Data files for "An assessment of run-of-river hydroelectric dams on mountain stream ecosystems using the American dipper as an avian indicator"

We monitored American dipper populations over two years at stream sites with and without Run-of-River (RoR) dams across three watersheds in coastal British Columbia, Canada. From September to November of 2014 and 2015, 99 adult dippers (n=48 in 2014 and n=51 in 2015, plus 3 recaptures from 2014) were banded at 13 (7 regulated, 6 unregulated) of the 14 study streams. Blood and feathers were collected during banding for mercury and stable isotope analysis. Streams were surveyed after initial banding attempts in the fall of 2014, during the spring of 2015 (before and after the freshet), and again during the fall of 2015. Density surveys followed the unreconciled independent double-observer approach to target American dippers, whereby each observer keeps a separate tally of all observations to facilitate an estimation of detection probability. We also applied the same method to other aquatic bird species and counted them during each survey. Survey data was used to compare density, seasonal occupancy, and assess differences in year-round residency and philopatry in dippers at regulated and unregulated streams. Dataset for publication "An assessment of run-of-river hydroelectric dams on mountain stream ecosystems using the American dipper as an avian indicator" Ecological Indicators 93 (2018) 942–951. Available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.05.086