heavily oiled. USCG overflights, generally at an altitude of 500 feet, have 

 not proven successful in bird observations although a single dead gull was 

 seen in the center of a large oil pancake on Christmas Day. 



4.2.3 Shore-Based Cleanup Efforts 



In general, the density of birds in the immediate vicinity of the 

 spilled oil was low, making it appear that little damage had been inflicted 

 on the bird population. However, a number of birds have been washing ashore 

 regularly on Nantucket and Cape Cod. Approximately 160 birds have been taken 

 to date. This number is not indicative, however, of the true number of birds 

 that washed ashore because of scarcity of beach patrols and the difficulties 

 encountered due to icy conditions, especially on Nantucket. The State of 

 Massachusetts, funded by the Federal On-Scene Coordinator Staff (OCS) , 

 instituted a bird collection and cleanup effort coordinated by J. Cardozo, 

 Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Of the 160 birds taken, 24 

 were released on January 21, and one remains alive in captivity. All dead 

 birds are being stored at the Sandwich Fish Hatchery, Sandwich, Massachu- 

 setts, awaiting autopsy. Live birds collected on Nantucket were taken to 

 Felix Neck Audubon Sanctuary, where heated facilities were available for 

 rehabilitation work. Of the 91 birds brought to Felix Neck, 44 were either 

 dead on arrival or put to sleep immediately, 22 died in rehabilitation, and 

 15 Murres and 8 Auks were released. One Kittiwake still remains in captiv- 

 ity. Murres are the most common species washing ashore, although few were 

 seen in the area of the Avgo Merchant. This seems to indicate that many 

 birds are being affected by the oil outside the immediate spill area. Gulls 

 on the other hand, have been seen in the spill area, yet few have washed up 

 on shore (Table VII-21 in Appendix VII). Evidence seems to indicate that 

 gulls are able to withstand much heavier fouling than other bird species. 

 This may be because they have a more readily available food source than other 

 birds, i.e., dumps, which may compensate for the increase in metabolism due 

 to the loss of heat. Birds oiled as a result of the Avgo Merohxnt spill have 

 washed ashore as far away as Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. E. Leavey of the Bedford 

 Institute in Dartmouth reported 10 birds of various species having washed 

 ashore in the last 2 weeks. Using gas chromatography techniques, he was 

 able to trace two oiled Black-backed Gulls to the Avgo Merchant spill. 



Assessment of impact of the spill on pelagic bird species will be par- 

 ticularly difficult because of the lack of baseline population studies. 

 Over the last year the Manomet Bird Observatory has begun these studies, and 

 the data collected seem to indicate that this year was exceptional in terms 

 of the number of Alcids (Murres, Auks, Dovekies) present along the Massachu- 

 setts coast. The behavioral patterns of these birds make them the most 

 likely species to be hardest hit by the spill. This is borne out in part 

 by the numbers of Murres washing ashore compared with other species. The 

 impact on gull populations may be more easily assessed, because breeding 

 colonies have been censused and population densities are generally known. 

 A plan for a long-term impact study is now being drawn up by NOAA's Marine 

 Ecosystems Analysis Program Office (MESA) , and a report is expected by 

 April 15, 1977. 



lis 



