Environmental
Damage |
Disturbance
to Birds
The
final and probably least understood area of damage caused by bait
collection is reports of disturbance to feeding wildfowl and wading
Birds. Wading birds rely on the short inter tidal period for much
of their feeding and evidence suggests that regular disturbance, by
bait collectors, can cause Birds to stop using these areas.
The presence of large numbers
of crab shelters on muddy shores means that collectors are
now seen regularly in areas
of soft sediment that were previously only used by feeding birds,
with consequent disturbance problems.
A number of surveys have been
conducted into this disturbance:
Jones, A. 1992. An assessment of the implications of bait digging
for the nature conservation interests of the Welsh shore of the Severn
Estuary/Bristol Estuary. CCW South Wales Report CCW/SW/12. Said that
observers attributed a decline in birds using Swansea Bay to bait
digging. Whilst, Evans, J. and Clark, N.A. 1993. Disturbance studies
on Swansea Bay and the Burry Inlet in relation to bird populations.
BTO Research Report No. 107. Stated that because beaches between Marina
and Mumbles are heavily disturbed they are not used by waders, and
that, on the Burry Inlet an important feeding site, disturbance to
feeding and roosting birds (particularly oystercatchers and curlew)
by cocklers accessing Llanrhidian Sands was recorded.
As
previously stated, this area has probably received least investigation.
Local Bird watchers from the voluntary sector, supporting this project,
refute the claims of Bird life being disturbed to the extent mentioned
in Swansea Bay indicating that the above information is subjective.
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