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RESPONDENT
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Mikhail Stishov
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SITE NAME
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Wrangel Island, Neizvestnaya River, upper reaches, Russia
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| (095)465-47-93 // stishov@wrangel.msk.ru // Zapovednik "Ostrov Vrangelya", Ushakovskoie, Shmidtovski rayon, Chukotski okrug, 686870, 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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| Season phenology: |
average
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Weather conditions: |
| The time of the spring onset did not differ from average annual values. Snowmelt began in early June - soon after the heavy blizzard with negative temperatures of late May. The summer was warm with small amount of precipitation, no snow and few foggy or windy days.
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
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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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The abundance of rodent-dependent predators was low. Pomarine Skuas were absent completely, Long-tailed were very few (1 nesting pair per 40 km2 in the central part of the island). Two non-breeding Arctic Foxes were found in the same area. The entire territory of the island over the whole summer yielded only 2 Snowy Owl nests and their population density in the central part of the island was 1 bird per 10-15 km2. Owl nests contained only remnants of birds - waders and passerines.
Due to the favourable weather conditions and low predator numbers the breeding success of common waders appeared to be good. In the Neizvestnaya river valley broods of Grey Plovers, Ruddy Turnstones and Dunlin were noticeable more common than usually.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| The slump in lemming numbers continued for the second year in a row: during the second half of July in the central part of the island only 1 lemming was caught per 400 trap-days (a Collared Lemming of the summer generation).
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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