Dam removal and the related river restoration is beneficial ecologically. Allowing a river to resume its natural flow, depth, and width yields benefits for fish and stream organisms, for animals in the area, and for regional biodiversity. Rivers are used by birds in a number of ways: wetlands provide them with breeding grounds, rivers are sources of food and water, and rivers are a useful system that helps certain birds navigate. River restorations create diverse bird habitat and provide homes for important or favored bird species. Some of the species that we would probably find in increased numbers after restoration are:
Embedded Files
Tina Nord
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
The Osprey is very large, distinctively shaped raptor, that lives in almost any expanse of shallow fish-filled water, including rivers, lakes, swamps and marshes all over the U.S. While recognized as Endangered or Threatened in many other northeastern states, Maine has large populations. Adequate supply of accessible fish is important for Osprey nesting habitat, since Osprey is the only raptor on the continent that eats almost exclusively live fish. 99% of the Osprey's diet consists of more than 80 species of live fresh- and saltwater fish in North America.
Frank Cone
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
The Bald Eagle is a huge bird with a wingspan that can exceed eight feet. Females tend to be larger than males, weighing up to 14 pounds. Maine’s Bald Eagles are primarily fish eaters at inland settings on the lakes and rivers. In coastal estuaries and (especially) offshore, they eat a more varied diet, including seabirds and waterfowl. As a national symbol, the number of Bald Eagles are always being watched closely. The Bald Eagle is still considered a threatened species in Maine.
USFWS
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
The Double-crested Cormorant is a waterbird species native to North America. It is one of six species of cormorants in North America. They are large dark birds with a yellow–orange patch of skin on their face. During breeding season, the "double-crest" becomes visible in adults, with two white tufts behind the cormorant's eyes. Double-crested Cormorants are found in Maine primarily along the coast, on rocky shores, on ledges, and swimming in the water.
The Cormorant's diet varies with season and place; they are opportunistic feeders, and concentrate on those that are easiest to catch. They are heavy-boned fish and swim low in the water, diving for prey from the surface. Cormorants eat an average of one pound of fish per day, causing them to prey on a wide variety of fish. However, their diet may also include crabs, shrimp, crayfish, frogs, salamanders, eels; sometimes snakes, mollusks, and plant material.
Skylar Ewing
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
The Great Blue Heron is a Species of Special Concern in the State of Maine, due to declines along the Atlantic coast since the mid-1980s. The Great Blue Heron is the largest heron in North America. Often seen standing silently along inland rivers or lakeshores, or flying high overhead, with slow wingbeats and its head hunched. The Great Blue Heron eats mostly fish, but also frogs, salamanders, turtles, snakes, insects, rodents, and birds.
Page updated
Report abuse