28 November 2003

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Study Calls for Public Input

27 November 2003 - The Lake Ontario - St. Lawrence River Study Board is undertaking a comprehensive five-year study for the International Joint Commission to assess and evaluate the current criteria used for regulating water levels on Lake Ontario and in the St. Lawrence River. As a part of this study, they have asked for public input regarding performance indicators. A performance indicator is a measure of economic, social, or environmental health. In the context of the Study, performance indicators relate to the impacts of different water levels in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. This relates directly to the work currently being conducted by Bird Studies Canada's Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP). Wetland Bird and Waterfowl Abundance and Diversity and Reptile and Amphibian Abundance and Diversity are performance indicators key to MMP's data collection on bird abundance and diversity. Click here to access the Study's special comment form.

Researchers Rediscover Long-lost Bird

Suva, Fiji, 28 November 2003 - Researchers from BirdLife International have just rediscovered the Long-legged Warbler Trichocichla rufa, a small bird from the Fijian island of Viti Levu, not seen since 1894 and previously feared extinct. The mysterious bird, found only in the mountains of Fiji, and also known as the Long-legged Thicketbird, was found one year into a survey of rare birds in the Pacific nation and photographed for the first time ever. Fijian researchers found 12 pairs in Wabu, a remote Forest Reserve on Fiji's largest island. Click here to read the complete media release from BirdLife International.

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Nearly a Quarter of a Million Seabirds Devastated - Prestige Report Released

Madrid, Spain, 19 November 2003 - One year after the sinking of the Prestige oil tanker, BirdLife International's Spanish Partner, SEO/BirdLife, has released a report confirming the devastating effect of the spill on seabirds, with up to almost a quarter of a million affected, the vast majority presumed dead. "On conservative estimates, we consider that the 23,000 birds collected in Spain, France and Portugal only comprise 10-20% of the birds affected by the Prestige disaster," says Carlota Viada, Director of the Conservation Department at SEO/BirdLife. "Therefore we estimate that the number of birds affected by the fuel is anywhere between 115-230,000." This is because a large proportion of the corpses are never washed ashore. The report, the first to examine the effects of up to 70,000 tonnes of spilt oil on local bird life in depth, is being presented this week across the two adversely-affected Spanish regions, Galicia and Cantabria. Click here to read the media release or here to view a photo gallery compiled by SEO/Birdlife.

ABC Releases "Green List"

26 November 2003 - The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) has produced a list of all the highest priority birds for conservation in the continental United States and Canada. The new "Green List" builds on the species assessments conducted for many years by Partners in Flight (PIF) on landbirds, expanded to include species of all taxa. ABC made the list available on-line, through Bird Calls, the ABA’s on-line newsletter. To access the list, click here.

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Join the 104th Annual Christmas Bird Count

Naramata, BC, 27 November, 2003 - Bird Studies Canada (BSC) calls upon volunteers everywhere to join with birders across the country and participate in the longest-running winter-time tradition, the annual Christmas Bird Count (CBC). This year, nearly 350 individual counts are scheduled to take place in Canada from 14 December 2003 to 5 January 2004. BSC is a partner with the National Audubon Society of the United States in this project--nearly 2,000 individual counts are done throughout the Americas each year. Interested in participating? Just click here to contact the event organizer, compiler, by geographic area. 

Survey Says...

27 November 2003 - Response to Bird Studies Canada's (BSC's) recent member survey has been exceptional. The survey, mailed with the fall issue of BirdWatch Canada, asked members to provide feedback about communicating our Citizen Science programs, the content of BirdWatch Canada, BSC's web site and Latest News, and future priorities at BSC. Over 1000 completed surveys have been returned to date, with 18% of our members responding. Thank you to all those participating! Stay tuned for results from this important initiative.

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What a Sight!

27 November 2003 - During the last aerial waterfowl survey flown by the Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund (LPWWRF), Scott Petrie and Shannon Badzinski counted nearly 10,000 Tundra Swans. This represents approximately 10% of the Eastern Population of Tundra Swans which winters primarily along the Atlantic coast from Maryland to North Carolina. LPWWRF is dedicated to the study and conservation of waterfowl and wetlands at Long Point and throughout the lower Great Lakes. Click here to read more about the Fund’s work and its results. 

Thunder Cape Bird Observatory Reports Declining Numbers of Migrant Birds

27 November 2003 - In a report issued today, Thunder Cape Bird Observatory, near Thunder Bay, ON, shows that migrant birds have been declining over the past seven years. Thunder Cape has been in operation since 1991, and this report summarizes trends in migrant birds from 1995-2002. Philadelphia Vireo and Canada Warbler are examples of two species that showed significant declines in both spring and fall. Black-throated Blue Warbler was the only species that showed a statistically significant increase. Click here to read the report.

Number Crunching has begun for Owl, Hawk, and Bald Eagle Data

27 November 2003 - Bird Studies Canada’s (BSC) Debbie Badzinski and Susan Debreceni are busy compiling and analyzing data for three Ontario volunteer monitoring programs: Ontario Nocturnal Owl Survey, Red-shouldered Hawk and Spring Woodpecker Survey, and the Southern Ontario Bald Eagle Monitoring Project. Data has been received from over 250 volunteers from all across Ontario. In this years survey season 265 routes were assigned to 155 Nocturnal Owl surveyors and 98 routes were assigned to 53 Red-shouldered Hawk surveyors. While participation has increased for the Owl program with a 70% return-rate, only 60% were received for Red-shouldered hawks. Volunteers who have yet to send in their results (for either survey) are encouraged to mail these in to BSC as soon as they can. Southern Ontario Bald Eagles have had a banner year, with the highest recorded number of young and highest number of nests reporting triplets. Special thanks to all of our volunteers, keep up the great work! Reports from each will be available on the website in the new year.

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"What's Up with Ontario's Birds?"

26 November 2003 - Bird Studies Canada's Ontario Program Manager, Jon McCracken, will be making a presentation at the Carden Field Naturalists meeting at 7 p.m. on 10 December 2003 at the Carden Recreation Centre in Lake Dairyimple (about 20 minutes east of Orillia, ON). Jon's talk is entitled "What's Up with Ontario's Birds?," and will feature a variety of bird monitoring programs that are underway in Ontario, with a special focus on the Christmas Bird Count. For more information on the meeting, contact  Bob Bowles at rbowles@rogers.com

Winter Bird Hike at Backus

25 November 2003 - Audrey Heagy, of Bird Studies Canada’s Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, will be leading a bird hike at the Backus Heritage Conservation Area near Port Rowan, ON, Saturday, 29 November 2003, starting at 2 p.m. For more information contact Terra Barnes, Backus Heritage Conservation Area at 519-586-2201.

 

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