. An ecological characterization of Coastal Maine (north and east of Cape Elizabeth) . The waterfowl of coastal Maine (ducks, geese, and swans of the family Anatidae) are a higly visible and valuable natural resource. Because most waterfowl are migratory, they are managed by regulatory controls and habitat protection or improvement by Federal and State agencies and by international agreement. Waterfowl inhabit a wide range of aquatic habitats and some terrestrial habitats, consequently their seasonal distribution and daily movements in coastal Maine are controlled largely by the abundance and
. An ecological characterization of Coastal Maine (north and east of Cape Elizabeth) . The waterfowl of coastal Maine (ducks, geese, and swans of the family Anatidae) are a higly visible and valuable natural resource. Because most waterfowl are migratory, they are managed by regulatory controls and habitat protection or improvement by Federal and State agencies and by international agreement. Waterfowl inhabit a wide range of aquatic habitats and some terrestrial habitats, consequently their seasonal distribution and daily movements in coastal Maine are controlled largely by the abundance and diversity of available habitat, and by habitat change and alterations. The general abundance of most species of waterfowl of coastal Maine are largely determined by conditions that prevail in their breeding and wintering grounds outside of Maine. The diversity of the waterfowl habitat of coastal Maine (feeding, breeding, nesting, and wintering grounds in freshwater, estuarine, and marine habitats) is demonstrated by the diversity of waterfowl found there. This chapter attempts to identify major waterfowl resources and their seasonal distribution and abundance along the coast of Maine, their interactions among ecosystem components, and their response to human-induced factors and management. The common and scientific names (American Ornithologists' Union 1957, 1973a, 1973b, and 1976) and the relative abundance of the waterfowl species among resident, breeding, wintering, and migratory populations of coastal Maine, based on most recent estimates, are given in tables 15-1 to 15-4. Of the 140 species of waterfowl now recognized in the world, about 45 breed in North America (Johnsgard 1975). Thirty-six of the North American species breed in, migrate through, or winter in coastal Maine in sufficient numbers to be considered in this report. One of these, the eider duck, is also discussed in chapter 14, "Waterbirds", because of its breeding distribution. 15-1 10-80
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