Project Name: Migratory and breeding ecology of birds facing global environmental change.Plain language summaryAs many migratory animals are currently suffering global declines, their conservation requires an understanding of the space they use year-round. Timing and success of reproduction can be linked to events happening previously thousands of kilometers away in areas that are heavily impacted by human development. Our objective is to monitor the reproduction and the migration of Arctic-nesting migratory birds (predator and preys, nesting habitats, breeding densities, population trends, and migration requirement). The data is to be used for management, monitoring the state of the environment, and for species conservation efforts and will be made available for education and research for public and scientific use. The project is led by Jean-François Lamarre (Science officer at Polar Knowledge Canada). Trends in Arctic-nesting migratory birds breeding ecologyWe will look at the long-term variation in the reproduction of bird and their predators and prey in the Ikaluktuutiak (Greiner) Lake watershed. Invertebrate:Using pitfall traps with a small vertical screen we will sample invertebrates regularly to describe the prey availability for insectivorous birds. Regional variation in arthropod diversity and abundance will also be assessed with up to 20 Malaise traps that will be deployed for extended periods.Small mammals:With the support of experts from the Canadian Museum of Nature, we will develop a monitoring program on small mammals (mostly lemmings). Lemming are a key species of the arctic tundra and their variation through time impact predator's reproduction success and productivity. Lemmings will be trapped and released after receiving a tag for later identification upon recapture. This causes low to no harm to animals. Some lemmings (up to 60) will be collected through snap-trapping for the Canadian Museum of Nature's collections.ShorebirdsData collected will include location, abundance sex, age (adult or juvenile), and status (breeding or not breeding locally). Data collected will be pooled with other sites in the Arctic. Birds will not be harassed during these observations. To document the spatial and annual variation in predation risk, we will use artificial shorebird nests. Shorebird nest will be opportunistically found and marked with small sticks to ease monitoring. Some nest (up to 20 per species) will be equipped with temperature probes or with motion triggered cameras for remote monitoring. Small probes nor cameras are elevating predation risk. Upon nest detection, eggs will be floated to assess timing of initiation and measured (weight, width and length) to define adult investment in clutch. All manipulations will be made with gloves to avoid leaving human scent behind that could induce predation. Predator monitoringAvian predator nests (Hawk, Falcon, Owl, Jaeger, Raven, Gull, Loon) may be found, described and monitored. Additionally, following previous field work in Elu Inlet and Melville Sound in the early 1990, many avian predators were observed nesting and were mapped. We will revisit some areas showing former use by avian predators to look at consistency of species usage.If we find fox dens we will map and monitor them to count cubs. Some dens may be equipped with motion triggered cameras. We will also collect some fresh fox scat (20 to 50 samples) to look at diet. Herbivore abundanceWe will use feces transects to obtain an estimate of herbivores abundance. We will be considering 5 species group: geese, hares, ptarmigan, caribou, muskox. As snow goose are considered overabundant and thus have strong impact on the tundra ecosystem, we will visit 2 colonies close to Cambridge Bay (the Anderson bay and Icebreaker channel areas). We plan on taking aerial high-resolution pictures with an helicopter to be able to later count snow geese.Tracking migration path of migratory speciesWe will study the path of migratory birds across their range with methods such as GPS tracking. The American Golden-Plover (pluvialis dominica) and the Pectoral Sandpiper (Calidris Melanotos) are currently targeted by this aspect of our monitoring program.Adults will be trapped on the nest. We will band birds to identify individual from afar. Basic measurements and samples (blood, feathers, feces) will be taken. Up to 15 American Golden plovers will be tagged with small satellite devices. Nests will be monitored to determine hatching success. No mortality is expected but, if this would happen, the birds will be collected for tissue sampling. We will look for key areas used by species, define inter-population mixing, and eventually identify critical ecosystem components in those areas.