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Christmas is Coming

10 December 2004 
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BSC to Develop Web Portal of North American Bird Monitoring Projects

9 December 2004 - Bird Studies Canada (BSC), the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and la Comisión nacional para el conocimiento y uso de la biodiversidad (CONABIO) have recently decided to engage in a joint project to develop an online database containing information about all bird monitoring activities undertaken in North America. This initiative fits into the current endeavour to better coordinate bird monitoring efforts and identify gaps in data coverage. To achieve this goal, BSC will develop a web portal where information about bird monitoring projects is made accessible and new projects can be submitted. BSC has just signed 2 funding agreements with the CEC and the Great Basin Bird Observatory for CDN$6500 and US$6000, respectively, to develop this portal and host it on BSC's web site. The database currently contains information on nearly 300 projects from Canada, U.S., and Mexico.

BSC Attends State of the Strait Conference

7 December 2004 – Bird Studies Canada staff Steve Timmermans, Tara Crewe, Debbie Badzinski, and Dawn Laing recently attended the bi-national conference ‘State of the Strait – Monitoring for Sound Management’ at the University of Windsor on 2 December 2004. The goal of the conference was to encourage the co-ordination of monitoring efforts and the sharing of information between scientists, resource managers, students, and interested citizens, in order to facilitate the protection and rehabilitation of the Detroit River ecosystem and surrounding areas. Tara Crewe, Marsh Monitoring Program Biologist, presented an overview of the Marsh Monitoring Program, with an emphasis on the use of volunteer-gathered data to monitor the ecological integrity of Great Lakes Areas of Concern wetlands. Dawn Laing, Bald Eagle Biologist and Program Coordinator, also presented a biomonitoring paper that highlighted Bald Eagle monitoring and population trends on both sides of the Detroit River.

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New Director of Avian Science and Conservation to Join BSC

8 December 2004 - Bird Studies Canada is pleased to announce that in March 2005 Gregor Beck will be joining us as Director, Avian Science and Conservation. Gregor has been Ontario Nature’s (also known as the Federation of Ontario Naturalists) Director of Conservation and Science for the past five years and is currently the Acting Executive Director. He is Chair of the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas project and has served on the Room to Grow Committee of the Ontario Forest Accord Advisory Board. Gregor also served as Ontario Nature’s alternate member on the Oak Ridges Moraine Advisory Panel and the Greenbelt Task Force. He holds degrees in biology (B.Sc. from the University of Guelph and M.Sc. from McGill University) and in science education (B.Ed. from St. Francis Xavier University).

BSC Represented at COSEWIC Meetings

6 December 2004 - The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) held their Species Assessment Meeting in Ottawa, ON from 22-25 November. Dick Cannings, BSC's British Columbia Program Coordinator, attended as co-chair of the Bird Subcommittee. The only bird species assessed at these meetings, the Ancient Murrelet, was designated Special Concern – retaining the status it has had since first assessed in 1993. About 500,000 Ancient Murrelets, half the world's population, breed on the Queen Charlotte Islands in BC, where they have been declining due to predation by introduced rats and raccoons on their underground nesting burrows. To learn more about COSEWIC, click here.

 

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Atlantic FeederWatchers on Alert for Endangered Red Crossbill

9 December 2004 - The percna subspecies of the Red Crossbill may be the first Endangered species to be monitored by Project FeederWatch. This subspecies of Red Crossbill is found on the island of Newfoundland, where it has undergone precipitous declines over the last 40 years. In May 2004, it was designated by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as Endangered. This seed-eating finch specializes in large conifer seeds, especially white pine, black spruce and balsam fir. The degradation of Newfoundland's boreal forest is likely contributing to this species' decline. It may occasionally leave Newfoundland and wander to other parts of Atlantic Canada, including New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. In 2002, FeederWatchers observed a relatively large irruption of Red Crossbills at feeders. This winter, FeederWatchers are asked to keep an eye out for this rare finch. Males are red with blackish wings and tail and females are yellow and gray; both have a large, crossed bill. They are similar to White-winged Crossbills but they do not sport white wing bars. If you find Red Crossbills at your feeder, and especially if you're in Newfoundland, try to take a photo or video and notify FeederWatch Canadian coordinator, Becky Whittam, at becky.whittam@ec.gc.ca right away. To read the COSEWIC status report, type "Red Crossbill" after clicking here. Other useful links include the American Museum of Natural History's Crossbills Audiovisual Guide and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology's Red Crossbill site.

Nova Scotia’s Go For Green supports Cape Breton Beached Bird Survey

8 December 2004 - The Cape Breton Beached Bird Survey is receiving $250 from Nova Scotia's Go For Green Fund. This money will be used to provide training and survey materials to volunteers. Go For Green promotes active living and environmental awareness, and the Beached Bird Survey is a good fit because it encourages Nova Scotians to engage in outdoor recreation (walking beaches on a monthly basis) while gathering data that can be used for environmental conservation. For more information on the Cape Breton Beached Bird Survey, click here.

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BSC Programs Presented in Memramcook, NB

8 December 2004 - Greg Campbell, BSC's High Elevation Landbird Program Biologist, presented Bird Studies Canada’s programs (Atlantic and National) to the Memramcook Naturalists' Club on 7 December 2004. The primary topic was Christmas Bird Counts. Greg's presentation was well received and the audience was particularly interested in nocturnal owl surveys and Project FeederWatch (in which some already participate). There were also many questions asked about plans for the second Atlas of Breeding Birds of the Maritimes. Several members of the club had been involved in the fieldwork for the first Atlas, and expressed an interest in participating in the second.

Greg Campbell, biologiste du programme d'étude des oiseaux des terres hautes, a présenté les programmes d'Études d'Oiseaux Canada (Atlantiques et Nationaux) au Club de Naturalistes de la Vallée de Memramcook le 7 décembre 2004. Le sujet principal était sur le Recensement des Oiseaux de Noël. Une douzaine de naturalistes ont assistés à la présentation, qui a été très bien acceuillie. Les naturalistes ont posés plusieurs questions au sujet des programmes d'ÉOC, et semblaient êtres particulièrement interessés dans le Recensement des Rapaces Noctures (Chouettes et Hiboux) et du Projet Feederwatch (dont plusieurs étaient déjà membres). Il y a aussi eu plusieurs questions à propos du deuxième Atlas des Oiseaux Nicheurs des Maritimes.
  Quelques membres du club étaient impliqués dans le travail de terrain pour le premier Atlas et ont démontrés un intérêt de faire pareil pour la deuxième version.

Mountain Equipment Co-op Environment Fund supports Species at Risk

7 December 2004 - The Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) Environment Fund is the latest supporter of 2005-06 Destination Eagle Satellite tracking program. Of 62 applicants, BSC was one of 16 successful applicants, receiving $10,000 towards the upcoming field season. The funds from this donation will not only help support the satellite tracking program, but will be used to improve community outreach and education within southern Ontario. To learn more about the MEC Environment Fund, click here. If you would like to more information about our two satellite tagged birds, Olivia and Pamela, visit our Bald Eagle web page by clicking here. If you have any questions about Bald Eagles or the program, please contact Dawn Laing (dlaing@bsc-eoc.org).

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Steps Taken to Establish Owl Surveys in Québec

7 December 2004 - Catherine Poussart of Bird Studies Canada’s Québec regional office has invited local conservation groups and representatives of the provincial and federal government agencies to discuss the possibility of establishing owl survey routes in Québec. The meeting will present the work that is underway in other provinces through Nocturnal Owl Monitoring Programs and raise the possibility of starting owl surveys in Québec, the only province where owls are not yet monitored through targeted surveys. Following this meeting, a pilot year may be set up for spring 2005.

Catherine Poussart, employée d'ÉOC au Québec, a invité quelques groupes québécois de conservation et des représentants du gouvernement provincial et fédéral à discuter de recensements de hiboux nocturnes et la possibilité d'instaurer des routes d'inventaires au Québec. La réunion prévue pour le 8 décembre a deux objectifs : 1) présenter les travaux qui ont cours dans les autres provinces canadiennes (Programmes de suivi des hiboux nocturnes, lien en anglais http://www.bsc-eoc.org/national/nationalowls.htm) et 2) discuter de la possibilité de démarrer des inventaires de hiboux au Québec, la seule province où les hiboux nocturnes ne sont pas encore suivis par des inventaires spécifiques. Suite à cette rencontre, il est possible qu'Études d'Oiseaux Canada effectue des inventaires de reconnaissance au printemps 2005. ÉOC compte sur la collaboration du Ministère des Ressources naturelles, de la Faune et des Parcs du Québec  pour ce projet.

BSC Contracted to Develop Waterfowl Plan in Québec

6 December 2004 – As part of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, Bird Studies Canada has been contracted by the Canadian Wildlife Service, Québec region, to contribute to the Québec Waterfowl Conservation Plan. From November 2004 to March 2005, Catherine Poussart of BSC’s Québec regional office will be directly involved in writing the Plan, which, when finished, will be a valuable management tool for waterfowl in Québec. For more information about the North American Bird Conservation Initiative, click here.

Le Service canadien de la faune de la région du Québec a octroyé un nouveau contrat à Études d'Oiseaux Canada. De novembre 2004 à mars 2005, Catherine Poussart, coordonnatrice québécoise du programme de surveillance des marais, participera à la rédaction du Plan de conservation de la sauvagine au Québec. Une fois terminée, ce plan sera un outil de gestion de grande importance pour la sauvagine au Québec. Le Plan de conservation de la sauvagine au Québec s'inscrit dans une vision de conservation internationale : l'Initiative de conservation des oiseaux de l'Amérique du Nord.

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BC-Yukon Nocturnal Owl Survey Newsletter Available Online

6 December 2004 - The 2004 edition of the BC-Yukon Nocturnal Owl Survey Newsletter is now available online by clicking here. Owl surveys have been conducted for five years now in British Columbia and the Yukon, and every year brings new insight into the distribution and numbers of these little-known birds. This year, 126 owlers carried out 125 surveys on 114 routes, stopping 1755 times in the darkness to listen for owls. They detected 236 owls, an average of 1.35 owls per 10 stops. This is down dramatically from last year (383 owls, 1.67 per 10 stops) and the year before (308, 1.67). Indeed, they are the lowest totals since the survey began. "The owls have deserted us!" lamented Sandra Kinsey of Prince George. The cause for this drop can't be assigned to any one species – all the common owls of the province seemed to decline in detections. The only exception was Great Horned Owls in the central and northern Interior. Only 84 Northern Saw-whet Owls were reported, compared to 144 last year, while Boreal Owl reports dropped from 98 to 33.

 

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