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Terms of Use (General Public):​

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SEABIRD COLONY REGISTRY AND ATLAS FOR THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S.
Prepared by: Lisa Ferguson, Yvan Satgé, Joe Tavano, Patrick Jodice
South Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Clemson University
2018

This product is the most complete version of the Seabird Colony Registry and Atlas for the Southeastern U.S (thereafter, "the registry and atlas")

PRODUCT LIMITATIONS:

This is a summary of limitations and disclaimers that should be considered when using the registry and atlas.

1)All data fields are described succinctly in the registry and in more detail in the documentation for the registry and atlas.
Both items should be referenced before interpreting the atlas and colony registry.
When necessary, the data were summarized and standardized to conform to registry data fields and do not reflect the full detail available in state databases, as described below.  

2) Best efforts were made to accurately represent state data during the creation of the registry and to standardize fields.
The final data set may, however, contain errors that originated during its creation or were carried over from state databases

3) The registry and atlas only contain breeding survey data; as such, data in the registry and atlas do not reflect seabird staging, roosting, or stopover locations. 

4) The accuracy of the registry data should be verified with State agencies before conducting any analyses.
Atlas and registry data should not be used for estimating population sizes or reproductive success.
While spatially discrete, the abundance measures provided are not necessarily temporally distinct within a year.
For example, a species that renests at a different colony within a year following breeding failure will contribute to more than one entry in the registry in that year.
Subsequently, breeding totals for that species and year may be overestimates.
We chose to structure the data as such because our priority was to allow for an indication that more than one colony supported a species in a given year, compared to attempting to rectify colony estimates to allow for statewide population estimates.
Data for questions related to abundance and productivity should be obtained directly from state agencies responsible for monitoring coastal bird species.

5) Data contained in the registry database are a summary of details collected, compiled, and provided by each state.
For additional information, contact state agencies responsible for managing and monitoring coastal birds.  

COLONY ATLAS DISCLAIMERS:   

1) The information on this map was created from a seabird colony registry derived and aggregated from the following state databases: South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, and Florida Shorebird Database, Florida Beach-nesting Bird Database, and Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
Users are strongly encouraged to review documentation for the registry and atlas, the seabird colony registry itself, and source for GIS basemap layers for information related to data definitions, accuracy, limitations, and additional details.

2) Many of the seabird species (as well as their nests and eggs) recorded in this registry or this atlas are protected by state and/or federal laws and must not be disturbed.
Users interested in visiting nesting sites should always ensure that they have obtained the necessary permits and authorizations from state and/or federal agencies before accessing any of the colonies.
Information stored in the registry and atlas is for scientific and management purposes only and the authors decline any responsibility for the misuse of this information.

3) Although the authors endeavored to provide accurate location of breeding sites, errors originating in primary datasets may have transferred to the final colony registry (e.g., erroneous data may have been reported to the state agencies that provided the data used).

4) Basemaps are used in this atlas to provide general colony and site locations and may not reflect true past or current geographical situations.
Users interested in surveying nesting sites should always contact local agencies for updated geographical information.

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