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RESPONDENT
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Vadim Gavrilov
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SITE NAME
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Pukhovy Bay, Novaya Zemlya, southern island, Russia
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| Contact
details (phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (095)423-26-13/(095)423-26-13 // // Novoyasenevski Prospekt, 352-3-12, Moscow, 117574, Russia |
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PROJECT DETAILS
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Project name:
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Comparative ecology of northern waterfowl (sponsored by the National biogeographic Society, USA) |
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey:
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Team
size:
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3.06 |
9.08 |
5 |
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WEATHER CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| Little snow fell during winter.Snow melt started early, but was delayed by snow-falls, low temperature and strong winds. Summer was cold, with strong winds. |
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| Date of 50%
snow-cover: |
15.06 |
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| Date of ice-break
on rivers: |
late May |
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| Date of final loss
of snow: |
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BIOTIC CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
low |
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Breeding conditions:
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| Arctic Foxes were scarce and did not breed. Only one pair of Rough-legged Buzzard and several Long-tailed Skuas bred. Other predators were almost absent, therefore predation pressure on wader clutches was not high (about 30% of clutches were destroyed) except for Ringed Plover (in which all nests were destroyed). Apparent nest success was 54% in Little Stint. Predation rate evaluated as average. Spring was later than usual and extremely cold, probably as a consequence only five wader species bred. Arrival of waders and the start of breeding was noticeably prolonged. Density of Turnstone was large in contrast to all other species. Clutch sizes in some nests of Little Stint and Ringed Plover were reduced to three eggs. Summer temperatures were also rather low, however judging by the good body condition of birds there were no nest failures caused by weather conditions. In summary the season was favourable for Turnstone, less successful than usual in Little Stint, Dunlin and Purple Sandpiper, and unfavourable for Ringed Plover. |
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Lemming numbers were at their lowest level (only three animals recorded).
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
| 1. Nesting ecology: geese, swans, waders, passerines. 2. Biometrics: waders, geese. 3. Ecological energetics: waders. First results are expected in the WGW Bulletin 1995. |
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