Waterbird breeding nest surveys conducted in two Selected Areas of the CEWH’s Flow-MER program (the Murrumbidgee river system and Lachlan river system). Nest, egg and chick counts are made in a representative part of the wetland to characterise the colony and to estimate colony breeding success. The CEWH’s Flow-MER program examines the contribution of Commonwealth environmental water to the environmental objectives of the Basin Plan 2012 (Basin Plan) and is assisting the CEWH to demonstrate environmental outcomes and adaptively manage the water holdings. Monitoring and evaluation is focused in seven Selected Areas: the Junction of the Warrego and Darling rivers, Gwydir river system, Lachlan river system, Murrumbidgee river system, Edward/Kolety-Wakool river system, Goulburn River and Lower Murray River. This Flow-MER data set includes and extends the long-term data collected at the same sites during the Long Term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) project (2014-2019). ###Acknowledgement The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and Flow-MER program acknowledge the First Nations peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands, waterways and skies of the Murray-Darling Basin. We respect their continuing connection to culture and Country, and we thank them for their knowledge and science and the values reflected in these data. ###Citation CEWH (2024) Waterbird Breeding Subsample. Flow-MER Program. Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Sourced from https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/flow-mer-waterbird-breeding-subsample on [date-sourced].

Waterbird species counts in three Selected Areas of the CEWH’s Flow-MER program (the Murrumbidgee River, Gwydir river system and Junction of the Warrego and Darling Rivers. Counts are recorded from a representative part of the wetland and the proportion sampled is recorded. The CEWH’s Flow-MER program examines the contribution of Commonwealth environmental water to the environmental objectives of the Basin Plan 2012 (Basin Plan) and is assisting the CEWH to demonstrate environmental outcomes and adaptively manage the water holdings. Monitoring and evaluation is focused in seven Selected Areas: the Junction of the Warrego and Darling rivers, Gwydir river system, Lachlan river system, Murrumbidgee river system, Edward/Kolety-Wakool river system, Goulburn River and Lower Murray River. This Flow-MER data set includes and extends the long-term data collected at the same sites during the Long Term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) project (2014-2019). ###Acknowledgement The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and Flow-MER program acknowledge the First Nations peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands, waterways and skies of the Murray-Darling Basin. We respect their continuing connection to culture and Country, and we thank them for their knowledge and science and the values reflected in these data. ###Citation CEWH (2024) Waterbird Diversity. Flow-MER Program. Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder, Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Sourced from https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/flow-mer-waterbird-diversity on [date-sourced].

Raw and summarized count data from annual colonial water survey conducted at West Sister Island NWR. Breeding pair estimates were calculated for all years using 3 different methods.

Data consists of a monthly waterfowl counts conducted on Overflow NWR from 1985-1988 including some aerial counts.

This dataset is comprised of 3 .csv files related to the use of unmanned aerial systems over waterbird colonies. Specifically, data detail the disturbance observed in birds during flights, the time required for traditional ground surveys to be conducted, and the distance at which birds flush during traditional ground surveys.

Data set consists of winter waterfowl use on impoundments following the Integrated Waterbird Monitoring Protocol on Overflow NWR.

Turtles that are collected in traps and fyke nets are identified to species and individually measured (shell size) and weighed. Turtle sampling in Flow-MER is not comprehensive and these data provide a record of presence rather than abundance. Some records will be turtles caught as by-catch in fyke nets set that were set in habitats to catch fish and not from sampling for turtles specifically. The CEWH’s Flow-MER program examines the contribution of Commonwealth environmental water to the environmental objectives of the Basin Plan 2012 (Basin Plan) and is assisting the CEWH to demonstrate environmental outcomes and adaptively manage the water holdings. Monitoring and evaluation is focused in seven Selected Areas: the Junction of the Warrego and Darling rivers, Gwydir river system, Lachlan river system, Murrumbidgee river system, Edward/Kolety-Wakool river system, Goulburn River and Lower Murray River. This Flow-MER data set includes and extends the long-term data collected at the same sites during the Long Term Intervention Monitoring (LTIM) project (2014-2019). ###Acknowledgement The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder and Flow-MER program acknowledge the First Nations peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the lands, waterways and skies of the Murray-Darling Basin. We respect their continuing connection to culture and Country, and we thank them for their knowledge and science and the values reflected in these data. ###Citation CEWO (2024) Turtle measurements. Flow-MER Program. Commonwealth Environmental Water Office, Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Sourced on from https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/flow-mer-turtle-measurements on [date-sourced].

Mitchell, M.E., Anteau, M.J., Pearse, A.T. et al. Modeling Wetland Resources for Spring Migratory Waterbirds Under Different Agricultural Management Scenarios in the Iowa Portion of the Prairie Pothole Region, USA. Wetlands 45, 48 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-025-01930-y. This dataset is associated with the following publication: Mitchell, M., M. Anteau, A. Pearse, T. Newcomer-Johnson, J. Christensen, W. Crumpton, B. Dyson, T. Canfield, M. Helmers, D. Green, and K. Forshay. Modeling Wetland Resources for Spring Migratory Waterbirds Under Different Agricultural Management Scenarios in the Iowa Portion of the Prairie Pothole Region, USA. WETLANDS. The Society of Wetland Scientists, McLean, VA, USA, 45: article number 48, (2025).