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SITE NAME
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Zackenberg, Greenland, Denmark
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| +45 46 30 19 43/45 46 30 19 14 // jaha@dmu.dk // Department of Arctic Environment, National Environmental Research Institute, Box 358, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark
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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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25.05
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30.10
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10
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| Little snow fall over winter resulted in early snow melt (contrary to 2006). Summer was quite stable and dry. Snow cover decreased to 50% on flat areas on approximately 13 June as estimated from notes and photos (was not determined by the analysis method usually used at Zackenberg due to calibration problems with the cameras).
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| Date of 50%
snow-cover: |
13.06
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
2.06
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
15.06
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BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
average
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Breeding conditions:
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The number of encounters of Arctic Foxes was very high, and their breeding was recorded in three dens.
Snowy Owls were absent in Zackenberg, but recorded in a neighbouring valley. Ravens were breeding outside of the census area and a Gyrfalcon was observed several times. Contrary to recent years, many pairs of Long-tailed Skuas bred this season. Of 17-25 territories, 13 were found breeding. Average clutch size was 1.7. In total 11 chicks hatched in 7 nests, but only 3 chicks were alive when ringed at 7-8 days of age.
Sanderlings were recorded in high numbers. The Dunlin remains the most numerous wader species. The Common Ringed Plover numbers fluctuate markedly through the years, with 2007 being a low year.
Egg laying in 25% of all wader nests was initiated before 10 June and just over 93.3% before 1 July. Median first egg dates were on 15 June or earlier in five focal species.
The Dunlin had reasonably high nest success, while nest success was low in the Turnstone and very low in the Sanderling. The all-wader-predation rate was 81.7%, which is very high. In most cases of nest loss, Arctic Fox was the suspected culprit. A research project on Sanderling breeding behaviour (leader Jeroen Reneerkens - e-mail: J.W.H.Reneerkens@rug.nl) meant more than usual traffic in the territories. It is uncertain to which extend this might have contributed to the higher predation rates on Sanderling nests, but some effect must be expected. Chick survival was assumed to be low, but we no longer conduct low tide counts, that we used to use for estimation of chick survival.
Inside the census area, 2 Rock Ptarmigan pairs were encountered during the census period. Early observations suggest that the Rock Ptarmigans were in higher numbers than in recent years, although lower numbers than in 2006. This year much fewer ptarmigan remains were recorded at Arctic Fox dens.
The number of Snow Bunting territories was high, although lower than the record numbers of 2004 and 2005, and even lower than 2006. The reason for the short "blooming" of the population is unknown. It possibly relates to the warm summers in recent years. Possibly, the colder 2006 summer is partly responsible for the reduction in numbers.
A record of the Pectoral Sandpiper is of some interest.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| According to observations undertaken between 25 May and 30 October 2007, more Greenland Lemmings were seen than in 2006, but the number of winter nests within the lemming census area (n=265) suggests that it was a medium year in terms of population size, although on the rise.
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Rodent species recorded:
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| Latin | Abundance |
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| Dicrostonyx groenlandicus | common |
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
| The ZERO annual report 2007 contains results from the monitoring of bird populations and their breeding success and phenology. Additionally, other monitoring results of climate and basic biological parameters are given. It will be published on the ZERO web-site http://www.zackenberg.dk/ and in print. Seabird colonies were presented on an island, see: Egevang & Stenhouse, 2007.
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