Data supporting manuscript "Satellite telemetry informs nesting ecology and management of nomadic ibis and spoonbills (Threskiornithidae) in remote breeding sites" in Ornithological Applications.

The data and files in these directories underpin analyses of telemetry data for three Australian waterbird species during nesting periods. These species are frequently targeted for adaptive water and wetland management to support successful breeding events and can be bioindicators of wetland change. However, obtaining on-ground nesting data for highly mobile species in remote or difficult to access sites is challenging. \n\nTo solve this problem, we used GPS satellite telemetry to track nesting events for three species that frequently nest together in remote wetlands managed with environmental water: Threskiornis spinicollis (Straw-necked Ibis), T. molucca (Australian White Ibis) and Platalea regia (Royal Spoonbill). This is the first time that satellite telemetry for these highly mobile species has been used to analyse a) nest stages and nest attendance patterns; b) distances travelled to forage during nesting; and c) timing and duration of nesting events. We found both intra- and inter-species variation in nest attendance patterns and foraging distances\n\nThis research is led by CSIRO as part of the Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder's Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Program (Flow-MER). It builds on and incorporates satellite tracking of straw-necked ibis, Australian white ibis and royal spoonbills conducted by CSIRO between 2016–19 as part of the Environmental Water Knowledge and Research (EWKR) Waterbird Theme. The EWKR research identified a need for additional satellite tracking of species dependent on water to feed (such as spoonbills and egrets), not just to breed (such as ibis), and for tracking of the movements of birds from additional important sites across the Basin.\n\nThe dataset in this collection consists of supporting code and files for the manuscript "Satellite telemetry informs nesting ecology and management of nomadic ibis and spoonbills (Threskiornithidae) in remote breeding sites". The dataset contains processed data, R programming scripts to perform the main analyses and summaries for the manuscript and extended graphical summaries.\nLineage: Straw-necked Ibis, Australian White Ibis and Royal Spoonbill were chosen for transmitter deployment because they are focal species for Australian wetland and water managers that nest in large numbers in major inland wetlands managed with environmental water.\n\nSatellite transmitters were deployed on birds at eight breeding sites in the Murray-Darling Basin (Basin), southeast Australia, from 2016 to 2023. The Basin, covering ~14% of Australia, is a focus of water and wetland management reforms, including environmental watering, to counter human water use and climate change impacts. \n\nBirds were captured by hand, leg-nooses, or net launcher, depending on site conditions, and placed in clean calico bags for measurements. Transmitters (12–40 g, 92% at 1–2% bodyweight, one at 3%, one at 4%) were attached as backpacks using Teflon or Spectra ribbon harnesses (Bally Ribbon Mills™), configured as wing-loops (joined at keel for T. spinicollis, T. molucca, some P. regia) or leg-loops (most P. regia). Harness designs, adapted from prior studies, included weak links and evolved over time. Solar-powered GPS transmitters (15–26 m accuracy) transmitted data via Argos (Geotrak) or 3G networks, with fix frequencies from 1 minute to 3 hours based on transmitter type and schedule. Sex was assigned as male, female, or unknown using plumage and biometrics; P. regia and T. molucca were often marked ‘unknown’ if uncertain, especially juveniles. Juveniles of all species were identified by plumage, skin, and size differences.\n\nThree sources informed nest stage demarcation and timing: 1) on-ground checks for five nesting events (four T. spinicollis, one T. molucca), limited by access restrictions; 2) literature data on focal species; 3) motion-sensing and time-lapse cameras at nests in Barmah-Millewa Forest (2016–17), capturing chick development (Wenger and McGinness 2018). These were integrated to create a nest stage timeline for each species, matched to GPS-tracked nest attendance and distance-from-nest plots to identify four stages: 1) Nest Establishment; 2) Incubation; 3) Immobile Chicks; 4) Mobile Chicks. The Mobile Chicks stage is highly variable, covering chicks leaving the nest to flying, with caution advised for interpreting statistics due to spatial and temporal variability.\n\nThe dataset included 122 individuals: 73 T. spinicollis (45 adults, 28 juveniles), 42 P. regia (5 adults, 37 juveniles), and 7 T. molucca (3 adults, 4 juveniles). From 64 potential nesting events across 18 wetlands, 40 events from 26 individuals were analyzed: 28 T. spinicollis (11 female, 17 male), 6 P. regia (3 female, 3 male), and 6 T. molucca (1 female, 3 male, 2 unknown). Complete events (nest establishment to mobile chicks) totaled 21 (14 T. spinicollis, 3 P. regia, 4 T. molucca). Some birds nested multiple times, and two T. spinicollis and one T. molucca were tracked from juvenile to adult nesting (3–4 years). Not all events were complete due to late tracking starts or nest abandonment (e.g., flooding, chick mortality).\n\n\n