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RESPONDENT
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Alexei Romanov
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SITE NAME
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Kharpicha and Dyupkun lakes, the upper reaches of the Kotuy River, Putorana Platheau, Russia
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| 146-97-47 // putorana05@mail.ru // 105037, Moscow, Izmaylovsky Proezd, 20-1-15.
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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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22.05
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
Weather conditions were highly variable in 2007, and frequent changes in the weather led in certain periods to pronounced deviations from the long-term average values. An unusually early warming in late April with extremely high, for this time of year, air temperatures (up to +3-5°C) lasted for approximately 10 days, which resulted in the sharp decrease of snow depth and appearance of snow-free patches. By the start of studies on 22 May snow cover reduced to approximately 50% in the lower part of the forest belt (below 400 m a.s.l.). Snow completely melted in the forest belt by 3 June and in the stony tallus belt (below 1100 m a.s.l.) by 16 June. Dry riverbeds became filled with water from 26 May to 15 June. The only period of sunny weather occurred in late May, and the weather in June and July was cold (+5-10°C), rainy, windy and variable. A few warm days (+15-20°C) occurred in late July. Stormy conditions prevailed on lakes, and there were two summer floods on rivers.
Needles on larch-trees and mosquitoes appeared earlier than average, on 8 and 19 June, respectively. The mass migration of reindeers ended on the usual dates, in late May - early June.
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| Date of 50%
snow-cover: |
22.05
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
3.06
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BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
low
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Breeding conditions:
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Wolves, Brown Bears and Wolverines were common everywhere in the upper reaches of the Kotuy River. In contrast, birds of prey were rare, as was breeding in the White-tailed Sea Eagle, Northern Goshawk and Rough-legged Buzzard.
A very weak spring migration was recorded, with rarely observed geese, ducks and waders, the latter flying singly or in flocks of 3-5 birds. Noteworthy are the first record of Long-billed Dowitcher for the Putorana Platheau, and observations of Little Curlews on spring migration and in the nesting period.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| The numbers of rodents and insectivores were low, following the peak in 2006. A few single Northern Red-backed Voles and rare signs of activities of Wood Lemmings were recorded during the whole period of observations.
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Rodent species recorded:
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| Latin | Abundance |
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| Clethrionomys rutilus | rare |
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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