8.4 Influence of human activities on the distribution and abundance of waterfowl on Long Point Bay
Prior to, and since the 1970s, diving ducks (primarily Canvasbacks, Redheads, Lesser Scaup and Greater Scaup) at Long Point have altered their daily activity patterns during the fall. Most birds (80%) gather off the south shore of Long Point during the day (Figure 8.49) and fly into the Inner Bay at dusk, presumably to forage at night. This change in distribution probably reduces the quality and or quantity of food available to fall staging waterfowl and may expose birds to more inclement micro-climatic conditions throughout the day. In contrast, fewer birds (7%) use the south shore during spring, and the proportion of diving ducks using the Inner Bay during spring has increased since the 1970s (Figure 8.48). However, it is not known if there are higher rates of disturbance at Long Point during fall, or if birds are simply more likely to change their distribution patterns in response to anthropogenic activities then. For instance, waterfowl acquire nutrients for migration and reproduction while on spring staging areas, the temporal constraints of which may preclude them from relocating to less preferred feeding sites during the day. The Inner Bay supports a commercial fishery (13 active licences) operating during spring and fall, and an increasing number of sport fishermen (Wilcox 1994). All of the commercial hoop-nets and draw seines are located on the perimeter of the bay, extending into the bay no more than 400 m. Waterfowl hunting is not permitted beyond 300 m from the shoreline of the bay, leaving a substantial non-hunted area.
Although boat traffic has not been formally monitored on the Inner Bay, the substantial increase in number of marinas and boat slips shows that boat traffic has increased throughout the last half century (Wilcox 1994). Given the popularity of Long Point, and the projected increase in the human population of the lower Great Lakes region, we can expect that boat traffic will continue to increase. In response to this expected increase in human disturbance and the changing distribution patterns of ducks over the past three or more decades, LPWWRF undertook a study in 1993 to identify the types, locations, and frequencies of waterfowl disturbances on the Inner Bay of Long Point to assess the possible effect of human activities on migratory waterfowl. Two hundred hours of observations were made throughout the spring and fall from 4 locations around the perimeter of the Inner Bay.
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