Sampling of Azores seabirds with camera-traps - Year 2019

Study Extent

The study was conducted in three Cory’s shearwater colonies, on Terceira island (total area: 400.2 km²; maximum elevation: 1021 m a.s.l; 27º 10' W, - 38º 40' N). Chanoca colony is located in southern coast of the island, and it is formed by cliffs and rocky bays, slightly covered by some herbaceous plants as sour fig Carpobrotus edulis. Raminho colony is located in the north-west, and it is characterized by cliffs dominated by low forests of native vegetation, mainly Erica azorica and Morella faya. Finally, the Agualva colony is located in the north of the island, and it consist in a rocky area scarcely covered by native vegetation (Erica azorica).

Sampling

Motion-triggered infrared cameras (Bushnell Trophy HD, Moultrie 880i and 990i) were installed in the colonies at the beginning of the breeding season (e.g., Lamelas-López et al. 2020). We installed one camera per nest, which remain recording continuously until the final of the breeding season, or until the nest was abandoned or depredated, where the camera was moved to another nest. The cameras were deployed at 50-100 of the nest entrance. Cameras were configured to take 8 MB-photos, with 30 seconds of delay between them (Lamelas-López et al. 2021). Date and time were automatically recorded for each event. The nests were monitored each 10 days, in order to assess the nest condition, and replace the SD cards and the batteries of the cameras if necessary. The study comprised from 8 April and 23 October of 2019. The obtained photos were posteriorly analysed and identified by L.L.L.

Quality Control

All the Photos were carefully verified by the authors.

Method steps

1. Between 8 April and 23 October of 2019, a total of 32 camera-traps were installed in three Cory’s shearwater colonies on Terceira island, covering the entire breeding period. We searched occupied nests and installed a camera per nest, which remain recording continuously until the final of the breeding season, or until the nest was abandoned or depredated, where the camera was moved to another nest. Cameras were deployed at 50-100 cm of the nest entrance, and were programmed to take photos, which recorded date and time of the event. Nests were monitored each 10 days, in order to assess the nest condition and to replace the SD cards and batteries of the cameras. The obtained photos were posteriorly analysed and identified by L.L.L. The data has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardised format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. We provided an event data table, which contains 2976 records; and an occurrence data table, with 6972 records.

The following Classes and Orders are covered: Aves: Procellariiformes, Columbiformes, Passeriformes; Mammalia: Carnivora, Lagomorpha, Rodentia; Reptilia: Squamata.

1. Aves
   common name: Birds rank: class
2. Mammalia
   common name: Mammals rank: class
3. Reptilia
   common name: Reptiles rank: class
4. Procellariiformes
   common name: Petrels rank: order
5. Columbiformes
   common name: Doves rank: order
6. Passeriformes
   common name: Passerine rank: order
7. Carnivora
   common name: Carnivores rank: order
8. Lagomorpha
   common name: Rabbits rank: order
9. Rodentia
   common name: Rodents rank: order

The study was conducted in three Cory’s shearwater colonies, on Terceira island (total area: 400.2 km²; maximum elevation: 1021 m a.s.l; 27º 10' W, - 38º 40' N), which belong to the Azores archipelago (North Atlantic). Chanoca colony is located in southern coast of the island, and it is formed by cliffs and rocky bays, slightly covered by some herbaceous plants as sour fig Carpobrotus edulis. Raminho colony is located in the north-west, and it is characterized by cliffs dominated by low native, mainly composed by Erica azorica and Morella faya. Finally, the Agualva colony is located in the north of the island, and it consist in a rocky area scarcely covered by patches of native vegetation (Erica azorica).