Birds of the 2010 Vancouver
Olympics
American Dipper
Photo: Ralph Hocken
19 February
2010 – For each day of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Bird Studies
Canada’s British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas Coordinator Rob Butler is
featuring a different bird species on his Vancouver Sun blog. Every
entry includes interesting information about the bird of the day, such
as where to find it, what it looks like, what it eats, and how it
embodies the Vancouver Olympic spirit. On February 28 – the final day of
the Olympics – Rob will post his choice for the bird that best
represents the Olympic movement.
Visit the blog
to peruse Rob’s picks, and to learn about some of the birds you might
see on television or at a venue during the Games.
2010 Grassland Bird
Survey – Volunteers Needed
Loggerhead
Shrike Photo:
Christian Artuso
18 February
2010 – Volunteer surveyors are needed in Ontario this spring
for the Grassland Bird Survey (GBS), a joint effort of Wildlife
Preservation Canada, Bird Studies Canada, and the Canadian Wildlife
Service. The main goal is to locate Loggerhead Shrikes (and,
incidentally, other grassland bird species). The information gathered
will provide a greater understanding of bird species composition and
linkages in Ontario’s remaining short-grasslands.
The GBS will focus on grassland
habitats in key breeding areas such as the Carden, Napanee, and Smiths
Falls limestone plains; the area around Pembroke/Renfrew; Grey and Bruce
Counties in the Bruce Peninsula; and Manitoulin Island. Depending on
interest and skill level, participants can choose to complete a survey
of all grassland bird species, or a subset of species that are of
special interest to the project and readily identifiable. Participants
will receive a survey kit containing detailed survey methodology, data
forms, and survey maps.
For more information, contact the
GBS coordinator at Wildlife Preservation Canada at 519-836-9314 or
1-800-956-6608, or gbs@wildlifepreservation.ca. Please confirm your
participation before March 19, 2010.
BC-Yukon Nocturnal Owl
Survey
17 February
2010 – Owl surveyors are out in the woods along the British
Columbia coast already, and owlers in the Interior will join them in
March and April as part of the BC-Yukon Nocturnal Owl Survey. This is
the 10th annual survey, in which about 100 participants venture out into
the dark and listen for owls all over BC and the Yukon. Last year’s
results tallied 189 owls of nine different species. For more
information, contact survey coordinator Dick Cannings at
dcannings@birdscanada.org.
You can download last year’s newsletter from the
owl survey webpage.
Volunteers Needed For
Great Lakes MMP Routes
17 February
2010 – The Great Lakes Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP) is
entering its 16th survey season. More than 500 dedicated volunteers
participate annually, but some surveyors have been unable to continue.
Select this link to view the list of MMP routes in Ontario and the U.S. Great Lakes states that require new
surveyors. If you are outdoor-oriented, interested in supporting
conservation science, and would enjoy monitoring birds and/or amphibians
and their habitats, please considering adopting an existing MMP route.
For more information, and to find
out how to participate,
visit our website,
download our brochure, or
contact Kathy Jones at aqsurvey@birdscanada.org or 1-888-448-2473 ext
124.
Alberta’s Wildlife and Wind
Energy Workshop
17 February
2010 – Bird Studies Canada’s Senior Scientist Denis Lepage
gave a presentation at Alberta’s Wildlife and Wind Energy Workshop, held
in Cochrane, Alberta on February 10-11. He presented information on the
Wind Energy Bird and Bat Monitoring Database project, which aims at
collecting basic information to better understand interactions between
wind turbines and wildlife. The meeting was an opportunity to bring
together representatives from the wind energy industry, government,
universities, and non-profit groups such as Bird Studies Canada.
The PPMMP is Calling All
Birders and Naturalists!
16 February
2010 – Birds are an important part of the environment in
which we live. Birds use almost all terrestrial, freshwater, and marine
habitats, and tend to be sensitive to environmental stressors. By
monitoring bird distribution and habitat use, we can assess the health
of the environments they inhabit (in essence, our environment). The
Prairie provinces support hundreds of bird species during the breeding
season, and we need to collect data on these species if we are to better
understand the changes our environment is undergoing.
In 2008, Bird Studies Canada
partnered with the Prairie Habitat Joint Venture and developed the
Prairie and Parkland Marsh Monitoring Program (PPMMP) to address
information gaps regarding marsh birds. The PPMMP is currently seeking
enthusiastic people with bird identification skills to conduct surveys
of wetland-associated birds. The survey targets 10 focal species
(including rails, bitterns, and grebes), but many other
wetland-associated birds are documented. For more information about the
program, please contact us at
prairieprograms@birdscanada.org or visit
the PPMMP website. Thank you for
helping better our understanding of marsh birds!
Species at Risk Stewardship
Workshop, Atlantic Canada
12 February
2010 – Three Bird Studies Canada staff will participate in an
innovative workshop on Species at Risk stewardship in Atlantic Canada
from February 25-27, hosted by the Bluenose Coastal Action Foundation.
The workshop will focus on the challenges, successes, and key practices
of stewardship (especially involving volunteers). The event will involve
representatives of diverse organizations from across the region,
including industry, non-government organizations, various levels of
government, and private individuals.
Sue Abbott (Nova Scotia Piping
Plover Project Coordinator), Becky Stewart (Coordinator of the Maritimes
Breeding Bird Atlas), and Becky Whittam (Atlantic Program Manager) will
give oral and poster presentations, and will help lead a module on
volunteer stewardship. For more information, including a schedule and
abstract of presentations,
visit the website.
Ontario Bird Banding
Association Meeting
10 February
2010 – The annual meeting of the Ontario Bird Banding
Association will be held at Bird Studies Canada’s Port Rowan
headquarters the weekend of February 27-28, 2010. All are welcome, and
pre-registration is not required. The registration fee of $5 is payable
at the door. This meeting is an excellent opportunity to learn more
about bird banding in Ontario. For more information, visit the
OBBA
website or contact Audrey Heagy,
aheagy@birdscanada.org,
(519) 586-3531 ext. 166.
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