Helicopter overflights disrupt wildlife feeding and movement patterns

Evidence

Yet, I wonder, might not older, quieter methods, such as track and scat data, be more appropriate in wilderness areas? Biologists studying bighorn sheep in the Grand Canyon found noticeable changes in feeding patterns and movement patterns in the presence of helicopters. The animals spent 14 percent less time feeding during the spring and 42 percent less time feeding in the winter, all the while traveling 50 percent farther while doing so. In other words, the helicopters made a big impact on their energy input and expenditure balance. — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 485

Yet, I wonder, might not older, quieter methods, such as track and scat data, be more appropriate in wilderness areas? Biologists studying bighorn sheep in the Grand Canyon found noticeable changes in feeding patterns and movement patterns in the presence of helicopters. The animals spent 14 percent less time feeding during the spring and 42 percent less time feeding in the winter, all the while traveling 50 percent farther while doing so. — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 485

Categorization

• XREF: Connects directly to the reader’s ongoing theme of noise as ecological harm — substantiates how machine sound degrades wild habitat. — connects to: Helicopter noise measurably alters bighorn sheep foraging behavior — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 485; Ambient noise impairs birds’ territory defense and mate attraction — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 942; Prey animals avoid noisy areas because sound is their security surveillance — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 107 (+1 more)
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 485

Broader Connections

• Helicopter noise measurably alters bighorn sheep foraging behavior #exemplifies (0.95) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 485
• Prey animals avoid noisy areas because sound is their security surveillance #expands (0.85) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 107
• Ambient noise impairs birds’ territory defense and mate attraction #expands (0.65) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 942
• Noise harms hearing-dependent wildlife more than visual species like peregrines #qualifies (0.60) — Gordon Hempton, John Grossmann, One Square Inch of Silence- One Man’s…, 691