5027? -IQ) _ 



REPORT DOCUMENTATION > report no 



PAGE FWS/OBS-79/08 



3. Recipient's Accession No 



4. Title and Subtitle 



Coastal Waterbird Colonies: Maine to Virginia, 1977. 

 Showing Colony Locations and Species Composition. 



5. Report Date 



An Atlas November 1979 



7. Author, Carl E> Korschgen ( Univ> of Maine ) and 

 R. Micha el Frwi n_ i^lini v. of Massachusetts ) 



8. Performing Organization Rept. No. 



9. Performing Organization Name and Address 



Amherst, Mass. 01003 



and 

 Orono, Maine 04473 



10. Proiect/Task/Work Unit No 



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



<o 14-16-0008-1186 (Mass) 

 (G) 14-16-0008-1189 (Maine 



12. Sponsoring Organization Name and Address 



U.S. Department of the Interior 

 Fish and Wildlife Service 

 Office of Biological Services 

 Washington. D.C. 20240 



13. Type of Report & Period Covered 



15. Supplementary Notes 



16. Abstract (Limit: 200 words) 



Colonial-nesting seabirds and wading birds are important and conspicuous components 

 of coastal ecosystems. Surveys were conducted during the spring and summer of 1976 and 

 1977 to locate and describe all nesting colonies of these birds from the Maine-Canada 

 border to the southern boundary of Virginia. Both aerial and ground methods were used by 

 teams of experienced field observers to obtain the best possible estimates of nesting 

 populations. The maps and Tables in this altas report the findings of these surveys. 



In the 10 States included in the surveys, 327,496 pairs of waterbirds of 30 species 

 nested at 844 colony sites. Maine, Virginia and New Jersey harbored the greatest numbers; 

 New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Delaware the fewest. The most abundant seabird species 

 were herring and laughing gulls and common terns. The least abundant species were 

 Caspian and sandwich terns, razorbills and common puffins. Among the wading birds, snowy 

 egrets and black-crowned night herons were the most common. Great blue herons and green 

 herons are relatively scarce on the coast, but are more common at inland locations. 



Colony locations are shown on 7.5-min. quad. maps. The estimated number of breeding 

 pairs for each species, the inventory date, and the survey method are listed in a Table 

 immediately preceding each Colony Map. Location, size, habitat, nesting substrate and 

 ownership of each colony site are reported in respective Tables. 



17. Document Analysis a. Descriptors 



Birds, Wildlife 



b. identifiers/open-Ended Terms Waterbirds, gulls, terns, alcids, eiders, cormorants, herons, 

 egrets, nesting colonies, seabirds 



c COSATI Field/Group 0603 



18. Availability Statement 



19. Security Class (This Report) 



Unl imited 



20. Security Class (This Page) 



21. No of Pages 



647 



22. Price 



(See ANSI-Z39.18) 



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OPTIONAL FORM 272 (4-77) 

 (Formerly NTIS-35) 

 Department of Commerce 



