The flocking instinct in birds provides mutual protection through their almost constant communication with one another. When this (audio) communication is prevented by jamming with high-frequency sounds, the birds immediately leave the area to seek relief. This harmless technique has been used successfully for years to repel agricultural pest birds.
The Av-Alarm device was tested on waterfowl at the Grizzly Island Game Refuge some 48 km north of San Francisco Bay and in the bay itself over a 2-year period (1972-73). Using a single, fixed-location system covering a three-quarter square mile (1.21 km2) area Crummett (1973) repelled 82% of the ducks and 92% of the shorebirds on the Refuge. The intrepid coot, however, was found to be relatively indifferent to the sounds. Immediately upon activation, there was a sudden drop in the bird count, which was followed by a continual decline in numbers.
In tests of the device from a cruising boat in ocean and bay waters, the degree of effectiveness varied by species. Ducks were repelled 100%; pelicans (Pelecanus spp.) 92%; great egrets (Casmerodius albus) 85%; gulls 42%; cormorants 75%; shearwaters (Adamastor spp.) 29%; and murres, 51%.
Grebes and murres dived away from the stimulus, then surfaced and dived again if the threat was still present. To prevent driving the diving species deeper into the center of a slick, investigators recommended that buoyed repelling equipment be placed within the spill area. When the alarm system was used in conjunction with the occasional firing of a rocket or shellcracker, an even greater percentage of birds was repelled.
The International Bird Rescue Research Center, a nonprofit corporation in Berkeley, California, was an outgrowth of the Richmond Bird Care Center that played an active role in the 1971 San Francisco Bay spill. Since that time, a small group of individuals has continued research on bird-cleaning techniques, testing cleaning agents, perfecting husbandry methods, and alleviating stress. Their 41% survival rate speaks for itself. A paper describing their work is being presented at this conference (Smith 1975).
Under a grant from the API, the center is currently evaluating various cleaning agents, and testing the pressurized jet versus serial baths and the re-establishment of feather waterproofing. The center is also perfecting an audio-visual slide presentation that will illustrate how to select the proper cleaning agent, together with the latest bird-cleaning and care procedures.
About 5 years ago, England's Advisory Committee on Oil Pollution of the Sea established a research unit in the Department of Zoology at the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. It was funded by a grant from the Royal Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, the Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds, the World Wildlife Fund Seabird Appeal, and the British Institute of Petroleum.
Their efforts have also led to high survival rates. Focusing primarily on the efficiency of various detergents, they have found that the loss of waterproofing is largely due to soap and oil residues and the disturbance of the feather structure in the cleaning process. Consequently, they have devoted their efforts to selecting detergents that can be completely removed with a minimum disturbance of plumage (Seabird Research Unit 1971).
In May 1974, the API in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service convened a seminar on Oil Spill Wildlife Response Planning. The 2-day workshop was held at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center at Laurel, Maryland. Some 70 State and Federal government personnel in charge of oil spill response plans involving wildlife participated. The program addressed itself to fish and wildlife considerations and the role of regional response teams under the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan. The actions of State wildlife departments, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Coast Guard, and the oil industry in handling spills involving wildlife were examined. The latest oil spill cleanup technology was reviewed, and the workshop ended with demonstrations of the cleaning of oiled waterfowl. Similar seminars were planned for the Gulf of Mexico and the West Coast.