30

Wader breeding conditionsin the Russiantundras in 1997 P.S. Tomkovich & Y. V. Zharikov

Tomkovich,P.S. & Zharikov,Y.V. 1998. Wader breedingconditions in the Russiantundras in 1997. WaderStudy Group Bull. 87: 30-42.

For the secondyear in a row therewas a very late springin the tundrasof EuropeanRussia and northernmostwest Siberia. Despitethe fact that springstarted extremely early in the southerntundra of westSiberia and on Taimyr,snow stormsand very low temperaturesreturned to Yamaland western Taimyr in late May. Springwas reported as being relativelylate andprolonged at mostsites further east than Taimyr, but more variable on Chukotka.As a result,many correspondentsreported a latestart to breedingand low breedingdensities in wadersin EuropeanRussia and in some Siberianareas. The summerwas humid and cold in EuropeanRussia and in westSiberia; variable but about normal conditionswere observed to the eastof Taimyr,while it waswarm and dry on almostthe whole of Taimyrand on WrangelIsland. Harshweather decreased nest and/or chick survival on VaigachIsland, Yugorsky Peninsula, Yamal, north-westTaimyr, and the lower OlenyokRiver.

It waspredicted that the increase in thelemming (Lemmus sibiricus, Dicrostonyx torquatus) population which started on centralTaimyr and in theLena Delta in 1996would spread through larger areas in 1997. This happened,but on a much smallerscale than expected. Peak numbers of lemmingswere recorded at localesto the southof theByrranga Mountruns onTaimyr and at thelower Olenyok River. Averagelemming densities were found on Yugorsky (Europe), northern Yamal,some areas on Taimyrand the Lena Delta, at lowerIndigirka and at ShmidtCape. However,a decreasein their numbersduring the season was noted in mostcases. Arctic Foxes Alopex lagopus were numerous in EuropeanRussia, on Taimyr,in the LenaDelta, at lowerIndigirka and on BelyakaSpit (Chukotka). Their breedingin mostof theseand in someother areas was successful. No siteswith highnumbers of lemming-specializingarian predators(Snowy Owl Nycteascandiaca and Pomafine Skua Stercorarius pomarinus) were found. One or bothof thesespecies were breeding in low to moderatenumbers on northernYamal, north-west and central Taimyr, in the Olenyokmouth, in somesections of theLena Delta, at ShmidtCape and on Wrangel Island. Thus, the situation with letomingsand predators was very patchy Breedingsuccess of waderswas evaluated as low (upto averagefor somespecies) in thewestern section of theRussian Arcticand in mostcases not less than average on centralTaimyr and further east. This conclusion is oppositeto the predictionmade in 1996.

Takinginto account the patchy lemming distribution and the increasing Arctic Fox numbersin 1997it canbe predicted thatgenerally moderate wader breeding success in 1998will beobserved with a betterbreeding output in theEuropean andwest Siberian sections. Results in theCentral and East Siberian regions will probablybe worsethan in 1997.

Tomkovich,P.S. ZoologicalMuseum, Moscow Lomonosov State University, 6 BolshayaNikitskaya Street, Moscow,103009, Russia (Compiling& editing) Zharikov,Y.V. Departmentof Zoology,Univ. of Queensland,Brisbane, QLD-4072, Australia. E-mail: [email protected] (Translation)

INTRODUCTION AND METHODS financialsupport and, overall, activities in thisarea should Presentedhere is the 10th review of waderbreeding conditions become noticeable to researchers in 1998. in the Russiantundra. Ten yearsof collectiveefforts focussed on one targetdemonstrated that this methodof annualdata Basedon a three-yearcycle, in 1997it wasexpected that there collectionwas viable andits resultsimportant. Over the ten wouldbe peakpopulation numbers of lemmmgsin mostparts yearperiod reports from 185 authorshave been received; of the RussianArctic. However, in 1996 the situation with many of them becomingregular contributors.Two of them (V. localdistribution and population trends was very V. Morozovand E. E. Syroechkovski,Jr.) have provided their heterogeneous,an indicationof a slightdeparture from the dataevery year while five moreauthors (I. V. Dorogoi,Ya. I. typicalcycle rules. As a result,forecasting for 1997became Kokorev,S. P. Paskhal'ny,V. K. Ryabitsevand M. S. Stishov) complicated.Eventually a suggestionwas made that if the missedonly one or two years. This effort hasbeen encouraged weatherconditions were typicalfor the zone,then the summer by our foreigncolleagues and began an internationalproject of 1997 wouldbe favourablefor tundrabreeding waders of the directedat creationof a databaseencompassing breeding westernsector of the Arctic, while birdsnesting in northern conditionsof Arctic birdsin the entirecircumpolar region (see Yakutiawould suffer poor reproductive success (see WSG Page43). It is also worth mentioningthat the organisational Bull. 83: 26-36). Informationprovided by ourcontributors phaseof thedatabase development project has received allowsus to assessthis prediction. 31

,

26

3 > 15 6 7

RESULTS than usualnumbers of youngfish in the littoral zone, many 1. Franz Jozef Land archipelago. Judgingfrom the heavy fewer gulls were countedin the area. Also, it was not ice conditionson 17 - 20 Augustthe summerwas cold. Ice on uncommonto seegulls searching the tundrafor bird nests. the channelsin the westernand northernparts of the Breedingwader numbers were noticeablylower than in the archipelagonever broke. No rodentsoccur there. Predatory previousyear. This wasespecially true for Ruff Philomachus birds(Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus,Parasitic Skua pugnaxand Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii. Lelddngin Stercorariusparasiticus) bred successfully. Records of the Ruff wasless pronounced and their flockswere smallerin wadersduring the observationperiod were ratherscarce: one sizethan in previousyears. The startof clutchinitiation was sightingof a PurpleSandpiper Calidris maritima and two of delayedby at leasttwo weeks. No waderchicks were seen RuddyTumstones Arenaria interpres. Since more Purple beforemid-June while the timing of hatchingin passefines Sandpiperswere recorded on theNortbmk island in 1996(G. was, as usual,early July. M. Tertitski,pets. comm.), it is suggestedthat in 1997 wader breedingsuccess was poor. Yu. M. Schadilov, A. V. Belousova

A. E. Volkov 3. At Kolguev Island the springwas late andprolonged. By the middleof June,the daily temperaturedid not exceed 2. At the south-easternpart of the RusskiZavorot +3-5ø C, droppingbelow freezing at night. Precipitationwas peninsula,at KhabuikaLake the spring was late andextended. in the form of both rain and snow (the last snowfall occurred Frommid-June and through early Julythe weatherwas cold on 8 July). The two weeksafter 12 July were warm with andwith strong,mostly northerly winds. Due to this,plant averagedaily temperaturesof +10-12ø C (somedays up to growthand thawing of permafrostwere very slow. The +16-18øC);rain andcold remmed in lateJuly. Plant overallpredator-rodent situation was similar to the previous developmentappeared delayed: grasses and sedgesemerged year. The abundanceof RootVoles Microtus oeconomus and andshrub buds began unfolding on uplandtundra only in early SiberianLemmings Lernrnus sibiricus remained low. Arctic Julyattaining full foliageonly duringthe secondhalf of July. FoxesAlopex lagopus were common and many dens were dug. This resultedin greaterexposure of nestsand chicks of waders No SnowyOwls Nyctea scandiacawere recorded.Only to avianpredators. Isolated snow fields persisted in deeper ParasiticSkuas nested in the areawhile Long-tailedSkuas depressionsand on shadedslopes through early July. Full Stercorarius1ongicaudus were seenpassing through. clutches in most waders as well as the first instances of Numbersof Rough-leggedBuzzards Buteo lagopus were low hatchingwere detectedduring mid-July. The more common andno nestingwas documented.Perhaps due to the lower speciesincluded Grey PloverPluvialis squararola, Dunlin 32

Calidrisalpina, Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus Iobatus, of the studyarea hatching four chickseach. Severalnestless andRinged Plover Charadrius hiaticula, as well assome Long-tailedSkuas were encountered in the samelocation. Little StintsCalidris minuta and Ruffs. Separatepairs and Largegulls were commonbut mostlydid not nest. Few smallflocks of OystercatchersHaematopus ostralegus were broodsof BarnacleGeese Branta leucopsis,Common Eiders constantlyseen along the lower Bugryanka river flow. Their Somateriamollissima and Long-tailed Ducks Clangula clutchesand young apparently fell preyto HerringGulls Larus hyemaliswere seen,other geese bred more actively. Most of argentatusand Parasitic Slmas (most Parasitic Slma nests had the waterfowlnests that were discoveredwere predated. onlyone egg or chick). Only oneSnowy Owl wasseen. The Wadernumbers were at their minimum. Singlenests of Ringed adultbird mortalitywas mostly due to Peregrines:three Plovers,Ruddy Tumstones, Little andTemminck's Stints, Peregrinenests contained remains of Dunlinsand a Ruff. Dunlin andPurple Sandpipers were found;likewise, juvenile With the absenceof rodentsRough-legged Buzzards mostly birdssighted at the endof the seasonwere extremely rare. preyedon birds but the two investigated nests contained no Somepassefine pairs bred successfully.Overall the season wader remains. Arctic Foxes were scarce and their dens turnedout to be ratherunfavourable for many breedingbirds. containedonly gooseremains. V. N. Kalyakin V. Glazov 6. At the north-westernend of Vaigach island (upper 4. At the settlementof Byelush'ein the southernpart of Dolgaya bay) the weatherconditions of the summerwere GusinayaZemlya (Yuzhniisland of the NovayaZemlya highly unfavourablefor breedingbirds. The springarrived archipelago)(71 ø33' N, 52032' E) thelocal meteorological ratherlate with the averagedaily temperaturerising above stationreported a relativelymild winter,but throughoutthe freezingmark only by 25 June. The mean (_+SE)June monthof May snowfell heavily. The first snow-freepatches temperaturewas -0.65 ø (+0.31ø) C, July+2.01 ø (+0.38ø) C. appearedon 8-10June, goose migration started on 10 Juneand The averagemaximum temperature in Junewas +4.54ø lastedtill 18 June. After the long, cold spring,warmer (_+0.54ø) C, July +7.57ø (_+0.73ø) C. Heavy blizzardswere temperatures(+10-19 ø C by day)became the norm from 9-15 recordedon 28 Juneand 3 July and a cold spell with some July. By thistime, no snowwas left at the settlement,ice in snowoccurred on 25 July, i.e. duringthe time when the KostinShar straight had gone2-3 daysearlier, and the Temminck'sStint chickswere hatching. Little and extentof the ice coveron lakesvaried widely. Lemming Temminck'sStints nested only alongriver coursesand were numberswere low: only two SiberianLemmings were seen absenton hill sides.Few Dunlin were present. Only single duringsix brief excursions. Birds were rare near the DotterelsEudromias morinellus nested. In many of them the settlement.Any clutchesof RingedPlovers, Little and springmigration apparently transformed into summernomadic Temminck'sStints found did not haveany signsof hatchingin movements.No territorialPurple Sandpipers were recorded, mid-July.A displayingCommon Snipe Gallinago gallinago, however,single birds were constantlyseen along river banks. which was flushedby a local hunteras late as earlyAugust, wasan unusualspectacle for thislatitude. On 11-12 The breedingseason in many waderswas very delayed:the September,small flocks of PurpleSandpipers, one Ringed first full clutchof Little Stintswas found only on 27 June Plover,Ruddy Tumstones and a Rough-leggedBuzzard were while the first chickwas located on 24 July. The first sightedin the samearea. Temminck'sStint chickswere seenon 25 July while on the northcoast of the island(Bolvanski Nos cape)a clutchwas V. N. Kalyakin foundon 9 August. SiberianLemming numbers were low: duringthe seasononly 2-3 individualswere seen.Apparently, 5. On the east side of the Kostin Shar straight, Yuzhni mostlemmings died duringheavy rainsin December1996 and island of the NovayaZemlya archipelago(71ø 10' N, 54000' E as a result even the traces of their winter activities were - 71017' N, 53024' E) the periodbetween 9 Juneand 9 absent.In contrast,Arctic Fox numberswere high: one, Septemberwas drier and warmerthan a similarperiod of the sometimestwo animalswere seen on almostevery excursion. previousyear: heavy rains occurred on 20 and 30-31 July,it Arctic Foxes were more numerousin June, then their numbers snowedon 22, 24/25 July and 30 Augustand even during the droppedand only someterritorial individuals remained, first week of Septemberthe temperaturedid not dropbelow althoughthey did not breed. Most wadernests were lost to +4ø C. Lemmingswere not found,whereas the previous year non-breedingskuas - somePomafine Stercorarius pomarinus (accordingto surveydata) coincidedwith a peakin their but mostlyLong-tailed. Rough-legged Buzzards and Snowy numberswhich also resulted in high populationnumbers of Owls did not breed. Only four out of 16 Little Stint nests Arctic Foxes,Snowy Owls and Rough-leggedBuzzards. This survivedtill hatching.Out of sevenTemminck's Stint clutches year,Arctic Fox numberswere low andonly singledens were five hatched but in three of those seven chicks died occupied.Only oneSnowy Owl wasobserved along a 300 km immediatelyafter hatching. Overall wader breeding success route. Somesingle Rough-legged Buzzards were seen, was low. however,two pairssuccessfully nested at the northernborder B. Konyukhov,K. E. Litvin, E. N. Gurtovaya 33

7. Yugorskypeninsula, Byely Nos cape(69036 ' N, 60013' E). 8. In the Kharasavei area (71ø10 N, 67050' E) of the Arctic The springwas late, cold andprolonged, and the summerwas Yamal tundra,meteorologists recorded a late and prolonged cold as well. The snow coverwas thinnerthan in the previous springwhich gradually turned into a cold andwindy summer. year,yet it persistedfor rathera longtime: on 24 June90% of Snow fields remaineduntil mid-Juneand in somegullies the tundrasurface was still snow-covered(a 10-yearrecord probablythroughout the summer.However, according to accordingto polarstation information). Active melting of observationstaken on 31 July- 7 Augustlemming numbers snowbegan on 25 Juneafter heavy,warm rain. Later on, the (mostlySiberian Lemming) were not below averageand in summertemperature was below the averagenorm by 5-7ø C someplaces were evenhigh (15-20 individualsper 100 trap- with themaximum reaching +16.8 ø C. Showers,fogs and days). This wasa resultof their successfulbreeding under the storms were common, a few thunderstorms were recorded as snowjudging from the high numberof winter nests. No Arctic well. Overall the weather did not favour successful wader Fox denswere found. The densityof PomafineSkuas that breeding.Only in late July did the temperatureswarm up and apparentlynested on the coastaltundra was high (1.8 pair/ thatprobably had a positiveeffect on survivalof remaining km2). OneRough-legged Buzzard eyrie with two large waderyoung. The springarrival was on time with only the nestlingswas investigated. Herring andGlaucous Gulls phalaropesbeing noticeably late. The timeof nest/clutch mostlykept to the coastline.Snowy Owls andother avian initiationwas delayedby 10 daysin all locally breeding predatorswere absent. waders. Earlyin the seasonwader numbers and their species diversity The breedingdensity of largeand medium-size waders werelow. Little Stintsmade up the bulk of all encounters (Dunlin, Ruff, Dotterel and Grey Plover)was as usual,only (40.4%), with someRinged Plovers (23.4%) seennear the the numberof nestingRinged Plovers dropped due to the settlement,and alsosome Ruffs with broods(10.6%); Dunlin, prolongedsnow cover on theirnesting habitat. Judgingfrom Red-neckedPhalaropes and Ruddy Tumstones were morerare. the physiologicalcondition of capturedbirds, no clutchesin The generalopinion was that the breedingsuccess of most thisgroup were abandoneddue to the weatherconditions; only waderswas low, probablydue to the unfavourableweather oneRinged Plover nest was desertedafter beingflooded conditions.Little Stintsand Ringed Plovers did slightlybetter duringa rain storm. Nestingof small,20-50 g bodymass, than other waders. waders(Temminck's Stint, Little Stint, Red-neckedPhalarope) wasbadly affectedby the adverseweather conditions. Their S. P. Paskhal'ny nestingdensities were extremelylow and later in the season some nests were abandoned. 9. Bovanenkovoarea (70023' N, 68020' E). At the lower Seyakha-Mutnayariver, spring and summer conditions did not Early in the season,the SiberianLemming numbers were differfrom the rest of theYamal peninsula. Lemming aboutaverage (for the last threeyears of observation)which populationnumbers roughly estimated on 3-6 Augustwere correspondedwith a populationgrowth stage after a low: signsof their summeractivities and winter nestswere few depressionduring the previousyear. Notwithstandingthis, andfar between.Narrow-skulled Vole Microtus gregalis theirnumbers apparently declined by the endof the summer. numberswere high andactive colonies of thisrodent were A recordhigh numberof breedingArctic Foxesfor the last ubiquitous,especially so in themeadow-like tundras of threeyears was noted: four densstretching in a line with a anthropogenicorigin. These were the voles that made up most distanceof 1.5 to 2 km in betweenwere found. In July,each of theRough-legged Buzzard (chicks) and Arctic Fox diet. of themcontained at least3-4 pups. By late Julysome of the TwoArctic Fox densinvestigated had litters. In two surveyed pupsin oneden had died. Non-breedingSnowy Owls could areasthe Rough-legged Buzzard breeding density was rather be seenaround the field stationall summer.The Rough- high:0.33-0.43 pair/km 2. A singleSnowy Owl wasobserved; leggedBuzzard breeding density was closeto averagebut by no skuas were seen. earlyAugust only one nestremained with one chickin it. Somepairs of ParasiticSkuas managed to fledgetheir young. Waderabundance early in the seasonwas low. The more PomafineSkuas appeared in numerousflocks in early and commonlyseen species included Ringed Plover (31.6% of all mid-June.Small groupsof Long-tailedSkuas could be seen sightings),Temminck's Stint (26.3%) and Wood Sandpiper throughoutthe season. Wader nest survival varied greatly Tringaglareola (17.5%). The less abundant species were Ruff amongspecies. In largeand medium-sized species with the (8.8%that appeared to benesting), Red-necked Phalaropes, exceptionof Dunlin(29%) up to 60% of nestssurvived to Dunlinand Little Stints.Wader breeding success was deemed hatching.In smallspecies the proportion was 10 -17%. poor.Judging from the number of birdsbehaving distractively, Overall the season was rather unfavourable for all wader CommonRinged Ploversand Temminck'sStints fared better species,especially for the smallerones. The largerwaders thanthe other species. The factors explaining such results achievedaverage breeding success even in thoseconditions. werethe unfavourable weather conditions and perhaps heavy predatorpressure during the first half of the summer. V. V. Gavrilov S. P Paskhal'ny 34

10. The upper Yuribei river, middle Yamal. Accordingto less). Despitethe cold weatherin June,timing of migration surveydata, the river ice at TarkoSale broke unusually early - andstart of the nestingseason was on time. Commonbreeders 7 May (!) - althoughlater the cold,winter weather returned includedEuropean Golden Plovers, Ringed Plovers, Wood Judgingby thefew snowpatches remaining during the Sandpipers,Red-necked Phalaropes, Ruff, Temminck'sStints, observationperiod (1-17 July),snow melted, as usual, by mid- Dunlin andCommon Snipe. Little Stint,Sanderling Calidris June. By earlyJuly, all lakeswere already free of ice, but the alba, CurlewSandpiper, single Spotted Redshanks Tringa waterlevel remainedhigh; emergenceof the foliage in alder, erythropusand Ruddy Tumstones were seenon passage. birchand willow wasnoted. The springwas prolonged and Water-loggedpatches formed around the railwayunder cold,and a massmosquito hatch took place on 16-17 July. constructionand slopesof its sand-and-gravelbase created Thewindy and rainy weather with air temperaturesof 0+5øC favourableconditions for roostingof transientand breeding of prevailedin July. On 7-8 July,6-8 cm of snowfell and local waders. remainedon the groundfor four days. I. Yu. Karagodin, E. V. Nesterov, S. P. Paskhal'ny No SiberianLemmings were trapped and the other species numbers remained low: four Narrow-skulled Voles, four Bank 12. The eastern Urals foothills (66ø 30' - 68 ø 30' N). In the VolesClethrionomys glareolus and one CollaredLemming forest-tundraand southern tundra subzone the spring was Dicrostonyxtorquatus were caught(1.5 individualsper 100 prolongedand cold. It warmedup in lateApril - earlyMay trap-days).Out of tenArctic Fox densonly onehad a litter, afterwhich there was a long periodof cold andwindy weather althoughthe pups were dead. Nestingpredatory birds with frequentrain andsnowfall. Despitethis, the ice on the includedRough-legged Buzzard (one nestwith chicks)which Ob river nearSalekhard broke on 16 May, i.e. two weeks breadat a lower thanusual density and Parasitic Skua; earlier than normal. nomadicParasitic and Long-tailedSkuas were common. Only singleSnowy Owls were seen. Wadermigration was as in previousyears: first Wood Sandpiperswere noted on 19 May, Ruff andTerek Sandpiper Commonbreeders included Ringed Plover, Wood Sandpiper, Xenuscinereus - 28 May, Temminck'sStint and Great Snipe Red-neckedPhalarope, Temminck's Stint andDunlin. Species Gallinagomedia - 31 May. The masswader migration fell on thatwere absent from the areaincluded European Pluvialis thelast days of May - first daysof June. Juneand July saw apricaria and Pacific P.fulva Golden Plovers,Little Stint and cold,moderately rainy weather with constant,strong winds PintailSnipe Gallinago stenura. By mid-Julyonly Wood andgales. It snowedmore than once in June(heavy snowfall Sandpiperand Temminck's Stint chickswere found, while all on 13-14 June)and at timesthe temperaturedropped below other waders continued incubation. freezing.As a resultthe growth and blossoming of plantswere delayedby asmuch as 7-10 days. No lemmingswere seen and M. G. Golovatin, V. G. Shtro the numberof voles was low (2-3 Middendorffs and one Narrow-skulledVole per 100 trap-days).Few Hen Hamers 11.The lowerYenzor-Yakha river (SW Yamalpeninsula, 15 andRough-legged Buzzards nested (checked clutches of the km from the Baydaratskayabay). In the shrubbytundra belt lattercontained 1 - 4 eggs);nomadic Long-tailed and Parasitic boththe tundra and rivefine zones were free from snowby 4 Skuas were common. Non-territorial Arctic Foxes were seen June,the river valleylakes were partially ice-free and upland only at the northernedge of the studyarea. lakeswere completelyice-bound. In June,the weatherwas windyand cold with a lot of precipitationin theform of rain Thefollowing species had an averagebreeding density: andsnow, night-time frosts and temporary snow accumulation Temminck'sStint, Wood Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, Red- of up to 10 cm (17 June). Duringthe observation period (until neckedPhalarope, Ruff, EuropeanGolden Plover, Pintail and 24 June)only two days(9 and 19 June)were warm and sunny CommonSnipes and Dunlin (in thenorthern part of the area). (up to +15ø C). Breedingdensities of WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus and Bar- tailedGodwits Limosa lapponica were below average. A No lemmingswere trapped, vole numberswere low: two highlypatchy distribution was found in Dotterel,Spotted MiddendorffsMicrotus middendorfi and oneNarrow-skulled Redshank,Common Sandpiper Actiris hypoleucos, Terek Vole were capturedover 500 trap-days.Four Arctic Fox Sandpiper,and Little Stint. Overallwader breeding conditions sightingswere made in theriver valleyand all of the 12 wereassessed as unfavourable and their breeding success investigateddens turned out to be empty. Othernoted belowaverage. predatorsincluded Parasitic Skua and Herring Gull (common), Long-tailedand Pomafine Skua (less common), Snowy Owl S. P. Paskhal'ny (singleindividuals), Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus (1 pair)and a female Merlin Falco columbarius.The Rough-leggedBuzzard 13. The Schuch'yariver catchmentarea, southernYamal. breedingdensity was 0.13 pair/km2 andthe five eyries Owingto thelong warm spells in lateApril andearly May the searchedcontained smaller-than-usual clutches (four eggs or tundrawas mostly free of snowby late May. Nevertheless,the 35 highestwater level in theSchuch'ya river was achieved on 6-8 overallbreeding success in mostwaders was very low. Juneand ice on lakeswas finally goneonly after 20 June.The springwas prolonged and generally cold; extensive warm V V Morozov spellsin May andearly June, when the temperature climbed upto +23ø C werefollowed (after 10 June) by a two-week 14.Yarsale settlement area (66ø51'N, 70ø50'E),south- coldstretch with daily snowfalls,gale-force winds and night easternYamal. During the first half of Junethe weatherwas frosts.Daily temperaturesdid not exceed+6 ø C. The water mostlycold, windy and rainy. Populationnumbers of all levelon the river duringspring floods was average. The rodentswere deeplydepressed. No Arctic Foxeswere seen. summerturned out to be cold and wet: in July there were no Ratherfew Long-tailedskuas were encounteredand waders morethan seven sunny days, hurricane-force winds and were somewhatuncommon too. An averagebreeding density prolongedtorrential rains were a commonoccurrence. Only wasfound in RingedPlovers, Wood Sandpipers, Ruff, snipes. themonth of Augustwas warmer and drier than the rest of the Numbersof Grey andEuropean Golden Plover, Red-necked season. Phalaropes,Temminck's Stints, Terek Sandpipersand Whimbrel were low. Flocks of Whimbrel and Bar-tailed Lemmingswere not seen and their remnants not found in Godwitswere notedon 11-12 July. Waderbreeding success raptorpellets and food remnants. Narrow-skulled and was apparentlybelow average. NorthernRed-backed Voles Clethrionomysrutilus were only trappedin rivervalleys, very locally, in areasof suboptimal S. P. Paskhal'ny (temporary)habitat. A veryfew Rough-leggedBuzzard pairs attemptedbreeding and none fledged young. Hen Hamersdid 15. Medusa bay area (73004"N, 80030' E), north-westem notnest. Largenumbers of Long-tailedand Parasitic Skuas Taimyr. By the time the field seasonstarted on 18 June,the weremoving about the tundrain smallgroups in Juneand July ice on the Meduzariver had alreadybroken and snowcover with almostno nestingattempts (the only known Long-tailed remainedon 70% of tundra,i.e. the startof springwas the Skuanest was destroyed by a Hemng Gull). Few gullsnested sameas in mostprevious years. The last heavy snowfalltook andeven in thosethat hatchedyoung, some chicks placeon 19 Juneand caused desertion of the first incomplete subsequentlydied of starvation.No SnowyOwls were seen; Pacific Golden Plover clutches. The summer was cold: over a two Short-earedOwls werenoted during migration. Breeding 40 day periodonly 5-6 dayswere clearwith temperaturesof densities of Hooded Crows Corvus cornix and Ravens about+10 ø C, andthe last frost wason 2 July. Egg hatchingm C. coraxnesting in the woodedvalley of the Schuch'yariver mostwaders (12-18 July) took place duringa period of cold were normal. No Arctic or Red FoxesVulpes vulpes were seen (+1-5ø C) andfoggy weather. andtheir denswere empty. The SiberianLemmmg population levels were clearly below If comparedwith the previousyears, most waders had rather the previousyear's: only duringthe last third of June(peak patchydistribution and low populationnumbers. Bar-tailed snowmeltperiod) could 10-15 individualsbe seenper day. In Godwit,Red-necked Phalarope, Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes July,very few lemmingswere seenof which only one was a minima,Pintail Snipe and Ruff wereespecially rare. Only youngindividual. The scarcityof lemmingsgreatly increased EuropeanGolden Plovers had a highbreeding density. In June the Arctic Fox predationpressure on waders. Foxeswere andJuly, one couldregularly see moving flocks of non- notedregularly, up to four individualsat a time, however,no breedingEuropean Golden Plovers and Bar-tailed Godwits. In activedens were found. No SnowyOwls were observed.The somelocales in the Schuchyariver valley,all GoldenPlover numberof Long-tailedand Pomame Skuasbreeding in the andWhimbrel clutcheswere destroyedby HoodedCrows. field stationarea was much lower thanin goodyears; and the Judgingfrom the pelletsand food remains of HoodedCrows, outcomeof their nestingwas in mostcases negative anyway. WoodSandpiper and Pintail Snipenests also suffered high Brantnests were only foundon the Olenii andnorth-eastern predationrates. In the watershedareas many wader clutches islandsin HerringGull colonies. were takenby skuas. Due to the prolongedspring and cold sununer,the numberof The weatheralso had a negativeeffect on breedingwaders nestingCurlew Sandpipers and Little Stintswas very low. becausethe instancesof heaviestsnowfalls, below freezing Duringthe period between the onset of spring and autumn temperatures,cold showers, and storms took place during the migration,density in thesetwo specieswas no morethan 2.6 egg-layingstage, early incubation(second and third weeksof and2.4 pairsor males/km2 respectively. At thesame time, June)and the startof thehatching period (first half of July). nestingof only oneLittle Stint pair was confirmedwhile all As a result,numbers of attending/broodingadults of all local CurlewSandpipers disappeared by 10 July. A similar speciesof wadersexcept for the EuropeanGolden Plover, situationwas noted with the Ruddy Tumstone,Ringed Plover RingedPlover and Wood Sandpiperwere very low. In July andDunlin (0.9-1.3 pairs/km. 2) andthis is consideringthat 50- andAugust only 1-2 broodsof Whimbrel,Ruff, Pintail and 90% of all individuals either did not breed at all or lost their CommonSnipes were seen. It canbe concludedthat the clutchesearly. The Pacific GoldenPlover densitydid not 36 differfrom usual (5.5-6.3 pairs/km2). Grey Plovers and 17. In the Fad'yu-Kuda river valley (74ø03 N, 96o57' E) - Dottereldid not nest.A PectoralSandpiper Calidris theleft tributaryof theUpper Taimyra, Byrranga foothills, the melanotosexhibiting distractive behaviour was noted on the springwas relatively early; by the startof the observation Big Olenii islandon 24 July. The probabilityof a clutch period(22 June)snow on the watershedswas practically gone. survivingtill hatchingwas 35% (n=l 1) in PacificGolden The summerwas very warm anddry, the averagedaily Plovers,54% (n=3) in RingedPlovers. Overall,by 20 July temperaturewas +15 ø C. The UpperTaimyra reached its low whenhatching was probably over, the 66 PacificGolden by earlyAugust and some marsh polygons remaining water- Ploverpairs nesting in the studyarea had probably lost half of loggedwhich usually dried out. An areaof c. 200 km2 had 20 theirbroods. A potentiallink betweenresearchers' activities activenests of Rough-leggedBuzzard, three of Peregrineand andArctic Fox predationon clutchescould not be excluded. one of SnowyOwl - all with broodsof no lessthan three chicks. The abundanceof apparentlynesting Long-tailed S. V Khomenko,S. A. Dylyuk, S. B. Rozenfeld Skuas was low.

16. In the Pura river catchment area and at the lower Out of 33 ArcticFox dens,22 hadlitters. All predators Pyasina river, westernTaimyr, the abundanceof rodentsin seemedto rely heavily on SiberianLemmings which were the winter was averageor aboveand as a consequenceArctic very numerousthat seasonand, as a result,only a few bird Foxesstarted visiting their densin the spring. Everything nestswere depredated.On the patchyttmdras of the watershed seemedto pointto a successfulyear for rodent-dependent areas,an average of 19 lemmingswere caught per 100trap- predators.However, an unusuallylong warmspell (three daysand visual encounters with theseanimals occurred daily. weeks)with rainsand temperatures of up to +6ø, even at the No CollaredLemmings were found. Judgingfrom the lower Puramouth, occurred in April. Sucha situationhad not been frequencyof visualobservations and fewer Arctic Fox dens seen in Norilsk and Dudinka area since 1943. On the andpups per den, the lemming numbers were not as high to Yenissei,ice broke on 20-21 May, i.e. 4-5 daysearlier than in the south,towards the Upper Taimyra. Surveysand brief visits 1943. Then temperatureswent downagain. evenfarther south, to the Malaya Logatariver indicatedeven lower lemmingpopulation numbers. When the observations No Snowy Owls were seenbut there was an unconfirmed startedwaders had akeadylaid full clutches.The more reportof a nestin the Pyasinadelta. It wasthe latterlocation numerousspecies of lowlandtundras and marshes included wherethe lemming situationwas betterthan elsewhere, GreyPlovers (2-3 pairs/km2), Dunlin, Curlew Sandpipers, and evidenceof whichwas a goodyear in HerringGull colonies Bar-tailedGodwits; whereas on streamgravel beds and (largecolonies, full clutches)near the ShakhtaSevernaya limestoneplateaux Ringed Plovers (5 pairs/km2) weremost settlementto the north. In the samearea and/or in the Pyasina numerous.Many juvenile birds from successfullyfledged delta,on islandsone could see active nesting by Red-breasted broodsleft the studyarea by the end of the third weekof GooseRufibrenta ruficollis, Brant Brenta bernicla, and August. White-frontedGoose Anser albifrons, i.e. the generalsituation was much betterthan in the Pura basinwhere the breeding I. N. Pospelov,M. N. Koroleva densityof geesewas low andclutches were small. Many Rough-leggedBuzzards nested in the Pura basinand their 18. The Malaya Logata mouth area (73ø26' N, 98ø22' E). clutcheswere relativelylarge but by the end of the seasonthe On the typicaltundras of the centralTaimyr, ice on the lakes youngsuffered high mortalityrates. SingleHerring Gulls and andthe thin snowcover were gonemuch earlier than in an skuasnested there and the predatorpressure exerted by these averageyear. The lastpatches of packedsnow and snow fields speciesand Arctic Foxes on clutchesof otherbirds was high in gulliesdisappeared by mid-July. There wereno floodson (for example,all knownnests of Long-tailedDucks and King riversin the springand summer. E•ders$omateria spectabilisnear the Pura field stationwere depredated). By thespring time lemming (only Siberian Lemmings were seen)population levels contracted many-fold in comparison The phenologyof the springevents was as usual and the withthe peak numbers of 1996and continued declining conditions in the summer looked rather favourable. At the throughthe summer.Arctic Foxes were slightly less abundant sametime thebreeding density of waderswas low: in riparian thanthe summer before, their litters comprising of five to habitatsthe density was close to average,whereas in upland sevenpups. Out of ninesurveyed dens, eight were active. areasit wasvery low. The moreabundant species included WolvesCanis lupus were common and bred. Rough-legged Ruff, bothphalaropes, Pectoral S andpiper. Only two nestsof Buzzardsand Peregrines nested successfully having three-four L•ttle Stint were found and one brood of Temminck's Stint andthree chicks respectively. The nestingdensity of Long- andDotterel was seen. Overall,despite a seemingly tailed Slmas was low while Parasitic and Pomarine Skuas were favourablesummer the tundraappeared empty. practicallyabsent from the areain mid-summer.Nesting Herring Gulls were common,much lessso were Glaucous Ya. I. Kokorev Gulls. Only oneSnowy Owl was seen. The mostcommon 37

waderspecies included Pectoral Sandpiper, Temminck's Stint, Comparedto 1995,Terek Sandpipers, Spotted Redshanks and and Ruff; Grey and Pacific Golden Plovers,Little Stint, both in some areas Bar-tailed Godwits were more common while a phalaropes,Common Snipe, and Dunlin were commonand CommonSandpiper was seenonly once. The overall RingedPlover, Curlew Sandpiperand SpottedRedshank were impressionwas that breedingsuccess in many waderswas rare. The predatorpressure on wadernests increased through aboveaverage or high. the summerand was especiallyhigh duringthe secondand third weeksof July,i.e. the end of incubationand first daysof A. I. Artyukhov hatching.Clutches of Grey PhalaropesPhalaropusfulicarius, Temminck'sStints and Ruffs sufferedespecially heavy 20. Central and easternTaimyr. The springin the sub-Arctic predation.Because of this,many adult birds departed from the tundrawas unusually early. The ice movementon theUpper areaearly. Waderbreeding success and their numbersoverall Taimyrariver startedon 17 Juneand on 25 Junethe river was were probablyclose to average. completelyfree of ice (usuallythis happens in early July). The summerwas warmer than average,with a small amountof A. I. Artyukhov precipitation.In the northernsection of the sub-Arctictundra lemmingswere numerous and Arctic Foxesbred successfully. 19. South-central and south-easternTaimyr. The climatic It wasalso a goodyear for raptorsand waders. A conditionsin the northern forest-tundra(500 km stretchof the distinguishingtrait of the seasonwas low Willow Grouse Kheta river between Putorana Mountains and the mouth, lower Lagopuslagopus and Rock PtarmiganL. mutusnumbers. B oganidariver and the areabetween the Kheta, Dudyptaand There were very few lemmingsin the southernsection of the Boganidarivers) were ratherunusual. The snowaccumulation sub-Arctictundra (Novaya river middle flow). was threeto six timesless than usual which togetherwith extremelyhigh temperaturesin April and May (+10-15ø C) A. A. Gavrilov createdthe situationof an atypicallyearly spring. Most of the snowcover in the regiondisappeared by 15 - 20 May andnew 21.In Khantangaarea the spring arrived early (survey data) autumnsnow (10 - 20 cm) did not staylong. Before 20 June, but a cold spellin late May delayedthe startof snowmeltuntil the temperaturedropped below zero (-1-4ø C) only a few the usual dates. In the forest-tundra and southern tundra zones times. The ice movement on the Kheta river near Volochanka snowmelted rapidly and in June-Julythe weatherwas startedon 19-20 May. Ice on smalllakes melted in May, on predominantlywarm. Accordingto roughestimates, vole larger onesby 22-25 June. The water level increasein rivers populationlevels in theforest-tundra near the Khatanga was insignificant. Larchesalong the middle Kheta flow settlement,Big Romanikhariver mouth and Popigay startedmining green on 22-23 June. Most springphenology depressionwere low or average.Tracks of wolvesand bears eventswere 15-30 daysearlier than in averageyears. The were commonand Arctic Foxesrare alongthe Kheta river summerand autumn for themost part were dry andwarm. For middle flow. the œrrsttime in many decades,many tensof thousandsof reindeeroverwintered in the area(up to 10-15 June)seriously A trip to Portnyaginolake (74015' N, 107020' E) in lateJuly disruptingthe vegetation cover over large spans of tundra. revealeda greatabundance of SiberianLemmings and nesting SnowyOwls, Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas. Wader broods Sorexshrews were rare while the SiberianLemming and vole were commoneverywhere. A surveyamong the local numberswere closeto average,i.e. higherthan in 1996 and inhabitantsshowed that the lemming situation in typicaland evenmore so thanin 1995. The densityof nestingRough- southerntundras of theeastern Taimyr was patchy. In leggedBuzzards and Long-tailed Skuaswas low. The Short- particular,sites with average to highlemming population earedOwl Asiofiammeusand Hawk-Owl Surnia ulula were levelsand active Arctic Fox denswere observed along the rareand Snowy Owl wasseen only once. HerringGulls middleflow of theBolshaya Balakhnya river. nestedsuccessfully. Non-breeding Common Gulls Larus canuswere seenregularly, Glaucous Gulls andParasitic Skuas E. E. Syroechkovski,Jr. were less common. No Arctic Foxes were encountered. The abundanceof bearsUrsus arctica, wolverines Gulo gulo,stoat 22. South-easternTaimyr. In theBludnaya river mouth Mustellaerminea and especially lynx Linx linx andsable (72ø51' N, 106002' E) thiswas a phenologicallyearly spring. Marteszibellina were estimated as low or very low throughout Low snowaccumulation over the winter lead to quickmelting the region. Wolveson the otherhand were quitecommon. andminimal flooding. As a result,for the first time in the last The most commonbreeding waders included Ruff, Terek four years,the Bludnaya river valleywas not flooded. Sandpiper,Temminck's Stint; common - WoodSandpiper, Incubationin wadersstarted in mid-June,which, judging from Red-neckedPhalarope, Spotted Redshank, and Common four yearsof observations,can be consideredearly for the Snipe;rare or with highlypatchy distribution - RingedPlover, region.The generalbreeding density was low: in phalaropes EuropeanGolden Plover, Whimbrel, Pintail and Jack Snipe. and Ruff this could be a result of their shift to a water-free For the first time GreatSnipe was recorded in the area. rivervalley. The summerwas relatively warm and dry, withoutsnowfall and heavy rains during the breeding season. 38

Judgingfrom the number of lemmingsnoted in thearea, their Nearthe northern edge of thePrimorski ridge, at theStolb numbersdropped noticeably ca. three-fold in theSiberian ("Pole"- translator'scomment) field station(72o24 ' N, Lemming,Collared Lemming was seen only once) in 126o49' E), no lemmingswere seen during excursions in the comparisonwith the previous, peak, year; nevertheless they firsthalf of July. Arian rodent-eatersdid not nest,very few wereperiodically observed during the summer, although wader broods were seen. sometimesnot for a few daysin a row. Rodent-dependent raptorsdid not nest with the exception of a few pairsof In the south-easternpart of thedelta, on islandsnear Bykov Rough-leggedBuzzards. No owlswere seen. Only a few Mys settlement(72ø00 ' N, 129007' E), singleSiberian Long-tailedSkua pairs nested in thearea. Encounters with Lemmingswere encountered and no avianpredators nested. ArcticFoxes were regular throughout the summer,and one Many broodingwaders were found. Instancesof HerringGull pupwas seen. The high Arctic Fox abundance caused low andskua predation on ducklingsand attempts to catchwader breedingsuccess in waders(8-18% in commonnesting chicks were noted. species). E.G. Lappo, E. E. Syroechkovski,Jr., K. Z6ckler, T. Tree, M M. Y. Soloviev,V. V. Golovnyuk,T. A. Pronin Stensmyr

23. At the lower Olenyok river boththe rodents and their 24b. The southern Lena delta. On 17 Juneto 25 July, potentialpredators were distributed unevenly. In theforest- conditionsnear the Lena-Nordenskioldresearch station (72 ø tundranear Tyumyati settlement (71 ø37' N, 123ø34E), the 11'N, 127ø 04' E) werefavourable for birds;average daily springthaw was followed by heavysnowfall (10 June)that temperatureswere above zero. The subsequentcooling that completelycarpeted the ground until 12 June. Apparently occurredfrom mid-Julybrought lows of downto -1.3ø C. On becauseof the snow,many clutches of waderswere deserted 17 June,less than 10% of tundrawas snow-covered.Heavy (afterthe snowmelted, abandoned incomplete Temminck's rainsfell on 22 June(19 mm) and 17-22 July (15 ram). Stint and Pacific Golden Plover clutches with some cracked Letomingnumbers were low, contrastingwith Arctic Foxes eggswere found). Subsequentwader nesting in thearea was which were rathercommon (regular sightings). Only one successful.Vole numberswere high andRough-legged observationeach of Snowy Owl and Peregrinewas made. No Buzzards and Short-eared Owls nested in the area. Rough-leggedBuzzards nested. The commonpredators foragingin thearea were all threeskua species, Herring Gulls, Few CollaredLemmings were found down the Olenyokflow, GlaucousGulls, andRavens. Researchthere was primarily on tundranear Taimylyr settlement (72o37 ' N, 121ø52' E). directedat the Grey Plover,breeding density of whichwas Seventykm to thenorth-west, near Ust'-Olenyok settlement ca. 1 pair/km2 (0.8 - 1.7pair/km2). Density of PacificGolden (72o59' N, 119o49' E) andon the islandsin the Olenyokdelta, Ploverswas 2-3 timeshigher. Hatchingsuccess in 13 Grey highnumbers of Collaredand in someplaces Siberian Plovernests was 38.5% (predationrates = 46%). Fledging Lemmingswere recorded. Snowy Owls nested in the area. successwas below 20%. Therefore,despite the fair weather Fourchecked nests contained 4-5 eggclutches. Rough-legged conditions,the seasonturned out to be poorfor waders. Buzzards,Long-tailed and Pomafine Skuas nested as well. An activeArctic Fox den wasfound near Ust'-Olenyoksettlement, K.-M. Exo, I. Hertzler, O. Stepanova and adult animalswere seenas well. Waderbreeding density washigh. No nestpredation was noted. 25. In the central Lena delta (Bykov channel)this was an averagespring. Ice on the Lenabroke early andwas gone by E.G. Lappo, E. E. Syroechkovski,Jr., K. Z6ckler, T. Tree, M. 4 Junewith a modestwater level increase. Junewas slightly Stensmyr warmer than usual. No abnormal weather events were noted. The populationlevel of SiberianLemmings was low. No 24a. In thewestern part and the southernperiphery of the PomarineSkuas and Snowy Owls nestedin the area. Rough- Lena delta numbersof lemmingsand their potential predators leggedBuzzard breeding density (0.06 nest/km 2) andsuccess werehighly uneven. On the coast,100 km eastfrom Ust- werelow. Many dispersingArctic Foxeswere seen,their Olenyok,near Ystanakh-Khocho settlement (72059 ' N, 121ø43' productivitywas low (oneand three pups in two dens). Grey E), populationlevels of bothlemming species in theearly Ploversand Dunlins nested at a highdensity: 2.6 pair/km2 and summerwere average and increasing. Pomarine Skuas began 22.2pair/km 2 respectively.Densities of Temminck'sStint, incubationonly in earlyJuly. Long-tailedSkuas were Red-neckedand Grey Phalaropeswere average:7.4, 6, and34 commonnesting and nomadic birds. Nestingwaders were pair/km2 respectively.No reproductivesuccess data were successful,although their numbers on the watershedtundra collectedbut it was assessedas average. werenot high. Letomingswere rare on islandsadjacent to the Lenadelta near the endof the Olenyokchannel, while nesting D. V. Solovyeva,S. V. Volkov,V. I. Pozdnyakov,O. Gilg, B. of waders there went well. Sabard, R. San 39

26. In the northern part of the Lena delta the springwas neckedand Grey Phalaropes,Pectoral Sandpipers and Ruff muchcolder than in normalyears with the averagetemperature (largeleks were formed). Temminck'sStints and Long-billed of the first half of June close to 0 ø C. The snow cover on the DowitchersLimnodromus scolopaceus were lesscommon but tundraremained until 25-28 June,channels opened up at an bredsuccessfully. Normal breedingwas discemed in Ross's averagetime - 20 June- but the waterlevel waslow. Air GullsRhodostethia rosea, King and SpectacledSomateria temperaturesin the summerwere normal. The Sibefian fischeri Eiders,Long-tailed Ducks, Peregrine Falco peregrinus Lemmingnumbers were generally low, reachingmedium or andpassefines. Lemming numbers had increasedcompared medium-highlevels at somesites: during the snowmeltpefiod with the previousyear. During the first half of June,up to a up to threeanimals were seen at a time. Deadlemmings were dozenof theserodents could be seenon a singleexcursion, foundafter the snowwas goneand their numbersappeared to whereasonly one-two animalswere seenin July. Numbersof be droppingthroughout the summer.Rough-legged Buzzards, Arctic Foxesincreased as well but had not reachedtheir peak SnowyOwls andPeregrines did not nest. No Arctic Foxes levels:up to two-threesightings per week were madeand denswere noted,although the animalsthemselves were knowndens were occupied.No SnowyOwls andRough- common. PomafineSkuas nested only at the siteswith leggedBuzzards were found. Predationby Arctic Foxes, mediumlemming population levels at least;their density was SnowyOwls, gullsand skuaswas of mediumintensity and 0.14pair/km 2. ParasiticSkuas had the same density but nested causedno noticeabledamage in nestingbirds. Overall the throughoutthe surveyedarea. Othercommonly breeding seasonwas favourablefor breedingwaders. speciesincluded the Grey Plover (1.1 pair/km2), Ruddy Tumstone(1.5 pair/km:),Curlew Sandpiper (3.1 male/km:), A. G. Degtyarev, N. G. Egorov, S. M. Sleptsov L•ttleStint (16.2 nest/km:),and Red-necked Phalarope (29.6 29. Along the middle flow of the BolshayaChukoch'ya pair/km:).In theGrey Plover 37.5% of nestsfound produced river (nearChayguurgino factory), Kolyma lowland,the end chicks. An unusualoccurrence for the Lena delta, was large of Junewas cold. A shortfield trip revealedthat the Sibefian flocksof PectoralSandpipers which appeared in July and were Lemming and Narrow-skulledVole numberswere closeto moreabundant than all the otherspecies. average,no CollaredLemmings were seen(uncommon in the area even in good years). Long-tailedand ParasiticSkuas as D. V. Solov'eva, S. V. Volkov, V. I. Pozdnyakov,G. Aishorn, well asRough-legged Buzzards nested in the area. No Snowy Yu.N. Sofonov,O. Gilg, B. $abard, R. San Owls were seen and one Arctic Fox was recorded. Common wadersincluded Pectoral and Sharp-tailed Calidris acuminata 27. Near Tiksi, early Junewas associatedwith rapid melting Sandpipersand Red-necked Phalaropes. of snowand relatively warm weatherwith few snowstorms. All thawedpatches bore signsof lemmingactivities but I. V. Dorogoi SibefianLemmings themselves were fairly uncommon(were not seendaily). A Short-earedOwl, skuasand a Stoat were 30. At the lower BolshayaChukoch'ya river, Kolyma seensuccessfully hunting lemmings. No Snowy Owls were lowland,the springwas prolonged (survey data): the fiver near seen. Long-tailedSkuas established territories while Parasitic GreatChukoch'ya factory opened at the end of the third week andPomarine Skuas were only seenduring passage. Common of June,i.e. a weeklater than normally and high waterlevels speciesincluded Pacific GoldenPlover, Ruff, Red-necked wereobserved on 19-20June. Duringthe observationpefiod StintCalidris ruficollis, and Pectoral Sandpiper. Seeing on 22-25 Juneno lemmings,Snowy Owls or Arctic Foxes territofialCurlew Sandpipersin the areawas rather unusual. were seen.Apparently four pairsof Long-tailedand three No lemmingswere seenduring bfief excursionsin mid and pairs of ParasiticSkuas nested within a 5 km radiusof the late July. Broodingwaders were common. factory.Numbers of commonwaders (both phalaropes, Grey Plover,Little Stint,Dunlin, Pectoral Sandpiper, Spotted E.G. Lappo,E. E. Syroechkovski,Jr., S. V. Volkov,K. Ztckler, Redshank)were an orderof magnitudelower thanin 1983- T. Tree,M. Stensmyr 1985.

28. At the lower Indigirka (50 km northfrom Chokurdakh I. V. Dorogoi. settlement)May andearly Junewere rather cold (snowwas goneby 10-17 June)but in the secondhalf of Juneand July the 31. In Chaun lowland, local inhabitantsindicated a mr temperaturewas aboveaverage, without sudden cold spells prolongedspring and a coldsummer which was conœu'med by whichimproved bird breedingconditions. The Indigirka observationson 26-27 June. No lemmings,voles, owls or openedup on 12 June,the waterlevel washigh and it foxeswere seen. Onebreeding pair of ParasiticSkuas was remainedthat way atypicallylong - aboutone-and-a-half found. Commonspecies (both phalaropes, Grey Plover, months. Large lakesbecame ice-free only on 8-12 July. Ruddy Tumstone,Ruff, Temminck'sStint, Dunlin, Common Snipe,Long-billed Dowitcher) numbers were an orderof Wadermigration was briskbut therewas a slightdelay in magnitudebelow normal levels. nestinginitiation. Commonbreeding waders included Red- I. V. Dorogoi 40

32.At CapeYakan (northern coast of Chukotka)the weather per 10-15km 2. Owl nestscontained only remnants of birds- during the last days of Junewas very cold and windy. No wadersand passefines. Due to the favourableweather lemmingsor predatorswere noted. Commonwaders included conditionsand low predatornumbers, breeding success of Pacific GoldenPlovers, Dotterel, Buff-breastedSandpiper commonwaders appeared to be good. In the Neizvestnaya Tryngitessubruficollis, Red-necked Stint and Dunlin. fiver valley.broodsof Grey Plovers,Ruddy Tumstonesand Dunlin were noticeable more common than usual. I V. Dorogoi M. S. Stishov. 33a. In the Mys Schmidtarea the snowywinter was followectby a cool summeror at leastits first half. According 35. At Belyakaspit of Kolyuchinskayagulf therewas httle to early July observationspopulation levels of the Yellow- snowduring the winter. The end of Junewas cold. Lemming bellied Lemmuschrysogaster and CollaredLemmings were numbersapparently were medium judging from theArctic Fox aboutaverage. Snowy Owls were numerous:a 10 km stretch litters,each of whichhad eight pups. Onepair of Parasitic of the roadbetween Cape Ryrkarpi and the ChyomayaRechka Skuasnested, and nomadic flocks of Long-tailedSkuas were siteyielded 65 birdsand threenests. Long-tailedand Parasitic seen. The high numberof Arctic Foxes couldbe one of the Skuasnested in the area;one potentially nesting Pomarine reasonsbehind the low numbersof previouslycommon wader Skua pair was also observed. The most commonwaders species(Spoon-billed Sandpiper Eurynorhynchus pigmeus, mcludedRinged Plover, Grey Phalarope,Ruddy Tumstone, WesternSandpiper Calidris mauri, Ruddy Tumstone,Dunlin). Red-necked Stint, Dunlin, Temminck's Stint, Pectoral Sandpiperand Common Snipe. I. V. Dorogoi

I V. Dorogoi 36. Eastwards from Providenia settlement(64 ø 26' N, 172ø 30' E), southernChukotka peninsula the weatherconditions 33b. Near Mys Schmidt, the Arctic coastof Chukotka,the between10 Juneand 25 Augustwere warmerthan usual springarrived early. By early Junesnow was absentnot only (+9.9ø C versusthe averageof +7.4ø C). No otherabnormal from the lowland areasbut from the northernmountain slopes weatherevents were recorded. Numbers of largemammalian as well. The weatherthroughout June was warm, without predators(foxes, wolves and brown bears) in the areaare very snowfallsor blizzards. Startingfrom mid-June,because of the low andherbivores are practically absent. In comparisonwith breakingof ice in the Long Straight,coastal fogs, typical for the previousdecades, the intensityof track-basedvehicle the area,became more frequent. During shortfield tripsto the trafficon thetundra had dropped considerably. No lemmings environsof the settlementno lemmingswere observed. wereseen, prey collected by a Stoatfamily containedonly Detailedsearches for their activeburrows on wet lagoon voles.Arctic Ground-Squirrels Spermophilus parryii were shoresyielded nothing. At the sametime breedingSnowy commonthroughout the area but especiallyon south-facing Owls were quite common. Somenests were locatedfight on slopesand in fiver valleyswhere their densityreached 10-12 the outskirts of the settlement, hundreds of metres from multi- individuals/ha.No SnowyOwls and skuaswere seen. Overall storyapartment buildings and only dozensof metresfrom the situationwas favourable for breedingbirds. Nonetheless gravelroads with relatively heavy traffic. the waderdensity was extremely low: onlytwo pairs of RingedPlover and oneof MongolianPlover Charadrius M. S. Stishov mongoluswere noted; according to Tikhomirov(1957) thisis a typicalsituation for the area. 34. On Wrangel Island, the timingof the onsetof springdid not differ from averageannual values. Snowmeltbegan in D. V. Karelin, D. G. Zamolodchikov early Junesoon after the heavy blizzardsand negative temperaturesof late May. The summerwas warm with a small 37. Around Krest bay, nearEgvekinot settlement the winter amountof precipitation,no snowand few foggyor windy wassnowy and spring prolonged (survey data). Cold weather days. The slumpin lemmingnumbers continued for the remainedduring the observation period in earlyJuly. Neither secondyear in a row: duringthe secondhalf of Julyin the volesnor the always-rare lemmings were found. Rough- centralpart of the islandonly onelemming was caught per 400 leggedBuzzards or otherraptors did notnest. Typicalwader trap-days(a CollaredLemming of the summergeneration). species(Ringed Plover, Red-necked Stint, Temminck'sStint, The abundanceof rodent-dependentpredators was low as well. Mongolian Plover) were uncommon,while Pacific Golden PomafineSkuas were absentcompletely, Long-tailed were Plovers,Dotterel, Spoon-billed and B aird'sSandpipers were veryfew (onenesting pair per 40 km2 in thecentral part of the not seen at all. xsland).Two non-breedingArctic Foxeswere foundin the samearea. The entire territory of the island over the whole I. V. Dorogoi summeryielded only two Snowy Owl nestsand their populationdensity in the centralpart of the islandwas onebird 38. Near Anadyr airport, the summerwas colder and raimer 41

thanin previousyears, although the differencefrom the annual hatchlingmortality due to the cold weatherwere noted on averagevalues was not substantial.According to observations Yugorskypeninsula and Vaigach respectively. Persistence of conductedon 8-9 July two skuaspecies (Long-tailed and deepsnow cover on Yamalafter snowfallsin late June- early Parasitic)nested in the area. No lemmingswere seen. High July and north-westernTaimyr in mid-Juneundoubtedly led to numbersof Ruff were noticeable,Red-necked Phalaropes, desertionof somewader clutches. Abandonment of early, Whimbreland Long-toed Stints Calidris subminuta were incompleteclutches of somewaders was observed during June common. The springwater level along the middle Anadyr was snow stormsat Olenyok river. very high - Markovo settlementwas flooded. However, the lower partof the river wasnot affected. The startof the increasein lemmingnumbers noted in 1996 in centralTaimyr and Lena delta was thought to precedea spread I V Dorogoi, A. V Kodratyev of a "lemmingwave" through the surroundingareas. In reality,in 1997a truerise in populationlevels of theserodents DISCUSSION wasnoted in only a few locationssouth of theByrranga After two yearsof declinein the numberof reportson wader mountains,Taimyr, and at the lower Olenyokriver, Yakutia. breedingconditions in the tundrasof Russia,a reverseprocess By the startof the snowlessseason, a climb in the abundance fmally tookplace: in 1997, informationwas received from 38 of SiberianLemming populations to mediumlevels also locations versus 27 in 1996. The best-described areas were occurredon Yugorskypeninsula (European Russia), northern Yamaland Taimyr peninsulas and the Lena delta;relatively Yamal,west Taimyr (exceptthe extremenorth-west), in forest- numerousreports arrived from Chukotkabut unfortunately tundraof southernTaimyr,near Tiksi andat lowerIndigirka in mostof thesewere sketchydue to the brief natureof field trips Yakutia,and at Mys Schmidton Chukotka. Local areaswith there. This year,no reportswere receivedfrom Kola and considerablelemming population level gainsremained in Kanin peninsulas,and parts of the EuropeanRussia tundras south-easternTaimyr, Lena delta and Kolyma lowland. At the (Bolshezemel'skaya),as well as Gydanand somehigh-Arctic sametime, almost all contributorsindicated declining regionsof Siberia (Taimyr north from Byrrangamountains, lemmingnumbers through the summer.Lemming depression SevemayaZemlya, New Siberianislands). continuedin southernYamal andWrangel island. Voleswere numerousin onlyfour areas:middle Yamal, southern Taimyr, Weatherconditions of the springand summer differed on both Olenyokforest-tundra and middle flow of theBolshaya regionaland local scales.In EuropeanRussia and northern Chukoch'yariver in Yakutia. Yamal,all researchersunanimously reported a late (evenlater thanin 1996), cold andprolonged spring. In southernYamal An opinionhas been expressed that the premature drop in andmost of Taimyr(except for the extremenorth-west) quite lemmingnumbers in westernTaimyr was connected with the the oppositewas observed:a recordearly onsetof spring returnof coldconditions after an unusuallyearly and very eventsincluding the warm weather,snowmelt and de-icingof warm spellin April. The absenceof an increasein rodent rivers tookplace. However,later on in southernYamal and numberson Vaigach island was possibly predetermined by the westernTaimyr the warm periodwas followedby a sudden Decemberwarm spell. If the above-mentionedfactors did cold spellwhile in centraland eastern Taimyr the early spring indeedhave an important limiting effect on rodent population conditionsheld on. The springin mostof northernYakutia, numbers,then undoubtedly their influencecould be felt much Chaunlowland and Krest bay (Chukotka)was late and morewidely in geographicalterms. prolonged.Elsewhere in Chukotkathe situationvaried locally. ArcticFoxes were numerous at Pechoradelta, on Vaigachand In accordancewith the weatherconditions, a delayin wader Yugorskypeninsula (European Russia), Taimyr (except the breedingwas observed in EuropeanRussia and at lower southernpart), Lena delta, lower Indigirka, and Belyaka spit, Indigirka. Apparently,these were the weatherconditions that Chukotka.In all theseareas, except for Vaigach,north- determinedthe widely reportedsuppressed population westernand south-easternTaimyr and Lena delta,Arctic numbersof breedingwaders throughout the European tundra Foxesbred in numbersand successfully. Single incidences of to westernTaimyr and in somelocations in the Kolyma denningwhich not alwayswere successfulwere notedon lowlandand Chukotka. Increasedbreeding densities of some NovayaZemlya, middle Yamal, south-eastern Taimyr and waderswere reportedfrom southernTaimyr, Lena delta and Lena delta. Anadyr. Populationlevels of rodent-specialisingpredatory birds were During the summer,the weatherwas mostly cold andrainy in nothigh. BothSnowy Owls and Pomafine Skuas nested only the Europeannorth, Yamal, and north-westernTaimyr; it was at Olenyokmouth. Good numbers of nestingSnowy Owls normalor slightlywarmer than usually almost everywhere to werealso noted at Mys Schmidt,Chukotka, single nests were the eastfrom Taimyr and was characterisedby high foundon Wrangel island and in centralTaimyr. Nesting temperaturesand somedryness in mostof Taimyr and on PomafineSkuas were suspected or continnedfor northern Wrangel. Instancesof clutchdesertion by small wadersand Yamal,north-western Taimyr, northern and south-western 42

Lena delta,and Mys Schmidt. Their densitywas high only in A furtherincrease in lemmingnumbers can be expectedin the first areamentioned. Long-tailed and/or Parasitic Skuas 1998at Indigirka,on Wrangeland some parts of Chukotka;it nestedat moststudy sites; however, nobody reported their cannotbe fully excludedfor southernYamal and some numbersas high. NestingRough-legged Buzzards were Europeanregions. However,one should keep in mind the abundantor commonon Yugorskypeninsula, northern Yamal beginningof a declineof lemmingnumbers in almostall areas andthe centraltundra belt of Taimyr. Reportsabout small wheretheir populationlevels were high andmass breeding of clutchsize andlow breedingsuccess in this speciescame from foxesin many areas. This suggeststhat in 1998 the predator areaswith low and/ordeclining lemming numbers. pressureon breedingwaders will remainuneven throughout the regions. It seemshighly possiblethat in the Russian Waderbreeding success, being dependent on climatic Europeannorth and westernSiberia wader and other land- conditionsand even more so on Arctic Fox and skuapredation breedingbirds will be much more successfulin 1998 than in pressure,was describedby correspondentsas low or 1997 but will not reachthe highestlevels. In centraland sometimesas medium-lowto mediumin somespecies for all easternSiberia productivity of birdswill declinebut not to its of the westernArctic (west to Taimyr). Most reportsfrom lowest. Thereforea mediumlevel of breedingsuccess is centraland easternTaimyr indicatedmedium or above expectedfor the majorityof the Russiantundra with possible mediumwader breeding success values; only at the Bludnaya considerable local variations. river wasit low. The few reportsfrom moreeasterlv• areas suggesteda favourable season for wadersthere. To sumup: in P.S. Tomkovich thewestern part of theRussian tundra the outcomeof this season's(1997) breedingin waderswas poor; in the eastern partit wasgood. This pictureis the reverseof what was expected.