The Florida Shorebird Database (FSD) collects current occurrence information and reproductive data on 6 focal species of solitary nesting shorebirds (American Oystercatcher, Black-necked Stilt, Killdeer, Snowy Plover, Willet, Wilson s Plover) and 14 species of colonial nesting seabirds (Black Skimmer, Bridled Tern, Brown Noddy, Brown Pelican, Caspian Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Laughing Gull, Least Tern, Magnificent Frigatebird, Masked Booby, Roseate Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, Sooty Tern). These species nest on beaches and sometimes rooftops along the Florida coast. The FSD also collects occurrence data on wintering species of shorebirds and seabirds using coastal habitat in Florida. The FSD is managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and is maintained as a free online resource for information on Florida's shorebirds and seabirds.
Long-term monitoring of shorebirds and seabirds across Florida is impracticable for any one agency or organization, and requires an extensive network of groups and individuals. The FSD facilitates this collaborative approach by providing a central location for data entry, compilation, and storage. Data from the FSD are used in many ways. At the local and regional level, partners regularly rely on the data to plan and assess management activities for particular shorebird and seabird sites in their area. In addition, different agencies use the data to review permits for proposed projects near important shorebird and seabird sites. At the statewide level, biologists plan to use these data to determine distribution, status, and trends for various species of shorebird and seabird in Florida. They will inform important conservation planning efforts such as setting conservation priorities, identifying critical habitat, and assessing species for state listing.
The original online database, the Florida Beach-nesting Birds Website, was launched in 2005. This database was designed as a management tool providing real-time information to managers and permit reviewers to help them respond to situations involving nesting shorebirds and seabirds. However, as use of the database expanded, its potential as a research tool soon became evident. In 2010 [These 2005-2010 data are available as a separate dataset, BeachNestingBirds_2005_2010_fl_pnt]. FWC collaborated with multiple partners to create the Florida Shorebird Database (FSD). By restructuring the old database and standardizing monitoring protocols, the FSD can serve as the tool that will provide answers to important questions about the status of shorebirds and seabirds in Florida while continuing to function as a management tool. Prior to July 1, 2004, the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI) was known as the Florida Marine Research Institute (FMRI). The institute name has not been changed in historical data sets or references to work completed by the Florida Marine Research Institute. The institute name has been changed in references to ongoing research, new research, and contact information.
publication date
Acknowledgement of the FWC-FWRI (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission-Fish and Wildlife Research Institute) as the data source would be appreciated in any products developed from these data, and such acknowledgment as is standard for citation and legal practices for data source is expected by users of this data. Please cite the original metadata when using portions of the record to create a similar record of slightly altered data, such as reprojection. If any data are modified or adjusted, please share the edited information with FWC. Users should be aware that comparison with other data sets for the same area from other time periods may be inaccurate due to inconsistencies resulting from changes in mapping conventions, data collection, and computer processes over time. FWC shall not be liable for improper or incorrect use of this data. These data are not legal documents and are not to be used as such. This is not a survey data set and should not be utilized as such. These data are not to be used for navigation.
100 Eighth Avenue Southeast
This data was collected primarily by members of the Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA). The FSA is a statewide partnership of government and non-government organizations committed to advancing shorebird and seabird conservation in Florida through coordinated and collaborative work that helps identify and address important needs with regard to research, management, education, outreach, and public policy. This database and online data entry application were developed by Kristin Rogers, Jake Gipson and Chris Burney with input from FWC staff and the FSA. State Wildlife Grant funding supports multiple shorebird and seabird projects and staff. The statewide beaches HCP grant supports the maintenance of this database and website.
GeoPlan relied on the integrity of the attribute information within the original data.
Visually inspected annually for accuracy. 'Status' field in attribute field describes status of visual review.
Visually inspected annually for completeness. 'Status' field in attribute field describes status of visual review.
This data is provided 'as is' and its horizontal positional accuracy has not been verified by GeoPlan
This data is provided 'as is' and its vertical positional accuracy has not been verified by GeoPlan
Spatial and Attribute Information
A standardized monitoring protocol, entitled 'Breeding Bird Protocol for Florida s Seabirds and Shorebirds' (BBP), was developed by FWC with input from partners of the Florida Shorebird Alliance. The BBP provides instructions on how to survey nesting shorebirds and seabirds in Florida. For detailed information about the BBP, please refer to: https://public.myfwc.com/CrossDOI/Shorebirds/instructions- pages/step_4-breeding.html. Partnership volunteers conduct surveys and record appropriate data according to the BBP. At minimum, partners are requested to survey all established routes and check all sites (ground and rooftops) at least six times each season according to 4 count windows (See BBP). Volunteers enter the survey data into an online digital dataset. FSA staff visually inspect each entry for errors, recording the inspection status of each record.
Southwest Regional Office
3900 Drane Field Road
The GIS Data Manager downloads the completed dataset annually and converts it to a point spatial dataset. Records that do not have coordinated locations were removed (2251 records). Fields that referred only to the "Route" details were removed [RouteLandowner, RouteFWCRegion, RouteCounty, RouteStartLat, RouteStartLong, RouteEndLat, RouteEndLong]. Site Locations with <Null> or "" in the 'SiteCounty' and/or 'SiteFWCRegion' fields were calculated based upon their coordinate locations (166 points). The following fields were converted from text fields into short integer to facilitate easier statistics: Eggs, Nests, DownyChicks, FeatheredChicks, FlightChicks, Adults, DogsLeashed, & DogsUnleashed.
The GIS Data Manager received the completed 2014 & 2015 datasets and converted them to a point spatial dataset. Records that did not have coordinated locations were removed (3431 records). Site Locations with <Null> or "" in the 'SiteCounty' and/or 'SiteFWCRegion' fields were calculated based upon their coordinate locations (4746 points). The following fields were converted from text fields into short integer to facilitate easier statistics: Eggs, Nests, DownyChicks, FeatheredChicks, FlightChicks, Adults, DogsLeashed, & DogsUnleashed.
100 Eighth Avenue Southeast
Mailstation J3N-CAMRA
Please forward all data requests to GISLibrarian@MyFWC.com
The dataset was unable to be downloaded from the FFWCC website due to
server errors. Emailed latosha.thompson@myfwc.com for the shapefile on
8/3/2017. LaTosha was able to send the manatee zones shapefile on 8/3/2017.
The dataset was downloaded as Shorebirds_FSD_fl_pnt in August
2017. When downloaded the data was in shapefile format and the coordinate
system was NAD_1983_2011_Florida_GDL_Albers. The data was projected
to GCS_North_American_1983_HARN using the NAD_1983_HARN_To_NAD_
1983_2011 transformation.
-Added DESCRIPT field, populated it based on a concatenation of SPECIES
and BEHAVIOR
-Where SPECIES & BEHAVIOR = NULL, populated DESCRIPT
as NO DESCRIPT AVAILABLE
-Where SPECIES has data & BEHAVIOR = null, populated
DESCRIPT with only SPECIES
-Where SPECIES & BEHAVIOR have data, populated DESCRIPT
as [SPECIES] & " [" & [BEHAVIOR] & "]" in field calculator
-Added FGDLAQDATE and populated it based on the date GeoPlan received the data
-Deleted OBJECTID
-Restructured table
-Uppercased all fields
-Renamed data from Shorebirds_FSD_fl_pnt to shorebirds_may16
Note: Previously this dataset was downloaded in shapefile format and the
coordinate system was GCS_WGS_1984. With the change to NAD_1983_2011_Florida_GDL_Albers and the projection
to GCS_North_American_1983_HARN using the NAD_1983_HARN_To_NAD_
1983_2011 transformation a slight shift of approximately 1 meter was introduced compared to previous versions.
Dataset copied.
Internal feature number.
ESRI
Feature geometry.
Esri
RecordStatus - Verification status of the record.
FSA
Year in which the breeding survey data was collected.
FSA
LocationVisitID - 28-digit Unique ID for each survey record, where a location visit is a survey of either a Route, Solitary Nesting Site, Colonia Nesting Site, Roving Chick/Staging Young Location, or Rooftop Nesting Site; A LocationVisitID can have multiple SiteVisitID child records. Each value is comprised of the 16-digit LocationID & "." & 8-digit date (YYYYMMDD) & "." & 2-digit Replicate number (SurveyRep); e.g. S0911.2011.T20110419.01.
FSA
16-digit Unique ID assigned to each unique survey location in the database (Route, Solitary Nest Site, Colonial Nest Site, Roving Chick / Staging Young Location, or Rooftop Location). Each value is comprised of the 5-digit landowner code (codes are derived from the Mistype and MAID fields found in the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Florida Managed Areas GIS Layer) & "." & 4-digit year the location was created & "." & 1-digit Location Type code (T = Route, S = Solitary Nest Site, C = Colonial Nest Site, Y = Roving Chick / Staging Young, R = Rooftop Nest Site) & 4-digit sequential count; e.g. S0911.2011.T0001 is the first Route (T0001) established at Egmont Key (S0911) in 2011.
FSA
SiteVisitID - 28-digit Unique ID for each site visit, where a site visit is a visit so either a Solitary Nesting Site, Colonial Nesting Site, Roving Chick/Staging Young Location, or Rooftop Nesting Site. A SiteVisitID can have multiple SpCountID child records. Each value is comprised of the 16-digit SiteID & '.' & 8-digit year & '.' & 2-digit Replicate number (SiteVisitRep); e.g. S0911.2011.S0001.20110419.01.
FSA
16-digit Unique ID assigned to each unique Site in the database (Solitary Nest Site, Colonial Nest Site, Roving Chick / Staging Young Location, or Rooftop Location). Each value is comprised of the 5-digit landowner code (codes are derived from the MATYPE and MAID fields found in the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Florida Managed Areas GIS Layer) & "." & 4-digit year the site was created & "." & 1-digit Site Type code (S = Solitary Nest Site, C = Colonial Nest Site, Y = Roving Chick / Staging Young, R = Rooftop Nest Site) & 4-digit sequential count; e.g. S0911.2011.S0001 is the first Solitary site (S0001) established at Egmont Key (S0911) in 2011.
FSA
32-digit Unique ID for each species observed during a site visit. Each value is comprised of the 28-digit SiteVisitID & '.' & 1-digit Site Type code (S = Solitary Nest Site, C = Colonial Nest Site, Y = Roving Chick / Staging Young, R = Rooftop Nest Site) & 2-digit sequential count; e.g. S0911.2011.S0001.20110419.01.S01 is the first solitary species count (S01) recorded on 04/19/2011 at site S0911.2011.S0001 rep 01.
FSA
NatalNestSiteID - Unique Site ID (colony or solitary SiteID) associated with the Natal Nest site where the Roving Chicks / Staging Young were hatched. If natal site is unknown value will be NULL.
FSA
Field survey protocol that the data are associated with.
FSA
Type of survey conducted
FSA
SurveyLocation - Unique name assigned to the survey location. All survey location names are prefaced by a 2-digit county code and a dash; e.g. HL - Egmont NW Beach Route.
FSA
When a route is surveyed more than once during a single day (by one or more surveyors), a unique Survey Replicate number is assigned to each survey.
FSA
SiteVisitType - Type of site visit conducted (Colony, Solitary, Chicks/Young, Rooftop).
FSA
SiteLandowner - Name of the property landowner on which the first site falls. Public landowner names are derived from the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Florida Managed Lands Layer
FSA
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Region the site is located within.
FSA
County the site is located within.
FSA
Unique name assigned to the nesting site. All nesting site names are prefaced by a 2-digit county code, a unique number, and a dash (e.g. HL2 - Egmont Key WIPL 1).
FSA
SiteVisitRep - When a site is visited more than once during a single day (by one or more surveyors), a unique Site Visit Replicate value is assigned to each visit.
FSA
SpeciesSummary - Summary list of all species observed during the site visit.
FSA
Date on which the site visit occurred.
FSA
Survey start time
FSA
Survey end time. Applies to Route surveys only, if a route survey was not conducted value is null.
FSA
List of observers participating in the survey.
FSA
AdditionalObsCount - Number of additional observers participating in the survey.
FSA
AdditionalObsNames - Names of the additional observers participating in the survey.
FSA
NestingBirdsOnSurvey - Were birds observed during the location survey?
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
RouteComplete - If a route survey was conducted, was the route survey completed? Applies to route surveys only, if a route survey was not conducted value is null.
FSA
Yes
FSA
No
FSA
Notes about the route survey.
FSA
RouteSurveyTransport - Summary list of the modes of transportation used to conduct the route survey; Applies to route surveys only, if a route survey was not conducted value is null.
FSA
WalkingSurvey - All or part of the survey was conducted on foot; Applies to route surveys only, if a route survey was not conducted value is null.
FSA
All or part of the survey was conducted from an ATV; Applies to route surveys only, if a route survey was not conducted value is null.
FSA
Yes
FSA
Not a route survey
FSA
No
FSA
All or part of the survey was conducted from a Car/Truck; Applies to route surveys only, if a route survey was not conducted value is null.
FSA
Yes
FSA
Not a route survey
FSA
No
FSA
MotorboatSurvey - All or part of the survey was conducted from a Motorboat; Applies to route surveys only, if a route survey was not conducted value is null.
FSA
PersonalWCsurvey - All or part of the survey was conducted from a Personal Watercraft; Applies to route surveys only, if a route survey was not conducted value is null.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
NonMotorVesselSurvey - All or part of the survey was conducted from a Non-motorized vessel; Applies to route surveys only, if a route survey was not conducted value is null.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
OtherSurveyMode - All or part of the survey was conducted from alternate mode of transportation; Applies to route surveys only, if a route survey was not conducted value is null
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Was the site posted? If yes, how?
FSA
Not Posted
FSA
Posted with signs
FSA
Posted with signs & rope
FSA
NestingBirdsAtSite - Were nesting birds observed at the nesting site?
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
SiteActivityStatus - Activity status of the site?
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
InactiveReason - If SiteActivityStatus = Abandon, what was the reason for the Inactivity?
FSA
InactiveOther - Description of other cause of Inactivity (e.g. InactiveReason = Other, InactiveOther = 'gopher tortoise').
FSA
If SiteVisitType = Colonial and SiteActivityStatus = Active, was a portion of the colony lost due to impacts?
FSA
Yes
FSA
No
FSA
ImpactCause - If Impacted = Y, what was the cause of the impact?
FSA
ImpactCauseOther - Description of other causes of impact to colonial sites
FSA
DisturbanceSummary - Summary list of all the disturbances observed causing birds to flush.
FSA
Dist_Pedestrians - Pedestrians observed causing birds to flush.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Dist_HumanIntrusion - Humans on rooftop observed causing birds to flush.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Dist_DogsLeashed - Leashed dogs observed causing birds to flush.
FSA
Dist_DogsUnleashed - Unleashed dogs observed causing birds to flush.
FSA
Dist_Vehicles - Vehicles observed causing birds to flush.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Dist_NonPowerWatercraft - NonPower watercraft(s) observed causing birds to flush
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Dist_PowerWatercraft - Power watercraft(s) observed causing birds to flush.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Dist_GhostCrabs - Ghost crabs observed causing birds to flush.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Dist_AvianPredator - Avian predator(s) observed causing birds to flush
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Dist_Aircraft - Aircraft observed causing birds to flush.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Dist_KiteSurfers - Kite Surfer / Landboarder observed causing birds to flush.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Gull(s) causing birds to flush. Applies to rooftop sites only.
FSA
Yes
FSA
No
FSA
Crow(s) causing birds to flush. Applies to rooftop sites only.
FSA
Yes
FSA
No
FSA
Dist_WadingBirds - Wading bird(s) causing birds to flush. Applies to rooftop sites only.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Dist_Raptor - Raptor(s) causing birds to flush. Applies to rooftop sites only
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Dist_UnknownSource - flushing observed, source of disturbance unknown.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Other source of disturbance observed causing birds to flush.
FSA
TrackSummary - Summary list of all the tracks observed within 30 feet of the site.
FSA
Dog/Canid tracks observed within 30 feet of the site.
FSA
Yes
FSA
No
FSA
VehicleTracks - Vehicle tracks observed within 30 feet of the site.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Cat tracks observed within 30 feet of the site.
FSA
Yes
FSA
No
FSA
RaccoonTracks - Raccoon tracks observed within 30 feet of the site.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
SnakeTracks - Snake tracks observed within 30 feet of the site.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
PeopleTracks - People tracks observed within 30 feet of the site.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
GhostCrabTracks - Ghost crab tracks observed within 30 feet of the site.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
unkwnTracks - Tracks observed within 30 feet of the site; source unknown.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
OtherTracks - Tracks observed within 30 feet of the site from another source.
FSA
BeachRaking - Beach racking observed within 300 feet of the site.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
Wet Wrack observed within 300 feet of the site.
FSA
Yes
FSA
No
FSA
WetWrackAbundance - If WetWrack = Y, was the wet wrack abundant or sparse?
FSA
Abundant wet wrack
FSA
Sparse wet wrack
FSA
SiteVisitNotes - Notes about the site visit.
FSA
ChicksFallingofRoof - Chicks are falling off the rooftop.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
FallingChickNotes - Notes about chicks falling off the rooftop sites.
FSA
ChicksReturnedToRoof - Chicks are returned to rooftop site after falling.
FSA
No
FSA
Yes
FSA
ReturnToRoofnotes - Notes about returning chicks to the rooftops.
FSA
Species observed at the site.
FSA
If SiteVisitType = 'Solitary' and SiteActivityStatus = 'Active', type of nesting behavior observed.
FSA
EggCountAccuracy - If SiteVisitType = 'Solitary' and SiteActivityStatus = 'Active', count type accuracy associated with the egg count.
FSA
NestCountAccuracy - If SiteVisitType = 'Colonial' or 'Rooftop' and SiteActivityStatus = 'Active', count type accuracy associated with the nest count.
FSA
DownyCountAccuracy - If SiteVisitType = 'Solitary' or 'Colonial' or 'Chicks/Young' or 'Rooftop' and SiteActivityStatus = 'Active', count type accuracy associated with the downy chick count.
FSA
FeatheredCountAccuracy - If SiteVisitType = 'Colonial' or 'Chicks/Young' or 'Rooftop' and SiteActivityStatus = 'Active', count type accuracy associated with the feathered chick count.
FSA
FlightCountAccuracy - If SiteVisitType = 'Colonial' or 'Chicks/Young' or 'Rooftop' and SiteActivityStatus = 'Active', count type accuracy associated with the flight capable chick count.
FSA
AdultCountAccuracy - If SiteVisitType = 'Solitary' or 'Colonial' or 'Chicks/Young' or 'Rooftop' and SiteActivityStatus = 'Active', 'PreNesting', 'Unknown', count type accuracy associated with the adult count.
FSA
RovingStagingHabitat - Type of habitat in which the Active Young were observed.
FSA
RovingStagingOtherHabitat - Other type of habitat in which the Active Young were observed.
FSA
NatalNestSiteID - Unique Site ID (colony or solitary SiteID) associated with the Natal Nest site where the Roving Chicks / Staging Young were hatched. If natal site is unknown value will be NULL.
FSA
First and last name of the person who entered the record into the Florida Shorebird Database.
FSA
Number of eggs observed at Solitary nest sites; see EggCountAccuracy for count type accuracy.
FSA
Number of nests observed at Colonial or Rooftop sites; see NestCountAccuracy for count type accuracy.
FSA
Number of downy chicks observed at a Solitary, Colonial, Chick/Young, or Rooftop sites; see DownyCountAccuracy for count type accuracy.
FSA
FeatherChick - Number of feathered chicks observed at Colonial, Chick/Young, or Rooftop sites; see FeatheredCountAccuracy for count type accuracy.
FSA
FlightChick - Number of flight capable chicks observed at Colonial, Chick/Young, or Rooftop sites; see FlightCountAccuracy for count type accuracy.
FSA
Number of adults observed at Solitary, Colonial, Chick/Young, or Rooftop sites; see AdultCountAccuracy for count type accuracy.
FSA
Number of leashed dogs observed within 300 feet of the site.
FSA
Not a route survey
FSA
Dogulshd - Number of unleashed dogs observed within 300 feet of the site.
FSA
SiteLatitude - The latitude of the nesting site (colonial, solitary, or rooftop) or Chick/Young observation in decimal degrees.
FSA
SiteLongitude - The longitude of the nesting site (colonial, solitary, or rooftop) or Chick/Young observation in decimal degrees
FSA
FGDL added field based on SPECIES and BEHAVIOR
GeoPlan
The date FGDL acquired the data from the Source.
GeoPlan
Unique ID added by GeoPlan
GeoPlan
The FSD database includes information about the surveys, such as: location, site, species, sampling methods, dates, times, observers, observation comments, site status, various disturbances, behavior, nesting and chick status.
A data dictionary table will be included with a request of the complete database. It is available as SQL Server or MS Access.
431 Architecture PO Box 115706
The Florida Geographic Data Library is a collection of Geospatial Data compiled by the University of Florida GeoPlan Center with support from the Florida Department of Transportation. GIS data available in FGDL is collected from various state, federal, and other agencies (data sources) who are data stewards, producers, or publishers. The data available in FGDL may not be the most current version of the data offered by the data source. University of Florida GeoPlan Center makes no guarantees about the currentness of the data and suggests that data users check with the data source to see if more recent versions of the data exist. Furthermore, the GIS data available in the FGDL are provided 'as is'. The University of Florida GeoPlan Center makes no warranties, guaranties or representations as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of the data provided by the data sources. The University of Florida GeoPlan Center makes no representations or warranties about the quality or suitability of the materials, either expressly or implied, including but not limited to any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. The University of Florida GeoPlan Center shall not be liable for any damages suffered as a result of using, modifying, contributing or distributing the materials. A note about data scale: Scale is an important factor in data usage. Certain scale datasets are not suitable for some project, analysis, or modeling purposes. Please be sure you are using the best available data. 1:24000 scale datasets are recommended for projects that are at the county level. 1:24000 data should NOT be used for high accuracy base mapping such as property parcel boundaries. 1:100000 scale datasets are recommended for projects that are at the multi-county or regional level. 1:125000 scale datasets are recommended for projects that are at the regional or state level or larger. Vector datasets with no defined scale or accuracy should be considered suspect. Make sure you are familiar with your data before using it for projects or analysis. Every effort has been made to supply the user with data documentation. For additional information, see the References section and the Data Source Contact section of this documentation. For more information regarding scale and accuracy, see our webpage at: http://geoplan.ufl.edu/education.html
Contact GIS Librarian by e-mail, telephone, or letter explaining which products are needed and providing a brief description of how the products will be used. Also, provide name and address of the person or organization requesting the products.
Contact GIS Librarian
100 Eighth Avenue Southeast