Data from: Mortality limits used in wind energy impact assessment underestimate impacts of wind farms on bird populations

In this archive we share the data and R code used for the construction of population models for seven bird species (Common Starling, Black-tailed Godwit, Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Spoonbill, White Stork, Common Tern and White-tailed Eagle) for our assessment of the effects of wind farms (Schippers et al. 2020). In most cases we parameterized our population models based on species-specific survival and reproduction rates from scientific articles and reports, but in the case of the Western Marsh Harrier we analyzed previously unpublished nest success and capture-mark-resighting data. Below we first describe per species which data we used for model parameterization, and then describe per data file what each variable represents.

We selected populations of seven species based on the availability of data, considerable likelihood to collide with wind turbines and contrasting ages of first reproduction. For species for which long time series of demographic data were available with population trends clearly changing over time, we separately assessed periods with contrasting population trends, as detailed in the species descriptions below. Mean survival and reproduction rates, standard deviations and additional information like the age of first reproduction can be found in the accompanying paper by Schippers et al. (2020). 

Common Starling

On the fast-slow continuum of reproductive capacity, the common starling is the fastest of the seven species we selected: it starts reproducing at an age of one year. We used the mean survival and reproductive rates for the whole Dutch breeding population (Versluijs et al. 2016), distinguishing three separate periods: 1960-1978, 1978-1990 and 1990-2012. In the first period (1960-1978) the population grew at 10% per year. This was followed by a period where the population was relatively stable (1978-1990). During the last period (1990-2012) the population declined strongly.

Black tailed Godwit

Kentie et al. (2017) studied two Dutch populations of the Black-tailed Godwit in southwestern Fryslân (Skriezekrite and Kuststrook) over four to five annual transitions (Kentie et al. 2017). Godwits started reproducing at age two, but only had 0.5-0.6 fledglings per breeding pair per year. The adults are rather long-lived with an 86% annual survival rate. We construct separate matrix models for the two populations.

Marsh Harrier

Mean vital rates of the Dutch breeding population of Marsh Harriers were estimated for 1997-2015 using respectively ring recoveries available at the Dutch Centre for Avian Migration and Demography NIOO-KNAW and reproduction data from the Dutch Raptor Working Group. Annual survival of Marsh Harriers was analyzed using live re-sightings and dead recoveries of 12,059 birds ringed as nestling between 1991 and 2016 and 74 birds ringed as ‘adult’ in the same period (due to low sample sizes, birds ringed in their first and second calendar year were lumped with older birds in the ‘adult’ category; see ‘marshHarrierSurvival.csv’ below). Nest success was estimated using data of 1914 nests, which were followed from the beginning to the end of the nest cycle, in the Netherlands between 1997 and 2015 (see ‘marshHarrierReproduction.csv’ below; we thank Rob G. Bijlsma for making the data available). 

Spoonbill

For each year in the 1994-2008 period, age-specific (first-year, second-year, third-year, older) annual survival rates were derived for the Dutch Spoonbill population from van der Jeugd et al. (2014). Participation in the breeding population was 0% in the first three years and went up from 63% at age four to 95% at age 6 and older.

White Stork

Schaub et al. (2004) analyzed demographic data on White Storks in Switzerland from 1977 till 2000. Here we extracted annual survival and reproduction rates from the COMADRE Animal Matrix Database (version 2.0.1; Salguero-Gómez et al., 2016). Storks start reproducing at age 3, with breeding participation increasing with age from 48% to 100%. 

Common Tern

For the Common Tern we used mean vital rate estimates published by van der Jeugd et al. (2014) for the Dutch Waddenzee population, including the Northern part of the IJsselmeer, between 2000 and 2010 (van der Jeugd et al. 2014). The total Waddenzee and IJsselmeer population is estimated at 7,630 pairs (average population 2010-2014), constituting approximately 40% of the Dutch breeding population of about 20,000 pairs (Sovon 2016). 

White-tailed Eagle

Krüger et al. (2010) published demographic data on White-tailed Eagles in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, over the period 1947 till 2008. Following these authors, and based on the two matrices in COMADRE v.2.0.1 (Salguero-Gómez et al., 2016), we used separate matrix models for the early period (stable population dynamics) and from 1975 onwards (population growth). These eagles start reproducing at age five. 

Here we describe the archived files:

matrices.R

This annotated R file details how the vital rate estimates are used to construct age-structured, post-breeding-census, one-year-timestep population matrix models. In these so-called post-breeding census models the birds in the first class were 0 years old (Caswell 2001).

commonstarling19602012.csv

Mean survival and reproductive rates for the whole Dutch breeding population of Common Starlings for the time period 1960-2012. 

year                 = start year

juvSurv = first-year survival of fledgelings

adultSurv        = annual survival of older birds

fec                   = number of fledgelings per pair (which have a 1:1 sex ratio)

blacktailedgodwit20112016.csv

Mean survival and reproduction rates of the Black-tailed Godwit in southwestern Fryslân (populations Skriezekrite and Kuststrook) over four to five annual transitions in the period 2011-2016. 

pop                  = population

startYear         = start year

adultSurv        = annual survival of older birds

chickSurv         = first-year survival of chicks

nestSuc           = probability that a nest is successful

marshharrier19972015.csv

Mean vital rates of the Dutch breeding population of Western Marsh Harriers for 1997-2015.

year                 = start year

r                       = number of fledgelings per pair

s1                    = first-year survival of fledgelings

s2                    = annual survival of older birds

marshharrierreproduction.csv

Western Marsh Harrier nest record data of in the Netherlands.

year                 = year

clutchSize        = number of eggs

young              = number of chicks (if known)

fledgelings       = number of fledgelings

marshharriersurvival.csv

Ringing and resighting data (using EURING coding) on Western Marsh Harriers in the Netherlands. 

ringID              = ring identifier

date                 = observation date

metalRingInformation

1 = Metal ring added (where no metal ring was present), position (on tarsus or above) unknown or unrecorded.

2 = Metal ring added (where no metal ring was present), definitely on tarsus.

3 = Metal ring added (where no metal ring was present), definitely above tarsus.

4 = Metal ring is already present.

condition         

0 = Condition completely unknown.

1 = Dead but no information on how recently the bird had died (or been killed).

2 = Freshly dead – within about a week.

3 = Not freshly dead – information available that it had been dead for more than about a week.

4 = Found sick, wounded, unhealthy etc. and known to have been released (including ring or other mark identified on a bird in poor condition without the bird having being caught).

5 = Found sick, wounded, unhealthy etc. and not released or not known if released.

6 = Alive and probably healthy but taken into captivity.

7 = Alive and probably healthy and certainly released (including ring or other mark identified on a healthy bird without the bird having being caught).

8 = Alive and probably healthy and released by a ringer (including ring or other mark identified on the bird by a ringer without the bird having being caught). 

ageReported   

0 = Age unknown, i.e. not recorded.

1 = Pullus: nestling or chick, unable to fly freely, still able to be caught by hand.

2 = Full-grown: able to fly freely but age otherwise unknown.

3 = First-year: full-grown bird hatched in the breeding season of this calendar year.

4 = Afer first-year: full-grown bird hatched before this calendar year; year of hatching otherwise unknown.

5 = 2nd year: a bird hatched last calendar year and now in its second calendar year.

6 = Afer 2nd year: full-grown bird hatched before last calendar year; year of hatching otherwise unknown.

7 = 3rd year: a bird hatched two calendar years before, and now in its third calendar year.

8 = Afer 3rd year: a full-grown bird hatched more than three calendar years ago (including present year as one); year if bird otherwise unknown.

9 = 4th year: a bird hatched three calendar years before, and now in its fourth calendar year.

A = Afer 4th year: a bird older than category 9 – age otherwise unknown.

sexReported

U = Unknown

M = Male

F = Female

eurasianspoonbill19942008.csv

For each year in the 1994-2008 period, age-specific (first-year, second-year, third-year, older) annual survival rates are given for the Dutch Spoonbill population.

year     = start year

fled      = number of fledgelings per breeding pair

s1        = first-year survival rate

s2        = second-year survival rate

s3        = third-year survival rate

s4        = older birds' annual survival rate

whitestork19772000.csv

Demographic data on White Storks in Switzerland from 1977 till 2000.

year     = start year

fled      = number of fledgelings per pair

sj         = first-year survival of fledgelings

sa         = annual survival of older birds

commontern19942009.csv

Mean vital rate estimates for the Common Tern for the Dutch Waddenzee population, including the Northern part of the IJsselmeer, between 2000 and 2010.

year     = start year

r           = number of daughter fledgelings per adult female

s1        = first-year survival rate

s2        = second-year survival rate

sA        = older birds' annual survival rate

whitetailedeaglepmat1.csv

whitetailedeaglepmat2.csv

whitetailedeaglefmat1.csv

whitetailedeaglefmat2.csv

White-Tailed Eagle age-specific survival (Pmat) and reproduction (Fmat) matrices as found in COMADRE v.2.0.1, for Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, studied over the period 1947-2008. Period 1 lasts upto 1975, period 2 from 1975.