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Gifts for the Whole Family

2 December 2011 
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Birdlife Caribbean Project Honoured by United Nations

2 December 2011 – To mark its 20th Anniversary, the Global Environment Facility has announced and profiled its 20 best projects funded through the United Nations Environmental Program. This ‘20-best’ list features two projects in which BirdLife International was a key player, one being a BirdLife-led project focused on the Caribbean. The Caribbean project – Sustainable Conservation of Globally Important Caribbean Bird Habitats: Strengthening a Regional Network for a Shared Resource – ran from 2003 to 2007. It was a region-wide project with specific conservation actions focused on the Bahamas, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.
   The project was done in partnership with the Bahamas National Trust (BirdLife in the Bahamas), Grupo Jaragua (BirdLife in the Dominican Republic), Windsor Research Centre, Jamaica Environment Trust, Negril Environment Protection Trust, Bird Studies Canada (BirdLife in Canada), and the Society for the Study and Conservation of Caribbean Birds. For more information, select this link.

International Volunteer Day – December 5

2 December 2011 – The International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development (IVD) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1985. Since then, governments, the United Nations system, and civil society organizations have successfully joined volunteers around the world to celebrate the Day on December 5.
   In honour of this international day to recognize the important role that volunteers play in our communities, Bird Studies Canada would like to acknowledge and thank our thousands of volunteers from all over Canada who participate in “Citizen Science” programs across the country. Your efforts are admirable and greatly appreciated – Thank you! For more information, select this link.

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BSC Launches Annual 2011-12 Campaign!

2 December 2011 – Bird Studies Canada (BSC) administers regional, national, and international research and monitoring programs that advance the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of wild birds and their habitats. We are Canada’s national body for bird conservation and science, and we are a non-governmental charitable organization.
   BSC relies on donations to help us study and conserve North American birds. Select this link to read our 2011 holiday appeal letter. To support our goals and our work, please donate online, or call Rosie Kirton at 1-888-448-2473, ext. 141. You will receive a tax receipt for the full amount of your donation.
   Not only is giving to BSC a great act of generosity and support, it helps Canadians claim a credit on their taxes as well. There is both a federal and a provincial charitable tax credit that you can claim. The federal tax credit is the same for all Canadians and breaks down as follows:

• The tax credit on your first $200 in donations is 15%
• Any amount donated above $200 is eligible for a 29% tax credit

If you made a donation of $500 and wanted to claim the tax credit, you would be able to claim:

• 15% of the first $200 = $30
• 29% of the remaining $300 = $87

That represents a $117 savings on your taxes! Of course, the more you give, the more you're able to save. To find out the provincial tax credits you are also eligible to receive on top of the federal amount, select this link.

ÉOC lance la campagne annuelle de 2011-2012!

2 December 2011 – Études d’Oiseaux Canada (ÉOC) administre les programmes de recherche et de surveillance régionaux, nationaux et internationaux favorisant une meilleure compréhension, appréciation et conservation de l’avifaune et de ses habitats. Organisation de bienfaisance non gouvernementale, ÉOC est l’entité nationale chargée de la conservation et de la science aviaires au Canada.
   Nous comptons sur les dons pour étudier et sauvegarder les oiseaux d’Amérique du Nord. Cliquez ici pour avoir accès à notre lettre de levée de fonds de la période des Fêtes de 2010. Pour soutenir nos objectifs et nos travaux, veuillez faire un don en ligne ou communiquer avec Rosie Kirton au 1 888 448 2473 (poste 141). Nous vous ferons parvenir un reçu aux fins de l’impôt pour le total du montant que vous nous versé.
   Non seulement les dons à Études d'oiseaux Canada une excellente forme de générosité et de soutien, ils permettent aux Canadiens de demander un crédit d'impôt. Beaucoup de gens ne savent pas vraiment ce que ce crédit, et comment ils peuvent utiliser.
   Vous pouvez déduire un crédit d'impôt pour dons de charité au moment de faire votre déclaration de revenus, tant au fédéral qu'au provincial. Le crédit d'impôt fédéral est le même pour tous les Canadiens et s'établit ainsi :

• Crédit d'impôt de 15 % pour la première tranche de 200 $ en dons
• Crédit d'impôt de 29 % pour la somme excédentaire

Si, par exemple, vous avez fait des dons s'élevant à 500 $, vous pourriez demander comme crédit d'impôt :

• 15 % de la première tranche de 200 $ = 30 $
• 29 % du montant excédentaire, ici 300 $ = 87 $

Ce crédit d'impôt constitue une réduction de 117 $ sur vos impôts à payer! Évidemment, plus le montant de vos dons est élevé, plus vous pourrez réduire vos impôts. Pour connaître les crédits d'impôt provinciaux auxquels vous avez droit et qui s'ajoutent au crédit fédéral, consultez le tableau de crédits d'impôt sur le site Web de l’Agence du revenu du Canada.

Ontario SwiftWatch – A Top Five Canadian Conservation Story

2 December 2011 – Canadian Geographic magazine annually reports on the top wildlife stories of the year and, for 2011, Ontario SwiftWatch is in the top five! The article chronicles the decline of Chimney Swifts, discusses the work of Bird Studies Canada’s (BSC) Ontario SwiftWatch program, and includes a short interview with BSC project biologist, Elisabeth van Stam. It is available on the Canadian Geographic website, or by newsstand purchase.
   Anyone interested in becoming a participant in Ontario SwiftWatch or reporting on known nesting and roosting chimneys is invited to visit Ontario SwiftWatch, or the Ontario SwiftWatch Facebook page.

No “Rescue” for Ontario Chats?

Photo: BSC

2 December 2011 – At the fall meeting of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) held in Ottawa, only one bird species was assessed – the Yellow-breasted Chat. Under the federal Species at Risk Act, COSEWIC is required to reassess the status of species every 10 years. Hence, the chat assessment was a reassessment of the three recognized populations that occur in Canada.
  COSEWIC upheld its earlier decisions on the status of the western “auricollis” subspecies of Yellow-breasted Chat in the Southern Mountain region of southern British Columbia (Endangered) and in the Prairies region of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan (Not at Risk). However, since the last assessment, the situation has worsened for the eastern “virens” subspecies in southern Ontario. Ten years earlier, this subspecies met COSEWIC’s criteria for Threatened, but had been assessed as Special Concern, because it was believed that the Canadian population could be “rescued” by populations in the northeastern United States. Since then, however, the chat’s breeding range has been dramatically contracting across much of the northeast, and the Ontario population has continued to decline.
   The Yellow-breasted Chat requires fairly large patches of early-successional, dense shrubby habitat, which is becoming increasingly rare in southwestern Ontario. “Owing to its habitat specificity, small and declining population size, and diminished prospects for population rescue from the U.S., the outlook for this species is quite bleak,” said Jon McCracken, Bird Studies Canada’s Director of National Programs and co-chair of COSEWIC’s Bird Species Specialist Committee.
   Check out the COSEWIC website to learn more about the other 21 species of wildlife assessed at the meeting.

The Other CBC

2 December 2011 – The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) season is less than two weeks away! Beginning on December 14th and continuing through January 5th, about 12,000 Canadian bird lovers will be combing the wintry woods, counting everything they see and hear. There are almost 400 counts held across the country, each done on a single day in that period. The data are accessible online and you can also search the database for all results from 1900 to the present. If you would like to be a part of the 112th Christmas Bird Count, visit Bird Studies Canada’s (BSC) website for details on counts that are held near you. The CBC is a program of BSC and the National Audubon Society.

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New Funding for BC’s IBAs

2 December 2011 – British Columbia’s Important Bird Area (IBA) program is pleased to announce funding from the Real Estate Foundation of BC for a new, one-year project. The Real Estate Foundation of BC works to advance knowledge and practices leading to more sustainable use and conservation of lands in BC. The BC IBA team will work with municipal governments in coastal areas of eastern Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland, to better integrate information on birds and bird habitats with local-level planning. The results should strengthen conservation of IBAs within these heavily populated areas by incorporating information into local governance and land-use decision-making mechanisms. The project builds on the significant efforts of volunteer Caretakers and external experts to update IBA site summary information and refine IBA boundaries where needed.

New Interpretive Signs for BC’s IBAs

Photo: Mike Hoebel

2 December 2011 – Thanks to funding from a variety of sources, and substantial effort on the part of Caretakers and Important Bird Area (IBA) staff, seven high profile new interpretive signs will be installed at BC IBAs this year. The Canadian Wildlife Federation provided funding for the development of two IBA signs: one to be installed at Lochside Drive overlooking the Sidney Channel IBA on Vancouver Island, and the other in Stanley Park in Vancouver overlooking the English Bay-Burrard Inlet IBA. Both signs profile the distinctive bird species found in each IBA and were produced in partnership with IBA Caretakers, the Town of Sidney, Vancouver Parks Board, and Stanley Park Ecology Society.
    Two new interpretive signs were recently dedicated on Mayne and Galiano Islands for the Active Pass IBA where two Conservancy organizations act as joint Caretakers. Funding for these signs was provided by Vancity Credit Union EnviroFund. The signs were developed in partnership with Parks Canada, BC Parks, IBA Caretakers, the Mayne Island Conservancy Society, and the Galiano Conservancy Association. Parks Canada staff, local government officials, representatives of the two Conservancies, and local volunteers attended the ceremonies, as did BCS’s Pete Davidson and BC Nature’s Krista Englund.
   New interpretive signs will also soon be installed at three IBAs in BC’s southern Interior at Vaseux Lake IBA, Kilpoola Lake IBA, and Osoyoos Oxbow IBA, with funding from the BC Parks Community Legacy Program. With help from IBA Caretakers and local biologists, these signs were developed to highlight the species at risk for which these IBAs are designated, including Sage Thrashers, Yellow-breasted Chats, Lewis’s Woodpeckers, and Flammulated Owls. Look for these new signs on your next visit to an IBA!

Give the Gift of Bird Conservation with Bird Studies Canada Shopping for unique nature-themed presents this holiday season? Bird Studies Canada’s store has the perfect gift for you! We offer a wide range of high-quality products, and the proceeds support our bird research and conservation programs. Browse our online gift store for apparel, books, CDs, puzzles, games, and much more. Order online or call us toll-free at 1-888-448-2473. Please order by December 5 to guarantee holiday delivery. For only $35, you can give someone special a Bird Studies Canada gift membership. Benefits include a subscription to our quarterly magazine BirdWatch Canada and free participation in programs such as Project FeederWatch, the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey, and the Christmas Bird Count. And you will receive a charitable tax receipt for the full amount of the membership! Order online or call Rosie toll-free at 1-888-448-2473 ext. 141. 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. Thank you for buying a bird-friendly gift this holiday season!

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