|
|
|
SITE NAME
|
Naskonat Peninsula, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, USA
|
|
| Contact
details (phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| 907-786-3908/907-786-3641 // Christian_Dau@fws.gov // U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management Division, Mail Stop 201, 1011 E. Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99503-6199, USA |
|
PROJECT DETAILS
|
|
Start of survey:
|
End
of survey:
|
Team
size:
|
|
|
|
|
|
WEATHER CONDITIONS
|
| Season
phenology: |
average |
|
|
Weather conditions: |
| Seasonal timing was near average and delayed in comparison to the very early timing of snow melt and habitat availability in 2003 and 2004. Flowering dates for Carex spp., Petasites frigidus, Cornus canadensis, Rubus chamaemorus, Ranunculus Pallasi and green-up of Salix ovalifolia and Hippuris vulgaris were 10 days later than 2003 and 2004 but the first large mosquito emergence was only 5 days late. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Date of ice-break
on rivers: |
|
|
| Date of final loss
of snow: |
|
|
BIOTIC CONDITIONS
|
| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
low |
|
Breeding conditions:
|
Conditions were favorable during hatch and good bird productivity is expected. One Arctic fox was heard, few tracks were seen and their predation on nesting birds, primarily Greater White-fronted Geese, Cackling Canada Geese, Emperor Geese and Brant, appeared low in the area. Avian predation, primarily by Glaucous Gulls and Arctic Skuas, appeared average. Glaucous Gull clutches began hatching from 8-11 June. First hatching of Emperor Geese and Cackling Canada Geese was on 8 June and 10 June, respectively.
Very few Red Phalarope and Ruddy Turnstones were observed providing further documentation that abundance of these species is below historic levels.
The spring 2005 emperor survey estimate was 54,000 geese, 14% higher than in 2004. These estimates have declined an average of 1% per year during 1996-2005. Spring indices of breeding pairs from the YKD coastal survey were unchanged, and the total bird index declined 7% from 2004 levels. An early spring snowmelt led to emperor goose nesting phenology in 2005 about 6 days earlier than average. YKD nesting surveys indicated increased nesting effort, average clutch size, and nest success in 2005, and resulted in the second highest egg production level since 1985. |
|
|
Rodent dynamics:
|
| No microtines were observed and there was little over-winter sign indicating their presence. A large storm surge in winter 2003 inundated much of the area and microtine populations appear slow to repopulate.
|
|
Rodent species recorded:
|
|
|
|
|
Summary
of fauna studies: |
|
|