Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!usc!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au!metro!cluster!swift!peg!traffico
From: traffico@peg.UUCP
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Bird War Victims
Message-ID: <297800002@peg>
Date: 15 Feb 91 18:40:00 GMT
References: <11153@uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu>
Lines: 89
Nf-ID: #R:uhccux.uhcc.hawaii.edu:11153:peg:297800002:000:4169
Nf-From: peg.UUCP!traffico    Feb 15 13:40:00 1991


mike@uhunix1.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu writes:
> I have seen only one type of oiled bird from the slicks
> in the Persian Gulf.  Who knows what species of sea birds   
> are at risk in that part of the world?

I would refer you to the Gulf War Environmental Information 
Service which is being provided by the World Conservation 
Monitoring Centre (219c Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DL, UK 
/ Fax: 44 223 277136).  On 31 January 1991, they published a 
report on the impact of the war on the marine environment and 
species.  If you have access to the APC networks (Econet, 
GreenNet, Pegasus, etc), a copy of this report may be found in 
the 'en.wildlife' conference.  Annex 1 of the report, relating 
to birds, is reproduced here:-

ANNEX 1

BIRDS

The Gulf is very important for birds.  An estimated 1-2 
million birds overwinter or stop on migration, particularly 
from Asia, the Soviet Union and Europe.  Breeding species are 
due to arrive for nesting in two months from now.  A detailed 
report on threatened birds in the region is being prepared by 
the International Council for Bird Preservation (ICBP).

Marine and coastal species

At least 70 species of coastal and marine birds have been 
observed during winter counts in the Gulf region and these can 
be broken down into the following groups:

Waders: Over 30 species, with notably large populations of the
following: Grey Plover, Kentish Plover, Lesser Sandplover, 
Ringed Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Redshank, Little Stint, 
Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper and Broad-billed Sandpiper.   Gulls 
and terns: Around 13 species, with by far the commonest 
species being the Herring Gull, the Black-headed Gull and the 
Slender-billed Gull.  There are also eight species of tern: 
the Caspian Tern, Greater Crested Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, 
Common Tern, White-cheeked Tern, Bridled Tern, Saunders' Tern 
and the Little Tern.  They breed on the islands and marshes of 
the region.  A survey of breeding terns on five Saudi Arabian 
Gulf coral islands in 1986 revealed a total of 9,110 Bridled 
Terns, 12,380 White-cheeked Terns and 26,340 Lesser Crested 
Terns. Grebes: including the Black-necked Grebe. Pelicans: 
notably the Dalmatian Pelican. Cormorants: notably the Great 
Cormorant, the Socotra Cormorant and possibly the Pygmy 
Cormorant.  Herons and Egrets: the commonest species are the 
Grey Heron and the Western Reef Egret. Other species include 
the White Spoonbill and the Greater Flamingo, which has quite 
sizeable populations throughout the region.

The Socotra Cormorant is a threatened species and is of 
particular concern as its main breeding area is the Gulf, 
although it does extend marginally to the Gulf of Aden.  
Although still widespread in some areas, there are suggestions 
of declines throughout the region in recent years which have 
been related to disturbance of breeding colonies and oil 
pollution.  It is likely to be severely threatened by 
widespread oil pollution, as it tends to feed in large dense 
flocks on the water surface.  Significant areas include Al 
Uqayr Bay and Zakhnuniyah Island in Saudi Arabia, Zirkuh 
island in the UAE, and also parts of Bahrain.

There are some very important wintering areas for waders in 
Iraq, including tidal mudflats, marshes and deltas.  Much of 
the Saudi coastline is sandy with no large populations of 
waders, although Tarut Bay and the adjacent coast may have as 
many as 30,000 wintering waders.  The Gulf coast wader 
population in Iran is 130,000-200,000 birds.  The Shadegan 
Marshes, on the border with Iraq have important wetland sites
ranging from cultivated areas and freshwater marshes to 
saltwater marshes and tidal mudflats; a large proportion of 
the declining world population of Marbled Teal pass through 
this site on their migration and there is also a large 
non-breeding population (several thousand) of Dalmatian 
Pelicans.  Other very important wetland sites in Iran are
located around the Straits of Hormuz.  The extensive mud and 
sandflats around Bahrain have important wader populations, and 
numbers of migrants.  Kuwait's coastal areas have over 2,500 
waders overwintering.


(Copyright WCMC)


Frank Antram


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