Similar effects are likely when offshore barrier islands are affected by 

 development of oil and gas resources. Changes in water flow due to dredging 

 could easily change tidal and current patterns, resulting in the elimination of 

 islands used for nesting. Terrestrial access to larger islands may result in 

 the introduction of predators (e.g., foxes, raccoons) that could eliminate an 

 entire bird colony in the space of a season or two. Disturbance engendered by 

 construction might result in the mass desertion of a traditional breeding area 

 by some species. 



Several recent reports reviewed aspects of human activities that are rele- 

 vant to development of onshore oil facilities. These reports include Mulvihill 

 et al.'s (1980) detailed review of the effects of shoreline structures on the 

 coastal environment, Morton's (1976) review of the ecological effects of dred- 

 ging, and Buckley and Buckley's (1976, 1977) reviews of the effects of human 

 disturbance on colonially nesting birds. 



Burning of natural gas at elevated flares during oil production is another 

 potential hazard because birds migrating at night sometimes fly into such 

 lights. Considerable numbers have been killed at TV towers, lighthouses, and 

 airport ceilometers (Howe et al. 1978), and it might be expected that the ele- 

 vated flares would attract and incinerate passing birds. Bourne (1979) reported 

 that there have been only about "half-a-dozen second hand" reports of death from 

 this cause during the first 10 years of development in the North Sea, an area 

 where foggy weather conditions should maximize the phenomenon. After commenting 

 on several specific instances of relatively severe loss, including one in which 

 "several hundred storm-petrels" purportedly died, Bourne concluded that "the 

 losses are only an insignificant proportion of the millions of birds passing 

 through the area...". 



RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 



CHOICE OF SPECIES FOR FUTURE RESEARCH 



Unlike most of the birds covered in Volumes I and III of this report, the 

 family Anatidae is among the best known groups of birds. Palmer (1976a) pointed 

 out that "At least in the Northern Hemisphere, they are also the most adminis- 

 tered, in numerous ways are economically the most important, and continue to be 

 the most studied. The upshot is that, even with present data retrieval methods, 

 nobody, nor any agency, has convenient access to extant information." We agree 

 thoroughly with Palmer's remarks. Our study revealed that there are many 

 sources of information that our resources simply could not tap. The body of 

 unpublished information is staggering in its extent and consists of theses, raw 

 data, informal in-house and preliminary reports, and "gray literature", reports 

 produced by governmental agencies that usually receive a limited distribution 

 and that consequently are often unknown to the academic community. 



We examined a goodly amount of such material during the course of this 

 study, but are aware that immense amounts remained unseen. The quality of the 

 material varies drastically; some reports are of exceptionally poor academic 

 quality, but others need little work for submission to an academic journal. 



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