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7 November 2008 
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Mexico Bans Wild Parrot Trade

14 October 2008 – Mexican President Felipe Calderón has signed an amendment to the country’s wildlife law to ban the capture and export of Mexican wild parrots. The bill, first introduced a year ago by the Environment Commission of the Deputy Chamber, received nearly unanimous support when it was passed in the Mexican Senate on April 22, 2008.
   Until recently, government quotas permitted the legal capture of between 3000-4000 parrots per year. However, a 2007 report by Defenders of Wildlife and Teyeliz, A.C. revealed that between 65,000 and 78,500 wild parrots and macaws were being captured illegally each year, with more than 75 percent (or 50,000 to 60,000 parrots) dying annually before ever reaching a purchaser.
   Of Mexico’s 22 species of parrots and macaws, six are not found anywhere else in the world. The latest Mexican classification (yet to be published) lists 11 species as endangered, five as threatened, and four as requiring special protection; two are not yet classified. This bill marks a victory for parrot conservation. To learn more or to download the 2007 report, visit the Defenders of Wildlife website.

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New Project FeederWatch Season Begins

Pine Grosbeak Photo: Réal Boulet

7 November 2008 – The 2008-09 Project FeederWatch season begins tomorrow. Project FeederWatch is an annual survey of birds that visit backyard feeders in winter. Throughout Canada and North America, volunteer participants count birds at their feeders over a two-day period every week from November to May. It’s a great family activity, and the results help our scientists detect and understand population trends. Over the last two decades, Project FeederWatch participants have helped track erratic seasonal movements in several species, and have documented long-term declines in some of our common birds.
   It’s not too late to join the program! Canadian Project FeederWatch participants are asked to become members of Bird Studies Canada. For a modest annual fee of $35.00, participants receive the Project FeederWatch instruction booklet and resource manual, data forms, a calendar, a poster of common feeder birds, and the quarterly publication BirdWatch Canada. Additional membership benefits include opportunities to participate in other programs such as the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey and the Christmas Bird Count, and a tax receipt for the full amount of the membership. Visit our website to learn more and to sign up.

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For Our Birds 2008 Conference & Workshop to be Held in NS Nov. 15-16

7 November 2008 – For Our Birds 2008: Sharing Science, Conservation, and Education about Birds in Nova Scotia is a weekend conference for anyone interested in birding, bird science, and conservation. It is being held November 15-16 in Halifax, NS and all are welcome to attend. The goals of the conference are to increase communication about science and the conservation of birds, engage new people in bird conservation, and increase public awareness and action for birds. The conference’s keynote speaker is Dr. Janis Dickinson, Director of Citizen Science at Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University. The conference will be a mix of presentations (by scientists, birders, and government representatives), lively discussions, and workshops. For full details and to register, visit the conference website.

Bald Eagles on the Move

 Fleming and Canuck. Photo: Marc Bacro/BSC 2008.

3 November 2008 – Fall is in full swing and the Bald Eagles tracked by BSC are on the move. Our newest satellite-tagged eagles from 2008, Fleming and Canuck, have been covering a lot of ground lately. Fleming, who was sponsored by Sir Sandford Fleming College in Lindsay, Ontario, has travelled from Lake Erie to northern Michigan. Fleming’s sibling Canuck, who was sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited, has been spending a fair bit of time flying around the north shore of Lake Erie.
   Other satellite-tagged eaglets include Marsh from 2007, and siblings Spirit and Phyllis from 2006, who are also showing some fantastic movements. After spending most of the summer along western Lake Erie, Marsh has recently travelled through Indiana and Ohio. Spirit and Phyllis spent the summer in northern Québec and Labrador and are currently moving south, spending time along the St. Lawrence River.
   To learn more about Bird Studies Canada’s Destination Eagle program or to see the latest developments of our satellite-tagged eaglets, please visit our web page.

A Breeding First for Atlantic Canada!

29 October 2008 – In June 2008, Willi Wolfe of St. Andrews, New Brunswick observed a Tufted Titmouse on her back deck, carrying dog fur in its beak. This nest-building behaviour is the first confirmed breeding evidence for Tufted Titmouse in the Maritimes. Willi and her husband Max had been watching the titmice come and go from their feeders since early April of this year. Shortly after their June sighting, the titmice “disappeared” until early September, when three or four titmice began regularly visiting their feeders.
   Amazingly, this isn’t the only evidence that Tufted Titmice were breeding in NB this summer. Tracy Dean also caught and banded a hatch-year titmouse (a bird hatched this summer) at the St. Andrews Bird Banding Station. As Willi explains, “as titmice fly, Tracey’s banding station is less than 1 km away.” What an exciting new record!
   Visit the Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas website for more news about the birds of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

 

Give the Gift of Bird Conservation with Bird Studies Canada If you’re shopping for unique nature-themed presents this holiday season, the Bird Studies Canada store has the perfect gift for you! We offer a wide range of high quality products, and the proceeds support our bird research, monitoring, and conservation programs. For a fun board game based on the fascinating world of North American birds, we recommend our shop’s newest product, “Bird-opoly” – it’s like a traditional property trading game, with a high-flying, feathery twist!   Browse our online gift store for apparel, books, CDs, puzzles, calendars, and much more. Order online or call us toll-free at 1-888-448-2473. Please order by December 8 to guarantee holiday delivery. If you wish to support the Long Point Bird Observatory, a Project Recovery certificate makes a wonderful gift, and your ‘adoption fee’ funds LPBO’s migration monitoring operations. The frameable certificate includes a full-colour photograph, details about when a real bird (of a species of your choice) was banded at LPBO, and information about the species’ range and habits. Adopt a wild bird through Project Recovery on the BSC website. And it’s not too late to surprise a friend with a copy of the extraordinary Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario. Books must be ordered within one week – by November 14 – to ensure pre-Christmas delivery. Order online or call 416-444-8419. Thank you for buying a bird-friendly gift this holiday season!

 

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