Archives

Bird Studies
Canada Main Page

www.ebird.ca

12 January 2007 
Download a Printable PDF Version  

 

Lost Green-tailed Towhee Searching for Home?

12 January 2007 – On 10 June, 2006, a remarkable bird showed up at the Thunder Cape Bird Observatory which is jointly operated by the Thunder Bay Field Naturalists, Bird Studies Canada, and supported by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. This adult male Green-tailed Towhee was captured, banded, and sent on its way shortly thereafter as the sixth record for Ontario. Green-tailed Towhees are one of the least known birds in North America, typically migrating from their breeding range in the American southwest to their wintering range in central Mexico.
  It has been suggested that a lot of these ‘lost’ birds eventually find their way back home, but how would one find out? Near the end of November, a banded Green-tailed Towhee was found at a bird feeder in Mountain Lake, in southwest Minnesota, and it has been there ever since. This is one of the most northerly wintering records for the species. With a skilful eye and some great digital photographs, the band number was recovered, and sure enough, its origin was Thunder Cape! This is one of the first documented records of survival and behaviour for one of these ‘lost’ birds. When the bird was originally captured it was approximately 1800 kilometres northwest of its main breeding range. The 690 kilometre southwest movement this bird displayed over the past six months was certainly a flight in the right direction, but not quite far enough. Had the bird started in the right direction from home in Colorado it would probably be soaking up the sun somewhere in Mexico by now.

Windfarm Permit Contradicts Endangered Species Act

4 January 2007, BirdLife International – A proposed windfarm in the Karso del Sur Important Bird Area (IBA), Puerto Rico, could wipe out five percent of the global population of the critically endangered Puerto Rican Nightjar Caprimulgus noctitherus.
  The proposal, which has been strongly condemned by Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña (SOPI, BirdLife in Puerto Rico), is the latest in a series of windfarm proposals around the world that threaten bird populations of conservation importance.
  The Karso del Sur IBA is the most important remaining stronghold for the Puerto Rican Nightjar, which has been reduced to a global population of 1400 to 2000 individuals. “The most significant repercussion of the development of this industrial complex will be the land displacement which could impact 40 of the 46 identified territories of this ground nesting species,” said SOPI spokesperson Luis Silvestre.
  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently approved an “incidental take” permit for the WindMar project in Guayanilla. This permit requires a Habitat Conservation Plan but allows the company to incidentally impact or cause harm to the endangered species without any penalty. In addition to the nightjar, other species “protected” under the Endangered Species Act (1973) include Roseate Tern Sterna dougalli, and Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis. “Approving the incidental take permit demonstrates a serious contradiction and lack of respect for the Endangered Species Act established specifically to protect these most vulnerable of birds,” remarked Joel Franqui Gil de Lamadrid, President of the Puerto Rican Ornithological Society. SOPI and the Guayanilla community group, Comité Pro Costa Ventana (Committee for the Conservation of Ventana Coast), propose that the lands be acquired by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and added to the biosphere reserve of Guánica so that a co-management plan can be established to conserve the natural resources and benefit the local community.
  Climate change is perhaps the most serious threat to the world’s biodiversity, damaging the last remaining habitats of threatened species, and causing catastrophic breeding failures amongst seabirds as rising sea temperatures drive their prey, plankton,  in to colder waters. BirdLife considers that in many parts of the world, wind has the greatest potential of all renewable energy sources, but believes that windfarm proposals should be treated on a case-by-case basis to establish that there will be no negative impact on wildlife.

Return to Top of Page

No “Peace on Earth” for Rare Dove

Photo: B. Rusk, Birdlife International

29 December 2006, Grenada Today – The Grenada Dove – less than 180 of which remain in the world – faced news this past Christmas that its main refuge in Grenada, the Mt. Hartman National Park, is being sold by the Government of Grenada to make way for a hotel and resort development. The Mt. Hartman National Park, also known as “the dove sanctuary,” in the southwest of Grenada, supports at least 22% of the global population of the Grenada Dove – equating to just 20 pairs. With such a small population in just a few remnant patches of forest, news of the potential development has ignited uproar from conservationists worldwide.
  The move toward the hotel development was confirmed 21 December by the Government of Grenada in a public statement and in media correspondence in recent days. Four Seasons, the hotel development chain involved, have so far declined to comment. However, early indications state that the development will be a 150-room hotel with 300 separate luxury villas, a golf course, marina, and conference centre. The Government of Grenada claims that the development will not harm the birds. “The Government’s claim that the development will not harm the Grenada Dove population is totally unfounded since there has been no analysis of the potential impact of the development on the dove,” stressed David Wege, Caribbean Program Manager at BirdLife International. The Grenada Dove is Grenada’s national bird. In recent years, it has been celebrated in Grenada as an icon for conservation, ecotourism, and the environment; as such, its image has been featured at school events, community festivals, and even on stamps. For more information on the Grenada Dove, select this link  . A website devoted to this issue will be available shortly.

Return to Top of Page

        NATIONAL

 

Partnering to Reduce Motorized Vehicles on Nova Scotia Beaches

12 January 2007 – When human recreation peaks on Atlantic Canada’s beaches, endangered Piping Plovers are busy nesting and raising young alongside hundreds of beach-goers. Successful breeding – essential to species recovery – is limited by numerous factors, including motorized vehicle use on beaches and dunes, which can degrade habitat and, worse, damage nests, and/or kill flightless plover chicks. Working with Environment Canada’s Canadian Wildlife Service and the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources, staff and volunteers from Bird Studies Canada’s (BSC) Nova Scotia Piping Plover Conservation Program monitor and protect breeding Piping Plovers and conduct outreach to improve beach habitat stewardship in Nova Scotia.
  In 2006, BSC documented motorized vehicle violations on beaches and used this data to assist provincial conservation officers in prioritizing enforcement efforts. Based on surveys of over 20 beaches in southern Nova Scotia, BSC documented a 33% decline in the frequency of motorized vehicle use in 2005. This is an encouraging step toward ensuring safe and healthy habitat for Piping Plovers. To continue the momentum, BSC will work with conservation officers to deliver beach stewardship presentations directed at the region’s youth. We are grateful to Environment Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program for Species at Risk, the Endangered Species Recovery Fund, and the Shell Environment Fund for their financial support of this project.

Shot Consumption in Scaup – Research Paper Published

12 January 2007 – The latest Wildlife Society Bulletin includes the paper “Shot ingestion in scaup on the lower Great Lakes after nontoxic shot regulations in Canada” by Melinda Demendi (University of Western Ontario Honours Student) and Scott Petrie (Research Director, Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund). Prior to 1999, the study showed a fairly high incidence of ingested lead shot in scaup using the lower Great Lakes – 11% in Greater Scaup, and 8% in Lesser Scaup. To reduce the incidence of lead toxicosis in waterfowl, use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting was banned in Canada in 1999 (following a 1991 ban in the United States). In fall 1999 and spring 2000, Greater and Lesser scaup were again collected on the Canadian side of lakes Erie, Ontario, and St. Clair to determine whether lead shot ingestion had declined one year after the Canadian ban. Overall, only 0.6% of birds contained lead shot and only 3.1% contained non-toxic shot. The study suggests that few scaup migrating through the lower Great Lakes were potentially affected by lead toxicosis at the time of the study. Declines in toxic shot consumption indicate high hunter compliance with the Canadian non-toxic shot regulations.

Return to Top of Page

The Spirit of Christmas Bird Counts

12 January 2007 – The 2006-2007 Christmas Bird Count season is over and the data entry has begun. This year has all the signs of another record year for both the birds and the counters. Almost 380 counts were registered this year, so we should have no trouble exceeding last year's record high 363 counts. With the mild weather in eastern Canada and the dramatic Pacific storms battering the west coast, the species totals and composition should be interesting. To monitor results as they come in, visit The Christmas Bird Count website and select “Current Year’s Results.” And here’s a big thank you to all the count compilers and participants who brave the Canadian winter and make this one of the biggest birding events on the globe. See you next year!

eBird Canada – Where Your Bird Sightings Count

12 January 2007 – It has been quite a beginning for eBird Canada. Although the website was only launched in October, promotion began in the spring, resulting in a huge increase in use. In 2005, 4129 Canadian checklists were entered; in 2006 that figure soared to 43,165. British Columbia birders led the way with 23,843 checklists; in fact only two states – New York and California – posted more. eBird is a fun way to contribute and explore bird sighting data from across the continent. Check it out at www.ebird.ca.

Return to Top of Page

 

Attention Parents and Keen Teen Birders!

12 January 2007 – The 2007 Doug Tarry Natural History Fund’s Young Ornithologists’ Workshop will be held at Long Point Bird Observatory near Port Rowan, ON, from Friday, 3 August through Sunday, 12 August. Workshop activities focus on hands-on training in field ornithology, including bird banding, censusing, field identification, birding trips, bird skinning, avian energetics, guest lectures, and much more. Come make new friends who share similar interests in the world of birds and the natural sciences. Six lucky applicants (ages 13-17) from across the country will be selected to attend, and will receive the Doug Tarry Bird Study Award to cover all expenses. For those traveling long distances, special grants may also be available to help offset air travel costs. Applications are due 30 April 2007. For additional information and an application form, contact Stu Mackenzie at Bird Studies Canada (lpbo@bsc-eoc.org), or visit Bird Studies Canada’s web site.

BSC Profiles BC Programs for Victoria Natural History Society

12 January 2007 – On January 24, Pete Davidson, Bird Studies Canada’s (BSC) British Columbia Projects Coordinator, will be talking to the Victoria Natural History Society about BSC's BC programs. The presentation will be held in Room 159 of the Murray and Anne Fraser Building at the University of Victoria beginning at 7:30 pm. It will focus on what coastal waterbird survey data are telling us about waterfowl, shorebird, seabird, and raptor population trends and distributions in and around the Georgia Basin. It will also cover how Beached Bird Surveys are addressing the issue of chronic oil pollution in Canada's Pacific Northwest, a summary of Nocturnal Owl and Canadian Lakes Loon Surveys in B.C., and BSC's most recent initiative, eBird Canada.

Return to Top of Page

Debbie Badzinski to present at “Nature in the City” in London, Ontario

11 January 2006 – McIlwraith Field Naturalists of London and the London Public Library are pleased to present “Nature in the City,” a free six-part series of illustrated talks on nature within the City of London. From Bald Eagles to Little Brown Bats, from Basswood trees to Bluntnose Minnows, from Brown Snakes to bog orchids, a wonderful array of living things calls London home. This series offers a glimpse into the world of the wild creatures that are our neighbours in the city. The series will begin on 24 January with a presentation entitled: Bald Eagles: “Soaring above the Thames River” by Debbie Badzinski, BSC’s Bird Population Biologist. The talk will recount the story of the Bald Eagle’s remarkable comeback, share insights into eagle homelife, and describe eagle tracking by satellite. The Nature in the City talks will take place in London on Wednesdays, 7:30-8:30 pm (January 24, 31, February 7, 14, 21, 28) at the Central Library, 251 Dundas St. - Stevenson Hunt Meeting Room A. For more information, please visit the McIlwraith Field Naturalists web site.
 

Marsh Monitoring Program Hosts Second Annual
Ambassador Training Workshop

5 January 2007 – Bird Studies Canada’s Aquatic Surveys Scientist, Steve Timmermans, Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP) Assistant Coordinator, Ryan Archer, and the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences Education Coordinator, Jordan Ann Kevan, led the second annual MMP Ambassador Training Workshop at Baxter Conservation Area in Kars, Ontario. Nine new and returning MMP Ambassadors attended to learn how to help recruit local participants, assist in route selection, and provide mentoring, training, and support to MMP participants in eastern Ontario. Funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the MMP Ambassador Initiative will help to increase the conservation of eastern Ontario wetlands through education and monitoring activities. For more information on MMP activities in eastern Ontario, contact Jordan Ann Kevan, 613-938-5001, ext. 224, jkevan@riverinstitute.ca, or Kathy Jones at 888-448-2473, ext. 212, aqsurvey@bsc-eoc.org.
 

 

 Return to Top of Page

This email was sent by BirdStudiesCanada@bsc-eoc.org.  If you receive duplicates of this email, or if you do not wish to receive it, please contact us.
Ce courriel a été envoyé depuis l'adresse BirdStudiesCanada@bsc-eoc.org. Si vous recevez plus d'une copie de ce message, ou si vous voulez que l'on retire votre nom de la liste d'envoi, veuillez communiquer avec nous. Nous nous excusons du fait que ce message ne soit pas disponible en français.