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RESPONDENT
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Pavel Tomkovich
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SITE NAME
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Pevek city vicinity, north-western Chukotka, 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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30.05
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
The season 2007 was characterized by early snow melting and phenology. When we arrived at Pevek on 30 May almost no snow was present on the flat surfaces of the lowlands, while the slopes of the surrounding low mountains were 40-50% snow covered. There was cool, dull weather with rains, snowfall on 4 June and strong southerly winds during the first week of June. This was followed by a clear, warm period that lasted until late June, and, according to reports of local people, this continued almost the whole summer. From 1 June strong winds started to break up and move ice northward in the Chaun Bay and the Bay was completely cleared of ice on 25 June. Thus, the weather was generally favourable for birds in June and caused the extremely early development of vegetation. The absence of precipitation resulted in the drying out of most bogs and many streams and the lowering of the water level in lakes and rivers by July.
Bloom of dwarf willows (e.g., Salix pulchra, S. ñhamissonis) started already in late May in the city, and flying bumblebees were also observed. Greening of grasses and dwarf birch started locally on 2 June, and some meadows acquired a green appearance by 9 June. Spring flowers (Pasqueflower, Alpine Bearberry, blueberry, Anenone, Forget-me-not) were in full blossom on 8-9 June at warm places, as well as the first flowers of dryad, Diapensia, Arctic bell-heather, Woolly Lousewort. "Summer" flowers were recorded flowering from 14-15 June, including Foxtail Grass, Cloudberry, Labrador Tea, Locoweeds Oxytropis sp. and Astragalus sp., Arctic Camomile, Poppy Papaver sp., Ragwort, etc. Overwintering mosquitoes appeared on the first dates of June; the new mosquito generation was recorded on 10 June and became abundant on 14 June. Chironomidae midges emerged on 7 June, and imago of crane-flies Tipulidae were also recorded on that date.The first butterflies appeared on 8 June. Warm weather resulted in a heavy crop of mushrooms and berries (Cloudberry, Bog Bilberry, Clusterberry) in the second half of the summer.
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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: |
average
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Breeding conditions:
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We got an impression that mammalian predators were rare in the area. A single Red Fox was seen in early May by I.E. Menyushina (pers. comm.) in hills near the city, and two Red Foxes were recorded in late summer by tourists. A Snowy Owl was recorded in early May by I.E. Menyushina, and Peregrine Falcons were observed on two occasions in June and late August. Three pairs of Rough-legged Buzzards were found breeding in June and two clutches contained 3 and 4 eggs. Chicks fledged from at least one nest. Long-tailed and Arctic skuas were regularly observed at the seaside plain in the vicinity of the airport, and a nest of the former species was found. Wandering Herring and Glaucous gulls were observed everywhere, including the alpine belt of the mountains.
The abundance of breeding birds was low in the hilly and mountain tundra of the area. The highest densities were recorded in the seaside lowland with numerous lakes at the lower Apapelgin River area. Several breeding species (Wood and Terek sandpipers, House Martin, Buff-bellied Pipit, Willow Warbler, Little Bunting, House Sparrow) were previously not known to nest that far north in this part of the Arctic. However, we did not observe the Dotterel, which was previously found by researchers in considerable numbers in this area.
Predation pressure on bird clutches ranged from low in habitats with low bird density to moderate in places of bird breeding aggregations. All 5 monitored nests of different species of waders and passerines in the Pevek city survived. During two weeks of observations in the lower Apapelgin River area we documented depredation of 2 of 4 nests of Common Eiders, 1 of 2 nests of Rough-legged Buzzards (placed on a hillock in a plain), 2 of 4 nests of Temminck's Stints, and 1 of 2 nests of Pacific Golden Plovers; clutches in 2 nests of Ringed Plovers and 1 nest of Red-necked Phalaropes were not predated. Fledglings of common passerine birds (wagtails, pipits, Snow Buntings) appeared in late June, as well as chicks in waders. The commonness of adults alarming near broods indicated successful reproduction of tundra birds.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Signs of winter activities of voles were common on waste lands in the city and in the tundra. However, only 2 animals were observed during June. The abundance of rodents was, probably, average and had been decreasing by the time the snow disappeared. We recorded more patches with rodent burrows in the end of summer than in June. Arctic Ground Squirrels and Northern Pikas were relatively common in suitable habitats, although Ground Squirrels were not recorded in the alpine belt of the mountains. There was an abundance of winter droppings of hares, but single animals or groups were only rarely seen in the mountains.
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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