DWH NRDA Waterfowl Feasibility

Data were collected primarily by Louisiana State University personnel, under contract to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, working cooperatively with representatives from BP/CardnoENTRIX from October 2010 to November 2010. The objective of this study was to test the feasibility of using search teams in different kinds of boats to find waterfowl carcasses along marsh edges. This was done by: (1) experimentally placing marked carcasses on marsh edge transects, which were searched using standard methods, (2) conducting carcass searches in varied habitat types within the oil impact zone, and (3) testing each relevant observation method and platform. The surveys were conducted in Terrebonne Bay, Louisiana. Carcasses were seeded along each transect by the project leader, and then survey teams consisting of observers on airboats, skiffs, or surface-drive boats searched for the carcasses. When multiple teams surveyed the same transect, one would precede the other with sufficient delay to ensure that the searchers were not influenced by the earlier team. After all searches were complete, carcasses were retrieved when possible. The Bird Study #11 Waterfowl Feasibility dataset includes information on the carcasses detected and recovered. The dataset does not include data on the placement of the marked study carcasses. In addition, the same carcass may be present multiple times in the dataset (i.e., in multiple rows) since multiple teams surveyed the same transect in different types of boats. Additional details on the surveys and analysis pertaining to the Bird Study #11 Waterfowl Feasibility dataset are provided in the End of Study Report (Natural Resource Damage Assessment: Estimating Carcass Detection in Priority Waterfowl Habitats Impacted by the Deepwater Horizon (Mississippi Canyon 252) Oil Spill (Bird Study #11), September 2011).