Long Island Sound 2016 BIRDS

This feature class resides within the BIOLOGY Feature Data Set of the Long Island Sound - 2016 ESI Geodatabase. It contains vector polygons representing BIRDS data for Long Island Sound. The study area includes Long Island Sound, tidal tributaries, freshwater streams, lakes, and land areas in New York and Connecticut. Vector polygons in this data set represent bird distributions, nesting, rafting, roosting, wintering, and migration areas, and vulnerable occurrences.

Species-specific abundance, seasonality, status, life history, and source information are stored in associated data tables (described in Entity Attribute Overview below) designed to be used in conjunction with this spatial data layer. This data set is a portion of the ESI data for Long Island Sound.

As a whole, the ESI data characterize the marine and coastal environments and wildlife by their sensitivity to spilled oil, and include information for three main components: shoreline habitats, sensitive biological resources, and human-use resources.

The ESI data are intended to provide baseline environmental data for oil spill planning and response. The Clean Water Act with amendments by the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 requires response plans for immediate and effective protection of sensitive resources. The ESI data may be appropriate for many other coastal management efforts, though the original intent should be kept in mind.

Developed from MERMAid record number 1552. Converted from Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata (version FGDC-STD-001-1998) using 'fgdc_to_inport_xml.pl' script in April 2017. Contact Tyler Christensen (NOS) for details.

Prepared by NOAA, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Silver Spring, Maryland for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service, Office of Response and Restoration, Emergency Response Division, Seattle, Washington.

Data content is considered static once published. However, if issues with the Geodatabase linkages or table contents are identified, the Geodatabase and/or the associated Map Document may be updated. Assure most current data is being used by downloading from https://response.restoration.noaa.gov/esi_download and/or comparing modification dates provided at this site.

The primary attribute tables associated with the ESI biology data are BIOFILE, SOURCES, and BREED_DT. The geographic data layer containing biological resource information (in this case, BIRDS) is linked to the BIOFILE using the RARNUM field. There is a many-to-many relationship from the data layer to the BIOFILE, as an RARNUM may be repeated in several geographic features. Likewise, in the BIOFILE, the same RARNUM may appear in multiple records, representing a unique combination of species found in that region. To be represented by the same RARNUM, these species groups must also share the same seasonality, concentration, mapping qualifier, and source information.

The items in the BIOFILE are ELEMENT, SUBELEMENT, NAME, GEN_SPEC, S, F, STATE, S_DATE, F_DATE, GRANK, GRANKDATE, MAPPING_QUALIFIER, CONC, JAN, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY, JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC, BREED1, BREED2, BREED3, BREED4, BREED5, RARNUM, G_SOURCE, S_SOURCE, and BREED. The G_SOURCE and S_SOURCE fields provide links to the SOURCES table, where object level source information is available. The BREED field is the link to the BREED_DT table, where searchable breed information is provided. The links to both of these tables are also many-to-many.

During the collection of the ESI data, six relational data tables are used to store the attribute data. These are the BIORES, BREED, SEASONAL, SOURCES, SPECIES, and STATUS tables. When we create new ESI data, we populate these tables to maintain the integrity of the data collected. Once completed, all information populating these tables is collapsed into the BIOFILE to ease data queries and general usability of the final product.

A complete description of entity types, attributes, and attribute values for ESI atlases can be found in the NOAA ESI Guidelines. This includes documentation of the six relational tables (mentioned above) used during data collection.

Although these data have been processed and used successfully on a computer system at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), no warranty, expressed or implied, is made by NOAA regarding the utility of the data on any other system, nor shall the act of distribution constitute any such warranty. NOAA warrants the delivery of this product in computer-readable format. If problems are encountered in downloading the ESI data or with file corruption, contact NOAA (see Distributor). These data represent a snapshot in time and temporal changes may have occurred. The data are not intended to include all biological or human-use resources present in an area; they focus on species and resources particularly sensitive to oiling. In the event of a spill, they should be used for a first assessment only. The data providers are the experts with regard to individual resources. They should be contacted to confirm if more current data exist or if in-depth information is needed about a particular resource.

Data can be accessed by downloading the zipped ArcGIS geodatabase from the Download URL (see Distribution Information). Questions can be directed to the ESI Program Manager (Point Of Contact).

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DO NOT USE MAPS FOR NAVIGATIONAL PURPOSES. Management boundaries are not to be considered legal boundaries. Edges may have been altered for cartographic processes. Note that the ESI database should not be used to the exclusion of other pertinent data or information held by state or federal agencies or other organizations. Likewise, information contained in the database cannot be used in place of consultations with environmental, natural resource, and cultural resource agencies, or in place of field surveys. Recognize that the information contained in the ESI database represents known concentration areas or occurrences of natural, cultural, and human-use resources, but does not necessarily represent the full distribution or range of each species or resource. This is particularly important to recognize when considering potential impacts to protected resources, such as endangered species, wetlands, etc. Besides the above warnings, there are no use constraints on these data. Acknowledgment of the originators, publishers, contributors, and sources listed would be appreciated in products derived from these data.

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The software packages used to develop the atlas are Environmental Systems Research Institute's ArcGIS for Desktop 10.4(R) and SQL SERVER(R) (version 2005). The hardware configuration is PCs with Windows Operating System 7.

A multi-stage error checking process is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. The process includes a standardized data entry methodology, data review by in-house and external resource experts, a final Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) process, and multiple automated logical consistency checks. Quantitative data (such as densities, counts, abundances, or concentrations) provided by resource experts for inclusion in the data set may vary widely in attribute accuracy, depending upon the methodology used to collect and compile such data. For a more detailed evaluation of source data attribute accuracy, check the sources listed in the Lineage section.

These data represent a synthesis of sources of data, e.g., expert knowledge, available hardcopy documents, survey data, maps, and digital data on bird distributions in the Long Island Sound study area. These data do not represent all bird occurrences in Long Island Sound and nearby lands and waters. The following 207 species are included in this data set: (Species_ID, Common Name, Scientific Name or "n/a" if not applicable): 1, Common loon, Gavia immer; 3, Red-throated loon, Gavia stellata; 4, Red-necked grebe, Podiceps grisegena; 5, Horned grebe, Podiceps auritus; 8, Double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus; 12, Canada goose, Branta canadensis; 13, Brant, Branta bernicla; 15, Snow goose, Chen caerulescens; 16, Mallard, Anas platyrhynchos; 17, Northern pintail, Anas acuta; 18, Green-winged teal, Anas crecca; 20, Northern shoveler, Anas clypeata; 21, Canvasback, Aythya valisineria; 22, Greater scaup, Aythya marila; 23, Lesser scaup, Aythya affinis; 24, Common goldeneye, Bucephala clangula; 25, Barrow's goldeneye, Bucephala islandica; 26, Bufflehead, Bucephala albeola; 27, Long-tailed duck, Clangula hyemalis; 28, Harlequin duck, Histrionicus histrionicus; 29, White-winged scoter, Melanitta fusca; 30, Surf scoter, Melanitta perspicillata; 32, Common merganser, Mergus merganser; 33, Red-breasted merganser, Mergus serrator; 34, American coot, Fulica americana; 38, Herring gull, Larus argentatus; 40, Ring-billed gull, Larus delawarensis; 42, Bonaparte's gull, Larus philadelphia; 45, Common tern, Sterna hirundo; 54, Great blue heron, Ardea herodias; 55, Whimbrel, Numenius phaeopus; 56, Spotted sandpiper, Actitis macularia; 58, Greater yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca; 59, Lesser yellowlegs, Tringa flavipes; 60, Red knot, Calidris canutus; 61, Pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos; 62, Least sandpiper, Calidris minutilla; 63, Dunlin, Calidris alpina; 64, Short-billed dowitcher, Limnodromus griseus; 67, Sanderling, Calidris alba; 69, Semipalmated plover, Charadrius semipalmatus; 70, Killdeer, Charadrius vociferus; 71, Black-bellied plover, Pluvialis squatarola; 73, Ruddy turnstone, Arenaria interpres; 75, Razorbill, Alca torda; 76, Bald eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus; 77, Osprey, Pandion haliaetus; 86, Least tern, Sternula antillarum; 87, Little blue heron, Egretta caerulea; 88, Great egret, Ardea alba; 89, Snowy egret, Egretta thula; 90, Black-crowned night-heron, Nycticorax nycticorax; 91, Glossy ibis, Plegadis falcinellus; 92, Great black-backed gull, Larus marinus; 93, Cattle egret, Bubulcus ibis; 94, Tricolored heron, Egretta tricolor; 95, Roseate tern, Sterna dougallii; 97, Green heron, Butorides virescens; 98, Laughing gull, Larus atricilla; 100, Black-legged kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla; 103, Common eider, Somateria mollissima; 107, Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus; 120, Yellow-crowned night-heron, Nyctanassa violacea; 124, Redhead, Aythya americana; 125, Clapper rail, Rallus longirostris; 133, Black skimmer, Rynchops niger; 138, Forster's tern, Sterna forsteri; 147, Savannah sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis; 148, Ruddy duck, Oxyura jamaicensis; 150, Black rail, Laterallus jamaicensis; 152, American oystercatcher, Haematopus palliatus; 153, Piping plover, Charadrius melodus; 155, Willet, Tringa semipalmata; 156, Semipalmated sandpiper, Calidris pusilla; 158, King eider, Somateria spectabilis; 162, Gadwall, Anas strepera; 166, Song sparrow, Melospiza melodia; 167, Northern gannet, Morus bassanus; 169, American wigeon, Anas americana; 176, Short-eared owl, Asio flammeus; 177, Bank swallow, Riparia riparia; 178, Least bittern, Ixobrychus exilis; 179, Pied-billed grebe, Podilymbus podiceps; 180, Ring-necked duck, Aythya collaris; 181, Northern harrier, Circus cyaneus; 182, American kestrel, Falco sparverius; 183, Snowy owl, Nyctea scandiaca; 185, American bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus; 186, American black duck, Anas rubripes; 187, Virginia rail, Rallus limicola; 188, Sora, Porzana carolina; 190, Blue-winged teal, Anas discors; 191, Wood duck, Aix sponsa; 193, Black tern, Chlidonias niger; 197, Black scoter, Melanitta americana; 198, Hooded merganser, Lophodytes cucullatus; 216, Belted kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon; 217, Mute swan, Cygnus olor; 218, Red-shouldered hawk, Buteo lineatus; 223, Upland sandpiper, Bartramia longicauda; 225, Marsh wren, Cistothorus palustris; 226, Red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus; 229, Swamp sparrow, Melospiza georgiana; 230, Red-tailed hawk, Buteo jamaicensis; 231, Broad-winged hawk, Buteo platypterus; 234, Purple sandpiper, Calidris maritima; 240, Northern goshawk, Accipiter gentilis; 275, Great cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo; 277, Seaside sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus; 278, Saltmarsh sparrow, Ammodramus caudacutus; 299, Scaup, Aythya spp.; 300, Goldeneye, Bucephala spp.; 301, Mergansers, n/a; 302, Scoters, Melanitta spp.; 334, Yellow warbler, Setophaga petechia; 350, Great horned owl, Bubo virginianus; 385, Barn owl, Tyto alba; 433, Ruby-throated hummingbird, Archilochus columbris; 445, Wilson's storm-petrel, Oceanites oceanicus; 452, Mourning dove, Zenaida macroura; 455, Yellow-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus americanus; 462, Loons, Gavia spp.; 490, Eurasian wigeon, Anas penelope; 529, Cory's shearwater, Calonectris diomedea; 582, Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica; 583, Baltimore oriole, Icterus galbula; 590, Black-and-white warbler, Mniotilta varia; 595, Horned lark, Eremophila alpestris; 596, Purple martin, Progne subis; 598, Grasshopper sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum; 599, Whip-poor-will, Antrostomus vociferus; 600, Long-eared owl, Asio otus; 601, Yellow-breasted chat, Icteria virens; 602, Brown thrasher, Toxostoma rufum; 604, Eastern screech owl, Megascops asio; 628, Great crested flycatcher, Myiarchus crinitus; 706, Kentucky warbler, Oporornis formosus; 716, Gray catbird, Dumetella carolinensis; 717, Woodthrush, Hylocichla mustelina; 722, Common yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas; 734, Nelson's sparrow, Ammodramus nelsoni; 735, Brown-headed cowbird, Molothrus ater; 737, Prothonotary warbler, Protonotaria citrea; 746, American crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos; 748, American goldfinch, Carduelis tristis; 750, American robin, Turdus migratorius; 753, Black-capped chickadee, Poecile atricapillus; 760, Cedar waxwing, Bombycilla cedrorum; 762, Chipping sparrow, Spizella passerina; 764, Downy woodpecker, Picoides pubescens; 765, European starling, Sturnus vulgaris; 774, House wren, Troglodytes aedon; 777, Northern flicker, Colaptes auratus; 779, Northern rough-winged swallow, Stelgidopteryx serripennis; 787, Purple finch, Carpodacus purpureus; 791, Red-eyed vireo, Vireo olivaceus; 795, Eastern towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus; 801, Tree swallow, Tachycineta bicolor; 805, Warbling vireo, Vireo gilvus; 811, Willow flycatcher, Empidonax traillii; 818, Wild turkey, Meleagris gallopavo; 821, House finch, Carpodacus mexicanus; 822, House sparrow, Passer domesticus; 831, Eastern kingbird, Tyrannus tyrannus; 832, Northern cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis; 833, Blue-gray gnatcatcher, Polioptila caerulea; 834, Blue-winged warbler, Vermivora cyanoptera; 836, Cerulean warbler, Setophaga cerulea; 837, Common grackle, Quiscalus quiscula; 838, Fish crow, Corvus ossifragus; 841, Red-headed woodpecker, Melanerpes erythrocephalus; 842, Veery, Catharus fuscescens; 860, Ibises, Threskiornithinae; 862, Prairie warbler, Setophaga discolor; 920, Chuck-will's-widow, Antrostomus carolinensis; 922, Black brant, Branta bernicla nigricans; 923, Atlantic Brant, Branta bernicla hrota; 924, Chimney swift, Chaetura pelagica; 925, Black-billed cuckoo, Coccyzus erythropthalmus; 926, Blue jay, Cyanocitta cristata; 927, Acadian flycatcher, Empidonax virescens; 927, Acadian flycatcher, Empidonax virescens; 928, Orchard oriole, Icterus spurius; 929, Red-bellied woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus; 930, Northern mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos; 931, Indigo bunting, Passerina cyanea; 932, Scarlet tanager, Piranga olivacea; 933, Boat-tailed grackle, Quiscalus major; 934, Eastern phoebe, Sayornis phoebe; 935, Northern parula, Setophaga americana; 936, Chestnut-sided warbler, Setophaga pensylvanica; 937, Pine warbler, Setophaga pinus; 938, White-breasted nuthatch, Sitta carolinensis; 939, Carolina wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus; 1002, Shorebirds, n/a; 1003, Waterfowl, n/a; 1004, Wading birds, n/a; 1005, Raptors, n/a; 1006, Diving birds, n/a; 1008, Terns, n/a; 1013, Dabbling ducks, n/a; 1014, Diving ducks, n/a; 1015, Egrets, n/a; 1016, Herons, n/a; 1018, Passerine birds, n/a; 1026, Grebes, n/a; 1037, Cormorants, Phalacrocorax spp.

A multi-stage error checking process, described in the above Attribute Accuracy Report, is used to verify both attribute accuracy and logical consistency throughout data production. This process includes multiple automated logical consistency checks that test the files for missing or duplicate data, rules for proper coding, GIS topological consistencies, and SQL SERVER(R) to ArcGIS(R) consistencies. A final review is made by the GIS manager, before the final Geodatabase and metadata are created. After the data are delivered to NOAA, they are again subjected to several consistency checks, and processed into the final delivery format.