|
|
RESPONDENT
|
|
Vladimir Pozdnyakov
|
|
|
SITE NAME
|
|
Yana River lower reaches and southern delta, Russia
|
|
| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (411-2)33-68-15/(411-2)42-13-72(fax) // vpozd@mail.ru // Kulakovskogo St., 12-59, Yakutsk-7, 677077, Russia
|
|
PROJECT DETAILS |
|
|
|
Start of survey:
|
End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
|
9.08
|
10.09
|
|
|
WEATHER
CONDITIONS
|
|
|
|
Weather conditions: |
| Spring was late and cold, and summer was colder than usual according to the report by staff of the local meteorological station ("Yubileinaya"). This resulted in a low crop of berries and mushrooms.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
|
|
| Date of final loss of
snow: |
|
|
BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
|
| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
high
|
|
|
Breeding conditions:
|
Numbers of predators were high: 8 Brown Bears, including a female with cub, were recorded per 55 km of shoreline of rivers and channels. Tracks of Red Foxes and Wolves were often seen on banks, while Arctic Fox was common, but left fewer tracks than Red Foxes. Local hunter Y.N. Sizov reported an outbreak of rabies in Red Foxes during winter. Ermines were common and bred successfully. Arctic Hares were numerous, as animals and their tracks were seen on all surveyed sandy spits, and pathways of hares were found in willow and alder stands. Ungulates are almost absent in the area due to relatively high density of humans. A single record represented a track of elk in a hard to reach area of the Tatai channel.
Among avian predators Rough-legged Buzzard was numerous and Merlin common. Density of the former species was 0.5 bird/10 km of river on secondary channels of the Yana River. Flying juvenile Buzzards were often seen from mid August. Solitary records of Peregrine Falcon and Gyrfalcon were made near rocky bluffs of Yana banks in the southern part of the area. A migrating Short-eared Owl was seen in early September. Wandering broods of Common Crows and groups of 1-3 Ravens were regularly seen along the main Yana River channel, where also migrating Glaucous Gulls appeared from 20 August. Herring Gulls occurred at a high density of 4.9 birds/10 km on Yana River and 2.4 birds/10 km on secondary channels. The gulls bred successfully judging by a fraction of juveniles.
In total 38 species of birds were seen, among which 32 species are known to breed in the area. Migration of waders has mostly terminated by the start of surveys on 9 August, and we recorded solitary Ringed Plovers, Wood, Green and Common sandpipers, Wimbrels and Little Curlews. Mass migration of Pintails, Teals and European Wigeons termintaed by 20 August. Willow Grouse bred successfully, but their numbers were not high. Invasion of Eurasian Nutcrackers occurred on 9 September, when they migrated down the Yana River in eastern direction.
|
|
|
Rodent dynamics:
|
| Dedicated surveys of rodents were not conducted, but frequent records of animals, primarily Northern Red-backed Vole, indicated their high numbers.
|
|
Rodent species recorded:
|
| Latin | Abundance |
|---|
| Clethrionomys rutilus | abundant |
|
|
|
Summary
of fauna studies: |
|
|
|