Biscayne National Park colonial nesting birds monitoring protocol—Version 1.1

Muxo, Robert; Whelan, Kevin; Urgelles, Raul; Alonso, Joaquin; Patterson, Judd; Atkinson, Andrea

doi:10.36967/nrr-2290141

Breeding colonies of wading birds (orders Ciconiiformes, Pelecaniformes) and seabirds (orders Suliformes, Pelecaniformes) serve as important indicators of aquatic ecosystem health, as they respond to changes in food abundance and quality, contaminants, invasive species, and disturbance. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, Restoration Coordination & Verification program (CERP-RECOVER) has identified wading-bird colonies as an important ecosystem restoration indicator. The National Park Service South Florida/Caribbean Inventory & Monitoring Network (SFCN) ranked colonial nesting birds eighth out of 44 vital signs of park natural resource conditions for ecological significance and feasibility. However, while large-scale monitoring efforts are occurring in the rest of the Greater Everglades Ecosystem, only minimal historic data collection and no extensive ongoing monitoring of wading bird and seabird nesting have occurred in Biscayne National Park. Consequently, due to their high importance as biological indicators and because they are a gap occurring in regional monitoring efforts, the network has initiated a monitoring program of colonial nesting birds in Biscayne National Park. This protocol provides the rationale, approach, and detailed Standard Operating Procedures for annual colonial bird monitoring within and close to Biscayne National Park and conforms to the Oakley et al. (2003) guidelines for National Park Service long-term monitoring protocols. The specific objectives of this monitoring program are to determine status and long-term trends in: Numbers and locations of active colonies of colonial nesting birds with a special focus on Double-crested Cormorants, Great Egrets, Great White Herons, Great Blue Herons, White Ibises, and Roseate Spoonbills. Annual peak active nest counts of colonial nesting birds in Biscayne National Park with a special focus on the species mentioned above. An annual nesting index (i.e., sum of monthly nest counts) with a special focus on the species mentioned above. Timing of peak nest counts for the focal species. The protocol involves an annual aerial park-wide survey using a helicopter to locate nesting colonies of wading birds and seabirds within Biscayne National Park, followed by monthly aerial surveys of the nesting colonies. Nesting colonies are photographed, and the photographs are analyzed in the office to identify and count active nests by species. An observer also records counts of both nesting and non-nesting birds observed in the field. The methods used are detailed in seven Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): 1. Personnel Training 2. Safety Requirements and Procedures to Fly in a Helicopter 3. Camera Use and Setup, GeoTagger use and Setup, and Photography from a Helicopter 4. GPS Track Downloading, Photo Downloading and Archiving, Photo Geotagging, Photo Renaming and Photo Tagging in Thumbs Plus 5. Collecting Data, Circling Nests, and Counting Nests 6. Data Entry, Data Proofing, and Data Reporting 7. Revising the Protocol The network conducted five years of pilot data collection to facilitate the development of this protocol and some of those early results are provided in support of various aspects of the protocol as well as in a sample data summary report included as an appendix. The methods used are intended to provide the precision and power to detect change at the individual park level while also supplementing the regional colonial nesting bird monitoring occurring throughout the Greater Everglades Ecosystem.

Biscayne National Park colonial nesting birds monitoring protocol—Version 1.1

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