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RESPONDENT
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Sergei Kharitonov
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SITE NAME
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Medusa Bay, Taimyr Peninsula, Russia
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (499)135-9802/(499)135-9802(fax) // serpkh@gmail.com // Bird Ringing Center, Moscow, 117312, Russia
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Project name:
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Nature monitoring
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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9.06
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13.08
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6
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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| Season phenology: |
average
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Weather conditions: |
| Summer season was generally average in phenology, although vegatation of plants started earlier than normal, while nesting of Snowy Owls was delayed. Snow covered 90% of the area at our arrival on 9.06. Snow started to melt slowly on 11.06, melting accellerated from 15.06, after heavy rain, and snow covered reduced to 10% of the area by 18.06. Ice broke up on 18.06 on the Medusa River, which is two days later than in 2003. Plant vegetation started early, although later than in 2000. First flowers were seen on 13.06 on the slope of southern exposure 4 km to the northeast from the station on the Varavikova River, and on 15.06 near station. The highest day time air temperature in the second half of June was +18øC, and the highest temperature in the season, +22.5øC, was recorded on 12.07. Precipitation was the most abundant in mid June, while the second half od summer was colder than usual. First cracks in the ice of Shorokaya-Severnaya Bay appeared on 23.06, ice started to move out of the bay in early July, and aquatory cleared on 13.07.
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| Date of 50%
snow-cover: |
15.06
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
18.06
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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: |
high
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Breeding conditions:
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Arctic Foxes bred, but, surprisingly, their numbers were not high. Population of Ermine was increasing, but did not reach abundance of 2000. Wolves were rare, following high numbers in 2003. Migration of reindeers in the station vicinity was not very intensive, although stronger than in 2002 and 2003, with hundreds to several thousand of animals passing by. Most animals migrated farther inland from the station.
Rough-legged Buzzards bred at a high density, with 31 nest in the 130 sq.km area. Snowy Owls nested very late, presumably due to moderate lemmings numbers in the beginning of summer. Their numbers were small: 6 nests in 130 sq.km. Clutch size was 8 eggs maximum, and no signs of hatching were found in one nest on 23.07. Pomarine Skuas were common, with 12 nests in the 30 sq.km area.
Brent Geese established 3 colonies with 30 nests in total from 20-21.06 near nests of Snowy Owls on the mainland, but all nests were destroyed by Arctic Foxes. Egg-laying started on 14.06 on the nearby islands, where most from 49 found nests were successful. Migration to moulting sites of Brent and White-fronted geese was prolonged, similarly to 2002 and 2003, and in the former species terminated in mid July, like in 2000 and 2001. The last flock of Brent Geese was recorded on 10.07, while on 27.07 40 presumably moulting birds were seen on sea near islands. Two moulting Greyleg Geese were recorded on sea islands for the first time for the area.
Timing of reproduction was average in waders. Dunlins were present in the area already at arrival on 9.06, but they were migrating mostly in unusual westerly directions from 9-15.06. The earliest first egg date was 19.06, and first chick hatched on 14.07. First wave of southward migration of Curlew Sandpipers was observed from 6-15.07, first chick appeared on 13.07, and flying juveniles were seen on 9.08. Little Stints arrived on 10.06, first clutch of 4 eggs was found on 23.06, chicks appeared on 13.07 and fledglings were observed on 3.08. Chick hatching started in Pacific Golden Plover on 18.07.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Average density of Siberian Lemming was 13-15 animals/ha, while density of Collared Lemming was 3-4 animals/ha, which is higher than in 2002. Abundance of both species increased during summer, from 9-10 animals/ha in the first half of June to 17-20 animals/ha in late July in Siberian Lemming. Assuming that abundance in an outbreak year, 1999, can be assigned rank 4, abundance rank was 3.5 in 2004, 2.5 in 2003 and 3 in 2002. Arctic Hares were not seen in 2004, while outbreak occurred in this species in 2003.
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Rodent species recorded:
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| Latin | Abundance |
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| Lemmus sibiricus | common |
| Dicrostonyx torquatus | common |
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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