Impact of Cold Spring on Breeding and Abundance of Waders in the Arctic

Changes in breeding, distribution, and abundance of waders in a key area of the Bolshezemelskaya tundra in 2024, characterized by a cold and prolonged spring, have been analyzed in comparison with two previous warmer years. In cold 2024, incubation in waders started 2 weeks later than in 2022 and 2023, and it was observed only in Arctic fauna. The total nesting density of all waders in 2024 was lower in different habitat types than in the previous 2 years. Birds used habitats that were freed from snow cover at the earliest time for nesting. In these habitat types, nest density in 2024 was higher than in the warmer years 2022 and 2023. An increase in the nesting density of the little stint Calidris minuta (Leisler, 1812) and dunlin Calidris alpina (Linnaeus, 1758) was observed in 2024 when compared to 2022 and 2024, for which the study area is the southern part of the breeding range. The total abundance of waders in 2024, compared to 2022 and 2023, decreased by more than 2 times.