For my article I need an expert's opinion(s) about the birds on the golf courses?

Question

~What do golf course managements do to make this environment bird-friendly?
~Birds' injuries on the golf courses (caused by golf balls)

Answer 1

all the golf courses I know of do absolutely nothing to make their golf courses environmentally friendly. I work as a wildlife biologist and I have endangered species nesting on the golf course and the golf owners could not care less. They have actually come into the habitat and destroyed it claiming they did it so the golf course would not get flooded during the rains. We had to report them to fish and game and they are being fined. I constantly see the golf emplyees thrashing around in the treeline where the endangered birds are nesting looking for stray balls and I am sure they are knocking down nests in the process!!

Answer 2

You don't state what type of bird or whether or not you are by a sanctuary or protected area. Some courses use canon-noise type management to move the birds off the courses. This can help with injury avoidance and/or pest type birds. Some courses allowing trapping and or shoot birds like coots or other pest-type birds. As far as making it environmentally friendly, consult your local University Extension about what types of plants and trees would suit your particular type of birds you're interested in. Be certain which types of birds you have. You might call the local Audubon Society to see if they'll do an inventory. Otherwise, you need to pay a fish and wildlife specialist to do that for you.

Answer 3

Spent too much time trying to find things...every link has a piece of information you could use.

Good luck!




A study done on golf courses on the Grand Strand could have a national effect in increasing bird populations, researchers say.

Natural vegetation on the area's 120 courses provides golfers with nice views, but scientists say that, more important, it increases the overall population and variety of birds. Those habitats draw other animals, too, and the study's conclusions could be applied to level off declining bird populations across the country.

"People have the perception that the course is all grass," said Peter Stangel, director of the Southern Region of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. "Not this one," he said, referring to The Reserve Golf Club at Litchfield, where the study's results were unveiled.

Scientists say an ideal course retains natural vegetation and has trees or shrubs to connect forested areas. That habitat allows birds and small mammals to move around undetected by predators, said researcher Stephen Jones of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's S.C. Coastal Ecosystem Program.

A golf course is "a habitat that's got potential because it does manage natural vegetation, or can," said Dave Gordon, also of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's S.C. Coastal Ecosystems Program. "This is a land-use type like a residential, commercial or urban development."

The U.S. Golf Association and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation funded the study, which is the first to make the correlation between bird populations and golf courses, Jones said. The study cost about $60,000, Gordon said.

Scientists counted the number and species of birds in two years of mating seasons on 24 Grand Strand golf courses. While the results speak only of the Grand Strand's species, the information about habitats can be applied across the country.

Golf course superintendents listened to the presentation, which detailed environmental improvements they could implement immediately, such as letting grass grow and breaking up continuous patches of turf grass, Stangel said.

"The last thing a superintendent wants is something bad to happen with the environment on the golf course," Stangel said. The improvements also could reduce costs for courses, he said.

Bob Williams, superintendent of The Legends Resort's Moorland Course, said the suggestions easily could be incorporated.

"The best suggestion I heard was taking advantage of the S.C. Forestry Commission and their farms" for small trees, shrubs and plants native to the area, he said.

The next step is to hold workshops for golf course workers and architects to promote environmentally friendly designs, researchers said.

Kimberly Erusha of the U.S. Golf Association said the results apply to golf courses across the country because the basic principle on managing vegetation on the courses is standard even though the bird population may vary.

"I think that this type of action on a regional basis is an important starting point for golfing and the environment as a whole," she said.

Wednesday, November 10, 2004

Answer 4

Endangered speicies like the burrowing ground owls are restricted areas that are usually roped off. Other than that not much else is practiced other than a groundkeepers wary eye for attacking birds as they nest and may become a nusiance to passerby golfers , then they'll usually let nature take it's course & have a good laugh while golfers attempt to "play through " !

Answer 5

Well, you occasionally see eagles and albatrosses :-)