Exposure to oil creates health issues for birds and the cleaning/rehabilitation process is in itself stressful, making prevention the preferred option where possible. The Bird Hazing Manual, now available online at no charge, covers every aspect of hazing, or dispersing, birds from an oil spill site, helping responders to determine where and how hazing can fit into their response efforts.
Effective hazing requires the right combination of circumstances and knowledge, which this new manual provides. Over 100 pages long, the manual, authored by W. Paul Gorenzel and Terrell P. Salmon of the UC Davis Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, discusses the pros and cons of hazing with a thorough chapter on what things should be included in the initial decision whether or not to haze birds. From there, the authors cover the variety of hazing methods used, including specifics for species of birds commonly encountered in the marine environment and nearshore areas.
They also cover recommended training, sources for bird hazing supplies, other sources of information and recommendations for evaluating hazing efforts. Oiled wildlife responders and oil spill response organisations can all benefit from keeping a copy of this free resource to hand and including the information in their response planning process.
Download a copy here on Oiledwildlife.eu or from the UCDavis catalogue.