2010 osprey nest and 2011 osprey productivity observations from nests in Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida

The focus of this data posting is 2010 osprey nest and 2011 osprey productivity observations conducted by air and by ground-based observers working nest, and provides additional context for the collection, analysis, and organization of the data. Characteristics of this dataset include the following: This dataset focuses on data related to 2010 osprey nest status and 2011 osprey productivity collected as part of the cooperative NRDA process. This dataset includes data collected cooperatively with the Trustees. Before posting, extensive work was done by BP contractors to verify some aspects of the posted data (e.g., positional coordinates and field data). Observations were made from December 2010 through July 2011 under a Work Plan titled Preassessment of Injury to Osprey from the Deepwater Horizon (MC 252) Oil Spill (Bird Study #9). This work was conducted as part of NRDA studies agreed to and executed cooperatively by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), other Trustees, and BP. This dataset includes data associated with osprey nest observation data collected by observers in aircraft and osprey productivity observations made by ground-based teams. The following types of data are included in the dataset: Productivity observations made by aircraft-based observers include nest location, nest substrate, nest lining, nest condition, and whether the nest was or was not occupied at the time of observation. Overflights were conducted in both the Area of Potential Impact (API) and the Reference Area (as defined in the work plan) in December 2010 and March 2011. Productivity observations made by ground-based teams include nest location, nest substrate, nest lining, nest condition, occupancy, presence or absence of oil on nest substrate under the visual light spectrum, counts of eggs, chicks, adults, and juveniles, and an estimate of chick age. In the API, productivity observations were made at approximately 100 nests between March and August of 2011. In the Reference Area, productivity observations were made at 13 nests in February 2011. Fluorescence of material inside osprey nests was evaluated independently by Trustees in conjunction with 2011 ground-based productivity observations to attempt to assess the presence of hydrocarbons. In addition to those noted above, sampling variations may exist across observers, methods, locations, and times.