A database management system (Microsoft Access 2000, dBase IV, and Arc/View compatible) is available if you wish to manage your own data. This database contains forms for searching records and exporting records to a GIS package like ArcView. Copies of the database structure and programs are available from the Division's database and downloadable from <http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/wildobs/> (within the Commission only). For details see Appendix 1.
The BWDC is interested in maintaining current records of species' distributions within the state. To facilitate this, location information can be recorded at several levels of accuracy on the field forms. Space is provided to record numbers of animals observed and to classify them according to age and sex. In addition, you can record 1 or 2 types of habitats occupied and activities observed. Details of the type of survey and type of count or estimation method used may also be recorded. Optionally, information on the type of managed area where the sighting was made can be noted, and provision is made to identify important wildlife use areas. Finally, space is provided for detailed notes on behavior, location, and survey type information.
The Contracted Projects Program, project proposal guidelines presents specific requirements on data collection. Following are some additional specific tips to the principle investigator:
1. The fields and value described for sites and counts above are meant to allow sharing of the data within our agency, and other agencies (such as Florida Natural Areas Inventory) that we have cooperative agreements with. For example, the habitat classification we use allows a common means of describing the habitat type. If the particular project uses a different classification scheme, it is requested that a reference be included to the classification scheme as well as possible mapping to our proposed scheme. Additionally if different field names are used, it should be clear the meaning and mapping to the above fields. For example if the project has a "Count" field, the associated metadata should detail whether this is a count of individuals, nests, pairs, or what. 2. At a minimum, the fields in the "Contracted Projects Program, project proposal" should be included, that is, specifically: a. The data for sites should include the site name, observer, affiliation of the observer, latitude, longitude, date the site information was included, mapping method and datum, county name, habitat description, and any notes. b. The data for specific observations should include the observer, affiliation, date of the observation, common name of the species, a count of the individuals, and how the count was determined, and any notes. 3. At a minimum, the metadata described in Appendix 16 should be included with the data delivery in paper format. If the project has already completed FGDC compliant metadata for the project, that is sufficient. 4. Acceptable data formats are dBase IV, Microsoft Access 2000, Microsoft Access 1997, Microsoft Excel, Arc/View shape files, or delimited text file (provided a description of the fields is included). 5. In all studies latitude and longitude should be acquired with a Global positioning system (GPS). 6. Data may be delivered on 3.5" diskette, CD-ROM, Zip disk, or if less than 1 megabytes via email.
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>
North Florida
Page 31 "Black Spring" 30o 41.5' 85o 17.5'
Page 31 "Lookout" southeast of Campbellton 30o 56.0' 85o 23.5'
Central Florida
Page 87 Boat Landing on Route 520, northwest of Lake Poinsett 28o 22.0' 80o 52.0'
Page 87 Jct. of Route 192/500 and 419 north of Deer Park 28o 06.0' 80o 53.0'
South Florida
Page 112 Jct. of Route 29 and 858 north of Sunniland 26o 18.0' 81o 20.5'
Page 114 "Andytown" 26o 08.5' 80o 26.5' Appendix 12. Determining Latitude/Longitude Coordinates from Gazetteer: To determine latitude/longitude coordinates, first select the appropriate transparent grid for your area:
North Florida - from the state line south to 29o N latitude (i.e., north of a line from New Smyrna Beach to Yankeetown); Central Florida - 29o N latitude south to 27o N latitude (i.e., a line from Jupiter to Port Charlotte); South Florida - 27o N latitude to 25o N latitude (i.e., Tavernier).
Next, align the corners of the grid with the tic marks and corners of theDeLorme map to cover your location on the map. Determine the correct coordinates by adding or subtracting from the known coordinates on the map. Record the latitude and longitude (i.e., 30 seconds) using the coordinates to the southeast of the sighting. (Recall that latitude increases from south to north while longitude increases from east to west.) As tic marks on the DeLorme maps are 7.5 minutes apart, it is easiest to align the transparent grid using map corners and tic marks near the center of each page. This is much easier if the tic marks corresponding to 15-minute intervals are highlighted in orange. Coordinates are most accurate if you work close to the origin of the grid. With practice this is quick and fairly accurate, please perfect your technique by practicing with the examples in Appendix 11.
For the record, and for those interested in the level of accuracy available from the DeLorme maps, the grids were developed using the following information and measurements. Scale = 1:150,000 (i.e., 1" = 2.3 miles, ca. 7/16" = 1 mile, 1 cm = 1.5 km, 1 mm = 150 m, 11.25 mm = 1 mile, ad nauseum). Similarly in terms of minutes of latitude and longitude relative to map distance: 1' Latitude = 12.3 mm across the whole state, but 1' of longitude ranges from 10.5 mm in north Florida to 11.2 mm in the Keys. In terms of estimated ground distance 1' of latitude = ca. 1840 m (1.84 km), across the state (but on the maps in 1986 edition I noticed variation of from 1.83 to 1.85 km); while 1' of longitude = ca. 1.7 km (at 26o N), ca. 1.6 km (at 28o N), and ca. 1.5 km (at 30o N). Read the inside front cover of the DeLorme maps for more information.
In our experience comparing locations on DeLorme maps and the topographic quadrangles upon which they are based, our transparent grids are reliably accurate to the nearest 0.5 minute of latitude or longitude. This is roughly equivalent to locating a point to the nearest 1/4 section. If more accuracy is needed use topographic maps or (Most preferable!) Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) units set to a datum of WGS84.
The Sites Table was joined to the Counts Table from the WildObs database by SITENUM.
SITES TABLE Created to hold location information about Notable Wildlife Areas, as well as sites casually frequented by individuals. All fields may not be meaningful for all studies.
Structure of the Sites Table in WildObs database: Field name Type Size Description SITENAME Text 40 Name of site, e.g. St. Marks, Mounds Pool #3 SITENUMBER Text 11 Unique site number designating county, wildlife population type. Link to counts table ALTNUMBER Text 11 Alternately recorded number, e.g. Wading bird atlas number CONFIRMED Text 1 Site confirmation status, link to Confirm table RANK Text 3 Rank of the site in sites of this type (1 is best) RANKBASIS Text 3 Basis for the ranking, i.e., total count of sites ranked RANKDATE Text 10 Date of the ranking OBSERVER Text 20 Name of observer of form G.E. Reynolds AFFILTION Text 3 Affiliation of observer, link to AFFIL SITEDATE Text 10 Date the site was first recorded, for example 2001/05/11 LAT_DEG Text 9 Degrees latitude LAT_MIN Text 9 Minutes latitude LAT_SEC Text 9 Seconds latitude (optional) LON_DEG Text 9 Degrees longitude/ Record as positive number LON_MIN Text 9 Minutes longitude LON_SEC Text 9 Seconds longitude (optional) ACCURACY Text 10 Accuracy in meters ACCTABLE Text 1 Y if accuracy came from MAPMETHOD table MAPMETHOD Text 15 Description of how lat/lon was derived, link to MAPMETHOD table. MAPNAME Text 40 Name of topo map, DeLorme Page MAPDATE Text 10 Publication date of map DATUM Text 7 Datum used by the method TOWNSHIP Text 3 Township of Township/range/section if known RANGE Text 3 Range of Township/range/section if known SECTION Text 2 Section of Township/range/section if known QSECTION Text 2 Quarter Section of Township/range/section if known COUNTYNAME Text 12 County Name, linked to COUNTY table MANAGEAREA Text 6 Link to Managed, e.g. 1, 1.1.2 HABITAT1 Text 6 Link to habitat type (left justified) 2 , 2.1 HABITAT2 Text 6 Link to habitat type (left justified) 2, 2.1 LOC_NOTES Text 254 Description of site, detailed directions QCMAP Text 3 Initials of person checking map QCMAPDATE Text 10 Date of map check MAP_ID Text 10 Id generated by GIS LAT Double 8 Decimal latitude for mapping LON Double 8 Decimal longitude for mapping. Use minus for Florida. SITETYPE Text 3 Type of site, link to SITETYPE STUDYID Text 8 Study identifier used by the study, link to metadata catalog RecCounter Auto 8 Automatically assigned random record number Explanation of Fields in the Sites Table: SITENAME - a name for the site, as has been assigned in most of our surveys. Note that these names don't necessarily have to be unique, since sitenumbers are the only unique Akey@ field. However for reports, assign a name that is as good as you can make it, and will be useful for future surveyors. The site name should be unambiguous within the county. Names like "Publix" are poor, names like "Publix #67, Naples" are better.
SITENUMBER - The number of the Notable Wildlife Area (NWA) in which the species was observed, if applicable (see Appendix 5). The field contains a 11-digit code consisting of the following: the first 4 letters of the county in which it is found (see Appendix 9), a 3-digit site-type code, and a 3-digit sequential number for the given sitetype (see Appendix 3) within the county. For example, a sitenumber code might be BAY_001033A (where the "_" represents a space) or LEON001001A. The eleventh and twelfth digit (for A, B, C, ...) allows for i. Designation of Asub-sites@ (e.g., different nesting locations within the same Asite@ [like wading bird subcolonies], ii. Different nesting locations between years at the same Asite@ [like bald eagle nests which may move between different trees during 2 different years]). iii. Multiple instances of recording the site location information, for example habitat information. iv. Multiple years for the same basic site. The twelfth digit particularly would be useful for this, for example FRAN004001A9. The designation of the 3-digit site-type codes will be coordinated through the Data Base Analyst (See Appendix 5 for a list of currently accepted codes. Sites for casual observations will get assigned a sitetype of "OBS" then a sitenumber whose numerical value is equal to the numerical value of the record number of the corresponding first count table record for the site. Casual sites entered from the web are prefaced with "web", for example web000002. This field is the KEY FIELD for linking between the sites and counts databases! It must be unique within the table of SITES. Case does not matter in determining uniqueness, for example there cannot be both FRAN004001A and FRAN004001a
ALTNUMBER - another identifier that may have been used for the site in surveys, etc. (e.g., 616001 for a wading bird rookery in the Atlas, LE01 for a bald eagle nest). This may serve as a link to the original database, or to field paper forms.
CONFIRMED - has the species (or species group) been confirmed as using the site by reliable sources within the FWC (CONFIRMED = C), outside the Commission (O), or is the site questionable (N), unconfirmed (U), or simply a potential (P) use area?
RANK - the numerical ranking of a site, if applicable (see RANKBASIS).
RANKBASIS - the numerical basis for the site's ranking (e.g., the top 100 wading bird rookeries were ranked, so the tenth Abest@ rookery would have a RANK of 10 and a RANKBASIS of 100). This field is also included in the lookup table for Notable Wildlife Area types, SITETYPE
RANKDATE - the date on which the site was ranked with the data formatted as yyyy/mm/dd (e.g., 1996/05/30). You will note that dates indexed in this format are automatically in chronological order (i.e., year, then month, then date) even though all date fields are actual text. Having a text field for date fields allows entering of incomplete dates (e.g., 1996/05), which may be needed for historical data. If both month and day are not known use spaces for example 2000/ /
OBSERVER - the person who documented the site will be listed here. The format is as follows: G.E. Reynolds, with the name left justified and a single space between the middle initial and the last name. There is also a lookup table for observers (ADDRESS) which contains more detailed information about people who have contributed data to the wildobs system (e.g., full name, address, phone number, etc.); this information is entered only once in the lookup table for each observer. Another table (OBSERVER) allows name changes such that observer names never have to be changed in the main SITES and COUNTS tables.
AFFILTION - 3-letter codes for the affiliations (e.g., FWC). See lookup table, AFFIL, for the complete list.
SITEDATE - the date on which the observer described the site. However, if a date is unknown and cannot be determined you may enter incomplete dates (historical data only, please). For example, if only the month and year are known you may enter 1998/01. This format is the case for all wildobs date fields.
LAT_DEG, LAT_MIN, LAT_SEC, LON_DEG, LON_MIN, LON_SEC The degrees minutes of the latitude and longitude. The LAT_MIN and LON_MIN are usually recorded as decimal minutes for example 29.313. LAT_SEC and LON_SEC may be used if desired to record the seconds as a separate field. One should record the exact number of digits provided in the given mapping method (e.g., from a differentially-corrected GPS location). The Database analyst will store this information in the decimal LAT/LON fields for mapping.
ACCURACY - the approximate accuracy of the latitude/longitude coordinates expressed in meters of ground distance (plus-or-minus from the Atrue@ location). For commonly employed methods, there is a lookup table called MAPPING, which often lists the average accuracy and estimated 95% confidence intervals for each method.
ACCTABLE - did the accuracy come directly from the MAPPING lookup table? Y for yes, N for no. If no, use the LOC_NOTES field to elaborate the source of the accuracy estimate.
MAPMETHOD - a unique identifier for each technique used to map sites in WildObs (see MAPPING lookup table). Note that the first several digits of this field designate the general method employed to map the location (e.g., TOPO = using a topo quad, AVGUCGPS = using the average of several uncorrected GPS coordinates, etc.). GUESS may be used to indicate that such.
MAPNAME - the name of the map, if any, which was used for plotting the location (e.g., if a topo quad was used, this would be the name of the quad map; if a Delorme Atlas was used, this would be the page number & section of the page [e.g., 26 A-1]).
MAPDATE - the publication date of the map used to plot the location, if any. This would be the date the map was first published, not the date it was updated using aerial photography, etc.
DATUM - the datum employed by the method (map, GPS unit, etc.) you used to plot your location. DEP and DOT now distribute their data in a customized Albers projection using the HPGN datum (See <http://www.dep.state.fl.us/gis/dataspec.htm>). That datum optimizes the correct calculation of areas to the detriment (however small) of distance and shape. The datum used on a map is typically noted, and we should be able to determine which one our GPS unit's use, which is typically WGS-84. This should be recorded this if it is easily obtainable since guessing the datum can result in errors of hundreds of meters.See <http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/notes/notes.html> for more information.
TOWNSHIP, RANGE, SECTION, QSECTION. The following four fields are geographic coordinates recorded in the Public Land Survey System. For examples of the layout see: <http://feature.geography.wisc.edu/sco/geodetic/plss.html> or <http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hollow/3184/tipsland.html> For all records in Florida, the principal meridian is the Tallahassee Principal. To convert a TRS to a lat/lon or to see a map based on TRS go to <http://www.landnetusa.com/> (This is now a pay site - Within the Commission under \\Wildnet\BWDC\Field Data\MULTIPLE\WILDOBS\Access\TRSSearch.mdb is an Access database that allows searching also, or web site internally <http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/beardata/gis.asp> has conversions).
TOWNSHIP - the township in which the observation occurred. This may be recorded as, for example, 10S or 5N, followed by a blank space. The township is an OPTIONAL FIELD at this time but should be recorded if a SITENUMBER is assigned.
RANGE - the range in which the observation occurred. This may be recorded as, for example, 15E or 5W, followed by a blank space. The range is also an OPTIONAL FIELD at this time but should be recorded if a SITENUMBER is assigned.
SECTION - the legal section in which the observation occurred. This should be recorded as, for example, 15 or 5, followed by a blank space. This is also an OPTIONAL FIELD.
QSECTION - the quarter section in which the observation occurred (NW, NE, SE, or SW). In certain cases, the location may actually lie in more than 1 quarter section. If the observation is at the center of the 4 quarter-sections, record it as C_ (Where "_" always represents a blank space). If it is located between 2 of them, record it to the nearest half-section (e.g., an observation along the line between the NW and SW quarter-sections would be recorded as W_). This is an OPTIONAL FIELD.
COUNTYNAME - the name of the county in which the observation was recorded (see Appendix 9 or lookup table COUNTY for accepted spellings). For example, Indian River.
Appendix 9. Accepted COUNTYNAME spellings and 4-digit county codes. Alachua ALAC HernandoHERN Polk POLK Baker BAKE Highlands HIGH Putnam PUTN Bay BAY_ Hillsborough HILL St. Johns STJO Bradford BRAD Holmes HOLM St. Lucie STLU Brevard BREV Indian River INDI Santa Rosa SANT Broward BROW Jackson JACK Sarasota SARA Calhoun CALH Jefferson JEFF Seminole SEMI Charlotte CHAR Lafayette LAFA Sumter SUMT Citrus CITR Lake LAKE Suwannee SUWA Clay CLAY Lee LEE_ Taylor TAYL Collier COLL Leon LEON Union UNIO Columbia COLU Levy LEVY Volusia VOLU Dade DADE Liberty LIBE Wakulla WAKU DeSoto DESO Madison MADI Walton WALT Dixie DIXI Manatee MANA Washington WASH Duval DUVA Marion MARI Escambia ESCA Martin MART Flagler FLAG Monroe MONR Franklin FRAN Nassau NASS Gadsden GADS Okaloosa OKAL Gilchrist GILC OkeechobeeOKEE Glades GLAD Orange ORAN Gulf GULF Osceola OSCE Hamilton HAMI Palm BeachPALM Hardee HARD Pasco PASC Hendry HEND Pinellas PINE
MANAGEAREA - A code for the type of managed land on which the species was recorded, if applicable. Codes are hierarchical in nature with the first number representing the level of the agency/organization who owns the land (federal, state, local, private), the second number dividing the managing groups within a given level, and the third designating the type of managed area. For example, 1.1.2 represents a National Wildlife Refuge (see Appendix 6). In cases where the area is managed by more than 1 agency, record it as a Wildlife Management Area if the Commission is 1 of the cooperating agencies; use the lead agency if the Commission is not involved. This is an OPTIONAL FIELD but should be filled out if the observation occurred on a managed area. Consider eliminating, because managed areas can be displayed on a map and all points that occur in managed areas can labeled as such. Additional because the designation of what is a WMA (either do to purchase of giving up an area), is changeable the value at the time of recording may not be the current value.
HABITAT1 - the primary habitat code for the site at which the observation occurred (see Appendix 7). Codes should be left-justified within the field and should be listed as, for example, 1, 1.8, or 1.8.6. The observer should record to the level they feel most comfortable with.
HABITAT2 - a second habitat code for the site at which the observation occurred, if applicable. Record as specified in HABITAT1. This is an OPTIONAL FIELD, depending on whether or not a second habitat type is present at the site.
LOC_NOTES - this field should contain written directions to the site (e.g., 1 mile west of Kissimmee River bridge on State Road 70), as well as the name of the managed area, Critical Wildlife Area, or well-known site on which the observation took place, if applicable. Additional items might include more detailed information pertaining to the habitat, details of ownership, or disturbance factors.
QCMAP - the initials of the person who quality-checked the given record, if any. This especially applies to the mapped location, hence the name.
QCMAPDATE - the date of the quality check.
MAP_ID - the unique identifier for the site assigned and used by our mapping software to track the location internally. Eventually, we may want to eliminate our SITENUMBERS and simply use the unique numbers which ArcView generates for each mapped location; this would eliminate the administrative task of assigning numbers, and we would no longer be making assumptions about whether or not a given Asite@ was the same as another (the computer would just display them on the map as they occurred in the field).
LAT - The decimal degrees representation of the latitude for use with Mapping Software such as ArcView. The Database analyst generates this from the LAT_DEG, LAT_MIN and LAT_SEC fields.
LON - The decimal degrees representation of the longitude for use with mapping software such as ArcView. Longitude degrees in Florida should be negative numbers. The Database analyst automatically generates this from the LON_DEG,LON_MIN and LON_SEC fields.
SITETYPE - The type of the site. This is also encoded in the SITENUMBER, but this allows easily searching for sites of specific types.
STUDYID - a study id code if the record was part of an organized project. This may be composed of the FWC Project/Study code for a given project, along with the beginning year of that project (e.g., 925351993 for the Wading Bird Protection Initiative), or for those projects which share a Project/Study code with other project(s), some other code plus the year (e.g., COHA1993 for the Cooper=s hawk work, which was placed under 7615 - other approved surveys). Study ids of the form NG99-009, are contracted research projects funded by the nongame program. This is linked to the Division's Metadata catalog where additional information about the project is kept see <http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/datacat/> (within the Commission, go to that web site and search by the study id). In some cases, the multiple count records associated with a given sitenumber, may span multiple "studies", so the study id in the counts table is more reliable with respect to the study associated with a particular count.
RECCOUNTER - This numerically assigned record indicator is used for web displays and can be used for unique indications. This should not be assumed to be the same as the number of records in the table.
COUNTS TABLE Created to hold wildlife count data from Notable Wildlife Areas (i.e., locations having assigned sitenumbers; see SITETYPE for list of the types of NWA=s), as well as sites frequented by individuals. This table is linked to table SITES through the SITENUMBER field and contains one record per species per site for a given site visit (i.e., date and time).
Description of fields in the COUNTS table: Field name Type Size Description OBSERVER Text 20 Name of observer of observation, e.g. G.E. Reynolds AFFILTION Text 3 Affiliation of observer, link to AFFIL, e.g. FWC DATE Text 10 Date of the observation, for example 2001/05/11 STARTTIME Text 4 Start time in military time (no colon), e.g. 1325 ENDTIME Text 4 End time of observation COMNAME Text 35 Common name of species, e.g. Black skimmer SUBSPECIES Text 25 Latin subspecies designation if any ADULT_MALE Text 5 Number of adult males counted AMESTIMATE Text 1 Method of estimating adult males (à estimate) ADULT_FEM Text 5 Number of adult females counted AFESTIMATE Text 1 Method of estimating adult females (à estimate) ADULT_UNK Text 5 Number of adults (of unknown sex) counted AUESTIMATE Text 1 Method of estimating adults (unknown sex) (estimate) YOUNG_MALE Text 5 Number of immature males counted YMESTIMATE Text 1 Method of estimating immature males YOUNG_FEM Text 5 Number of immature females counted YFESTIMATE Text 1 Method of estimating immature females YOUNG_UNK Text 5 Number of immatures (of unknown sex) counted YUESTIMATE Text 1 Method of estimating immatures UNK_MALE Text 5 Number of males (of unknown age) UMESTIMATE Text 1 Method of estimating unknown males UNK_FEM Text 5 Number of females (of unknown age) UFESTIMATE Text 1 Method of estimating unknown females UNK_UNK Text 5 Number of individuals of unknown age and sex UUESTIMATE Text 1 Method of estimating individuals of unknown age and Sex (estimate) ICOUNTTYPE Text 1 Count type for the individuals (Link to COUNTTYPE) NESTS Text 5 Count of nests NESTIMATE Text 1 Method of estimating count of nests OCCUPIED Text 1 Were nests occupied? SURVEYTYPE Text 2 Survey type STUDYID Text 8 Study identifier used by the study SITENUMBER Text 11 Site number linked to sites ACTIVITY1 Text 7 Most prevalent activity, link to ACTIVITY ACTIVITY2 Text 7 Next Most prevalent activity, link to ACTIVITY SPP_NOTES Text 254 Notes specific to the observation QCCONTENT Text 3 Initials of person doing quality control QCDATE Text 10 Date of quality control KEY Text 6 Unique id to identify this record KEYER Integer 8 Automatically assigned numeric value for key
Explanation of Fields in the Counts Table: OBSERVER - The format is as follows: G.E. Reynolds, with the name left-justified and a space between the middle initial and the last name. There is also a lookup table for observers (ADDRESS) which contains more detailed information about people who have contributed data to the wildobs system (e.g., full name, address, phone number, etc.); this information is entered only once in the lookup table for each observer. Another table (OBSERVER) allows name changes such that observer names never have to be changed in the main SITES and COUNTS tables.
AFFILTION - The 3-letter codes for the affiliations. (e.g., FWC is the Commission. See lookup table, AFFIL, for the complete list.
DATE - the date on which the observer visited the site using a ten-digit format for dates (i.e., yyyy/mm/dd). A date should be recorded for every observation. However, if a date is unknown and cannot be determined you may enter incomplete dates (historical data only, please). For example, if only the month and year are known you may enter 1998/01
STARTTIME - the time at which the counting began or, alternatively, the time at which a single observation took place. Recorded in military time without the colon (e.g., 4:15 pm = 1615).
ENDTIME - the time at which the counting ended (left blank for an instantaneous observation). Recorded in military time without the colon (e.g., 1630).
COMNAME - the accepted common name for the species as provided in the Species Ranking database (see <http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/~sprandg/sprank/> within the Commission only). In the case of subspecies, if there is only one subspecies for a given species present in the state, use the common name for that subspecies (as indicated in the species ranking database); where multiple subspecies for a given species exist in Florida, use the common name for the species and list the subspecies part of the scientific name in the SUBSPECIES field. Capitalize the first word in the common name and leave the remainder in lower case. Format for entries is, for example, American kestrel.
SUBSPECIES - the commonly accepted Latin subspecies name, as listed in the Species Ranking Database. For example, for the American kestrel breeding population in Florida, the correct subspecies name and format for entry would be paulus (all lower case). This is an OPTIONAL FIELD.
ADULT_MALE - the number of adult males recorded at the given site on the given date. The number should be left justified within the character field. For example, the number 1 would be listed as 1, followed by 4 blank spaces. Of course, this is an OPTIONAL FIELD, depending on whether or not any adult males were observed at the site.
ADULT_FEM, ADULT_UNK, YOUNG_MALE, YOUNG_FEM, YOUNG_UNK, UNK_MALE, UNK_FEM - see ADULT_MALE for format. Count of adult, young, or unknown, male, female or unknown sex.
UNK_UNK - the number of individuals whose age and sex were not determined or the number of signs (e.g., tracks, etc.) observed. See ADULT_MALE for format.
AMESTIMATE, AFESTIMATE, AUESTIMATE, YMESTIMATE, YFESTIMATE, YUESTIMATE, UMESTIMATE, UFESTIMATE, UUESTIMATE - the estimate code (i.e., E=Exact count or census, G=Best guess, P=Incomplete or partial count, S=Estimated total count based upon a sample) for the Adult_male count, the Adult_female count, adult unknown sex count, young male count, young female count, young unknown sex count, unknown age male count, unknown age female county, and unknown age and sex count.
ICOUNTTYPE - the count type for the counts of individuals (i.e., I=count of individuals, Y=count of young in nest, N= counts of adults & young at nests, S= count of signs, for example track sets. A code for what the numbers in fields ADULT_MALE, ADULT_FEM, ADULT_UNK, YOUNG_MALE, YOUNG_FEM, YOUNG_UNK, UNK_MALE, UNK_FEM, UNK_UNK) (see Appendix 3).
NESTS - the number of nests recorded at the given location on the given date. The number should be left justified within the character field. For example, the number 1 would be listed as 1, followed by 4 blank spaces. Of course, this is an OPTIONAL FIELD, depending on whether or not any nests were observed at the location. Be sure to distinguish this from the number of pairs.
NESTIMATE - Method of estimating nest numbers. Namely: E=Exact count or census, G=Best guess, P=Incomplete or partial count, S=Estimated total count based upon a sample
OCCUPIED - basically, the count type for the nest count, which used to be a choice between occupied nests and Asuccessful@ nests. Y = yes (the nests were occupied), N = no, P = partially (for counts of many nests), or U = unknown.
SURVEYTYPE - the type of survey/census performed (see Appendix 3 for a list of current codes). For example, an aerial survey observation is recorded as AS.
STUDYID - a study id code if the record was part of an organized project. See the description under the SITES table. This allows linking to a metadata table (within the Commission)(<http://wildnet.fwc.state.fl.us/datacat/>) to allow obtaining more information about the project, or reports from the data.
SITENUMBER - The link to the description of the site in the SITES table. See the description there.
ACTIVITY1 - the activity being displayed by the species when it was observed (see Appendix 8). Activity codes should also be left-justified within the field and should be listed as, for example, 02, PO, 25, 25.13, or 25.13.4. This is generally the most prevalent activity, or perhaps the most noteworthy activity.
ACTIVITY2 - a second activity code for the given observation, if applicable. Record as shown under ACTIVITY1. This is an OPTIONAL FIELD, depending on whether or not the species was exhibiting a second type of activity.
SPP_NOTES - notes pertaining to the observation. May include a further explanation of the activities observed, etc. This is an OPTIONAL FIELD. Note any factors that may influence the count of this species, or unusual behaviors.
QCCONTENT - the initials of the person who quality-checked the given record, if any.
QCDATE - the date on which the above person quality-checked the given record.
KEY - Text field that indicates record number.
KEYER - Automatically assigned numeric record number used for web linking.
Appendix 13. Data Included in Wildobs COUNTS table Record #'s Data & References
1-5497 All the data from the first major wildobs update (dated 7/21/92) except the bald eagle nest survey data (please refer to the most current bald eagle nest survey databases for bald eagle nest locations). These records include the 1986-89 wading bird survey data, 1987-1990 shorebird data (mostly least terns), caracara data summarized by Brian Millsap, and Steve Christman's scrub sites where he recorded at least one of five vertebrate species (thus, not all of Christman's sites). Related references: Runde, D. E., J. A. Gore, J. A. Hovis, M. S. Robson, and P. D. Southall. 1991. Florida atlas of breeding sites for herons and their allies. Update 1986-89. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Nongame Wildl. Program Tech. Rep. No. 10. 147pp. StudyId=WADE1989 Hovis, J. A., and M. S. Robson. 1989. Breeding status and distribution of the least tern in the Florida Keys. Fla. Field Nat. 17:61-66. Gore, J. A. 1987. Black skimmers nesting on roofs in northwestern Florida. Fla. Field Nat. 15:77-79. Gore, J. A. 1991. Distribution and abundance of nesting least terns and black skimmers in northwest Florida. Fla. Field Nat. 19:65-96. Gore, J. A., and M. J. Kinnison. 1991. Hatching success in roof and ground colonies of least terns. Condor 93:759-762. None for caracara data (unpublished). Christman, S. P. 1988. Endemism and Florida interior sand pine scrub. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Draft Nongame Wildl. Program Final Rep., GFC-84-010, Tallahassee, Fla. (with Element Occurrence data provided by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee, Fla.)
5498-5735 Brian Millsap's original OCCUR.DBF file minus data for projects 1.1 and 1.8 (i.e., the wading bird and caracara data included above). These records include 1986-89 and historical short-tailed hawk sightings, among other things. Related references: Millsap, B. A., M. Robson, and D. E. Runde. 1989. Short-tailed hawk survey. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Nongame Wildl. Program Annu. Perf. Rep., Tallahassee, Fla. 8pp. Millsap, B. A. 1987. Summer concentration of American swallow-tailed kites at Lake Okeechobee, Florida, with comments on post-breeding movements. Fla. Field Nat. 15:85-Millsap, B. A., and D. E. Runde. 1988. American swallow-tailed kite population monitoring. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Nongame Wildl. Program Annu. Perf. Rep., Tallahassee, Fla. 4pp.
5736-6674 Miscellaneous data from the first WILDOBS.DBF established in Tallahassee. This includes incidental observations as well as Jeff Gore's cave bat survey data, Kevin Enge's scrub lizard data (includes some scrub jay & gopher tortoise data), Mike Delany's early grasshopper sparrow data (from 1985 report), Jeff Cox's scrub jay data, Jeff Gore's chipmunk data, more of Brian Millsap's short-tailed hawk data, and Julie Hovis' burrowing owl data from the Keys. Related references: Gore, J. A. 1987. Bat colonies in Jackson County caves: survey of caves. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Nongame Wildl. Program Final Perf. Rep., Tallahassee, Fla. 6pp. Enge, K. M., M. M. Bentzien, and H. F. Percival. 1986. Florida scrub lizard status survey. Fla. Coop. Fish. and Wildl. Res. Unit and Jacksonville End. Species Off., Tech. Rep. No. 26. 72pp. Delany, M. F., and J. A. Cox. 1985. Florida grasshopper sparrow status survey. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Wildl. Res. Lab. Tech. Bull. No. 13. Gainesville, Fla. 19pp. Cox, J. A. 1987. Status and distribution of the Florida scrub jay. Fla. Ornithol. Soc., Spec. Publ. No. 3. Gainesville, Fla. 110pp. Gore, J. A. 1989. Distribution of the eastern chipmunk. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Nongame Wildl. Program Final Perf. Rep., Tallahassee, Fla. 6pp. Gore, J. A. 1990. Distribution of the eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) in Florida. Fla. Sci. 53:280-285. Millsap, B. A., M. Robson, and D. E. Runde. 1989. Short-tailed hawk survey. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Nongame Wildl. Program Annu. Perf. Rep., Tallahassee, Fla. 8pp. No reference for Keys burrowing owl data (unpublished).
6675-6759 Sea turtle data from the Florida Natural Areas Inventory, as well as data from a 1984 DNR sea turtle report. StudyId= SEATUR84 Related references: Florida Natural Areas Inventory. 1990. Sea turtle data from the FNAI database. Tallahassee, Fla. Harris, B. A., W. J. Conley, and J. A. Huff. 1984. The status of Florida's nesting sea turtle populations from 1979 through 1983. Fla. Dep. Nat. Resour., Bur. Mar. Res., St. Petersburg, Fla. 26pp.
6760-6890 Early incidental observations recorded by Doug Runde. Related references: None (unpublished data).
6891-6920 Mark Robson's bat survey data (1988-89). Related references: STUDYID=MASTIFF Robson, M. S. 1989. Status survey of the Florida mastiff bat. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Nongame Wildl. Program Final Perf. Rep., Tallahassee, Fla. 17pp. Robson, M. S., F. J. Mazzotti, and T. Parrott. 1989. Recent evidence of the mastiff bat in southern Florida. Fla. Field Nat. 17:81-82.
6921-8509 Data from 1992-93 Coastal Wildlife Questionnaire identifying important shorebird breeding and wintering sites, as well as neotropical migrant staging areas. Also contains data from 1991 International Piping Plover Survey, as well as some summary data from ISS. STUDYID=CWQ1992 Related references: No reference for Coastal Wildlife Questionnaire (unpublished data). Nicholls, J. 1992. The 1991 international piping plover winter census in Florida. Pages 31-37 in S. M. Haig and J. H. Plissner. 1991 international piping plover census. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv., Clemson, S.C. Anonymous. 1990. Florida sites with 1000 or more shorebirds from the International Shorebird Survey data. Manomet Bird Observatory, Manomet, Mass.
8510-11277 International Shorebird Survey data for Florida, 1970-90. Each record represents a given species at a given site for a given year. Detailed date & numbers data recorded in spp_notes field. STUDYID=ISS1990 Related reference: Anonymous. 1990. 1970-1990 data from the International Shorebird Survey. Manomet Bird Observatory, Manomet, Mass.
11278-12751 Results of 1992-93 pilot survey for wintering shorebirds in Northwest Florida. StudyId = WSS1992 Related reference: Sprandel, G. L. 1994. Winter shorebird survey. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Nongame Wildl. Program Annu. Perf. Rep., Tallahassee, Fla. 114pp.
12752-14877 Wintering loon survey data (1991-92 = 12752-13383 -- Big Bend & Panhandle; 1992-93 = 13384-14877 -- statewide). StudyId=PJLOON, Sitetype=PJL Related references: Jodice, P. G. 1992. Surveying wintering loons from the air. End. Species Update 9 (7/8):72-74. Jodice, P. G. 1994. Wintering loon survey. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Nongame Wildl. Program Final Perf. Rep., Tallahassee, Fla. In prep.
14878-15073 Julie Hovis' long-tailed weasel database. Related reference:Studid= WEASEL Hovis, J. A. 1992. Long-tailed weasel survey. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Nongame Wildl. Program Final Perf. Rep., Tallahassee, Fla. 17pp.
15074-16406 Mostly incidental observations entered into the database in Tallahassee or in the regions. 15074-15127 is from the Tallahassee database, which includes Florida tree snail, Stock Island tree snail, and Schaus' swallowtail survey data from Tom Emmel, as well as crocodile nests in the Keys from Paul Moler. 15128-15218 is from Nancy Joiner (mainly caracara data), and 15219-15559 comes from Julie Hovis. Finally, 15560-16162 comes from Mark Robson, while 16163-16406 comes from Donald Towles (on the Everglades Wildlife Management Area). Related references: Emmel, T. C. 1987. A summary of the historical distribution and current status of the Florida tree snail, Liguus fasciatus. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Draft Nongame Wildl. Program Final Rep., GFC-86-034, Tallahassee, Fla. Emmel, T. C. 1988. Habitat requirements and status of the endemic Schaus' swallowtail in the Florida Keys. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Draft Nongame Wildl. Program Final Rep., GFC-86-023, Tallahassee, Fla. Moler, P. E. 1991. American crocodile nest survey and monitoring. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Bur.Willdl. Res. Final Rep. 6pp. No reference for incidental observations (unpublished data) and caracara data (work in progress).
16407-16483 Wildobs records from the SWIM surveys for which we have a latitude and longitude. StudyId=SWIM Related references: Joiner, N. D., K. M. Enge, J. A. Feiertag, J. C. Godwin, G. E. Reynolds, and D. E. Runde. 1992. Aquatic and terrestrial wildlife surveys for the Crystal River watershed. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Final Rep., Southwest Fla. Water Manage. Dist. Contract No. 89093. 28pp. Joiner, N. D., K. M. Enge, J. A. Feiertag, J. C. Godwin, G. E. Reynolds, and D. E. Runde. 1992. Aquatic and terrestrial wildlife surveys for the Rainbow River watershed. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Final Rep., Southwest Fla. Water Manage. Dist. Contract No. 89093. 29pp. Joiner, N. D., K. M. Enge, J. A. Feiertag, J. C. Godwin, G. E. Reynolds, and D. E. Runde. 1992. Aquatic and terrestrial wildlife surveys for the Lake Tarpon watershed. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Final Rep., Southwest Fla. Water Manage. Dist. Contract No. 89093. 26pp. Joiner, N. D., K. M. Enge, J. A. Feiertag, J. C. Godwin, G. E. Reynolds, and D. E. Runde. 1992. Aquatic and terrestrial wildlife surveys for the Lake Thonotosassa watershed. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Final Rep., Southwest Fla. Water Manage. Dist. Contract No. 89093. 30pp. Joiner, N. D., K. M. Enge, J. A. Feiertag, J. C. Godwin, G. E. Reynolds, and D. E. Runde. 1992. Aquatic and terrestrial wildlife surveys for the Lake Panasoffkee watershed. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Final Rep., Southwest Fla. Water Manage. Dist. Contract No. 89093. 30pp.
16484-16738 Breeding shorebird data from 1993 pilot survey in Northwest and Central Regions, and Jacksonville area. StudyId= 93TERN Related reference: No reference (work in progress).
16739-16745 Miscellaneous wildlife observations
16746-20701 Results of 1993-94 statewide survey for wintering shorebirds. Note that all related site records (274 records) were added to SITES.DBF (record numbers 7778-8051), since they had a AW@ at the end of the SITENUMBER field. 11/8/1999. StudyId = WSS1993 Related reference: Sprandel, G. L., J. A. Gore, and D. T. Cobb. 1997. Winter shorebird survey. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm. Final Perf. Rep. Tallahassee, Fla. 162pp. + vi. Sprandel, G. L., J. A. Gore, and D. T. Cobb. 2000. Distribution of wintering shorebirds in coastal Florida. Journal of Field Ornithology 71(4):708-720
20702-26339 Herp drift fence data compiled by Kevin Enge. A relatively small number of records may duplicate SWIM data and incidental records that were previously added to wildobs. Note that all related site records (315 records) were added to SITES.DBF (record numbers 8052-8366), since they were the first of SITETYPE, AKEH@. 8/22/2000, StudyId=HERPSTAN Related reference: Enge, K. M. 1997. A standardized protocol for drift-fence surveys. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm. Tech. Rep. No. 4. Tallahassee, Fla. 69pp. + vi.
26340-26670 Fisheating creek surveys, for drift fences, Florida scrub-jay, Crested caracara, Sandhill cranes, Gopher tortoise, Short-tailed Hawk, and Swallow-tail kite, Small mammal trapping, and red-cockaded woodpeckers. Related reference: Enge, K. M., and N.J. Douglass. 2002. Easement Documentation Report, (Volume Ii: Vertebrate Surveys) For Fisheating Creek Ecosystem - Phase I, Glades County, Florida. Fla. Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Final Report. 74pp. Studyid=FEC
26671-26768 Data from contracted project NG94-021, Scrub lizard project, Branch, L. C., D. G. Hokit, B. M. Stith, B. W. Bowen, A. M. Clark. 1999. Effects of landscape dynamics on endemic scrub lizards: an assessment with molecular genetics and GIS modeling. FWC Final Report, Tallahassee. Studyid= NG94-021
26769-28882 Data from contracted project NG99-009 marsh wren survey, Resurvey of the Distribution and Status of MacGillivray's Seaside Sparrow and Worthington's Marsh Wren, NG99-009, Contracted Project, by Cathleen C. NeSmith and Sally S. Jue. Studyid= NG99-009
28883-28976 Casual observations collected on wildobs forms in North central region.
28977-29962 Data from shorebird complexes study of Lanark Reef. Gabbard, C, G. Sprandel, D. Cobb. 2001. Home range analysis of shorebirds wintering along the Gulf of Mexico, Florida. USA. Wader Study Group Bulletin 96:79-85 and Gunnels, C.M. 1999. Survey and home range analyses of wintering shorebirds using the Lanark Reef shorebird complex, Franklin County, Florida. M.Sc. thesis, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. StudyId=LAN
29963-30090 Incidental observations submitted on the web site mainly from the North central region.
30092-31774 Records from breeding shorebird data compilation. Sprandel, G. L. 1999. Consolidated breeding records for colonial shorebirds from 1973-1997. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Final Performance Report. Tallahassee. 35pp + ii. Study id = BSDC1998
31775- 34062 Colonial shorebird survey 1998-2000. Rooftop surveys from volunteers, ground surveys by FWC personnel, and incidental observations of other shorebirds by FWC personnel. StudyId= BSS98-00
34523- 34782 Crested caracara data from Joan Morrison's contracted projects. Study id = MORICARA.
34783-34798 Miscellaneous web submitted observations.
34799-35094 Lake Talquin drawdown study. Counts of wading birds spring and fall, Osprey nesting, winter waterfowl, and High bluff counts. StudyID=TALQDRAW. Publication Sprandel, G, L. R. L. Cailteux, and D. T. Cobb, 2002. Influence of a reservoir drawdown on bird use of Lake Talquin, Florida. Lake and Reservoir Management. Vol 18(2):164-176.
35095 - 35128 This data is from the contracted project NG96-025: Taxonomic Status of the Great White heron (Ardea herodias occidentalis): An Analysis of Behavioral, Genetic, and Morphometric Evidence, June 2002. Heather L. McGuire. Mainly this is incidental observations in Florida Bay. Study Id = NG96-025
35129 - 35306 Incidental observations submitted from the web site, primarily from Southwest region.
35307 - 35336 Crested Caracara data from Kim Dryden OES. Audubon's Crested Caracara Location information and General comments on SW Florida population, May 13, 1993. K. Dryden. Florida Fish and Wildlife Services, Office of Env. Services, Punta Gorda. Study Id = DRYDCARA
35337 - 35377 Assorted turtle records from Dale Jackson. 1999. Survey of an Important Distributional Gap in the Florida Range of the River Cooter and other Freshwater Turtles, Final Report to Nongame program, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. NG97130, Studyid = NG97-002
35378 - 37733 Bird and herp surveys from the SWIM survey. The lat/lons were determined from Township/range/section. StudyId = SWIM. For both herps and birds, the counts, represent the sum of all counts at a given site and habitat match. Related references: Joiner, N. D., K. M. Enge, J. A. Feiertag, J. C. Godwin, G. E. Reynolds, and D. E. Runde. 1992. Aquatic and terrestrial wildlife surveys for the Crystal River watershed. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Final Rep., Southwest Fla. Water Manage. Dist. Contract No. 89093. 28pp. Joiner, N. D., K. M. Enge, J. A. Feiertag, J. C. Godwin, G. E. Reynolds, and D. E. Runde. 1992. Aquatic and terrestrial wildlife surveys for the Rainbow River watershed. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Final Rep., Southwest Fla. Water Manage. Dist. Contract No. 89093. 29pp. Joiner, N. D., K. M. Enge, J. A. Feiertag, J. C. Godwin, G. E. Reynolds, and D. E. Runde. 1992. Aquatic and terrestrial wildlife surveys for the Lake Tarpon watershed. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Final Rep., Southwest Fla. Water Manage. Dist. Contract No. 89093. 26pp. Joiner, N. D., K. M. Enge, J. A. Feiertag, J. C. Godwin, G. E. Reynolds, and D. E. Runde. 1992. Aquatic and terrestrial wildlife surveys for the Lake Thonotosassa watershed. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Final Rep., Southwest Fla. Water Manage. Dist. Contract No. 89093. 30pp. Joiner, N. D., K. M. Enge, J. A. Feiertag, J. C. Godwin, G. E. Reynolds, and D. E. Runde. 1992. Aquatic and terrestrial wildlife surveys for the Lake Panasoffkee watershed. Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Comm., Final Rep., Southwest Fla. Water Manage. Dist. Contract No. 89093. 30pp.
37734 - 37961 Miscellaneous web submittals. Stray observations from South Florida regional office (STUDYID=NJDOBS), including Crested Carcara observations, burrowing owl, Florida Scrub-Jay.
37962 - 39287 Data from Audubon of Florida, of waterbird colonies (wading birds, herons, egrets, larids, gulls, terns) in Tampa Bay area. Studyid=FASTAMPA.
39288 - 39362 A few observations from the web sites. High counts from George Wallace's compilation POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF A HORSESHOE CRAB FISHERY ON MIGRATORY SHOREBIRDS IN FLORIDA StudyId=HORSCRAB
39363 - 39733 Observation of Barbour's Map Turtle and other basking turtles from the Choctawhatchee and Ochlockonee River. StudyId=GWBARMAP
39734 - 40679 Observations from The Florida Burrowing Owl Projec, StudyId=FLBUOWPR
40680 -40701 Observations of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers Lathrop Bayou, in Bay County StudyId=LABAYRCW
40702 - 40800 Observations from International Piping and Snowy Plover Survey 2001, StudyId= 2001PIPL
40801 - 40856 Selected sea turtle nests 1998-1999, NW Florida, StudyId = NWSEAT98
40857 - 40972 Sea Turtle Nesting 1998 to 2002 - Alligator Point, studyId= ALPTSEAT
40973 - 41006 Panama City Crayfish study, studyId= PCCRAY
41007 - 41054 Miscellaneous web submittals.
----------------------------------------------------------------------- - Deleted COMNAME_UPP; data identical to COMNAME. - Deleted SCIUPPER; data identical to SCIENTIFIC. - Deleted MAPNAME; no data in field. - Deleted MAPDATE; no data in field. - Entered appropriate data in blank CLASS fields. - Corrected CLASS fields with incorrect data. - Entered appropriate data in blank CLASSNAME fields. - Corrected CLASSNAME fields with incorrect data. - Added a DESCRIPT field based on COMNAME, and SITETYPDEC (where the was no data in COMNAME). - Added FGDLAQDATE based on date FGDL acquired the data. - Upcased fields.