Abstract:
This report contains bald eagle productivity data, and provides additional context for the posted dataset, including information about the collection, analysis, and organization of the data. Characteristics of this dataset include the following: • This dataset focuses on data related to bald eagle productivity collected as part of the cooperative NRDA process. • This dataset includes data collected cooperatively with the Trustees. • Before posting, extensive work was done independently by BP contractors to verify some aspects of the posted data (e.g., positional coordinates and field data). The focus of this data posting is bald eagle productivity observations made by observers working from aircraft flying over portions of coastal Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Visual observations of 471 bald eagle nests were made from January 2011 through April 2011 under a work plan titled Pre-assessment Work Plan for Determining Injury to Bald Eagles from the Deepwater Horizon (MC 252) Oil Spill (Bird Study #9, Part 2). This work was conducted as part of NRDA studies agreed to and executed cooperatively by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), other Trustees, and BP. This dataset includes bald eagle nest and productivity data visually collected by observers working from aircraft. The types of data included are observation date, nest ID and location, nest descriptors, adult activity, and productivity observations (egg counts, chick counts, and chick ages). • In the Area of Potential Impact (API, as defined by the work plan), observations were made from January 2011 through April 2011. Nine of the nests were observed in April. • In the Reference Area (as defined by the work plan), observations were made from December 2010 through April 2011. Thirty-four of the nests were observed in April. In addition to the temporal variation noted above, sampling variations may exist across observers, methods, and locations.
Suggested Citation:
BP Gulf Science Data. 2016. Bald eagle productivity observations over portions of coastal Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana from January 2011 through April 2011. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7707ZV1
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to understand bald eagle productivity to assess potential damage to natural resources (natural resource damage assessment [NRDA]. These data were collected by BP to help guide cleanup operations under the direction of the U.S. Coast Guard and to support the Natural Resource Damage Assessment efforts by federal and state agencies and BP to evaluate potential injury to natural resources in the Gulf. The data and supplemental information are being made available to the public in a format that will facilitate the use of the data for research and other studies. GRIIDC is making these data available following the shutdown of the Gulf Science Data Portal. This will ensure that the data are available and searchable through GRIIDC data discovery.
Data Parameters and Units:
Data Publication Date = Date associated with the current data posting date (M/D/YYYY); Data Publication Reference = A general description of data provided in the data posting and a version control number; Study Reference No. = Number assigned by BP to provide a link between the data provided in the data file and the associated work plans and study descriptions; Study Name = Title of bald eagle productivity study; Sampling Event Date = Date observation occurred (M/D/YYYY); Target Location = Nest identification number; Location Usage = Whether the nest was located in the API or the Reference Area; County = County in which nest is located; State = State in which nest is located; Nest Condition = Status of the nest (Damaged, Intact/Building, Intact/Complete, Nest Absent, Remnant, NULL); Nest Access = Ease of accessibility to the nest (Easy, Moderate, Difficult, NULL); Fresh Lining = Is fresh lining present in the nest; Adult1 Activity = Adult number 1 behavioral description; Adult2 Activity = Adult number 2 behavioral description; Egg Count = Number of eggs observed or, if adult was observed in the incubating position, number of eggs was marked as >=1; Chick Count = Number of chicks observed, or, if adult was observed in the brooding position, number of chicks was marked as >=1; Adult Count = Number of adults present during observation; Chick Age Weeks = An estimated age, in weeks, for the chicks observed; Comments = Notes and comments recorded by field team (GHOW=Great Horned Owl); Field Data Verification Status = Summary of the data verification process status described in Appendix B. Valid entries - Not started, Underway, and Complete;
View Metadata