Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) survey of the Antarctic shag (Leucocarbo bransfieldensis) breeding colony at Harmony Point, Nelson Island, South Shetland Islands

Abstract

Monitored seabird populations—useful sentinels of marine ecosystem health—have been declining worldwide at a rapid pace. Yet, lack of reliable long-term monitoring data constrains assessment of the conservation status of many seabird populations. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have the potential to increase survey efficiency and count precision of seabird populations, especially where time constraints or inaccessible terrain, such as sea stacks, limit meaningful ground-based surveys. Furthermore, tremendous potential exists to combine fine-scale spatially integrated habitat mapping obtained from UAV images with occupancy to unravel how abiotic factors such as topography affect animal populations. In late December 2018, we used an UAV to create a georeferenced orthomosaic image and digital elevation model (DEM) from which we determined the size of the Antarctic shag (Leucocarbo bransfieldensis) breeding colony at Harmony Point, Nelson Island, South Shetland Islands. Our population estimate of 69 breeding pairs is approximately double that reported for the early 2000s and the highest count since the late 1980s. Most nests were located 10 to 20 m above sea level, on relatively shallow gradients that predominantly faced southeast. While it is difficult to compare historical ground-based counts with the UAV-derived estimates presented here, our new data provide robust baseline information for future monitoring of the colony population size using comparable survey methods. Our basic mapping of the topography of the breeding colony also highlights how UAV-derived habitat information can facilitate our understanding of the influence of landscape structure on animal population dynamics.