Marine bird density and distribution on Canada's Pacific coast, 2005-2008

Original provider: Caroline Fox, Dalhousie University and Raincoast Conservation Foundation Dataset credits: Caroline Fox, Dalhousie University and Raincoast Conservation Foundation Abstract: Associated publication abstract: Increasingly disrupted and altered, the world’s oceans are subject to immense and intensifying anthropogenic pressures. Of the biota inhabiting these ecosystems, marine birds are among the most threatened. For conservation efforts targeting marine birds to be effective, quantitative information relating to their at-sea density and distribution is typically a crucial knowledge component. In this study, we generated predictive machine learning ensemble models for 13 marine bird species and 7 groups (representing 24 additional species) in Canada’s Pacific coast waters, including several species listed under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. Predictive models were based on systematic marine bird line transect survey information collected in spring, summer, and fall on Canada’s Pacific coast (2005−2008). Multiple Covariate Distance Sampling (MCDS) was used to estimate marine bird density along transect segments. Spatial and temporal environmental predictors, including remote sensing information, were used in model ensembles, which were constructed using 4 machine learning algorithms in Salford Systems Predictive Modeler v7.0 (SPM7): Random Forests, TreeNet, Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines, and Classification and Regression Trees. Predictive models were subsequently combined to generate seasonal and overall predictions of areas important to marine birds based on normalized marine bird species or group richness and densities. Our results employ open access data sharing and are intended to better inform marine bird conservation efforts and management planning on Canada’s Pacific coast and for broader-scale geographic initiatives across North America and elsewhere. Supplemental information: Marine bird line-transect survey information collected using Distance Sampling in coastal British Columbia, Canada (2005-2008) is provided in three forms: (1) raw, unadjusted marine bird sightings; (2) for a subset of species, marine bird density estimates along 1km transect segments using Multiple Covariates Distance Sampling (MCDS), and; (3) for a subset of species, surface density estimates per ~14km2 hexagon using machine learning ensemble modeling. For data products 2 and 3, the marine bird subsets were restricted to species sighted in sufficient numbers for analysis. Surveys were completed by Raincoast Conservation Foundation. 1. Raw data: raw, unadjusted sighting of marine bird species on water and in flight. Attributes such as column labels are included in the attributes definition section. Note that several species alpha codes are non-standard, due to grouping of species identifications (e.g., large gulls and dark shearwaters). ANMU = Ancient Murrelet ANMUf = Ancient Murrelet family (varying #s of parents and chicks, or just chicks) BAEA = Bald Eagle BEKI = Belted Kingfisher BFAL = Black-footed Albatross BLKI = Black-legged Kittiwake BLOY = Black Oystercatcher BLSC = Black Scoter BLTU = Black Turnstone BOGU = Bonaparte's Gull BRAC = Brandt's Cormorant BRAN = Brant Goose BUFF = Bufflehead Duck BULS = Buller's Shearwater CAAU = Cassin's Auklet CAGU = California Gull CANG = Canada Goose COLO = Common Loon COME = Common Merganser COMU = Common Murre COMUf = Common Murre family (parent with chick, or just chicks) CORA = Common Raven DARK = Sooty Shearwater, Short-tailed Shearwater, Flesh-footed Shearwater DCCO = Double-crested Cormorant DEJU = Dark-eyed Junco DUNL = Dunlin FTSP = Fork-tailed Storm Petrel GBHE = Great Blue Heron GWGU = Glaucous-winged Gull HADU = Harlequin Duck HETHGU = Herring Gull/Thayer's Gull HOGR = Horned Grebe HOPU = Horned Puffin LAAL = Laysan Albatross LEFTSP = mixed flock Fork-tailed and Leach's Storm-petrels LESP = Leach's Storm Petrel LTDU = Longtail Duck LTJA = Long-tailed Jaeger MALL = Mallard Duck MAMU = Marbled Murrelet MEGU = Mew Gull NOCR = Northwestern Crow NOFU = Northern Fulmar NSHO = Northern Shoveler OSPR = Osprey PAJA = Parasitic Jaeger PALO = Pacific Loon PECO = Pelagic Cormorant PFSH = Pink-footed Shearwater PIGU = Pigeon Guillemot POJA = Pomarine Jaeger RBME = Red-breasted Merganser RHAU = Rhinoceros Auklet RNGR = Red-necked Grebe RNPH = Red-necked Phalarope RTLO = Red-throated Loon RUHU = Rufous Hummingbird SAGU = Sabine's Gull SNGO = Snow Goose STAL = Short-tailed Albatross SUSC = Surf Scoter THGU = Thayer's Gull TOWA = Townsend's Warbler TRES = Tree Swallow TUPU = Tufted Puffin TUPUf = Tufted Puffin family (parent with chick) WEGR = Western Grebe WEGU = Western Gull WHIM = Whimbrel WWSC = White-winged Scoter YBLO = Yellow-billed Loon UNAL = Unidentified Alcid UNCO = Unidentified cormorant UNDU = Unidentified ducks in the distance UNGE = Unidentified Geese in the distance UNGO = Unidentified Goldeneye UNGR = Unidentified Grebe ULGU = Unidentified Larus Gull UNJA = Unidentified Jaeger UNLO = Unidentified Loon UNSO = Unidentified Scoter UNSW = Unidentified Shearwater UNSH = Unidentified Shorebirds UNST = Unidentified Storm-petrel UNTE = Unidentified Tern UNTU = Unidentified Turnstone 2. Marine bird density estimates along 1km transect segments using Multiple Covariates Distance Sampling (MCDS). Note that several species alpha codes are non-standard, due to grouping of species identifications (e.g., large gulls and dark shearwaters). ANMU = Ancient Murrelet BFAL = Black-footed Albatross CAAU = Cassin's Auklet COMU = Common Murre CORM = Cormorants (Brandt's, Double-crested, Pelagic) DARK = Dark shearwaters (Flesh-footed, Short-tailed, Sooty) FTSP = Fork-tailed Storm-petrel GREB = Grebes (Horned, Red-necked, Western) LESP = Leach's Storm-petrel lgGULL = large Larus spp. gulls (California, Glaucous-winged, American, Thayer's) LOON = Loons (Yellow-billed, Common, Red-throated, Pacific) MAMU = Marbled Murrelet NOFU = Northern Fulmar PFSH = Pink-footed Shearwater PIGU = Pigeon Guillemot RHAU = Rhinoceros Auklet RNPH = Red=necked Phalarope SCOT = Scoters (Black, White-winged, Surf) smGULL = small gulls (Black-legged Kittiwake, Bonaparte's, Mew, Sabine's) TUPU = Tufted Puffin Field names represent, using ANMU and BFAL as the examples: - first few fields represent summary fields (i.e., FID, Shape) - SEGID = unique line transect segment ID. Can use this field to join across species files. - VOYAGE = On planned transect (T) or on passage (P), which are unplanned transects. - SPEED = vessel speed (knts). - MO = Month, numeric (1-12). - SegLength = Segment length. Most should = 1 km, but shorter segments have been retained. - Season = Spring (april, may, june), Summer (August), Fall (October, November). - Point_X and Point_Y = x and y coordinates using BC Albers. - Effort = Same as SegLength. - DATE = year-month-day. - YEAR = year. - DAY_YR = Day of the year, beginning with with January 1 = 1. - AREA = Segment length (km) X perpendicular distance (km) from boat for that particular species (unit = km2; identified using MCDS Distance Analysis). - ANMUw_D (all other examples BIRDw_D) = estimated density of Ancient Murrelets along the transect segment (including family groups, see below). Lowercase "w" = birds on water. - ANMUf_D = exception for ANMU family groups. Lowercase "f" = family groups on water (parent(s) with flightless chicks or flightless chicks alone). - BFALs_D (all other examples BIRDs_D) = estimated density of Black-footed ALbatrosses along the transect segment. Lowercase "s" = birds in flight. Note that flying bird density estimates should be used and interpreted with caution. 3. Density estimations per hexagon (approx. 14km2): Shape file name represents the bird species (e.g., ANMU = Ancient Murrelet) plus "w" (w = density estimates of birds on water only) or "sw" (sw = density estimates of combination of birds in flight and on water). Note that several species alpha codes are non-standard, due to grouping of species identifications (e.g., large gulls and dark shearwaters). ANMU = Ancient Murrelet BFAL = Black-footed Albatross CAAU = Cassin's Auklet COMU = Common Murre CORM = Cormorants (Brandt's, Double-crested, Pelagic) DARK = Dark shearwaters (Flesh-footed, Short-tailed, Sooty) FTSP = Fork-tailed Storm-petrel GREB = Grebes (Horned, Red-necked, Western) LESP = Leach's Storm-petrel lgGULL = large Larus spp. gulls (California, Glaucous-winged, American, Thayer's) LOON = Loons (Yellow-billed, Common, Red-throated, Pacific) MAMU = Marbled Murrelet NOFU = Northern Fulmar PFSH = Pink-footed Shearwater PIGU = Pigeon Guillemot RHAU = Rhinoceros Auklet RNPH = Red=necked Phalarope SCOT = Scoters (Black, White-winged, Surf) smGULL = small gulls (Black-legged Kittiwake, Bonaparte's, Mew, Sabine's) TUPU = Tufted Puffin Field names represent, using ANMUw as the example: - first few ields represent summary fields (i.e., FID, Shape and Id) - HexagonID = unique hexagon cell ID. Can use this field to join across species files. - X_coord and Y_Coord = should be self explanatory. - spr_ANMUw = estimated Ancient Murrelet on water density estimates (birds/km2) in spring (April 2007, May 2007, June 2008) - sum_ANMUw = same as above, except in summer (August 2005, 2006 and 2008) - fal_ANMUw = same as above, except in fall (October and November 2007) - ANMUw_AnAv = average across spring, summer, and fall density estimates