Winter
Raptor Observations Wanted
21 December
2004 - Attention all Ontario birding enthusiasts - we need
your help in collecting important information over the winter months
about Short-Eared Owls and Bald Eagles. Your observations will enable us
to determine where and how many of these birds are wintering in Ontario.
Bird Studies Canada
and the Ontario Barn Owl Recovery Program are entering the second year
of a wintering Short-eared Owl survey in Ontario. These owls are nothing
"short" of spectacular, with their distinctive and erratic
moth-like flight pattern. Listed as a species of Special Concern in
Canada, large concentrations of these owls can be observed during the
winter months in southern Ontario. Little is known about the species,
and why numbers are declining. You can learn more about Short-eared Owl
monitoring by clicking
here.
Through
the Southern Ontario Bald Eagle Monitoring Project, Bird Studies Canada
has been tracking eagle nesting success and productivity. However,
little information on the number of eagles wintering in southern Ontario
exists and we welcome any observations within the Lower Great Lakes
basin (from the Ottawa valley to the Bruce Peninsula). If you see either
of these raptors in the areas described above, be sure to take note of
the date and time of sighting, number of birds, age class
(adult/juvenile), habitat, geographic location, and activity. Please
pass along these observations to Susan Debreceni, Volunteer Projects
Research Assistant, by e-mail at sdebreceni@bsc-eoc.org,
or phone 1-888-448-2473 ext. 222.
Selenium
Research Supported by Ontario Power Generation
21 December
2004 - Ontario Power Generation has agreed to contribute
$40,000 to the Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund (LPWWRF)
to study selenium inputs to the lower Great Lakes. Selenium is a semi-metallic
trace element that birds require in small amounts. However, it can
become toxic at slightly greater amounts. LPWWRF has shown that Lesser
and Greater scaup are acquiring potentially unhealthy levels of selenium
while staging on the lower Great Lakes. To learn more about this
research, click
here.
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Where
do Bald Eagles Spend their Holidays?
20
December 2004 - Bird Studies Canada’s Bald Eagle satellite
telemetry program, Destination Eagle, continues to follow the movements
of two juvenile eagles over the Christmas season. So far, both birds
appear to be planning an American holiday with Olivia spending her time
in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and Pamela exploring the Illinois
River of mid-State Illinois. To learn more about the program and follow
these birds over the holidays, click
here.
Planning
for Landbird Conservation in Northern Ontario
16
December 2004 - Bird Studies Canada is preparing landbird
conservation plans for the four Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs) in
Ontario. This contract is part of the Partners in Flight Ontario
initiative, led by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Ontario
Region Canadian Wildlife Services. Over the past two years, work has
focussed on drafting a plan for the southernmost region, BCR 13, the
Lower Great Lakes - St Lawrence Plain. This past fall, work began on
developing plans for the next two regions to the north: BCR 12, the
Boreal Hardwood Transition; and BCR 8, the Boreal Softwood Shield. In
October, 27 technical experts participated in a three-day workshop at
the Canadian Ecology Centre near Mattawa, ON to determine the priority
landbird species and habitats in these BCRs, and to propose relevant
conservation objectives for them. All workshop materials and outcomes
are available on the Ontario Partners in Flight web site by clicking
here, including a short synopsis of key outcomes of the BCR 8
and 12 technical workshop.
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