Human Disturbances to Waterfowl
Annotated Bibliography
Other waters often have an increase in waterfowl in late winter and early spring but this was not evident at Chasewater, and in the winter of 1974-75 the totals from late January were much lower than in December, almost certainly because of the increased frequency of midweek boating. Repeated observations showed that common goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula) often fly when people on the shore approach closer than 100 or 200 m but invariably settle again elsewhere on the water. A single sailing dinghy, however, may be sufficient to cause over 60 common goldeneyes to take flight and most to leave entirely within a few minutes. Any remaining birds then fly up each time the boat approaches to within 300-400 m and generally leave within an hour. A powerboat causes virtually instantaneous flight as soon as it appears on the water, the majority of birds leaving, and, if it traverses the length of the reservoir, all the remaining birds leave within minutes.
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