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RESPONDENT
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Vladimir Morozov
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SITE NAME
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Schuchya River, middle reaches, Yamal Peninsula, Russia
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (495)1553044 // piskulka@mtu-net.ru // Shebashevski Proezd, 7-16, Moscow, 125315, 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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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| In early June tundra was almost entirely snowfree, due, probably, to low snow accumulation in winter and thaws in May. Rivers broke in late May - early June, but flood was not significant. Spring was wet and cold, but without prolonged frosts. High precipitation amount prevented decrease of water level in rivers till mid July, and almost complete flooding of floodplains resulted in sporadic distribution, low breeding density and choice of atypical habitats by Terek Sandpipers. Ringed Plover numbers were also very low, and they mostly moved for nesting to watersheds. Summer generally was cold and rainy, in particular August, during which no more than 7 days lacked precipitaion. Short-term summer floods resulted in high as in spring water rises in valleys. Occasional showery rains had no negative effect on bird reproduction as coinsided with incubation, or the period just before fledging.
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
late May-early June
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
early June
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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 Fox is not typical for forest tundra and southern tundra, and a single den pups was occupied out of 12 surveyed at ana rea of 500 sq.km. Numbers of Red Foxes were low, and most of them were likely to cancel breeding in tundra, while a single den with pups was found in forest tundra. Rough-legged Buzzards were everywhere rare breeders and had minimal reproductive success (most pairs deserted nests yet during incubation in forest tundra, with only 2 of 8 reaching hatching; in tundra most of buzzards made no nesing attempts). Northern Harriers were rarely, though regularly met in forest tundra, while a single breeding pair was recorded in tundra. Long-tailed Skuas demonstrated patchy distribution, and were mostly represented by wandering non-breeders. Among nesting skuas 75% had complete clutches of a single egg. Numbers of Arctic Skuas were very low; a fraction of them bred. Pomorine Skuas and owls were not recorded.
Despite unfavourable weather conditions wader reproductive success was above average, or high. This was indicated by substantial numbers of Wood Sandpipers, Common and Pintail Snipes, Bar-tailed Godwits, Golden Plovers, and Whimbrels alarming near broods. In two latter species nest predation did not exceed 10%, as estimated from a sample of 10 nests for each species.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Populations of both lemming species were in deep depression: not a single animal was met. According to catching with traps made by V.G.Shtro, Ruddy, Narrow-skulled and Groud Voles had average numbers in subzone of southern tundra and submountain belt of the Polar Urals, while Middendorf's Vole was rare. Vole numbers were very low in the forest tundra part of Schutchya River basin, with exception of Narrow-skulled that locally occurred in average numbers.
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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