Table 2. Comparison of regional and seasonal variation of beached bird 

 mortality and incidence of oiling in the eastern United States (a). 



Atlantic Coast Atlantic Coast 



N of Cape Hatteras S of Cape Hatteras Florida Gulf Coast 



Dead Dead Dead 



birds/ % birds/ % birds/ % 



Dates mile oiled mile oiled mile oiled 



SPRING 



Mar. -May 1979 51.4 20.0 0.0 



Mar. -May 1978 66.8 (b) 1.58 0.0 



Mar. -May 1977 2.50 5.5 0.95 0.0 0.75 0.0 



SUMMER 



FALL 



WINTER 



Dec. -Feb. 1978-79 



Dec. -Feb. 1977-78 



Dec. -Feb. 1976-77 



(a) This comparison is based on information provided by the Atlantic and 

 Gulf Coast Beach Bird Survey Project. These data, while useful, have 

 sometimes been based on surveys of so few miles of beach that the results 

 obtained may not be adequately comparable from region to region. Dashes 

 indicate that we lack data. 



(b) This high figure is the result of an oil spill in the Chesapeake Bay in 

 February 1978. 



areas in northwestern Europe vary considerably in recorded mortality during 

 beached bird surveys, but mortalities are usually greater than those found in 

 the southeastern United States. Lloyd (1976) reported a range of 0.17/km 

 (0.3/mi) in part of France to 4.06/km (6.5/mi) in West Germany during the win- 

 ter of 1975. For Great Britain, 1968-70, the average was 1.3/km (2.1/mi) 

 (Bourne 1976). Reported mortality along the California coast is also greater 



16 



