WeBS Low Tide Count Sample Data

Data can be provided as one of three outputs from the WeBS Low Tide Count scheme.

• Summary data (the standard output) in pdf, rtf and htm formats
• Dot density maps, in JPEG or other picture format
• GIS-ready shapefiles

The following examples are taken from the 1992-93 low tide counts at the Duddon Estuary in Cumbria:

Summary data

In this example, data are required to assess the impact of a proposed development on numbers of Knot and Wigeon using sections 13 and 14 of the Duddon.

Data can be provided for the sections in question:

Additionally, data can be provided for the site as a whole, allowing an assessment of the relative importance of the individual sections:

Dot density maps

Use of GIS (Geographical Information Systems) to store and present WeBS Low Tide Count data makes it straightforward to produce pictoral representations of low tide bird distributions. Below are the distributions of Knot and Wigeon at the Duddon Estuary during the 1992-93 winter. The data represented are the mean number of each species on each section over the winter. One dot represents one "average" bird, with dots being placed randomly across the intertidal component of their count sections.

Knot

Wigeon

GIS-ready shapefiles

The downloadable files here contain the outlines of the Duddon Estuary Low Tide Counts sections, plus the mean counts of Knot and Wigeon. The files are for use with ArcView but can be converted to use within MapInfo.