather was relatively warm during our stay until 23 June with afternoon temperatures +16-20øC.
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
1.06
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BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
low
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Breeding conditions:
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The following avian predators were recorded: Long-tailed Skua (common), Arctic Skua (very few), Rough-legged Buzzard (a pair nesting at one of our study sites), Short-eared Owl (1-2 seen daily along the road). We saw no Pomarine Skuas. It appeared that Red Foxes were relatively abundant and several individuals were observed.
From 15-23 June 2003, we studied American Golden-Plovers at three sites along the Nome-Teller Road. We located previously marked individuals and banded additional nesting birds. Of 6 marked pairs last monitored in June 2002, 3 males and 2 females were found in 2003. All of the returnees were mated to new partners, and both females nested at considerable distances from their 2002 nest sites. One female (her 2002 mate was present) paired with an unbanded male about 1,600 m from last season's nest; the other female (her 2002 partner was not found) moved approximately 550 m and nested with a marked male whose 2002 mate was missing. Notably, the latter male (banded in 2002) made a dramatic switch in his choice of nesting habitat from one season to the next. His 2002 nest was on a moist lower slope amidst dense grassy vegetation; from there, he moved about 500 m upslope in 2003 and nested along the edge of an abandoned gravel pit on a dry stony substrate nearly devoid of vegetation. In effect, this male went from one extreme to another spanning the entire range of potential nesting habitat on the study site. One of the other returning males, originally captured in 1993, re-used his 2001 nest cup last season. The minimum age of this bird in June 2003 was 10 yr 11mo - a new longevity record for the species.
We have shown in previous studies that male American and Pacific Golden-Plovers (P. fulva) typically return each spring to the same nesting territories, whereas females are much less site-faithful and often are never found again after the season of banding. The 2003 findings support our earlier speculation that missing females may actually be homing back to a general nesting locale, but once there they are not site-specific enough to be detected. We were able to find the two returning females in 2003 because their shifts to new nest sites were within the study area. Had the same movements been directed away from the site, it is doubtful we would have located the birds.
The nesting density of dominica on our study areas was 3-4 pairs/km2, the same as in 2002. Although dominica and fulva nest sympatrically on the Seward Peninsula, the former generally favor higher dry slopes and the latter lower moist habitats. Because nearly all of our fieldwork had to do with dominica on upper slopes, we were unable to obtain meaningful density figures for fulva. During our stay, there were two instances of predation involving marked dominica: one clutch (out of six being monitored) was taken by a Red Fox (the fox was seen at the nest), and a male at another nest was found partially eaten apparently killed by an avian predator. We departed on 23 June before hatching began so have no knowledge of either subsequent predation or reproductive success.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| As in the 2002 season, there was no evidence of lemmings on our study sites. The only rodents observed were Arctic Ground Squirrels.
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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