Human Disturbances to Waterfowl
Annotated Bibliography
Shooting and other disturbance had less effect on geese using large waters than on those using small ones. On large lakes, goose numbers seemed unaffected after shoots, but small waters were frequently deserted for several days afterwards. Pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) more often deserted a roost after shooting than did greylag geese (Anser anser). When heavily disturbed, both species delayed their arrival until well after dark and made maximum use of the moon for feeding. With limited disturbance on feeding areas, birds almost always found alternative places nearby. Several factors combined to make a site safe and acceptable for roosting; not only actual disturbance but also intrinsic features such as situation, area, openness, and distance from centers of human activity. Dupplin Lake, e. g., was unattractive because of its small size and woodland setting, but had such little disturbance that at times it held more geese than any other site in Britain. Disturbances were, in order of importance, low flying aircraft, shooting, human presence, and unfamiliar and prominent objects like oil drums and scarecrows.
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