Multi-year monitoring of shorebirds in The Bahamas

Study Extent

The surveys had the primary intention of increasing the knowledge about the abundance and distribution of the Piping Plover in The Bahamas. Therefore, surveyors conducted the sampling on Piping Plover habitats, such as beaches and sandflats with a small number of grasses and other types of vegetation. Sampled sites were located on multiple islands (see geographic coverage description) and, since they were not uniformly defined, they present a varied range of sampled shoreline distance. Surveys were conducted during the wintering period of the Piping Plover in The Bahamas, which can go from July to mid-April.

Sampling

Sampled sites were selected based on the areas where Piping Plovers have already been identified or locations with suitable habitat for this species. Some of these sites were repeatedly sampled over the years, while some others were progressively included to increase the chance of recording new plover individuals. It is important to consider that sites sampled multiple times have the same name but may have different coordinates due to variation in shorebirds' location, tide level, and habitat changes across the years. At each site, surveys were conducted on foot by skilled and experienced birdwatchers, who recorded the total number and location of adult Piping Plovers present in the area. The censuses conducted under the coordination of ECCC focused only on Piping Plovers, while some of the ones coordinated by NAS and the USGS included counts for other bird species. Surveyors covered the entire Piping Plover habitat at each site, excluding hard-to-reach areas such as very large tidal flats with no boat access, remote islands and cays, and dense mangroves. Additionally, experience on the ground refined protocols and observers were advised to conduct surveys under favorable weather conditions and at high tide levels to increase bird detectability. However, due to the remoteness of many sites, it was not possible to conduct all surveys at specific times or tide levels and, therefore, counts presented here represent minimum estimates. Finally, in addition to recording birds counts, observers also reported the date, time, location, weather, tidal stage, presence or absence of leg-bands and any combinations, and surveyor information.

Quality Control

Surveys were conducted by experienced surveyors. All records were manually validated, verifying that the information reported in the dataset was consistent with the data collected in the field diaries. 

Method steps

1. For questions about the creation of the dataset please contact Daniela Linero - daniela.linero@audubon.org

The dataset holds occurrence records of 62 bird species, classified in 21 families and 12 orders. The families with the highest number of recorded species were Scolopacidae (16 species), Ardeidae (10 species), and Laridae (9 species). Since most surveys focused on the Piping Plover, this species has ~32% of the total 2,756 presence records. It is followed by the Wilson's Plover (Charadrius wilsonia; 9%) and the Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola; ~7%). Finally, four species had only one sighting, and 29 presented ten or fewer observations. The taxonomic authority used was the American Ornithological Society's Checklist of North American Birds (Chesser et al., 2020).

1. Aves
   common name: Birds rank: class
2. Actitis macularius
   common name: Spotted Sandpiper rank: species
3. Ardea alba
   common name: Great Egret rank: species
4. Ardea herodias
   common name: Great Blue Heron rank: species
5. Arenaria interpres
   common name: Ruddy Turnstone rank: species
6. Bubulcus ibis
   common name: Cattle Egret rank: species
7. Butorides virescens
   common name: Green Heron rank: species
8. Calidris alba
   common name: Sanderling rank: species
9. Calidris alpina
   common name: Dunlin rank: species
10. Calidris canutus
    common name: Red Knot rank: species
11. Calidris mauri
    common name: Western Sandpiper rank: species
12. Calidris melanotos
    common name: Pectoral Sandpiper rank: species
13. Calidris minutilla
    common name: Least Sandpiper rank: species
14. Calidris pusilla
    common name: Semipalmated Sandpiper rank: species
15. Cathartes aura
    common name: Turkey Vulture rank: species
16. Charadrius melodus
    common name: Piping Plover rank: species
17. Charadrius nivosus
    common name: Snowy Plover rank: species
18. Charadrius semipalmatus
    common name: Semipalmated Plover rank: species
19. Charadrius vociferus
    common name: Killdeer rank: species
20. Charadrius wilsonia
    common name: Wilson's Plover rank: species
21. Crotophaga ani
    common name: Smooth-billed Ani rank: species
22. Egretta caerulea
    common name: Little Blue Heron rank: species
23. Egretta rufescens
    common name: Reddish Egret rank: species
24. Egretta thula
    common name: Snowy Egret rank: species
25. Egretta tricolor
    common name: Tricolored Heron rank: species
26. Eudocimus albus
    common name: White Ibis rank: species
27. Falco columbarius
    common name: Merlin rank: species
28. Falco peregrinus
    common name: Peregrine Falcon rank: species
29. Fregata magnificens
    common name: Magnificent Frigatebird rank: species
30. Geothlypis trichas
    common name: Common Yellowthroat rank: species
31. Haematopus palliatus
    common name: American Oystercatcher rank: species
32. Himantopus mexicanus
    common name: Black-necked Stilt rank: species
33. Hydroprogne caspia
    common name: Caspian Tern rank: species
34. Larus argentatus smithsonianus
    common name: American Herring Gull  rank: species
35. Larus delawarensis
    common name: Ring-billed Gull rank: species
36. Larus fuscus
    common name: Lesser Black-backed Gull rank: species
37. Limnodromus griseus
    common name: Short-billed Dowitcher rank: species
38. Limosa fedoa
    common name: Marbled Godwit rank: species
39. Megaceryle alcyon
    common name: Belted Kingfisher rank: species
40. Mergus serrator
    common name: Red-breasted Merganser rank: species
41. Numenius phaeopus
    common name: Whimbrel rank: species
42. Nyctanassa violacea
    common name: Yellow-crowned Night-Heron rank: species
43. Nycticorax nycticorax
    common name: Black-crowned Night-Heron rank: species
44. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis
    common name: Osprey rank: species
45. Pandion haliaetus ridgwayi
    common name: Caribbean Osprey rank: species
46. Pelecanus occidentalis
    common name: Brown Pelican rank: species
47. Nannopterum auritum
    common name: Double-crested Cormorant rank: species
48. Phalaropus tricolor
    common name: Wilson's Phalarope rank: species
49. Phoenicopterus ruber
    common name: American Flamingo rank: species
50. Pluvialis squatarola
    common name: Black-bellied Plover rank: species
51. Rallus crepitans
    common name: Clapper Rail rank: species
52. Rynchops niger
    common name: Black Skimmer rank: species
53. Setophaga discolor
    common name: Prairie Warbler rank: species
54. Setophaga palmarum
    common name: Palm Warbler rank: species
55. Setophaga petechia
    common name: Yellow Warbler rank: species
56. Sterna dougallii
    common name: Roseate Tern rank: species
57. Sterna hirundo
    common name: Common Tern rank: species
58. Tachycineta cyaneoviridis
    common name: Bahama Swallow rank: species
59. Thalasseus maximus
    common name: Royal Tern rank: species
60. Thalasseus sandvicensis
    common name: Sandwich Tern rank: species
61. Tringa flavipes
    common name: Lesser Yellowlegs rank: species
62. Tringa melanoleuca
    common name: Greater Yellowlegs rank: species
63. Tringa semipalmata
    common name: Willet rank: species
64. Vireo crassirostris
    common name: Thick-billed Vireo rank: species

Censuses were conducted in The Bahamas, primarily in coastal habitats such as sandbars and salt marshes. In particular, the dataset contains occurrence records across 16 different islands: Abaco Islands, Acklins Island, Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini Islands, Cat Island, Crooked Island, Eleuthera Island, Exuma Islands, Grand Bahama Island, Great Inagua Island, Harbour Island, Long Island, New Providence Island, San Salvadore Island, and Ragged Island.