IMIS

Furthermore, the waterbird counts contribute to international monitoring programs, such as the International Waterbird Census (coordinated by Wetlands International) and fulfil some of the objectives of the European Bird Directive, the Ramsar Convention, and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). The data are released in bulk as open data.
Geographic coverage: The birds were counted at 1,189 predefined locations (waterVogelTelgebieden, figure 1), covering the wetlands and coast of Flanders, Belgium. No birds were counted at sea. These locations are visited regularly during the wintering and migration season (mid-monthly, from October to March). For each occurrence, the code for the waterVogelTelgebied is indicated in localityID. The polygon shape for most of these localities can be found at http://git.io/vvDVL. The geographic coordinates for the occurrences represent the centroid of the locality (see http://git.io/vvDVR for the procedure).
Taxonomic coverage: The term waterbirds is used as defined in the AEWA and thus does not only include species which belong to the order Anseriformes, but all species which are ecologically dependent on wetlands for at least part of their annual cycle. The dataset includes 170 waterbird species (of which 123 are listed by the AEWA) belonging to the following species groups: divers, grebes, cormorants, herons, storks, spoonbills, swans, geese, ducks, coots, rails, cranes, waders, gulls, and terns. Non-native species which have been introduced or escaped are also included. The top 5 of most occurring species, collectively representing one third of the dataset, is Anas platyrhynchos, Fulica atra, Gallinula chloropus, Ardea cinerea, and Phalacrocorax carbo. For all 182 taxa, the Dutch vernacular name is indicated in vernacularName. To allow interoperability with other databases, the Euring code is added in taxonID for all taxa, except for Anas flavirostris, Anas versicolor, Branta sandvicensis, and Chloephaga melanoptera which are not listed by Euring.
Sampling methods: The counts are done at predefined locations, called waterVogelTelgebied. The name of each waterVogelTelgebied is indicated in verbatimLocality, while its ID is indicated in localityID. The polygon shape for most of these localities can be found at http://git.io/vvDVL. The geographic coordinates for the occurrences represent the centroid of the locality (see http://git.io/vvDVR for the procedure). Within the borders of these areas, present waterbird species are counted as completely as possible. Clearly visible areas are often counted from one point with a telescope. Large and less visible areas are usually traversed on foot, by bicycle or by car. A special case are the monthly counts on the Zeeschelde which are performed from boats by INBO staff. The count method (e.g. survey on land) is indicated in samplingProtocol, while the achieved effort (e.g. all waterbirds except geese counted) is indicated in samplingEffort. To reduce the likelihood of birds being double counted or missed, the counts are synchronized as much as possible. Counts are organized on the weekend the closest to the 15th of the month. In large areas with a high probability of local movements, observers are asked to pay special attention to count more or less simultaneously, preferably with multiple observers. Birds are counted during daytime, while specific high tide counts are organized for typical coastal waders (hiding on high tide gather places). The Zeeschelde on the contrary, is mainly counted at low tide due to better visibility of the birds. For some species that are dispersed widely during the day, simultaneous counts on the roost sites are a better alternative for gathering information on their population size. Each winter, supplementary counts are organized for Great Cormorant (since 2003), gulls and Eurasian Curlew. These roost counts are however not included in this database. Keep in mind that covering of the sites differs between months and years. Calculations of trends and population sizes therefore have to deal with missing values.
Study extent: The bird counts are organized as a regional network "Waterbird counts Flanders" coordinated by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). The network divides Flanders, Belgium into 24 regions, each of them with a local coordinator. The fieldwork is mainly done by skilled volunteer birdwatchers, often working together within local bird clubs. The NGO Natuurpunt (http://natuurpunt.be) supports the majority of these bird clubs and volunteers, and thereby delivers an important contribution to the waterbird project. A number of large and important wetland areas are counted by INBO staff (especially in the Scheldt estuary and along the Yser river). To allow reliable comparisons between years and areas, the counts are aimed for maximum standardization. Every winter, birds are counted in six monthly censuses from October to March, on the weekend the closest to the 15th of the month. Counts use the same methodology and are made at 1,000+ predefined locations (see Geographic coverage), covering all kind of wetland habitats in Flanders, such as lakes, ponds, reservoirs, and rivers. Also agricultural areas, often holding large numbers of waterbirds (such as wintering geese), are included. Although the project aims for a (nearly) complete coverage of all areas hosting substantial numbers of waterbirds, this is hard to achieve and the number of counted sites varies between months and years. During counts, numbers of all waterbird species are recorded. This includes divers, grebes, cormorants, herons and allies, swans, geese, ducks, coots and rails. Waders and gulls (optional) have been added on the species list in 1999. Counts of coastal waders are however available since 1992. Through the site http://www.watervogels.inbo.be, volunteers can enter their count and additional data directly into a central database. This database is managed by the INBO and is the source for this dataset.
Quality control: All records are validated.µ
Purpose: Counting waterbirds has a long tradition in Flanders, going back to the 1960s. The aim of this long-running monitoring scheme is to gather reliable information on the numbers, trends, and distribution of these species during their winter and migration period. Through this project, required data become available for international treaties and conventions such as the European Union (EU) Birds and Habitats Directives, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA). These results are also used for informed decision-making by conservation bodies, planners and developers, and contribute to the sustainable use and management of wetlands and their dependent waterbirds.
Issues with the dataset can be reported here.
The publication of this dataset was supported by the INBO as part of the Flemish contribution to LifeWatch.