MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS 



POPULATION EVALUATION 



The 2-year colonial waterbird breeding inventory has been a necessary 

 first step in establishing a data baseline along the northeast coast. Impend- 

 ing offshore drilling activity provided the impetus for the study but 

 recreational and urban pressures continue to grow in the coastal zone man- 

 dating accurate assessment of important natural resources. 



A major shortcoming in this study was the lack of adequate historical 

 nesting data for comparison to current population estimates. This flaw under- 

 scores the necessity of implementing long-term monitoring projects (Gorham 

 1977). Only with long-range, systematic data collection can population 

 dynamics be related to both short- and long-term perturbations (Lewontin 1969, 

 May 1973). An updated baseline should be maintained by conducting inventories 

 on a 3 year interval basis, even though some information will be lost by 

 missing years (Diamond and May 1977, Erwin 1977a). Most waterbirds are rela- 

 tively long-lived so that this interval will provide a two or three point 

 sample for an average breeding adult based on estimates of longevity by Austin 

 (1945), Tinbergen (1953) and Bent (1963a, b). Important biological regions 

 along the coast should be identified for more intensive inventorying. The 

 more productive estuaries harboring significant numbers of breeding birds 

 should receive higher priority for protection and management than areas with 

 low productivity caused by factors such as poor water quality or industriali- 

 zation. Yearly colony shifts by nesting adults requires that fairly large 

 geographic regions be treated as breeding population units (Kadlec and Drury 

 1968a). Concentrating only on the largest colonies may provide misleading 

 results. Areas such as the Chesapeake Bay, lower eastern shore of Virginia, 

 Brigantine and Wildwood regions in New Jersey, northeastern tip of Long 

 Island, and Cape Cod and southern islands in Massachusetts should receive the 

 greatest survey and management attention. 



Population estimation should be performed over large areas. Experienced 

 biologists familiar with the area to be studied should conduct the inventories 

 at standard times of the day, year (early to mid June), and breeding cycle in 

 the region, if possible. Training sessions in estimation techniques can 

 improve both accuracy and precision. Standard data forms should be used to 

 conform with other inventories (National Audubon Society, Canadian Wildlife 

 Service, etc.). Photography may be used to provide a basis for assessing 

 habitat changes, both natural and man-induced. 



FEEDING HABITAT 



Identifying areas where waterbirds concentrate for feeding should provide 

 a valuable index to higher order productivity in estuarine and marine environ- 

 ments. Monitoring seasonal use patterns of coastal feeding sites over several 

 annual cycles should indicate whether important fish and invertebrate popula- 

 tions are relatively uniform or highly clumped in distribution. Biological 

 "production hot-spots" might then be identified for protection and further 

 research. 



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