Several month before preparations for the expedition were started. The euqipement had to be checked, repaired or replaced. So thunderstorm destroyed lots of our tents last season which were impaired by UV light during the artic summer. Equipement was send by aircargo to Nayarn-Mar weeks before. Of course food for nearly four months has to be bought at Nayarn-Mar and packed. For three days Kolguyev and Tobseda team were busy with all this work. At the end of this work a lorry was loaded with all stuff and drove to helikopter field. Not just 2 tons of equipment was loaded into the MI8 helikopter.
Expediton team arrived to Kolguev on 28th May. Camp was established on the middle Peschanka (the place of the camp in 2007) on 28th – 29th May. The spring 2008 must be considered as late and cold. Geese number upon our arrival was low, with only few local birds arrived. Most of the island was still covered with deep snow, and during first 10 days of June there were no warm days, snow falls was often and no geese arrival was observed until 11 June.
Per cent of snow cover in the end of May – first part of June was much higher then in 2007 (up to 80 % in hilly areas and 60 % in Peschanka area). The mean ambient temperature was 0 °C in this period. Temperature increasing and intensive snow melting started only after 10th June. Grass started to grow after 18th June.
Starting 10th of June temperatur increased and snow melt begun. On 11th June first goose arrived in the camp area. Mapping of landscapes (river valley, hilly area, and drained slopes), habitats (willow moss tundra, sedge moss bogs, brush lichen tundra and cotton-grass tundra) and relief elements (uplands, river and creek valleys and slopes) were made 30th May – 22nd June. The flock size was small (10 – 15 birds in one place) until 9th June. Flock size increased (up to 20 – 30 birds, sometimes - 60 birds in one place) after mass arrival and clearly visible transit migration, which happen on 9th – 10th June.
Доля покрытой снегом площади в конце мая – первой половине июня была значительно больше, чем в 2007 г. (80 % на холмах и 60 % в пойме Песчанки). Среднесуточные температуры в этот период составляли 0 °C. Повышение температуры и интенсивное снеготаяние начались только после 10 июня. Рост травы стал заметен после 18 июня.Мы проводили оценку распределения гусей в предгнездовой период в разных ландшафтах (долина реки, холмистая местность и сухие склоны), местообитаниях (ивово-моховая тундра, осоково-моховые болота, кустарниково-лишайниковая тундра и пушициевая тундра) и элементах рельефа (возвышенности, долины рек и ручьёв, склоны) в период между 30 мая и 22 июня. До 9 июня размеры стай были небольшими – 10-–15 особей. После массового прилёта гусей и во время хорошо заметного транзитного пролёта (9–10 июня) размер стай увеличился до 20–30, иногда 60 особей. Мы картировали места кормёжки гусей. Белолобые гуси в основном паслись в зарослях водяной осоки (Carex aquatilis) во влажных местах на возвышенностях, в долинах и на склонах. Белощёкие казарки кормились главным образом бескильницей (<i>Puccinella aquatilis</i>) на приречных склонах.
Abdominal profile indexes <LINK 91>(API)</link> were defined for birds of different sex, status, and in different habitats during route surveys. API of males varied from 3 to 4. API of females varied from 3 to 5. But the majority of birds had API 3 – 3,5, which was noticeably lower then in 2007, due to little feeding during first cold decades, prevented by late melting of snow and frozen soils in typical feeding habitats. It means that grubbing for stem bases of aquatic sedges became only possible after intensive soil thawing during second decade of June.
20 pairs of plots (exclosures and controls) for defining of geese feeding pressure and grass growth intensity were established in valleys and uplands in river valley, hilly area, drained slopes landscapes in Carex aquatilis and Puccinella habitats. Tiller height and density were measured on the plots. Places for other 10 more plots were defined. .
Observations of feeding behavior in pre-breeding period were done from 7th to 16th June. Pecking rate and time budget of alert and feeding behaviors were measured for males and females with different API and in different habitats. Behavior observations of 38 pairs were made.
Both Red (<i>Vulpes vulpes</i>) and Arctic (<i>Alopex lagopus</i>) foxes live on Kolguyev. Trevor-Batthye [1895] was shooting them, as well as the Arctic fox, on Kolguyev during his 1868 expedition, at the time when, as in Scandinavia, the Red fox had just begun to increase its range northward. According to his estimates, the number of Red foxes and that of Arctic foxes on the island were at that time about equal. However, currently there are probably more Arctic foxes than Red foxes on Kolguyev.
These two species differ a bit with regard to diet; it seems that Red foxes are more flexible in their choice of food items. For this reason, in winter they rarely leave their territories, while Arctic foxes move to the sea coast and even further, to the area of pack ice, where they feed on the remains of the captured prey of polar bears (<i>Ursus maritimus</i>).
Observations of transit migration were made in June. Non-intensive migration (flocks up to 10 birds) was observed 1st – 3rd June. More intensive migration (flocks up to 25 birds) was observed 10th -11th June. Migration of 264 adult and 19 juvenile of WFG and 324 of barnacle geese was observed during 5 hours in 11th June in the camp area observation corridor 800 m width. Migration of 124 adult and 10 juvenile of whitefronts was observed during 5 hours in 12th June in the same corridor.
Neckbands observations were made in June. 2 birds caught in camp valley in prebreeding period in 2007 (neckbands VEA-black and VEB-black) were seen in the camp valley on 2nd and 6th June in 2008. Male VEB-black had successful nest near camp valley in 2007. Female (VEE-black) was caught on the nest in camp valley in 2007. One chick successfully hatched in her nest. This female together with male and juvenile bird was seen feeding in the camp valley in 9th June. API: male - 4, female - 5, juv. – 3. Intensive hunting took place in Nenets village near the camp in 11th June, at the day of mass geese arrival and intensive transit migration. After that day VEE was seen alone, without male and juvenile bird in the camp valley on 13th, 15th and 16th June. UJR-black was seen on the central boggy plateau in 3rd June. MKL-black was seen in hilly area near Lybhoipenzja river (69,11703; 49,21762) in 11th June. WFG with neckband 5??-yellow (!) was seen near Ambarny river on 11th June. Nenets hunters shot bird (BPU-black, 7.111.509. VOGELTREKSTATION) and forwarded us neckband. Another report from local hunters was about the Barnacle goose shot 5 June, which beard complete white plastic legring “NL 15. AO 6004 03 4”.
Search of nests during egglaying and early incubation stage was made near camp valley on 16th – 19th June. 28 nests were found. Videoregistration systems were established near camp valley for video observation of behavior and time budget of 4 pairs on nests on 17th June.
Nest searches started 12th June. Altogether 84 nests of WFG were found. First nests were found in west area near Gubistaja river on 12th June. First nests in Peschanka area were found on 17th June. Clutch with 7 eggs was found in colony near Peregrine falcon in hilly area. Clutch with 10 eggs was found near camp valley. 21 nest of Bean geese were totally found. Clutch size varied between 1 and 5 eggs. The first nest of Bean goose was found near Gubistaja river in west area on 12th June. 111 nests of barnacle geese were found. Clutch size varied between 1 and 10 eggs. First nests were found in 10th June on the second peregrine falcon colony on Peschanka. Geese breeding near peregrine falcon and rough-legged buzzard nests were checked in 6th – 21st June. Only two nests of Rough-legged buzzard were occupied this year. WFG nests were found near one peregrine falcon nest only. Barnacle geese were observed near all inhabited or abandoned nests of peregrine falcon or rough-legged buzzard on the slopes.
We communicated with Nenets reindeer-herders in temporal village near the camp, obtained information about hunting, egg collection and reindeer herding. One hunter reported about shooting of “one bucket of geese of all species” during one day of intensive transit migration. One person collected about 40 geese eggs during one trip on reindeer sledges in tundra. 150 sledge reindeers grazed in the vicinity of the village. Some of Nenets people were interested in goals and methodology of scientific research, so they were informed about that and then willingly reported about geese and other natural events. 2-3-days long trips were made to Elgov-Tarka river, upper Peschanka river, Gubistaja river mouth, west coast, hilly area, central boggy plateau, Big Nos mountain in the period 6th – 21st June for estimating of geese distribution during pre-breeding period, nest search and checking of geese colonies near raptors.Jury Anisimov and Dmitry Ochinashko started their trip to lower Peschanka on 16th June. They were supposed to check all geese colonies near raptors along Peschanka river and study the biggest Barnacle geese colony in Peschanka delta.
(c) Text and photos: Alexander Kondratyev
