O_BALGZAND: Eurasian Oystercatcher Winter Movement in the Wadden Sea

Balgzand in the Western Wadden Sea, Netherlands, is the location for this animal tracking dataset. It contains GPS and acceleration data from 22 tagged Eurasian oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) collected between 2010 and 2014 to study their winter utilization of intertidal flats in relation to food availability. The data is structured as a Frictionless Data Package, archived from the UvA-BiTS database via Movebank and Zenodo.

Use Cases

• Modeling habitat utilization based on GPS location time series.
• Analyzing foraging behavior patterns using tri-axial acceleration data.
• Studying the cumulative human impact (CHIRP) on wintering bird populations.
• Validating movement ecology theories with detailed individual tracking data.

Strengths

• Contains multi-sensor data, including GPS and acceleration measurements, for detailed behavioral analysis.
• Data collection followed a structured protocol over a defined 5-year study period (2010-2014).
• Data is archived using a reproducible, open standard (Frictionless Data Package) with a detailed technical descriptor.
• Cross-platform presence (Movebank, Zenodo) and a dedicated publication (van der Kolk et al., 2022) indicate established provenance.

Limitations

• The dataset is static with no new data expected, limiting analysis to a specific historical period.
• Key metadata such as exact row counts, file sizes, and specific column names are not provided in the available descriptions.
• The total sample size is limited to 22 individuals from a single wintering location.

Provenance

Source

Sovon, University of Amsterdam (UvA), Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) via the UvA-BiTS system.

Collection Method

Animal tracking data collected using UvA-BiTS tags during the CHIRP study, exported from Movebank study 1605798640.

Time Range

2010 to 2014

Geography

Balgzand area, Western Wadden Sea, Netherlands