Methods used for studying mammals migration
Equally with the special methods, such as tracking and registration of mammals motion direction (45-47; 82; 83), visual stationary registration of the migratory animals the following traditional methods were widely used: route registration by the tracks; driving and combined driving; the registration within trial areas, drawing-up maps of individual and group inhabitants territories, evaluation of the migratory situation with the help of ''distant flush", air-registration and making questionnaires. Almost all enumerated methods are thoroughly illustrated in the literature. Only some of the application features are mentioned below.
The route registration by the tracks of migratory animals. This method was first described by G.G Shubin, U.P. Yazan (164). The routes were based on country roads, sparse roads, river valleys that are situated across the way of migratory animals. While driving by car, snowmobile or passing on. foot, recently appeared tracks have been listed and then, after the examination have been rubbed out. While registration we were carrying out several ( from 3 to 5) check intersections of migratory routes every 1-3 km, that helped us to track the motion speed of animals, vary the width of the migration front, to specify the quantity of animals. Sandy and clay areas have been constructed on constant animal paths in order to examine the seasonal animal movements in snowless period. The index of density (migration intensity)was counted by the number of animals that passed the area within 1 km distance. The average of migratory species of studied animals was defined as the product of density, migration front and migration period (142).
Visual stationary registration of the migratory ungulates The observation stations has been set on the specially chosen plot where animals have been passing the open locality. All animals that have passed the locality within the field of vision with the naked eye have been registered. .The differentiation into basic sex and age groups have been carried out by exterior indications with the help of binoculars. We used both common and extra-focused cameras ( 300-500mm) and while data processing it helped to work out in detail, specify and interpret shooting on location.
In order to study the ungulates movements during nighttime on chosen route we registered their tracks in spring at 11p.m. and 4-5 a.m.; in autumn we amended the length of daylight. We also used sitting observations in close proximity (15-20m) to the running paths of animals and during moon nights - on fields and edges of the forest. For defining the species of the group the high-powered narrow-directed oscillator lantern was applied, rarely- devices of night vision. While processing new data about field observations we reduced it to a common denominator ( motion density)- a number of animals that had been watched during 1 hour on the 1000m zone. The quantity was calculated according to the indexes of motion density, front width and the average migration duration.
Working out maps of individual and group inhabitance areas. It is recommended to use this method for numerous forest animals in the most deep-snowing period(130). We carried out the registration according to this method in spring and summer (snowless) periods also in order to work out maps of inhabitance areas of elks and roes and to register their movements. In spring we registered the tracks depending on the intensity of snow thaw, because in this period it`s easier to differ them on wet substratum. In summer we registered the tracks depending on high grass before fall of the leaves. In summer we obtained good results in taiga zone where livestock pasture greatly decreased and as a result more areas of waste grounds appeared. In order to control the identification of tracks we set the route through possible watering-places including silo pits, channel-side parts of rivers and brooks. The age and sex of elks was defined by the method, elaborated by U.P. Yazan. We formed the similar scale of track measurement for roes.
The borders of individual areas were set according to the intensity of tracks and speaking about roes- according to the optic markings and drawing on the large-scale map. The registration of male-elks was proceeded when on heat, though, due to the higher animals mobility the extrapolation of the data within large area was not carried out. The presence of animals was mainly indicated by their marking behavior: pits, ragged bark, broken branches. In September-October while examinating trees that were thrown down by the wind, animals were also registered according to the picked aspens .
The registration of wild ungulates with aviation appliance Originally, methodic instructions on All-Russian registration of elks, introduced by I.K Novikov and I.K. Lomanov (89) were treated as basis. Afterwards, together with the visual animal revealing, the calculation of tracks during their lifetime was carried out. All parameters were recorded by dictaphone Panasonic RN-2002 and Olympus S-950 that enabled to register data constantly. We took pictures and videotape recording of all animals that we came across within the observation areas. The general approach on detection the quantity of animals by tracks is similar to the ZMU(?) method, but it includes extra factors that consider freshness of the track, the duration of daily motion and the accordance of tracks with the number of animals (118; 123).
Animals and their tracks were registered in the zones of different width. Depending on the distance of possible detection the number of animals and tracks was changing. Due to the fact that the winter distribution of the wild ungulates is notable for irregularity, the routes were predominantly formed in hibernation places. In the process of extrapolation only hibernation areas were used but not any explication materials of the forest. The density and the resources of every species were calculated separately according to the operational classification. We used the system of possible errors in the air-registration process elaborated by I.F.Kuzmin,.G.V. Hahin, N.G. Chelentzev (68).