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RESPONDENT
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Pavel Tomkovich
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SITE NAME
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Khatyrka River delta, Koryak Highlands, Russia
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (495)6294474/(495)629-48-25(fax, for P. Tomkovich) // pst@zmmu.msu.ru // Zoological Museum, Bolshaya Nikitskaya St., 6, Moscow, 125009, Russia
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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7.07
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29.07
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5
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| In the survey period from 7-20 July and on 28-29 July cloudy weather prevailed, with 4 sunny days and 2 days with alternating weather. We recorded fogs on 8, rains on 7 and strong to storm winds on 5 days of 15.
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| Season temperature: |
average
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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: |
low
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Breeding conditions:
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We surveyed coastal parts of the joint delta of the Khatyrka and Kuem rivers and surrounding moraine and foothill areas. Arctic Foxes, Red Foxes and Ermines were not seen. We recorded tracks of Wolf, but a single common mammalian predator was Brown Bear. In the south-east of delta we recorded on average 3.9 bear/day during 10-day period, with a record of 14 bears per day. We made 2 records of Rough-legged Buzzard, 2 of Peregrine Falcon and 1 of Gyrfalcon. Feathers of Short-eared Owl were found. Large gulls were numerous, but they predominantly occurred on coasts of sea and lagoon. Aggregations of Long-tailed Skuas up to 130 birds were observed on 11-14 July in tundra near eastern part of the lowland. Arctic Skuas were regularly seen in small numbers, but some pairs bred judging by their behaviour. A brood of Ravens was recorded near Khatyrka settlement.
Along with gulls European Wigeons and Pintails were numerous in flocks in the area. Long-tailed Ducks, Greater Scoups and Common Ediders were common, while other waterfowl, waterbirds and landbirds were rare. Thus diversity and numbers of breeding birds were low. Confirmed or alledged breeders included Red-throated and Pacific divers, White-fronted Goose, Melanitta americana, Greater Scoup, Common Edier, Sandhill Crane, Pacific Golden Plover, Ringed and Mongolian plovers, Common Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, Red-necked and Temminck's stints, Dunlin, Spoon-billed Sandpiper (3 broods in the latter species), and several species of passerine birds, primarily in shrub habitats.
We found eggs of diver and eider destryed by avain predators, and cashed egg of goose. Given low numbers of observed broods this indicates considerable pressure of predators on bird clutches. However, low numbers of breeding birds was apparently characteristic of the area, also contributing to low numbers of broods.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Winter tracks of rodetbs were common on the coastal plain, but undersnow nests were rarely seen, and a single live rodent was recorded. We presume that rodents were unevenly distributed and their numbers decreased by summer time. Arctic Ground Squirrels were locally common, but generally rare, particularly in the mountains and on coastal plain. Hares and Northern Pikas were not recorded.
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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