This data set includes the locations of all known seabird colonies along the coast of British Columbia, and provides a compilation of the population estimates of seabirds breeding at those colonies since 1980, and historical estimates prior to 1980 for some colonies. It does not include an estimate of the numbers of juvenile birds or non-breeders in the population.The rationale for developing this inventory was the recognized need for a product that could assist with: coastal zone and conservation area planning; emergency response to environmental emergencies and identifying areas of potential interactions between seabirds and anthropogenic activities. In addition, the data used to develop the document provides a baseline to compare with future seabird population estimates in order to measure the impacts of shifts in composition, abundance and/or distribution of prey, and climatic and oceanographic changes. The database is not a substitute for on-site surveys usually required for environmental assessment.Here we present data on the breeding colony population estimates of the 17 species of seabirds (including two storm petrels, three cormorants, one gull, and eight alcids) and one shorebird (Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani) that breed on the coast of British Columbia. Over 5.5 million colonial birds are currently estimated to nest at 649 sites (Rodway et al. 2024). Five species (Cassin's Auklets Ptychoramphus aleuticus, Fork-tailed Storm-petrels (Hydrobates fucatus), Rhinoceros Auklets Cerorhinca monocerata, Ancient Murrelets Synthliboramphus antiquus, and Leach's Storm-petrels (Hydrobates leucorhous), comprise the vast majority of that population, although Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani), Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus columba), and Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens), nest at the most sites. Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus), which nest on the mossy limbs of mature and old-growth trees within the coastal forests, are not included in this database, due to their dispersed nesting habit.The population estimates presented in this database are compiled from the results of several surveys. Many of the seabird breeding colonies in British Columbia have been known for more than 50 years, but because of the remoteness of the sites, visits to them have been rare. The majority of the data are the results of comprehensive inventories of colonial nesting seabirds along the British Columbia coastline conducted between 1974 and 1977 by the British Columbia Provincial Museum (BCPM; now Royal British Columbia Museum ) and between 1980 and 1989 by the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment and Climate Change Canada (CWS). The goal of the BCPM surveys was to explore the entire BC coast to identify seabird nesting sites. Reliable, quantitative data were gathered on the breeding populations of all surface-nesting seabird species and rough estimates of population sizes were made for burrow-nesting species. The goal of the CWS survey program was to establish baseline estimates of breeding populations of burrow-nesting species in BC using standardized survey techniques to allow future comparisons and monitoring of those populations. During the 1980s, repeat surveys of surface-nesting species were also conducted by CWS in most regions of the BC coast. A few colonies on small remote islands were not visited during those surveys. Therefore, for some colonies the most current population estimates are from the first complete survey of the BC coastline, carried out by the Royal British Columbia Museum in the mid 1970’s.Since 1989, surveys have been conducted by CWS on some alcid, cormorant and gull colonies along the BC coast, and results have been included in the dataset (data entry ongoing). As well as data from CWS surveys, we have attempted to obtain recent data from all other sources including Parks Canada, Transport Canada, the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, the City of Vancouver, the Bamfield Marine Station, and the Laskeek Bay Conservation Society. Since 2000, inventories of nesting BlackOystercatchers have been conducted in some regions of the coast by Parks Canada and partners (Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, Pacific Rim National Park Reserve, and Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve) and results have been included in the dataset (data entry ongoing). A long time series of nesting Black Oystercatcher data collected by Laskeek Bay Conservation Society in the Laskeek Bay area of the East Coast of Moresby Island has also been included in this dataset.

Hunting districts as presented in the Compendium of Migratory Bird Hunting Regulations: Quebechttps://www.canada.ca/fr/environnement-changement-climatique/services/chasse-oiseaux-migrateurs-gibier/reglementation-resumes-provinciaux-territoriaux/quebec.htmlThese boundaries are presented for information purposes only and have no legal value.

In 2022, the federal government launched the second phase of the Oceans Protection Plan, a vast interdepartmental program designed to enhance marine safety in Canada by improving our ability to prevent and respond to marine incidents. For the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) of Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), this means filling gaps in our knowledge of marine and coastal bird species. In order to identify these gaps for the province of Quebec, we carried out a prioritization exercise in 2022. We concluded that major efforts needed to be made in the Nunavik marine region, since data were lacking in several sectors and for several species. Understanding the vulnerability of wildlife species over time and space will help us, among other things, to assess risks and act quickly and appropriately in the event of incidents affecting the marine environment, such as an oil spill or shipwreck. Another important objective of the Oceans Protection Plan is to implement sustainable partnerships with the Inuit in order to share our respective knowledge of migratory birds, develop joint projects and support Inuit-led marine bird projects.It is in this context that aerial inventories aimed at identifying avian diversity, counting seabirds and coastal birds and better understanding their distribution at different times of the year have been taking place in Nunavik since 2023. These inventories are particularly aimed at sites of large gatherings, such as molting and staging areas, where birds are more vulnerable. During flights, the crew scans the sea, bays, river mouths and coasts for single birds or groups of birds. When birds are spotted, the number of individuals is estimated and a formal identification is made to the most precise taxonomic level possible, usually species or genus. In some cases, particularly for species that are more difficult to identify or in the case of very large groups, high-resolution photographs are taken to confirm identifications and estimates of the number of individuals a posteriori. Where possible, individuals are identified by age and sex. For the purposes of these inventories, flight-capable birds are considered adults unless immature plumage is easily identifiable from a moving aircraft. Thus, most ducks, as well as shorebirds, are considered adults as soon as they are able to fly. Occasionally, the aircraft lands on the ground for short periods to allow the team to refine the identification of the species, genus and age of the birds. These observations are then included in the database. Observations made over land, during various trips, are also recorded opportunistically.Source to quote : Canadian Wildlife Service - Quebec Region. Aerial surveys of marine and coastal birds in Nunavik. Data collected as part of the Oceans Protection Plan. Version October 2025.

Canadian nesting zones are broad, general areas, corresponding roughly to Bird Conservation Regions (version 2014. updates have been made in 2022)https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/avoiding-harm-migratory-birds/general-nesting-periods/nesting-periods.htmlThe limits of nesting zones reflect:- variations in species diversity- variations in mean annual temperature- similarities in the nesting periods within and between zonesChanges in the nesting period between adjacent nesting zones occur as a gradient.When working near the boundary of a zone, you should also consider the nesting period of the adjacent zone..More detail technical information are available here: https://publications.gc.ca/site/eng/9.843362/publication.htmlWarning: This technical information on timing of nesting migratory birds are published by EC to support the planning of activities in order to reduce the risk of detrimental effects to migratory birds, their nests and eggs. This technical information constitutes advice only. This information does not provide an authorization for harming or killing migratory birds or for the disturbance, destruction or taking of nests or eggs as prohibited under the MBR. This information does not provide a guarantee that the activities will avoid contravening the MBR or other laws and regulations. This is general information not intended to be relied on as official advice concerning the legal consequences of any specific activity. It is not a substitute for the MBCA, the MBR, or any other legislation. It is the responsibility of individuals and companies to assess their risk with regards to migratory birds and design relevant avoidance and mitigation measures.

The atlas provides printable maps, Web Services and downloadable data files representing seabirds at-sea densities in eastern Canada.The information provided on the open data web site can be used to identify areas where seabirds at sea are found in eastern Canada. However, low survey effort or high variation in some areas introduces uncertainty in the density estimates provided. The data and maps found on the open data web site should therefore be interpreted with an understanding of this uncertainty.Data were collected using ships of opportunity surveys and therefore spatial and seasonal coverage varies considerably. Densities are computed using distance sampling to adjust for variation in detection rates among observers and survey conditions. Depending on conditions, seabirds can be difficult to identify to species level. Therefore, densities at higher taxonomic levels are provided. more details in the document: Atlas_SeabirdsAtSea-OiseauxMarinsEnMer.pdf.By clicking on "View on Map" you will visualize a example of the density measured for all species combined from April to July - 2006-2020. ESRI REST or WMS map services can be added to your web maps or opened directly in your desktop mapping applications. These are alternatives to downloading and provide densities for all taxonomical groups and species as well as survey effort.

Data Sources: Banque informatisée des oiseaux de mer au Québec (BIOMQ: ECCC-CWS Quebec Region) Atlantic Colonial Waterbird Database (ACWD: ECCC-CWS Atlantic Region).. Both the BIOMQ and ACWD contain records of individual colony counts, by species, for known colonies located in Eastern Canada. Although some colonies are censused annually, most are visited much less frequently. Methods used to derive colony population estimates vary markedly among colonies and among species. For example, census methods devised for burrow-nesting alcids typically rely on ground survey techniques. As such, they tend to be restricted to relatively few colonies. In contrast, censuses of large gull or tern colonies, which are geographically widespread, more appropriately rely on a combination of broad-scale aerial surveys, and ground surveys at a subset of these colonies. In some instances, ground surveys of certain species are not available throughout the study area. In such cases, consideration of other sources, including aerial surveys, may be appropriate. For example,data stemming from a 2006 aerial survey of Common Eiders during nesting, conducted by ECCC-CWS in Labrador, though not yet incorporated in the ACWD, were used in this report. It is important to note that colony data for some species, such as herons, are not well represented in these ECCC-CWS databases at present. Analysis of ACWD and BIOMQ data (ECCC-CWS Quebec and Atlantic Regions): Data were merged as temporal coverage, survey methods and geospatial information were comparable. Only in cases where total counts of individuals were not explicitly presented was it necessary to calculate proxies of total counts of breeding individuals (e.g., by doubling numbers of breeding pairs or of active nests). Though these approaches may underestimate the true number of total individuals associated with a given site by failing to include some proportion of the non-breeding population (i.e., visiting adult non-breeders, sub-adults and failed breeders), tracking numbers of breeding individuals (or pairs) is considered to be the primary focus of these colony monitoring programs.In order to represent the potential number of individuals of a given species that realistically could be and may historically have been present at a given colony location (see section 1.1), the maximum total count obtained per species per site since 1960 was used in the analyses. In the case of certain species,especially coastal piscivores (Wires et al. 2001; Cotter et al. 2012), maxima reached in the 1970s or 1980s likely resulted from considerable anthropogenic sources of food, and these levels may never be seen again. The effect may have been more pronounced in certain geographic areas. Certain sites once used as colonies may no longer be suitable for breeding due to natural and/or human causes, but others similarly may become suitable and thus merit consideration in long-term habitat conservation planning. A colony importance index (CII) was derived by dividing the latter maximum total count by the potential total Eastern Canadian breeding population of that species (the sum of maximum total counts within a species, across all known colony sites in Eastern Canada). The CII approximates the proportion of the total potential Eastern Canadian breeding population (sum of maxima) reached at each colony location and allowed for an objective comparison among colonies both within and across species. In some less-frequently visited colonies, birds (cormorants, gulls, murres and terns, in particular) were not identified to species. Due to potential biases and issues pertaining to inclusion of these data, they were not considered when calculating species’ maximum counts by colony for the CII. The IBA approach whereby maximum colony counts are divided by the size of the corresponding actual estimated population for each species (see Table 3.1.2; approximate 1% continental threshold presented) was not used because in some instances individuals were not identified to species at some sites, or population estimates were unavailable.Use of both maxima and proportions of populations (or an index thereof) presents contrasting, but complementary, approaches to identifying important colonial congregations. By examining results derived from both approaches, attention can be directed at areas that not only host large numbers of individuals, but also important proportions of populations. This dual approach avoids attributing disproportionate attention to species that by their very nature occur in very large colonies (e.g., Leach’s Storm Petrel) or conversely to colonies that host important large proportions of less-abundant species (Roseate Tern, Caspian Tern, Black-Headed Gull, etc.), but in smaller overall numbers. Point Density Analysis (ArcGIS Spatial Analyst) with kernel estimation, and a 10-km search radius,was used to generate maps illustrating the density of colony measures (i.e., maximum count by species,CII by species), modelled as a continuous field (Gatrell et al. 1996). Actual colony locations were subsequently overlaid on the resulting cluster map. Sites not identified as important should not be assumed to be unimportant.

Sidney Island Shorebirds Survey peep counts.

The Canadian Breeding Bird Census (BBC) Database contains data for 928 breeding bird plot censuses representing all known censuses of breeding birds carried out in Canada during the period 1929–1993. The 928 records in the database represent 640 unique census plots located in all provinces and territories, except Prince Edward Island. The BBC, which was replaced by the current Breeding Bird Survey, is one of the longest-running surveys of bird populations in North America, and was designed to help determine abundance and distribution patterns of bird species. An important feature of the BBC Database is the habitat data associated with each census plot. The most prevalent vegetation species in different layers (canopy, shrub and ground cover) were recorded to reflect the assumption that birds respond principally to vegetative structure.

These shorebird surveys are conducted intermittently at a series of sites near the town of Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, during northward (April to May) and southward migration (July to November). This survey includes all shorebird species.Surveyors used binoculars or a spotting scope to count the total number of shorebirds present within the natural boundaries of each survey site during the northward and/or southward migration periods. They used a boat to count birds within the entire area of Arakun Flats and Ducking Flats by traveling along the outer edge of the mudflats, and by stopping at standardized vantage points on land. They also used a boat to view as much area as possible within Maltby Slough, South Bay and Grice Bay from the openings to each of these bays. Surveyors walked the entire length of Chesterman Beach including the tombolo to Frank Island. Surveys were done at least twice a week at each site. Most boat surveys began at low tide when the mudflats were exposed and continued on the rising tide. Road accessible sites were usually surveyed during the hour before high tide or at high tide in 2011. Surveys were not conducted in weather that reduced visibility or made boat travel unsafe (heavy rain or high wind).Surveyors counted birds individually when they were within flocks of fewer than 200 birds. They estimated the size of larger flocks by counting 50 or 100 birds and then judged how many similar-sized groups made up the entire flock. Distant flocks were recorded as small or large shorebirds and assumed to have the same species composition as those closer to shore in 1995 or identified to species group and recorded as either “dowitchers” or “peeps” in 2011.

Surveyor shorebird bird observations and counts for all years.