Monitoring of Lapland longspur reproduction on Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada
Abstract
The Lapland longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) is one of the most abundant and visible terrestrial songbird breeding in the Arctic. As other Arctic-nesting birds, they are constrained by a very short time period during which they can reproduce. Though the timing of hatch is critical for the growth and survival of young, even more crucial is the ability of longspurs to ensure that their nests survive until hatch. Nest predation is an important source of mortality for this bird especially when lemming abundance is low. Longspurs eggs are an alternative prey resource for the Arctic Fox, which preys primarily on lemmings. Alternately, when lemmings are abundant, the Arctic Fox will focus on lemmings, and longspurs may experience reduced predation pressure and increased nest success.
Longspur nests are mainly found through systematic searches of a 4.5 km2 core area near our main field station from early June to early July since 1995. Nests are also found opportunistically while conducting other field activities over a larger area. Nests found are positioned with a GPS receiver and revisited during the breeding period to determine clutch size, laying and hatching dates and hatching and fledging successes. Nests found in the core area are monitored more intensely (every 2 to 6 days) while those located elsewhere are monitored less intensively.
Data citation
Gauthier, G., Bêty, J. 2020. Monitoring of Lapland longspur reproduction on Bylot Island, Nunavut, Canada, v. 1.1. Nordicana D42, doi: 10.5885/45576CE-75E2938693214B96.
Location map
Key references
- Royer-Boutin, P. 2015. Effets des cycles de lemmings sur le succès de nidification d'oiseaux différant par leur taille corporelle et leur comportement. MSc thesis, Département de biologie, Université du Québec à Rimouski
- Doucet, C. 2014. Synchronie entre la reproduction et l'abondance des ressources: effet sur le succès reproducteur d'un insectivore nichant dans l'Arctique. MSc thesis, Département de biologie, Université du Québec à Rimouski
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Gauthier, G., J. Bêty, M.-C. Cadieux, P. Legagneux, M. Doiron, C. Chevallier, S. Lai, A. Tarroux & D. Berteaux. 2013. Long-term monitoring at multiple trophic levels suggests heterogeneity in responses to climate change in the Canadian Arctic tundra. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B – Biological Sciences, 368:20120482
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0482
Contributors
Doucet, Catherine
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Royer-Boutin, Pascal
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Chagnon-Lafortune, Aurélie
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Senez-Gagnon, Fanny
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Lamarre, Jean-François
Université du Québec à Rimouski
McKinnon, Laura
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Villeneuve, Catherine
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Trottier-Paquet, Myriam
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Bolduc, Élise
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Frenette, Marie-Christine
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Otis, Josée-Anne
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Graham-Sauvé, Maude
Université du Québec à Rimouski
Jones, Kathy
Université Laval
Acknowledgements
We thank Polar Knowledge Canada for funding the publication of this archive.
Polar Data Catalogue links (Metadata)
Version history
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Version 1.1 (1995–2019)Updated January 27, 2020
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Version 1.0 (1995–2018)Updated May 15, 2019
You can request an older version by contacting nordicana@cen.ulaval.ca
Measurement sites
| Site | Latitude | Longitude | Altitude (m) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vallée Qarlikturvik, Île Bylot, Nunavut / Qarlikturvik Valley, Bylot Island, Nunavut | 73.15625 | -79.97187 | 20 | More info |
| Camp 2, Île Bylot, Nunavut / Camp 2, Bylot Island, Nunavut | 72.88851 | -79.90606 | 40 | More info |
| Camp 3, Île Bylot, Nunavut / Camp 3, Bylot Island, Nunavut | 73.04735 | -80.07749 | 40 | More info |
| Pointe Dufour, Île Bylot, Nunavut / Pointe Dufour, Bylot Island, Nunavut | 72.78381 | -79.53589 | 55 | More info |
Supplementary material
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