Oregon Coast Seabird Colony Counts from Aerial Surveys, 1988-2014

Aerial photographic surveys of surface-nesting seabirds along the Oregon coast, conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The data includes census counts for years 1988, 1994, 2006, and 2014, plus subsample counts for intervening years up to 2014. Raw point counts derived from non-georeferenced images are archived, with processed data available in a separate authoritative catalog.

Use Cases

• Analyze long-term population trends for common murres based on aerial survey counts.
• Monitor seabird colony distribution and size changes over a 26-year period.
• Assess the effectiveness of stratified random sampling for wildlife monitoring based on the described subsampling approach.
• Compare census year data with subsample year data to evaluate survey methodologies.

Strengths

• Long-term temporal coverage spanning from 1988 to 2014.
• Includes both full census counts and a stratified random subsample of 45 colonies.
• Managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an authoritative source for wildlife data.

Limitations

• Raw point counts are not georeferenced; they only align with the source image.
• The subsampling approach focused on common murres; inferences about Brandt's cormorants require additional sampling.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.

Provenance

Source

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex.

Collection Method

Aerial photographic colony surveys, with counts performed manually from projected slides or digitally in GIS.

Time Range

1988-2014

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-04 08:03:39.204499; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Oregon Coast offshore islands.