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8 October 2010 
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More on Aerial Insectivores

Purple Martin Photo: Ron Ridout

1 October 2010 – Results from a continental analysis of Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data for aerial insectivores have been published in a special feature of Avian Conservation and Ecology – Écologie et conservation des oiseaux (ACE-ÉCO). The study was led by a team of scientists from the University of Western Ontario, Acadia University, and Bird Studies Canada: Silke Nebel, Alex Mills, Jon McCracken, and Phil Taylor. It is the first North American peer-reviewed examination of broad-scale geographic and temporal trends within the foraging guild of aerial insectivores (goatsuckers, swifts, swallows, and flycatchers).
   The study suggests that aerial insectivores are in trouble, and that declines tend to be more pronounced as you move northward and eastward across the continent. Canada (especially central and eastern areas) is experiencing some of the greatest declines. Long-distance migrants that winter in South America seem to be experiencing steeper declines than those that migrate shorter distances. The study also demonstrates that many of the declines began somewhat mysteriously in the mid-1980s.
   Given the serious nature of the declines, much more work needs to be done to identify the factors driving these disturbing trends and patterns. The full paper can be viewed or downloaded on the ACE-ÉCO website.

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Project Nest Box – Call for Participants

5 October 2010 – Schools are invited to participate in Project Nest Box – School Nest Watch Program, a unique environmental program. Managed by Midpoint International Inc., a leader in recycling and refuse cabinets made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic, the program donates six nesting boxes in kit-form to participating schools. The students monitor the boxes annually from April through July and report their findings to Bird Studies Canada’s Project NestWatch database.
   Schools also receive: assembly instructions; a full-colour poster depicting the species likely to inhabit the boxes; and a program guide explaining how to monitor the boxes and where to install them in a typical schoolyard. The program offers full teacher support, and produces a quarterly newsletter with interesting information and contests to keep the teachers and students engaged all year.
    To register your school for Project Nest Box – School Nest Watch Program, contact Carolin Grandin, Project Coordinator at carolin.grandin@midpoint-int.com (acknowledgement of your email will be sent within 48 hours), or call 905-726-9658 or 888-646-4246. Order deadline for the 2011 season is February 18, 2011.

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BC Important Bird Area Newsletter Available

Eagle Festival at Chehalis IBA. Photo: Kathy Stewart

6 October 2010 – The Important Bird Area program in British Columbia is a joint partnership between BC Nature, Bird Studies Canada, and Nature Canada. The fall issue of BC’s IBA newsletter is now available on the BC Nature website. This is the 6^th newsletter, and features an article about the Chehalis River Estuary IBA, and updates on current activities taking place in BC’s IBA program, such as outreach events, new communication materials, and more. If you are interested in more information or becoming involved in the IBA program as a volunteer Caretaker, or contributing data on birds and/or habitat at IBAs, please email BCprograms@birdscanada.org.

BSC – Ontario Program Workshops

5 October 2010 – Bird Studies Canada’s Ontario Region Staff will visit New Liskeard, North Bay, and Sault Ste. Marie for workshops that will introduce Ontario Region programs and provide comprehensive training on the Ontario SwiftWatch program. Ontario SwiftWatch is a volunteer-based monitoring program designed to gather information on the abundance, distribution, and habitats of Threatened Chimney Swifts across the province, to inform Chimney Swift conservation efforts.
   Workshops are free, but pre-registration is required. Please contact the local partners for additional information or to register. New Liskeard (November 5, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Chartrand Independent Grocers Community Room): Christine.Terwissen@ontario.ca or 705-568-3251. North Bay (November 6, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Discovery North Bay): Valerie.Vaillancourt@ontario.ca or 705-475-5515. Sault Ste. Marie (November 8, 4-8 p.m., Great Lakes Forestry Centre): Jessica.Sicoly@ontario.ca or 705-941-5130.
   This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Department of Environment, the Government of Ontario, and TD Friends of the Environment Fund. Special thanks to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (Kirkland Lake District; North Bay District; Sault Ste. Marie District); Nipissing Naturalists; Sault Naturalists; and the Great Lakes Forestry Centre.

BSC Staff Lead Workshops

5 October 2010 – Bird Studies Canada and the Norfolk Field Naturalists are hosting two workshops in Norfolk County, Ontario in the weeks to come. The courses will be led by BSC staff Ron Ridout and Jody Allair.
   On Saturday, October 30 from 9:30 to 3:30, attend “Using Computer Software to Work with your Digital Nature Photographs” with noted photographer Ron Ridout, who will provide instruction on the use of photo-editing software to edit, print, and store your digital photographs. This is a hands-on workshop, with a computer workstation available for each participant. The workshop will be held in Simcoe, and the fee is $40.
   On Saturday, November 13 from 9:30 to 12:30, Jody Allair’s “Feeding Birds” workshop will cover a wide range of topics, including advice on bird feeders and bird food, identifying feeder birds, making your backyard more bird-friendly, and participating in Project FeederWatch. The session will be held at Bird Studies Canada’s headquarters, 115 Front Road, Port Rowan. The fee is $10 per person. Kids are free.
   Workshop attendance is limited and pre-registration is required. Contact Shirley Rothery at 519-586-9535 or shirleyrothery@hotmail.com, or select this link to download a printable registration form.

BSC Prairie Program Update

Magnificent Frigatebird Photo: Ron Ridout

4 October 2010 – The 2010 field season marked the inaugural year of volunteer participation in surveys for the Prairie & Parkland Marsh Monitoring Program. Despite some very uncooperative weather, these dedicated volunteers completed almost 300 surveys at about 125 wetlands across the three Prairie Provinces, and observed over 2200 birds of 108 species. Detection of all three rail species during a single survey was a highlight of the summer.
   We sincerely thank all those who dedicated their time and expertise to the program! We are also grateful to more than 150 landowners who allowed Prairie & Parkland MMP surveyors access to their property. Efforts to recruit volunteer surveyors for the 2011 field season have begun. If interested, contact Katherine Brewster at prairieprograms@birdscanada.org.
   Ryan Dudragne has joined the Prairie Program in a Science Horizons-supported position until December. Ryan is tasked with annotating sound files of bird songs that were made with autonomous recorders during the 2010 field season. Welcome, Ryan!
   Finally, a few exciting Saskatoon-area fall sightings have included: Magnificent Frigatebird, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and 40 Whooping Cranes in a single flock.

BSC Funded for Great Lakes Wetland Monitoring

1 October 2010 – Bird Studies Canada has been awarded $156,000 US by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to improve the ability of the Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP) to report on marsh bird- and amphibian-based indicators of Great Lakes coastal wetland health. The funding will help us increase MMP monitoring activity in under-surveyed regions of the western U.S. Great Lakes basin, and will allow us to refine the ways we analyze and report data on species populations and wetland ecological condition.
   BSC is also a key partner in a $10 million grant awarded to Central Michigan University by the USEPA to implement a standardized coastal wetland monitoring plan bi-nationally across the Great Lakes. BSC will be responsible for coordinating marsh bird and amphibian monitoring at wetland sites along the Canadian shores of Lakes Huron, Ontario, and Erie over five years. This will be done in conjunction with water quality, macroinvertebrate, fish, plant, bird, and amphibian surveys by U.S. and Canadian government agencies and academic institutions.
   The funding was derived from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, a U.S. federal government program that has allotted $475 million to clean up and restore the Great Lakes over five years.

2010 OFO Convention a Great Success

30 September 2010 – On September 25-26, members and friends of the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) gathered in the Long Point area for the annual OFO Convention. The weekend was attended by more than 240 registrants. At the Saturday evening banquet in Port Dover, Bird Studies Canada’s Director of National Programs Jon McCracken introduced the keynote speaker Dr. Bridget Stutchbury, and LPBO founding members Erica Dunn and David Hussell received the Distinguished Ornithologist Award.
   It was fitting that this year’s convention was held in the Long Point area, as 2010 marked the 50^th Anniversary of Long Point Bird Observatory. A number of BSC staff were involved in helping plan and organize the convention, and participated in the weekend’s events as registrants and field trip leaders.
   Participants enjoyed a very productive weekend of birding, setting a new all-time record for an OFO Convention with a list total of 177 species. This breaks the previous record of 176 species spotted at Point Pelee on October 3-4, 2009.

LPW News

29 September 2010 – Long Point Waterfowl recently completed their fifth annual newsletter. Within this issue you will find articles about ongoing staff and student research projects, upgrades to the Research & Education Centre, and LPW’s youth and university education programs. Select this link to download the newsletter.
   Long Point Waterfowl jackets are now available. Select this link to view the flyer. Contact Ted Barney by October 29 at 1-888-448-2473 ext. 151 or tbarney@birdscanada.org to place your order.

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