Point locations and species and behavioral identifications of colonial nesting seabirds on Maine's coastal islands interpreted from 2019 plane-based imagery ...

• Main Authors: Kline, Logan, Lewis, Meredith A, Maher, Lauren, Loftin, Cyndy
• Format: Dataset
• Language: unknown
• Published: U.S. Geological Survey 2023
• Subjects: Ecology, Remote Sensing, Wildlife Biology; Common Eider
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5066/p92sl92p; https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/642d7360d34ee8d4add393cb

This dataset includes XY coordinates and species and behavioral observations of birds detected in aerial imagery captured over coastal islands along Maine's coast during 30 May. - 3 June 2019. The Partenavia P.68 Observer plane flew over 268 islands within the Gulf of Maine (GOM). The plane flew at an altitude of 310 m above ground level and was equipped with a PhaseOne iXU-RS1000 (100 megapixel) multispectral camera and 70 mm lens to capture 4-band (red, green, blue, (RGB) and near-infrared (NIR) light) imagery with a ground sampling distance of 2 cm/px. Timing for the aerial image collection was selected to reflect peak nesting periods for the focal species (Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, Common Eider, and Tern spp.), during which one parent is typically present on the nest. Imagery was captured during daylight in clear weather (i.e., no rain or high winds) for ten separate surveys beginning at different times and with various flight path extents. Although the target was ...