
the unchanged dune and vegetation area. Station 7 was established 
about 100 yards distant and faced the newly cleared part (Figure 21). _ 
Fifteen runway counts of albatrosses were made in these index sectors _ 
under varying wind conditions. The average number of albatrosses per 
hour at counting station 6 (favorable soaring area) was 515 albatrosses 
per hour; at station 7 (unfavorable soaring area), 64 albatrosses per 
hour were counted, Soaring birds were thus 8 times as numerous adjecent 
to the uncleared runwey sector as where the obstructions causing favor- 
able soaring conditions had been removed. 
This result occurred even though some birds "spilled over" 
into the sector covered by station 7 from the sector of counting station 
6, because of their proximity to each other. The counts recorded in 
these two stations, in conjunction with those made in other runway 
sectors (Figure 21), indicate that the farther the obstructions causing 
favorable soaring conditions are removed from the runway, the fewer will 
be the birds which actually wheel out over the runway itself. 
Discussion and Recommendations 
Methods for Controlling Albatrosses Over Runways 
It has been a common experience in wildlife management that 
habitat control is frequently a more practical method for controlling 
wild populations than direct action against the individual members of 
the population in question. As long as the living conditions remain 
favorable, control of most species through killing is expensive in 
manpower, the results are slow in being achieved, and the problem 
usually is not permanently solved. Usually, if constant effort is not 
exerted the situation will soon again be out of control due to 
natural increase and spread of the troublesome population. 
During our albatross population reduction experiment it became 
obvious that a "clean sweep" of birds present at any given time eliminated 
only a part of the total population. It became increasingly apparent that 
in order to be effective a killing program would have to be systematically 
carried out during a number of months to eliminate all of the birds 
occupying the area that particular year. Also it seemed probable that 
it would have to be continued for an indefinite number of years to take 
care of the young birds which are seeking nesting sites for the first 
time. During this period it is probable that the number of birds over 
the runways would diminish but slowly unless other measures were taken. 
To date no change is noticeable in the number of birds soaring over the 
runways that can be considered a result of the limited killing program 
conducted in 1957. This indicates that to achieve even temporary 
relief from the bird hazard would require a much more extensive popula- 
tion reduction than was achieved by the killing of about 6000 birds 
this year. 
Observation of albatross while in the air over runways has 
suggested a method of control which strikes at the core of the 
difficulty and if successfully carried out would be permanent. It was 
noted that any topographical feature that causes up-drafts produces 
hay 
