Data from: Evaluation of breeding distribution and chronology of North American scoters ...

• Main Authors: Bianchini, Kristin, Gilliland, Scott, Berlin, Alicia, Bowman, Timothy, Boyd, Sean, De La Cruz, Susan, Esler, Daniel, Evenson, Joseph, Flint, Paul, Lepage, Christine, McWilliams, Scott, Meattey, Dustin, Osenkowski, Jason, Perry, Matthew, Poulin, Jean-Francois, Reed, Eric, Roy, Christian, Savard, Jean-Pierre, Savoy, Lucas, Schamber, Jason, Spiegel, Caleb, Takekawa, John, Ward, David, Mallory, Mark
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2022
• Subjects: FOS Biological sciences; black scoter; breeding chronology; satellite telemetry; surf scoter; white-winged scoter; snow melt; arrival date; continental distribution; Arctic; Pacific; taiga; Taiga shield; Tundra; Alaska
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bk3j9kdfr; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.bk3j9kdfr

Aim: North America’s scoter species are poorly monitored relative to other waterfowl. Black (Melanitta americana), surf (M. perspicillata), and white-winged (M. deglandi) scoter abundance and trend estimates are thus uncertain in many parts of these species’ ranges. The most extensive source of waterfowl abundance and distribution data in North America is the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (WBPHS). Although the WBPHS effectively monitors most species, both its timing and geographic coverage may not allow for accurate scoter monitoring. Therefore, our goal was to better define when and where scoters breed to help interpret survey results and optimize survey methods for scoters. Location: Canadian boreal shield, taiga shield, and low-Arctic tundra; Alaska. Taxon: Scoters (Genus: Melanitta) Methods: We integrated satellite telemetry tracking data from scoters marked at multiple molting, staging, breeding, and wintering areas along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to quantify continent-wide ... : Dataset 1. Scoter satellite telemetry breeding location and chronology data We compiled data for a total of 94 black scoters, 124 surf scoters, and 95 white-winged scoters captured between 1999 and 2019 at sites in the Great Lakes and along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. All captures were made during scoter molting, staging, and wintering periods (August - March). Birds were implanted with Platform Transmitter Terminals (PTTs), programmed to collect location information once every three to five days. Detection data were filtered to only include detections from 20 April to 1 July of each year (i.e., the suspected nesting period of North American scoters). We identified clusters of repeated detections where individuals settled for at least nine days within the potential breeding range. We identified nesting locations by drawing a 20 km buffer around the centroid of each cluster, and all detections within each 20 km buffer were considered movements within the nesting location. We then classified arrival date ...