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

Data consists of a compilation of midwinter waterfowl counts conducted on Overflow NWR since 1986

Data consists of a compilation of midwinter waterfowl counts conducted on Overflow NWR since 1986

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

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

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

Data set consists of polygons of impoundments sampled for winter waterfowl use following the Integrated Waterbird Monitoring Protocol on Pee Dee NWR

Effective waterfowl management relies on the collection of relevant demographic data to inform land management decisions; however, some types of data are difficult to obtain. For waterfowl, brood surveys are difficult to conduct because wetland habitats often obscure ducklings from being visually assessed. Here, we used Unoccupied Aerial Systems (UAS) to assess what wetland habitat characteristics influenced brood abundance in Suisun Marsh, California, USA. Using a thermal imaging camera, we surveyed 17 wetland units encompassing 332 ha of flooded area on seven waterfowl hunting clubs during the waterfowl breeding season. Additionally, using a combination of multispectral imagery collected from the UAS flights and LiDAR data from the previous year, we mapped habitat composition within each unit to relate to brood observation counts. From June 3-7, 2019, we identified 113 individual broods comprised of 827 ducklings. We found a positive relationship between the number of broods observed and the proportion of the unit that was flooded. We also found a positive relationship between the number of broods observed and the area of effective habitat, a metric of flooded habitat within a specific distance to flooded vegetation. Brood surveys using UAS could compliment the traditional Breeding Population Survey and provide local managers with fine scale and timely information regarding shifts in brood abundance in the region.