ECOTOURISM AND BIRDS IN COASTAL NEW-JERSEY - CONTRASTING RESPONSES OF BIRDS, TOURISTS, AND MANAGERS

People of diverse cultures appreciate and observe wildlife. With the increase in the importance of economic, social, and aesthetic, values of wildlife comes the responsibility for wise management and use of these resources to ensure biodiversity and the continued wellbeing of-the populations, We describe several ways, in which ecotourists affect the behaviour, reproductive success, and population levels, of breeding and migratory birds in New Jersey - a heavily industrialized, coastal US state with a dense human population. We use several case-studies to illustrate the effects of ecotourists on birds: heronries, breeding Least Terns (Sterna antilliarum), foraging Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) during the breeding season, migrant shorebirds and gulls at Caven Point and Delaware Bay, and migrant hawks at Cape May. Ecotourists can view heronries from the edge with few effects, but entering colonies can cause death and destruction because the young may flee from their nests prematurely. Least Tern colonies undergoing visits from many ecotourists, generally have lower nesting-rates, and lower reproductive success, than colonies with other types of disturbance (e.g, swimmers and industrial activity) or than those with no human disturbance. In contrast to coastal species that nest colonially, Piping Plovers nest scattered along beaches, and forage within their territories. As the number of people increases, foraging Piping Plovers spend more time on being alert rather than feeding. This is potentially critical when young chicks are first learning to forage. At Caven Point in New York harbour, migrant gulls and shorebirds respond to people by moving farther from paths when there are people present, thereby losing access to certain foraging areas. Similarly, the masses of shorebirds using the Delaware Bay shore in the spring respond to people by flying from their approach, and ultimately abandoning beaches where they have been repeatedly disturbed. Migrant hawks at Cape May are also influenced by the presence of people, and avoid areas of high human use. However careful management, with the elimination of people from some habitats, has provided suitable foraging areas for the hawks while still allowing bird-watchers to enjoy hawks. Overall, these studies indicate a variety of ways in which people can affect birds, and suggest that, with careful forethought and planning, both can exist without undue disturbance.