Opportunistic Survey Data of Common Gull (Larus canus) and other detections in an Urban Environment, downtown Fairbanks, Interior Alaska during mid-May 2015

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Metadata:

Contact_Information
Identification_Information
Data_Quality_Information
Spatial_Data_Organization_Information
Spatial_Reference_Information
Entity_and_Attribute_Information
Distribution_Information
Metadata_Reference_Information

Contact_Information:

Contact_Address:

Address: MANDATORY IF APPLICABLE for Data Store

Identification_Information:

Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Falk Huettmann

Publication_Date: 20140622

Publication_Time: NA

Title:

Opportunistic Survey Data of Common Gull (Larus canus) and other detections in an Urban Environment, downtown Fairbanks, Interior Alaska during mid-May 2015

Edition: 1

Geospatial_Data_Presentation_Form: database

Series_Information:

Series_Name: 1
Issue_Identification: 1

Publication_Information:

Publication_Place: University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF)
Publisher: EWHALE lab, University of Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF)

Other_Citation_Details: NA

Online_Linkage:

See other surveys done by the authors and for gulls ravens in winter and in summer, as well as online.

Description:

Abstract:: This dataset presents a Common Gull (Mew Gull, Larus canus, Taxonomic Serial Number TSN 176832) survey data set for urban areas and stripmall parking lots (app. 300mx600m), super markets, fast food restaurants, gravel pits, small ponds and the riverside (Chena) in Fairbanks, interior Alaska located app. 120 miles south of the arctic circle. We did 50 geo-referenced point surveys and detections in a rapid assessment fashion. Some opportunistic data were also taken when cruising. Gull data included presence/absenc. Data were geo-referenced with a GPS in decimal degrees (latitude and longitude, geographic datum of WGS84) collected in early breeding season, 12th of May in 2015 on a Tuesday (regular shopping and business times in the U.S.) between 7 AM and 7 PM by driving opportunistically on public strip mall parking lots, domestic areas and other locations of relevance for gull presences and absences in the survey area (app. 200m radius). Other species were also recorded but received less attention. These non-intrusive citizen science car-based surveys result into a virtually unbiased data providing a representative snap shot in space and time for the study area. Stripmall parking lots near rivers and (gravel) lakes represent a typical situation of where Common Gulls are found in an urban habitat during breeding season. We reported basic gull behaviour also. Some other bird species were recorded as well but not in great detail, e.g. American Wigeon, Pigeon, White-crowned Sparrow, Swallow sp, Shorebirds sp, Mallard, Lesser Yellowleg, American Robin, Common Raven, Grassland birds, Northern Shoveler, Grebe sp., and Dark-eyed Junco. Noteworthy are the very high raven and gull numbers at the city garbage dump. The gull abundance seems to be driven by food items on the parking lot, e.g. provided by an adjacent fast food restaurant and by wetland areas nearby (e.g. Chena river and gravel pits) where the gulls find good conditions for nearby nesting. Gulls seem to be quite colonial. This survey is unique and contributes to multi-year baseline information relevant for gulls, ravens, urban subsidized predators (e.g. raptors) in the interior of Alaska. They are a simple but powerful snapshots in time and space and when put into an overall ecological context, e.g. as done with Geographic Information System (GIS) analysis. Some photos exist for visual information. The dataset is provided in MS Excel, consists of 156 rows and is less than 1MB in size.
Purpose:: To provide basic information for summer on Common Gull abundance, behaviour and related information in a quantitative and geo-referenced rapid asseessment fashion for interior urban Alaska. Some other species are also covered. This dataset is primarily used as a rapid assessment for pesence and absence of gulls in the Fairbanks municipality, interior Alaska.

Time_Period_of_Content:

Time_Period_Information:

Single_Date/Time:

Calendar_Date: 201307

Currentness_Reference: current

Spatial_Domain:

Description_of_Geographic_Extent:

Urban Fairbanks, interior Alaska. Downtown wiewsheds of supermarket and fast food restaurants, parking lots, schools, churches, gravel pits, small ponds and other wetlands e.g. Chena River, Alaska, USA.

Bounding_Coordinates:

West_Bounding_Coordinate: 147.55201
East_Bounding_Coordinate: 147.87994
North_Bounding_Coordinate: 64.79695
South_Bounding_Coordinate: 64.87896

Keywords:

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Theme_Keyword: Urban Ecology
Theme_Keyword: Common Gull
Theme_Keyword: Larus canus
Theme_Keyword: Summer
Theme_Keyword: Nesting
Theme_Keyword: Strip Mall
Theme_Keyword: Gravel Pit
Theme_Keyword: Fastfood restaurant
Theme_Keyword: Alaska
Theme_Keyword: Interior Alaska
Theme_Keyword: Baseline data
Theme_Keyword: Opportunistic Surveys
Theme_Keyword: Interior Alaska
Theme_Keyword: USA
Theme_Keyword: Garbage Dump
Theme_Keyword: Boreal Forest

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Park Service Theme Category Thesaurus
Theme_Keyword: Urban Ecology
Theme_Keyword: Common Gull
Theme_Keyword: Larus canus
Theme_Keyword: Summer
Theme_Keyword: Nesting
Theme_Keyword: Strip Mall
Theme_Keyword: Gravel Pit
Theme_Keyword: Fastfood restaurant
Theme_Keyword: Alaska
Theme_Keyword: Interior Alaska
Theme_Keyword: Baseline data
Theme_Keyword: Opportunistic Surveys
Theme_Keyword: Interior Alaska
Theme_Keyword: USA

Theme:

Theme_Keyword_Thesaurus: ISO 19115 Topic Category
Theme_Keyword: Urban Ecology
Theme_Keyword: Common Gull
Theme_Keyword: Larus canus
Theme_Keyword: Summer
Theme_Keyword: Nesting
Theme_Keyword: Strip Mall
Theme_Keyword: Gravel Pit
Theme_Keyword: Fastfood restaurant
Theme_Keyword: Alaska
Theme_Keyword: Interior Alaska
Theme_Keyword: Baseline data
Theme_Keyword: Opportunistic Surveys
Theme_Keyword: Interior Alaska
Theme_Keyword: USA

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Place_Keyword: Fairbanks
Place_Keyword: Alaska
Place_Keyword: Interior Alaska
Place_Keyword: USA
Place_Keyword: Urban
Place_Keyword: Downtown
Place_Keyword: Strip Mall
Place_Keyword: Gravel Pit
Place_Keyword: Fastfood restaurant

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Park System Unit Name Thesaurus
Place_Keyword: Fairbanks
Place_Keyword: Alaska
Place_Keyword: Interior Alaska
Place_Keyword: USA
Place_Keyword: Urban
Place_Keyword: Downtown
Place_Keyword: Strip Mall
Place_Keyword: Gravel Pit
Place_Keyword: Fastfood restaurant

Place:

Place_Keyword_Thesaurus: National Park System Unit Code Thesaurus
Place_Keyword: Fairbanks
Place_Keyword: Alaska
Place_Keyword: Interior Alaska
Place_Keyword: USA
Place_Keyword: Urban
Place_Keyword: Downtown
Place_Keyword: Strip Mall
Place_Keyword: Gravel Pit
Place_Keyword: Fastfood restaurant

Taxonomy:

Keywords/Taxon:

Taxonomic_Keyword_Thesaurus: None
Taxonomic_Keywords: multiple species
Taxonomic_Keywords: animals
Taxonomic_Keywords: vertebrates
Taxonomic_Keywords: birds
Taxonomic_Keywords: Mew Gull (Larus canus, TSN 176832),
Taxonomic_Keywords: American Wigeon
Taxonomic_Keywords: Pigeon
Taxonomic_Keywords: White-crowned Sparrow
Taxonomic_Keywords: Swallow sp
Taxonomic_Keywords: Shorebirds sp
Taxonomic_Keywords: Mallard
Taxonomic_Keywords: Lesser Yellowleg
Taxonomic_Keywords: American Robin
Taxonomic_Keywords: Common Raven
Taxonomic_Keywords: Grassland birds
Taxonomic_Keywords: Northern Shoveler
Taxonomic_Keywords: Dark-eyed Junco
Taxonomic_Keywords: Herring Gull

Taxonomic_System:

Classification_System/Authority:

Classification_System_Citation:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Unknown
Publication_Date: Unknown

Classification_System_Modifications: ITIS.org

Identification_Reference:

Citation_Information:

Originator: Authors and Birds of Alaska
Publication_Date: Unknown

Taxonomic_Procedures: Field ID by authors using Alaskan literature, e.g. Sibley