The Long-Term Monitoring of Bird Populations on Kolguev Island in the Barents Sea

Ivan G Pokrovsky,Alexander V Kondratyev,Petr M Glazov,Julia A Loshchagina,Helmut Kruckenberg,Elmira M Zaynagutdinova

doi:10.14430/arctic73845

Abstract

Kolguev Island (69˚05′ N 49˚15′ E) is located in the Pechora Sea, the southeastern part of the Barents Sea. The island’s ecosystem is unusual due to the total absence of rodents and specialized predators such as weasels, while non-specialized predators such as Arctic (Vulpes lagopus) and red (V. vulpes) foxes and Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) are common. Currently, 111 bird species have been registered here, of which 58 are nesting. The absence of rodents and the relatively stable predation pressure have resulted in the high abundance of many bird species: Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus), several goose species, some waders, and passerines. Over the 125-year history of ornithological studies on Kolguev, the island avifauna has changed significantly. The trend of an increase in the proportion of widespread and Siberian species together with a decrease in the proportion of Arctic species was observed. Since 2006, a thorough monitoring of Kolguev avifauna has been carried out, during which the dynamics of the bird population densities have been traced. The abundance of Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) and Dunlin (Calidris alpina) decreased, while the numbers of Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) have increased sharply since the 1980s. The breeding density of Rough-legged Hawk has also increased in recent years. The long-term monitoring of Kolguev ecosystems has indicated the high international conservation value of the island due to the high breeding density of many bird species. Our study, covering more than a century of avifaunal studies with almost annual monitoring over the past three decades, provides an unusually long and detailed time-series for an Arctic island.

Highlights

Arctic ecosystems are extremely sensitive to anthropogenic pressure and climate changes (Meredith et al, 2019)
Only uniformly distributed tundra bird species and census routes located in the same parts of the island in similar landscapes were used in the analysis
Our study shows the importance of Kolguev Island for many Arctic breeding birds

Summary

Introduction

Arctic ecosystems are extremely sensitive to anthropogenic pressure and climate changes (Meredith et al, 2019). Rapid changes in climate alongside increases in industrial exploration of the Arctic regions have led to significant changes in the Arctic ecosystems over recent decades (Schindler and Smol, 2006; Gilg et al, 2009, 2012). Climate change presumably leads to the modifications of both terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems. Lemming cycles, which were the basis of most terrestrial ecosystems of the Arctic, have collapsed since 1995 (Ims et al, 2008; Kausrud et al, 2008). Climate change leads to rising water temperatures and a decrease in the ice cover, thereby changing the composition of phytoplankton communities, the basis of aquatic food webs (Smol et al, 2005). Increased shipping traffic as well as oil and gas exploration add additional pressures on the species inhabiting the Arctic zone (Reeves et al, 2014)

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Discussion

Conclusion