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RESPONDENT
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Ivan Taldenkov
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SITE NAME
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Meinypylgyno settlement vicinity, Chukotka, Russia
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| 8-499-792-7707 // italdenkov@mail.ru; italdenkov@yandex.ru // Molodogvardeiskaya 36-1-71, Moscow, Russia
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Project name:
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Arctic Expedition of Russian Academy of Sciences
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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18.06
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19.07
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2
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
According to reports by local people, storms in autumn 2003 resulted in blocking of the joint channel from Vaamochka and Pekulneiskoe lakes to the Bering Sea. High amount of snow was accumulated during the winter, and snow melt developed rapidly in spring. All this, accompanied by the late clearing of the mouth, resulted in very high water table in the second half of June across the whole territory of the Meinypylgyno lake-river basin. However, water retreated rapidly and stabilized at a 2003 level after decreasing at more than 1 m in early July. Water covered during flood low shores of lakes, first terraces of creeks near hills, islands and spits on Pekulneiskoe Lake and young spits in sea channels, while moraine hills and high ancient spits and terraces remained dry.
Snow could be found still in ravines and on slopes of moraine hills until 20.07, and in higher amount compared with 2003. Late snow melt and flooding resulted in delayed development of vegetation in many localities, which retained specific nival appearance. However, at arrival on 18.06 we observed flowering of rhododendron and other bushes, and considerable numbers of mosquitoes. First imago of craneflies and high numbers of chironomid midges appeared in late June.
Summer was notably colder and wetter than in 2003. Fog was brought from the sea with southerly winds almost daily, and summer generally was relatively cold. Minimal, maximal and mean daily air temperatures were +8.9øC, +14.5øC and +11.4øC, respectively, based on hourly measurements. Low clouds and drizzle were common, but strong rains occurred on several days only. Calm days were rare, as moderate to strong winds prevailed.
Unlike second half of summer in 2003 with tundra fires smoke was not present in the air in 2004.
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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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Brown Bear was a single mammalian predator recorded (10 km from the settlement). Birds of prey were rare in the settlement vicinity and most probably did not breed there. White-tailed Sea Eagle and Rough-legged Buzzard were seen twice, and Gyrfalcon once. Short-eared Owls were recorded. Long-tailed and Arctic skuas were rare, and their nests were not found, while Pomarine Skua was not recorded. Herring Gulls and Glaucous Gulls were numerous and common breeders, respectively, and their eggs were actively collected by local people on island colonies on Vaamochka and Pekulneiskoe lakes. Aggregations of large gulls were common near settlement and along shores of closest to sea channel Pervaya Rechka. Ravens were common everywhere.
Sandhill Cranes were common, however, their breeding status remained unconfirmed. Nests of White-fronted and Emperor geese were found, but nest result remained unknown. Among ducks Common Eider was a single species which nests were found, although broods were not observed until departure on 19.07. Eggs of eiders were collected by local people.
Numbers of breeding Mongolian Plovers decrease by a factor of two-three compared with 2003. However, numbers of nesting in similar habitats Ringed Plovers did not change notably,which allows to imply that change in numbers of Mongolian Plovers was not related to local breeding conditions.
Numbers of passerines did not change notably. Clutches were found in Wheatear, Lapland Bunting, Red-throated Pipit, White Wagtail, and fledgelings were observed in Snow Bunting.
Breeding success of waders was average in general. Chicks hatched in Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Mongolian Plover, Temminck's Stint, Red-necked Stint, Knot, Red-necked Phalarope and Pacific Golden Plover. Flying juveniles were seen in Dunlin and Spoon-billed Sandpiper. Mayfield nest success was 1.08 chick per nest, compared with 1.42 chick per nest in 2003, in Spoon-billed Sandpiper, while breeding success was 0.5-0.6 fledgling per nest. Seven of 14 nests were depredated in this species.
Late snow melt, particularly in low-level habitats, and anomalous flooding early in the nesting period, probably, adversely affected reporduction of some waders and waterfowl. This was evidenced indirectly by high variability of return rates of Spoon-billed Sandpipers ringed in different localities of the Meinypylgyno lake-river system, presumably related to deficiency of suitable nesting habitats or perishing of clutches during flood. Some Spoon-billed Sandpipers, as well as eiders and Emperor Geese, nested in 2004 in more elevated areas compared with 2003. Breeding of geese had been delayed as we observed approximately 50 mouling geese, most of which were not able to fly, on 16.08 on Pekulneiskoe Lake. Also observations of geese broods with chicks unable to fly were the latest on record in 2004. Unfortunately, limited numbers of observations on many species and late arrival to the study area did not allow to demonstrate clearly impacts of environmental conditions on birds.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Rodents were common on tundra slopes of moraine hills. Catches were not conducted. Arctic Ground Squirrles were numerous as in the previous year.
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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