BREEDING CONDITIONS REPORT, 2004


RESPONDENT

Nikolai Konyukhov

SITE NAME

St. Paul Island, Pribilof Islands, Alaska, USA

Contact details (phone/fax//e-mail//address):
(499)135-9802/(499)135-9802(fax) // konyukhov@gmail.com // Bird Ringing Center, Moscow, 117312, Russia

PROJECT DETAILS

Project name:

Start of survey:

End of survey: Team size:

19.05

13.08


WEATHER CONDITIONS

Season phenology: early

Weather conditions:

Weather was warmer than usual. Dribbles became less common than previously, but pelting rains lasted for several hours on three occasions.

 

Season temperature:
Season humidity:
Date of 50% snow-cover:
Date of ice-break on rivers:
Date of final loss of snow:

BIOTIC CONDITIONS

Rodents abundance evaluation:

Breeding conditions:

Breeding conditions were favourable before and during egg-laying by Kittiwakes and Red-legged Kittiwakes. Many Kittiwakes laid 2 eggs, and some of them 3 eggs. Feeding conditions worsened rapidly then, and many chicks and even fledglings died. Both species of murres delaied egg-laying, and number of eggs counted on survey plots was half at best of the normal. Parakeet Auklets perished, presumably from hunger. Least Auklets started breeding earlier than usual, bred successfully, and their chicks left colonies 2 weeks earlier than average. Red-faced Cormorants apparently had no problems feeding chicks.
 

Rodent dynamics:

Pribilof Shrew was seen once.

Rodent species recorded:

LatinAbundance

Summary of fauna studies:

 

FAUNA IN STUDY AREA

Group of speciesPresenceAbundanceBreedingDetailed studiesComment
arctic foxesYesabundantbreeding  
wadersYescommonfledging  
geeseYesrare   
ducksYes hatching  
birds of preyYesrareno  
buzzardsNo    
skuasNo    
pomarine skuasNo    
gulls/ternsYesabundanthatching  
owlsYesrare  Short-eared
passerinesYescommonfledging  
shrewsYesrare   
auksYesabundantfledging  

 

SEABIRD COLONIES

speciesComment
Aethia cristatella 
Aethia pusilla 
Cyclorrynchus psittacula 
Fratercula corniculata 
Fulmarus glacialis 
Lunda cirrhara 
Phalacrocorax urile 
Rissa brevirostris 
Rissa trydactyla 
Uria aalge 
Uria lomvia 

 

WATERBIRD NON-BREEDING AGGREGATIONS

speciesAggregation typeNumberComment
Branta canadensiswandering flock of ~20 birds
Histrionicus histrionicusfeeding several hundred

 

HUMAN ACTIVITY IN THE STUDY AREA

Human activityComment
vicinities of a permanent human settlement 

 


Recommended citation

Konyukhov, N.B. (2004). Breeding conditions report for St. Paul Island, Pribilof Islands, Alaska, USA, 2004. ARCTIC BIRDS: an international breeding conditions survey. (Online database). Eds. M.Soloviev, P.Tomkovich. . Updated 11 Dec. 2008. Accessed .

 more on citation guidelines

 

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