50272-101 



REPORT DOCUMENTATION i. report no. 



PAGE 1 FWS/OBS-79/10 



4. Title and Subtitle 



Coastal Waterbird Colonies: Cape Elizabeth, Maine to 

 J/irginia 



7. Author(s) 



R. Michael Erwin 



9. Performing Organization Name and Address 



Massachusetts Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit 

 University of Massachusetts 

 Amherst, MA 01003 



12. Sponsoring Organization Name and Address 



Office of Biological Services 

 Fish and Wildlife Service 

 U.S. Department of the Interior 

 Washington, D.C. 20240 



3. Recipient's Accession No. 



5. Report Date 



September 1979 



8. Performing Organization Rept. No. 



10. Project/Task/Work Unit No. 



11. Contract(C) or Grant(G) No. 



«=' 14-16-0008-1186 



(G) 



13. Type of Report & Period Covered 



14. 



15. Supplementary Notes 



16. Abstract (Limit: 200 words) 



In 1976 and 1977, seabird and wading bird nesting colonies were inventoried 

 along the northeast U.S. coast from Cape Elizabeth, Maine to the Virginia-North 

 Carolina border. A parallel study was conducted for the rocky, island bound 

 coastal region of Maine, north of Cape Elizabeth. Colonies were surveyed 

 and censused from March to July by teams of biologists using aerial and 

 ground-based methods. 



Approximately 240,982 pairs of waterbirds (28 species) nested at 522 colonies 

 in 1977. The most abundant species, in order, were herring gulls, laughing gulls, 

 common terns, great black-backed gulls, snowy egrets, and black-crowned night 

 herons. Virginia and New Jersey had the greatest area of coastal wetlands and 

 harbored the largest populations of waterbirds. Wading birds usually begin 

 nesting as early as late February and March; most seabirds arrive in April 

 or May. Most waterbird young have fledged by August. 



17. Document Analysis a. Descriptors 



Birds, wildlife 



b. Identifiers/Open-Ended Terms 



Colonies, waterbirds, gulls, terns, cormorants, skimmers, herons, egrets, ibises, 

 nests 



c. COSATI Field/Group 0603 



18. Availability Statement 



Unl imited 



19. Security Class (This Report) 



20. Security Class (This Page) 



21. No. of Pages 



212_ 



22. Price 



(See ANSI-Z39.18) 



■ir US GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE; 1979—675-787 



See Instructions on Reverse 



OPTIONAL FORM 272 (4-77) 

 (Formerly NTIS-35) 

 Department of Commerce 



