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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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28.05
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18.08
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7
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| Spring was late, but cold weather did not return after mean daily temperatures had rised above freezing point on 6.06 and warming started on 17.06. Ice broke on the Pechora River in the vicinity of Naryan-Mar on 27.05, when snow melt did not start yet in the study area. Snow melt started at coastal marshes on 3.06, snow cover reduced to 50% on 14.06 and completely melted on 18.06. Precipitation occurred in total on 12 days of 80, and did not occur for 20 days in a row after 26.06. Unusually warm and dry weather established from late June to mid August, in which period temperatures often rised above +25øC and reached +28øC. Sea ice receded several kilometers from the coast in the area of Kolokolkova Bay by late May.
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| Date of 50%
snow-cover: |
14.06
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
27.05
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
18.06
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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 first flocks of Barnacle and Brent geese appeared on 22.05 and 23.05, respectively, according to reports of local residents. Daily observations of migration were started on 29.05, while the first flock of Barnacle Geese landed on the coast on 30.05. Migration of Brent Geese occurred in 2 waves, on 2.06 and 6.02, and terminated by 8.06. Barnacle Geese migrated later, with peaks on 6.06 and 15.06. In total 30000 Brent Geese and 6600 Barnacle Geese were recorded on migration.
First nests of Barnacle Geese were found in the colony in dunes, and mean date of clutch initiation in marshes was 12.06.
Arctic Foxes were not seen, while predation presuure by gulls, Arctic Skuas and White-tailed Sea Eagles was low to average. Favourable conditions prevailed also during brood-raring period. Total number of nests of Barnacle Geese was 1047 on the continental part of Kolokolkova Bay, and 1107 on the islands in the northern part of the bay. Nest success (portion of nests with at least one chick hatched) was about 78%. Mean clutch size was 3.6 egg and mean brood size after hatching 2.9 chick.
Non-breeders and failed-breeders regained an ability to fly in early August, and broods starting from mid August.
Numbers of breeding Little Stints were unusually high. Nesting of waders and ducks was successful judging by numerous records of broods.
Generally, breeding success of land-nesting birds was high despite late spring and due to favourable weather and total absence of lemmings and Arctic Foxes, typical for coastal marshes. Lemmings, Arctic Foxes and avian rodent-specialists were also absent in tundra outside of the coastal marsh zone, with the exception of a single record of Rough-legged Buzzard. Reproduction of waterfowl in the area was adversely affected by hunting in the beginning of the nesting period.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Rodents were seen only in the settlement.
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
| Observations have been carried out on migration of White-fronted, Brent and Barnacle geese. Intensive searches of nests of geese and ducks were carried out. All species of birds were recorded daily. In total more than 800 nests of Barnacle Geese, swans, geese, waders, ducks and Arctic Terns in the colony were surveyed and their positions mapped.
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