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Breeding Conditions for Waders in Russian Tundras in 1993

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Breeding Conditions for Waders in Russian Tundras in 1993 International Wader Studies 10: 124-131 Breeding conditionsfor waders in Russiantundras in 1993 P.S. Tomkovich Tomkovich,P.S. 1998. Breedingconditions for wadersin Russiantundras in 1993. International WaderStudies 10: 124-131. (Reprinted, with correctionsfrom WaderStudy Group Bull. 75: 27-34.) Thetiming of springin 1993was average. The weather during the breeding period was good in mostareas where information was available:it was warm and dry in east-Europeantundras, at Yamaland in theYenisey mouth; rather warm at theIndigirka and further to theeast. Rather cold or coldweather occurred only at theMurman coast and at theTaimyr. Lemming numbers in the majorityof areasin Europeantundras, at Yamal,at theKotelny island, and at theChukotka were characterizedas low or at populationminima. At the Taimyrand Novaya Zemlya their number in manystudy areas reached average levels. In 13out of 32 areasan increasein numberswas reported.Number and breeding performance of predatorswas related to smallmammal distribution.Arctic Foxes Alopex lagopus were absent or scarcealmost everywhere west of the Yenisey,breeding was observed only at NovayaZemlya. At Taimyrand Vrangel Island Arctic Foxeswere comparatively scarce, but onbreeding occupied up to 50%of dens(Pyasina river mouth);single pairs bred also at thesouth of Anadyr'estuary. Breeding avian predators were also mostlyscarce. Favourable weather conditions and low predationrate resulted in generallygood breedingsuccess in wadersWhere exact data are present, estimates of breedingsuccess range from averageto high;the latter seems true for thewhole tundra zone of Russia.The increase in letoming populationsrecorded in differentttmdra areas in 1993indicate that by summer1994 their numbers will reacha peakin at leastsome areas. If weatherconditions are still favourable this will resultin a noticeabledecrease of predationpressure and thus enable high wader breeding success. P.S.Tomkovich, Department of Ornithology,Zoological Museum of Moscow University, Bolshays NikitskayaStr. 6, Moscow103009, Russia. (Foreword, conclusion and editing) ElenaA. Lebedeva,Russian Bird Conservation Union, Shosse Entusiastov, 60, building1, Moscow,Russia. Totax•oBaq,Fl.C. t998. YcaoBaa pasMitomelma i•yaaI•OS • TynApax Poccaa • t995 roAy. InternationalWader Studies 10: 124-131. (CTaT•,a ilepene,•aTaua ½a½IlpasaenaaMa aa•ypuaaa WaderStudy Group Bull. 75: 27-34.) BecnaB t995 r..aqaaac•, a npomaaBcpoKa 6aasIme • cpeAnaMMlfOrOaeTIIblM. HoroAa B nep•oA pa3Muo•enu•nT• o•a3aaacba OCBOBHOM xopome• B6oabmuacTae pa•ouoB, Aa• •OTOpb•X UMeaUcbcseAenua: Tenao• • cyxo•S SOCTOqao-esponefic•uxTyugpax, ua •aae, u s ycTbe Eautea;aOBOAbllO •HAOfi na HnaurapKe u aoc•qaee. Hpoxaaanan as. xoaoguaanoroaa cToaaaaumb .a MypManC•OMno6epe•be. na Ta•M•pe. O6.aae aeMManro,, 6oabmaHCTBe MeetB eBponefic•ux Tyuapax, Ha flMaae, O-Be •OTeabHOM, qy•oT•e oxapa•TepaaoBano Ka• naaKoeaaa aenpeccaa qacaeHnOCTa. Ha TafiMb•pe UHoBo• 3eMac B 6oabmOM qucae nyH•TOn ae•MaaruuMeau qucaennoctb 6aua•y• • cpeanefi.B t3 coo6•eauaxo pafioaax rOBOpUTcao pocTe quCaeHnOCT.. B COOTBeTCTBU. CpacnpeAeaeuueM MeaRuX rpb•aynoB naxogaaacbqHCAeHHOgTb U penpoAy•TaBnoe COCTOanUe nonyaauufi xumnU•OB. K aanaAy OT Eauteanec• Alopexlagopus nOqTU noBceMecTno OTCyTCTBOBaAa aau TOAbffOHa Ho,o6 3eMacOTMeqeH cayqafi .opeHas STaX aaepefi. Ha TafiM•pe. o-,e Bpanreaa nec•Jb•6b•a. XOTa UMaaoqacaeaab•, .o nopua.Cb, 3aaaMaa Ao50% nopoBma (yCTbe OTgeab•lbIenapb• paaMffomaaucb a Ha Dre AIlagb•pc•oro samaria. Mnorue •oppecnongeHTb• OTMeTHAHMaAOqHCAeHHO(;Tb rHe3gHBmuxca nap flepnaTb•X XH•HHffOB. BaaronpaaTnb•e norogiibie yCAOBafl• 11H3ffHfi npecc XH•HHqeCTBa BOCIIOBIIOM CHOCO6CTBOBaAH ycnemnoMy pa3MHOmenHD Ryaa•OB.B Tex cayqaax, rae aMeDTCa6oaee ROnRpeTnb•e oBeHRa, o.a BapbapyDTBnpeaeaax OT cpeAnerogo BblgOffOrOycnexa paaMnOmenua ffyAHgOB, npuqeM 9TO OTIIOCHTCfl, HO-BHAHMOMy, BceMynpocTpaacTBy TynAp Pocca.. HapacTanae nonyaa•u• ae•uaroB, oTMeqeHuoe B paaaaq{•b•xqacTax TynAp a t993 r., noaBoaaeT yTBep•AaTb, q• R aeTy t994 r..x qucaennocTb AOCTnraeTnu•a no •pafi.efi Mepe B He•oTopbIX pafionax. Hpu e•Be 6aaronpuaTablx noroa.•x yCAOBHaXDTO •OA•HO npaBecTuR peaRoMycnHmeffHD npecca XHnJn•qegTBa a Bb•COKOMyycnexy paaMnomen.a •yaU•OB. Introduction highpredation rates (with decreasingor low rodent populations)almost throughout the whole tundra Summer1992 was characterisedby bad weatherand zonefrom north-eastern Europe to the Pacific 124 Tomkovich:Breeding conditions for wadersin Russiantundras in 1993 Ocean. This resultedin low wader breedingsuccess conditions. The secondhalf of June and the first everywhere.It wasexpected, that massmortality of week of Julywere mostlywarm, stormsoccurring ArcticFoxes Alopex lagopus would takeplace in only on 20-21,24 and 26 Juneand on 1 and 2 July. winter 1992/93; therefore favourable weather The weatherbecame cold and rainy immediately conditionspermitting, good wader breeding success after masshatching of wadersstarted on 4 July,and was forecastedin Eurasia (Tomkovich 1994). Now, it remained so until the middle of the month. Both with the 1993breeding season over it is possibleto Letomingsand ArcticFoxes Alopex lagopus were evaluatethe real situationin termsof lernming numerous in winter 1992/93. However, most of the numbers,predation pressure and consequently letomingshad died by the beginningof spring,and wader breedingsuccess based on informationfrom ArcticFoxes left the area. Therewere high numbers respondentsworking in varioustundra areas of of the largegulls (Lesser Black-backed Larusfuscus Russia(see localities on Figure1). heugliniand GlaucousL. hyperboreusGulls) in coastalareas, while the numbersof skuas(mainly of 1. Aynovy Isles (WesternMurman) ParasiticSkua Stercorarius parasiticus) were rather Activesnow-melting started early, i.e. in the middle low. Thesebirds predated many clutchesduring of April, and the snowmelted completely in open the storms,although they preferredduck eggs,and areas.At the end of April coldweather returned to a lesserextent influenced large wader species and springwas in generalcold and long. Lakeice suchas OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus and meltedat the end of May, and snowremained TumstoneArenaria interpres. In generalwaders bred inland in hollows until mid-June. The weather in rathersuccessfully, there were few replacement Juneremained cold with prolongedstorms and clutches(most often in Oystercatcher),and average muchprecipitation; in contrast,July was dry and brood size did not differ from usual estimates. warm. Broodsof wadersfledged successfully and V.G.Vinogradov & V.O.Avdanin the overallreproductive success on the islandwas high. Autumnmigration of Dunlin Calidrisalpina 3. European arctic (from Kanin Nos point to occurredlater, but washighly synchronous;with UgorskyPeninsula and the Vaigach) usualnumbers of migratingbirds. Otherwader Weather conditions in summer 1993 were specieswere scarce on migration,some of them favourable,and numbersof letomingsand Arctic occurringonly as individuals. Foxeswere extremelylow. Predatorswhich feedon L P. Tatarinkova rodentsmostly did not breed. During aerialcounts on 4-5 June,a few singlebirds and pairsof 2. Western coast of Kanin Peninsula Oystercatcherswere recorded to the eastup to The timingof springwas similarto the averagefor Kolguyevisland and MedynskyZavorot. Between the recentdecade: by 10June snow remained only 20-25July broods (i.e. successful breeding) of Red- at the Kanin Kamen' elevation and in dune neckedPhalarope Phalaropus Iobatus, Ruff depressions;the lattermelted at the coastby 20 Philomachuspugnax, Little StintCalidris minuta, June. The weather in the first half of Junewas cold Dunlin and RingedPlover Charadrius hiaticula were with storms,rain and fog. The majorityof waders recorded near Varandei settlement. laid eggsbetween 8-14 June, during the stormy V.N. Kalyakin Figure 1. Locationof study areas. 125 Internattonal Wader Studtes 10 ß124-131 4. Novaya Zemlya (from GusinayaLand to 7. Easternpart of Bol'shezemel'skayatundra the Matochkin Shar of the southern island Springpassed very quickly:semi-winter conditions and at the south-westernpart of the northern remainedup to 29 May, then alteredabruptly to island) givewarm and sunnyweather; which remained, Weather conditions in summer 1993 were without evenlight frosts,for abouta month. During favourable.In August,numbers of lemmings that time therewas no precipitation,temperatures (especiallyof SiberianLetoming Lemmus sibiricus) reached17-23øC at mid-dayand fell to 4-10øCat were increasing,and breedingwas recordedin night. The whole summerwas dry and warm almostall rodent-feedingpredators: in Rough- almostwithout precipitation,and coldwet weather leggedBuzzard Buteo lagopus, Snowy Owl Nyctea with prolongedrains only cameafter 10 scandiaca,four speciesof skuas(adults with fledged August. In springand summer,numbers of youngbirds remained that time on breeding lemmingsand othersmall mammals (Narrow- territories).At GusinayaLand we alsoobserved skulledMicrotus gregalis and NorthernRedbacked breedingof Short-earedOwl Asiofiammeus.On the VolesClethrionomys glareolus and Arctic Shrew Sorex whole,the numbersof breedingpredators varied arcticus)were very low, but an increasewas noticeablyin differentareas. Numbers of Arctic observedin autumnindicating a probablepeak of Foxeswere extremely low. Breedingwas successful lemmingnumbers in 1994. Numbersof ArcticFoxes (broodswith unfledgedchicks) in PurpleSandpiper remainedvery low and breedingwas not recorded. Calidrismaritima, Tumstone, Ringed Plover and The numberof birdsfeeding on
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