In the years that pool levels recede from mid-summer on, the navigation 

 project is beneficial to shorebirds. Under these conditions, more mud 

 flats are available than during the pre-project years. 



Gulls and terns also benefited from the nine-foot channel project. 

 More surface water was created, increasing their food source, minnows 

 and other fishes. 



Other Game Species 



Several other game species are found in the study area. The bob- 

 white quail, ringneck pheasant, mourning dove and wild turkey are the 

 four major game birds found in the study area. These species dwell in 

 open forests, hedgerows, and cropland (Robbins et al. , 1966: 82, 90, 

 154). Inundation or logging of bottomlands in conjunction with the 

 nine-foot channel had a minimal effect on these habitats and subse- 

 quently these birds. 



The American woodcock and common snipe are found in moist wood- 

 lands and along marshes and river banks (Robbins et al. , 1966: 126). 

 The moist bottomlands of Pools 24, 25, and 26 supply feeding habitat 

 for migrating woodcock and snipe. A small number of breeding wood- 

 cock in Illinois and Missouri also exploit this habitat. Inundation 

 of bottomland as a result of the nine-foot channel probably destroyed 

 feeding sites used by the woodcock and snipe. 



The common gallinule, sora, and Virginia rail breed on and migrate 

 through the study area' (Sanderson, 1977: 112, 60, 49). These birds 

 breed and feed in marsh areas (Sanderson, 1976: 110, 58, 46). The nine- 

 foot channel initially created additional marsh areas, providing more 

 habitat for these birds. Increased sedimentation, attributed primarily to 

 agricultural pollution coupled with the dams' slowing the current and 

 deepening the water, has filled marsh areas, reducing the initial 

 benefit to these species. 

 Other Avifauna 



Song birds ( Passer if ormes ) are the most abundant of all birds. 

 Hundreds of thousands of individuals embracing over 100 species migrate 

 through the project area. About 50 species remain to breed. Quantitative 



