Unlike records of plastic ingestion and entanglement in seabirds which date back to the 1960s, the literature regarding debris in bird nests is comparatively limited. It is important to identify standardised methods early so that data are collected in a consistent manner, ensuring that future studies can be comparable. Here, we outline a method that can be applied to photographs for estimating the proportion of visible debris at the surface of a nest. This method uses ImageJ software to superimpose a grid onto a photograph of a nest/s. The number of cells with and without debris are then counted. Our proposed method is repeatable, straightforward, and accessible. We optimised the method to estimate the level of visible debris in Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus) nests, however, with some modification (i.e., adjustment of grid cell size), it could be applied to other seabird species, and terrestrial birds, that incorporate debris within nests.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	marine debris, plastic pollution, seabird monitoring, nest debris, standardised method, ImageJ
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Ecology
Research Field:	Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Marine systems and management
Objective Field:	Marine biodiversity
UTAS Author:	Grant, ML (Miss Megan Grant)
UTAS Author:	Lavers, JL (Dr Jennifer Lavers)
UTAS Author:	Bond, AL (Dr Alexander Bond)
ID Code:	146252
Year Published:	2021
Deposited By:	Ecology and Biodiversity
Deposited On:	2021-08-26
Last Modified:	2021-09-23
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