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SITE NAME
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Akimiski Island, James Bay, Canada
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
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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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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| Lower than average winter snowfall and above average spring temperatures contributed to a spring thaw in 2006 that was even earlier than in 2005, and 3-4 weeks earlier than 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: |
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Breeding conditions:
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| Breeding ground surveys indicated 160,400 (+ 35,700) Canada geese of the Southern James Bay population in spring 2006, 247% higher than last year's potentially biased survey (P < 0.001), and 59% higher than the 2004 survey estimate (P = 0.24). The 2006 level was a record high since surveys started in 1990. Spring population estimates have decreased an average of 2% per year since 1997 (P = 0.646). The estimate of breeding pairs in 2006 increased to 64,400 (+ 13,900), 205% higher than in 2005 (P < 0.001), and 71% higher than in 2004 (P = 0.075). Biologists believed the 2005 survey results underestimated the population due to unusual variation in survey timing and reduced goose detection resulting from the use of a different survey aircraft. Surveys in 2006 were conducted within the target period with the traditionally used aircraft. Survey biologists indicated that temperate-nesting moult migrants likely were not a factor in survey estimates during 2004-2006. On Akimiski Island, nesting phenology was similar to 2005, which was the earliest recorded since 1993. Nest density and average clutch size on Akimiski Island were above the recent average. Nest success there was lower than in 2005, but still higher than average.
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Rodent dynamics:
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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