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17 November 2006 
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Bitter Pill for Swallows

16 November 2006 – BirdLife International - A proposed airport development in South Africa is threatening the winter roosting sites of three million Barn Swallows that journey there after spending breeding months in countries across Europe and other parts of the world. The development is being proposed by the South African government to meet the demands of hosting the 2010 World Cup. BirdLife International objects to the plans on the basis of the site’s global importance for Barn Swallows. The site is to be designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) because it represents vital habitat to over one percent of the species’ global population; it is also over eight percent of the European breeding population.
  The Mount Moreland Reedbed roost site sits on the proposed flight path for aircraft landing and taking off at the planned airport extension. Conservationists from BirdLife South Africa are worried that safety concerns for visiting aircraft will lead to the clearance of the reedbed, removing the roosting site for the swallows. “The swallows roost here in such numbers because of the lack of other suitable roosting areas around KwaZulu-Natal. The site is an island in a surrounding sea of sugar cane plantations. It’s vital. If the reedbeds are cleared, it’s unlikely that these Barn Swallows will find suitable roosting places elsewhere” said Neil Smith, Conservation Division, BirdLife South Africa. The Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica undertakes one of the world’s most remarkable migrations, with many individuals travelling to breed in Europe and wintering in Southern Africa. “Sites like the Mount Moreland Reedbed, that are important for large aggregations of birds, are particularly vulnerable to change. Removal of one suitable area can have an enormous impact on bird numbers. For a roost this size, the effect on breeding Barn Swallow numbers would be felt throughout Europe,” according to Stuart Butchart, Global Species Programme Coordinator, BirdLife International.

Prince of Wales Pledges Support to Save the Albatross from Extinction

Photo: Felix Heintzenberg/BIOFOKUS

5 November 2006 – BirdLife International - HRH The Prince of Wales has further underlined his support for BirdLife International’s worldwide effort to save the world’s albatrosses from extinction. Speaking at a launch for the film, ‘Race to Save the Albatross’, produced by The Friends of TVE and the RSPB (BirdLife in the United Kingdom), The Prince of Wales highlighted the need for urgent action to help save the albatross from extinction. “Think of the way in which we treat our world, and the way we treat our oceans, and the way we exploit the fish stocks in particular. It would be such an appalling commentary on the way we treat the world.” he said.
  Estimates suggest that 100,000 albatrosses are inadvertently killed each year by long-line fishing boats, especially those boats in the Southern Ocean catching highly-prized species like tuna, toothfish, and swordfish. The film covers the plight of albatrosses and highlights other major problems faced by these birds, particularly from piracy – illegal, unregulated vessels are thought to be responsible for at least a quarter of the albatrosses killed annually. At the launch of the film, The Prince of Wales also praised the work of the BirdLife International Task Force. “One of the things that I think is very impressive is the work being done by the Albatross Task Force,” he said. Since 2005, the Task Force has been working with fishermen to encourage training and promoting the use of simple, low-cost ways to reduce albatross by-catches, including weighting nets, setting them at night, and using screamer lines to scare birds away. These mitigation measures have been shown to reduce the damage to albatrosses to almost zero. The challenge is to get the message across that these mitigation measures should be used at all times in all these fishing areas.

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        NATIONAL

 

Bird Tracking – Anywhere in the World

17 November 2006 – Bird Studies Canada can host and map satellite locations for any bird that is being tracked via satellite telemetry, anywhere in the world. Satellite telemetry is becoming an increasingly popular method of tracking bird species to address important biological questions. BSC is currently using this technology to track the movements of species of conservation concern, including Bald Eagles and Lesser and Greater scaup. To assist with these bird tracking projects, BSC has developed an innovative system for managing and visualizing this information by linking interactive web-mapping interfaces to live databases. This approach allows scientists to spend less time grappling with satellite data, and more time analyzing and putting them to work for conservation. Our customized web-mapping interface also acts as an effective communication, education, and public outreach tool. BSC’s Eagle Tracker  and Scaup Tracker webpages are visited by thousands of people who enjoy following the travels of these birds across North America. If you are interested in having BSC host your satellite tracking data or would like more information on bird tracking, please contact Andrew Couturier at birdmap@bsc-eoc.org or 888-448-2473 (ext. 213). Click here for more details on Bird Tracker.

Steering the Course of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network

17 November 2006 – The Canadian Migration Monitoring Network - Réseau canadien de surveillance des migrations (CMMN-RCSM) was founded in 1998 as a joint initiative of migration monitoring stations, Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), and Bird Studies Canada (BSC). It now has 19 member stations from coast to coast. To help steer the Network’s future path, a formal Steering Committee, composed of about a dozen representatives from across the country, was created in fall 2005. Building upon regular teleconference calls and email discussions, the committee members recently gathered for a face-to-face meeting at Calgary’s Inglewood Bird Sanctuary from 3-5 November. Dr. George Finney and Jon McCracken were pleased to attend on behalf of BSC.
  The agenda included sessions on “visioning,” articulation of goals and objectives, capacity development, progress towards updating population trend products, prioritization of research avenues, and laying the groundwork for the 6th biennial meeting of member stations at Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory’s brand new “Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation” in northern Alberta next fall. The sessions were rounded out by a very informative presentation by Dr. Keith Hobson (CWS, Saskatoon) on the use of stable isotopes in the feathers of migrating birds to determine their geographic breeding origins – a subject that has long been a major topic of interest to the Network. Another highlight was Dr. David Hussell’s excellent overview of the statistical procedures that underpin the determination of population trend estimates for migrant landbirds counted at CMMN-RCSM stations.
  The Calgary Bird Banding Society and Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, along with numerous local volunteers and staff, generously helped organize, financially support, and host this important meeting. More information about the CMMN-RCSM may be found by clicking here.

Biologists Gather in Winnipeg to Discuss Short-eared Owls

7 November 2006 –  Biologists representing most Canadian provinces and territories, New York state and Sweden gathered in Winnipeg to discuss issues related to the conservation of Short-eared Owls. The group came together to share experiences and ideas about this raptor, and to plan future research and monitoring activities on this poorly understood species. Short-eared Owls are classified as Special Concern by COSEWIC. A new status report has documented concern that the species is undergoing widespread declines. Presently little known about this species basic ecology and demography. Some of the goals of the Short-eared Owl working group include drafting a management plan, developing standardized methods for summer and winter monitoring, and investigating the lifetime habitat requirements of the species through banding, telemetry and isotopes studies. One of the characteristics of Short-eared Owls is the invasion due to high numbers of small mammals. The group would like to learn more about these invasions and their causes. If you are aware of any Short-eared Owl nesting or wintering sites, please contact Debbie Badzinski (dbadzinski@bsc-eoc.org, 519-586-3531, ext.211).

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Eagles on the Move

17 November 2006 – Fall is in full swing and our satellite tagged eaglets are on the move. Two of our tagged birds from 2005 – Bonnie (from northern Ontario) and Tilson (from north shore of Lake Erie) have been covering plenty of ground lately. Bonnie, who had been spending time along the west shores of James Bay this summer and fall, has finally decided to head south and is now along the northeastern shore of Lake Superior. Tilson has recently been sightseeing throughout the Great Lakes Region, stopping on the north shore of Lake Huron, the western basin of Lake Erie, and is now heading towards Lake Michigan.
  Phyllis has also been calling James Bay home for the past few months. She was banded along the St. Lawrence River in June, and headed north to the Quebec side of James Bay in late August and has been happily hunting up in that region ever since. So far there has been no sign that she is heading south to seek warmer climate. Phyllis' sibling, Spirit, went an entirely different route after fledging from the nest. She spent the majority of her summer along the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City, but has since headed south through Pennsylvania and is now in northern Maryland near the Potomac River.
  Phoenix, our most sedentary eaglet from 2006, has taken up residence along the southwestern shore of Lake Erie, not far from the nest site along the Detroit River. Stay tuned to find out more about the winter destinations of our young Bald Eagles. To learn more about Bird Studies Canada's Destination Eagle program, or to see the latest developments of our tagged eaglets please visit our web page by clicking here or contact Jody Allair (raptor@bsc-eoc.org).

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