Potential Impacts of Extended Winter Navigation Upon Migratory Birds of the Upper U.S. Great Lakes. Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway Navigation Season Extension Program.

摘要

The purpose of this report is to describe the results of a number of survey and studies conducted in many localities in the Upper U.S. Great Lakes from north western Lake Erie/Detroit River to the Duluth Superior Harbor complex in western Lake Superior. The projects, conducted both in-house and through contracts, were aimed at determining: 1) both the historical and present winter abundances and distributions of selected species of migratory birds from Lake Superior to the Detroit River, 2) the potential for perturbing riverine/harbor wetlands and benthos communities (and consequences for migratory birds), 3) the extent of bird mortality along selected lakeshore segments, and 4) major migratory pathways of birds in both spring and fall. The projects were oriented toward assessing how ship traffic and disturbance and associated engineering requirements (bubblers, booms, dredging, etc.) would influence bird distribution and movements and their feeding, nesting, and roosting habitats (both summer and winter). Keywords: Field investigations; Engineering structures; Vessel movement; Dredging; Substance spills; Bald eagle; Osprey; Great blue heron; Herring gull; Piping plover. (KT)