BIRD POPULATIONS - Birdpop.org

ZACKENBERG BIRDS 2007TABLE 2. Estimated numbers of pairs/territories in the 15.8 km 2 census area in Zackenbergdalen, 1996-2007.Please note, that numbers for 1996-2006 are numbers of breeding pairs in the current bird census area.Numbers previously published included pairs breeding in the area west of river Zackenbergelven that ismonitored extensively only from 2007 onward.Regular breedersAveragemin. andmax. no. No ofNo. of territories nestsSpecies territories 1996-2006 found a CommentsRed-throated Diver 3-4 2-2.5 0Common Eider 0 0.5-0.55 0 Flocks seen in June, females with chicks in AugustKing Eider 1-2 1.5-2.2 0Long-tailed Duck 4-7 5.5-6.9 0 Broods seen from 30 JulyRock Ptarmigan 2 2.6-3.6 2Common Ringed Plover 26-29 33.3-37.2 1Red Knot 27-35 24.9-32.5 2Sanderling 62-70 47.5-55.5 32Dunlin 89-111 70.3-79.3 12Ruddy Turnstone 42-51 43.1-48.2 7Red-necked Phalarope 0.1 0.9-1.8 0Long-tailed Skua 17-25 18.6-22 15Glaucous Gull 1 0.3 1Common Raven 2 - 0 Nests outside the census area.Snow Bunting 51-55 39.5-44.6 0 Nests of passerines are only found oportunistically.Irregular breedersAveragemin. andmax. no. No ofNo. of territories nestsSpecies territories 1996-2006 found a CommentsPink-footed Goose 0 0.2 0 Min. 1120 immatures migrated northwards overthe areaEurasian Golden Plover 0 0.1 0 1 individual, 1-9 June.Red Phalarope 0 0.6-0.9 0Snowy Owl 0 0.1 0Northern Wheatear 0 - 0Arctic Redpoll 1-4 0.1-0.3 0 One additional observation in adjacent areasaWithin the census areadates were before 16 June in all four species inwhich nests were found (Table 4). For RuddyTurnstone, 2007 was the earliest year recorded interms of median first egg dates. The melting ofthe snow was early in 2007 and nest initiationwas near or earlier than the average of previousseasons (Table 5).REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS IN WADERSOverall wader nest success was extremely low in2007. Only the 2005 season exhibited an equallylow nest success; 36 of 60 nests were predated.Using the modified Mayfield method (Johnson1979), 82% of the wader nests fell victim topredation. Dunlin suffered the lowest level ofpredation of the three main study species; 52.2%of the nest had full predation, a somewhat higherthan average for 1996-2007. Sanderling andRuddy Turnstone nests suffered extremely frompredation, losing more nests than previouslyrecorded at Zackenberg (Table 6). A singleSanderling nest was abandoned during laying[69]