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SITE NAME
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Bolshaya Balakhnia River, lower reaches, Taimyr Peninsula, Russia
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| Contact
details (phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (3351)250390/(3340)481401 // // O.N.C. 55 Rue Russeil, 44000 Nantes, France |
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PROJECT DETAILS
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Project name:
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IAEME Expedition |
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey:
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Team
size:
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12.06 |
24.07 |
3 |
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WEATHER CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
No negative temperature (Cø) from 2 July to 20 July. First snow (minor) on 21-22 July. heavy storms much frequent, wind at 6 Beaufort or above every 4 day on average. Ice break-up followed by big flood (many nests destroyed in river valley).
In this area of typical tundra the spring came 7-10 days later than usual. It delayed the breeding of waders a little. Summer weather was favourable for birds. At the end of June/beginning of July, nests of some waders situated close to the river (especially of Temmincks Stint) became flooded because of high water. |
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| Date of 50%
snow-cover: |
20 June |
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| Date of ice-break
on rivers: |
26 June |
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| Date of final loss
of snow: |
1.07 |
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BIOTIC CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
average |
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Breeding conditions:
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Favourable conditions for good density and diversity of waders, less numerous gulls, skuas and geese (geese scare as breeders) - late spring + big flood were important caveats at the beginning of breeding season. No information on fledging success as we had to leave the area before. Very good year for snowy owl, bussard and fox. See Bull. WSG 71, 1993:24 for a summary.
Arctic Fox was not abundant. The number of lemmings (particularly of Siberian Lemming) was high and their predators, mainly Snowy Owl and Pomarine Skua, were breeding. Total predator pressure on wader clutches was not considerable. |
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Decreasing in July.
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Rodent species recorded:
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| Latin | Abundance |
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| Lemmus sibiricus | common |
| Dicrostonyx torquatus | common |
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
| - publications enclosed; - other records (density of birds, arctic fox) to be analysed by Russia colleagues, particulary Igor Chupin. - Biometric/ringing data in IEMAE data bank (E.E.Syroechkovsky Jr.), except for gulls. |
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