So when I got home and my daughter finally let me use the computer I started reading...I had forgotten about what a nuisance gulls are to aircraft traffic at John F. Kennedy International Airport...
DOES SHOOTING ALTER FLIGHT PATTERNS OF GULLS...a study by the International Bird Strike Committee
Aerial Photography Techniques to Estimate Populations of Laughing Gull Nests in Jamaica Bay, New York, 1992-1995...Gulls (Larus spp.) have frequently been reported as a hazard to aircraft. There was an increase in Laughing Gull (L.atm'cilla) collisions with aircraft at John F Kennedy International Airport during the 1980s related to an expanding nesting colony adjacent to the airport in Jamaica Bay. This strike increase prompted various management actions including egg oiling, shooting gulls, and vegetation management. Belant and Dolbeer predicted that these management programs would have a minimal effect on national Laughing Gull populations; however, an accurate estimate of the size of the nesting colony in Jamaica Bay was needed annually to assess effects on the local population. A ground-based count of this colony in 1990 totaled 7,579 nests...
Laughing Gull...from an excellent site The Complete British Bird...it's a beautiful collection from the full collection of original colour Morris's British Bird prints from 1891...
Managing birds and controlling aircraft in the kennedy airport-jamaica bay wildlife refuge complex: the need for hard data and soft opinions...During the 1980s, the exponential growth of laughing gull (Larus atricilla) colonies, from 15 to about 7600 nests in 1990, in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and a correlated increase in the bird-strike rate at nearby John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York City) led to a controversy between wildlife and airport managers over the elimination of the colonies...
An article from The Auk AGE-SPECIFIC REPRODUCTION BY FEMALE LAUGHING GULLS (LARUS ATRICILLA) Richard A. Dolbeer and Glen E. Bernhardt U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services...The age at which female gulls first reproduce is poorly documented. We examined plumage and reproductive organs of Laughing Gulls (Larus atricilla) collected from May–August 2000–2001 at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, to determine age-specific reproductive effort.
SIGNIFICANT HABITATS AND HABITAT COMPLEXES OF THE NEW YORK BIGHT WATERSHED Jamaica Bay and Breezy Point...An interesting and informative report on Jamaica Bay...The Jamaica Bay Laughing Gull Colony - 2002 Nest Count...
