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RESPONDENT
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Nadezhda Boyko
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SITE NAME
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Kandalaksha Bay, northern archipelago, White Sea, Russia
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| // boyko27@com.mels.ru // Lineinaya St., 35, Kandalaksha, Murmanskaya oblast, 184040, 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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19.05
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
The head of the bay became free of ice in late April. Snow still remained in high amount on the islands on 19 May, and ice was abundant on the coast. However, daily rains resulted in complete melting of snow in the forest by 27 May and of ice on the coast by 30 May. Air temperatures ranged from +3-11øC in the morning and reached +17øC at day time during the second half of May. Mean air temperature was +7.2øC in the period 20-31 May compared with +3.8øC in 2004. Mean monthly temperature (measured at 7 AM on Ryashkov Island) was +10.0øC in June, +14.0øC in July and +12.0øC in August, while in 2004 respective temperatures were +9.1øC, +14.4øC and +11.2øC. Air temperatures reached +24øC at daytime in June and July. August and the first half of September were also relatively warm, and temperatures often reached +15-20øC at daytime. The first night frost on 10-11 September was followed by the second on 15-16 September, but then warming occurred, and temperatures dropped below freezing only after 19 October. Snow cover established in late November.
A crop was ranked as 3-4 in bilberries Vaccinum myrtillus, bog bilberries V. uliginosum and clusterberries V. vitis-idaea, while crowberries Empetrum hermaphroditum reached the higher rank of 4-5.
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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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Rodent specialists did not nest. Islands of the Northern Archipelago were inhabited by 5-6 Red Foxes, including litters on 2 islands, which were successfully raised. Red Foxes inhabiting Lodeyny and Dokucheikha islands also reached nearby islands and ludas, which resulted in perishing of nests of common seabirds there due to the relatively low abundance of voles. Clutches on some ludas were also depredated by American Mink Mustela vison and Brown Bear Ursus arctos.
White-tailed Sea Eagles Haliaeetus albicilla had captured 190 Common Eider Somateria mollissima females by the time bird counts were made in the last third of June. White-tailed Sea Eagles also prey upon juvenile eiders and gulls. Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls affected considerably breeding success of Common Eiders, Oystercatchers and Common Gulls, primarily by hunting chicks. Remains of eider chicks and eggs were found in 10.2% of pellets of Herring Gulls Larus argentatus (n=147). Despite predation pressure, Common Eider, Oystercatcher, Great Black-backed, Herring and Common gulls, Arctic Tern and Black Guillemot successfully raised chicks on many islands. The numbers of breeding birds were in the normal range for the recent years.
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Rodent dynamics:
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Voles were seen in July-August on 18.8% of ludas (small rocky islands), while occurance rate on forested islands was considerably decreased due to presence of Red Foxes on 5 (26%) of the islands. Only Bank Voles were captured, while Microtus sp. voles were not recorded. As in previous years Norwegian Lemming Lemmus lemmus and Water Vole Arvicola terrestris have not been recorded anywhere.
No voles or shrews were captured using snap-traps (300 trap-nights) on Ryashkov Island in spring, and only Sorex sp. shrews were captured using cylinders with a relative density 0.6 and 1.0 animals/10 days in July and August, respectively. Voles started to appear in the second half of August, and were recorded in different localities and habitats on Ryashkov Island and other islands. Relative density of insectivores and voles on the island was 0.25 and 5.0 animals/10 days in autumn.
Bank Voles were found in 0.7% of 147 pellets of Herring Gulls collected on 15-23 June on 5 ludas, compared with 0.4% in 2004.
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Rodent species recorded:
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| Latin | Abundance |
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| Clethrionomys glareolus | rare |
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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