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29 February 2008 
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Aerial Insectivores Declining

Purple Martin with dragonfly Photo: Ron Ridout

29 February 2008 – In a new BirdWatch Canada article, Bird Studies Canada’s Ontario Program Manager Jon McCracken examines serious population declines for aerial insectivores – birds that specialize on feeding on flying insects. Some birds such as swifts, Whip-poor-wills, nighthawks, swallows, martins, and flycatchers have diminished severely over the last 40 years, according to several recent studies including the newly released Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario, 2001-2005.  While there are likely multiple reasons for the declines, and further scientific research is urgently needed, changes in food supply (i.e. possible declines in flying insect populations) could be a major factor. Select this link to read the full article.

BSC Staff Lead Sessions at Partners in Flight Conference

19 February 2008 – BSC’s Senior Scientist Denis Lepage and Bird Conservation Biologist Tara Crewe attended the 4^th International Partners in Flight conference, held from February 13-16, 2008 in McAllen, Texas. Denis Lepage made two presentations related to his work on the Avian Knowledge Network: "The Politics of Data Sharing: How to Address Some of the Concerns Related to Publishing Bird Biodiversity Data in Distributed Networks" and "Data Organization in the Avian Knowledge Network." Tara Crewe gave a presentation on her work with the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, entitled "Using Migration Monitoring to Detect Changes in Boreal Bird Populations." The conference theme was "Tundra to Tropics: Connecting Birds, Habitats and People." The event was a huge success, with more than 700 attendees from throughout the Americas.
   For presentation abstracts and other information, visit the conference website.

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2008 Baillie Birdathon Announces Guest Birder David Allen Sibley

29 February 2008 – With spring just around the corner, Bird Studies Canada is honoured to announce that our 2008 Baillie Birdathon Guest Birder is well-known author and illustrator David Allen Sibley.  The Baillie Birdathon is a fantastic way to get out and enjoy the wonder of spring migration, while raising valuable funds to support bird research and conservation.
   All Birdathon participants receive an exclusive Baillie Birdathon t-shirt simply for registering. This year’s shirt was illustrated by our 2008 Guest Artist, Nigel Shaw. Participants also have great chances of winning some fabulous prizes! Visit the BSC website for more information about the Baillie Birdathon, or to download a participant kit. If you cannot participate in Birdathon this year but would like to sponsor the efforts of David Allen Sibley or a BSC staff person, please visit the Baillie Birdathon Donation web page.

LGL Supports Bird Research and Conservation

27 February 2008 – Bird Studies Canada has recently received a $10,000 donation from long-time supporter LGL Limited. We gratefully acknowledge LGL for their generous ongoing sponsorship of our programs. As one of North America’s leading ecological research companies, LGL conducts benchmark environmental studies and provides biological consulting services for the public and private sectors. Learn more on the LGL website.

Department of Natural Resources Funds Access to BSC Data

25 February 2008 – Bird Studies Canada has recently signed a contribution agreement for $58,000 with the federal Department of Natural Resources through their GeoConnections program. This funding will help organize and publish geospatial data from many BSC bird monitoring programs, including Nocturnal Owl Surveys, eBird Canada, Project FeederWatch, and Breeding Bird Atlases. The contribution will also support the creation of a web-based data access portal, where visitors will be able to search Canadian bird monitoring data. This portal will be developed as a partner site of the Avian Knowledge Network,  and will include a variety of tools for entering data online, managing data, and publishing summary results. The data access portal is expected to be completed by August 2008, although other portions of the site for online data entry will be announced earlier.

BSC Scientist Joins GBIF Working Group

25 February 2008 – BSC’s Senior Scientist Denis Lepage has been invited by GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility) to participate in a working group on observational data. The mission of GBIF is to facilitate free and open access to biodiversity data worldwide via the Internet to underpin sustainable development. Currently, GBIF facilitates access to 141 million primary biodiversity data records. The goal of the group is to draft recommendations to integrate vast amounts of biodiversity data world-wide and to increase the number of biodiversity records to 1 billion by the end of 2008. The group will be tasked to come up with recommendations on network infrastructure, metadata and data standards, and best practices guidelines on data management and data sharing.

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You’re Invited to the BC Breeding Bird Atlas Launch Party!

29 February 2008 – Join some of British Columbia’s best birders for a fun evening on March 15 at 7 p.m. at the Coast Tsawwassen Inn in Delta. The evening will include prize draws and giveaways, and talks by Bird Studies Canada’s Pete Davidson, renowned naturalist and author Dick Cannings, and scientist and atlas coordinator Dr. Rob Butler. BSC scientist and atlas web guru Dr. Denis Lepage will also attend, and the Atlas Regional Coordinators will be on hand to meet participants and answer questions about the project. Download the official Launch Invitation for more information about the launch party, and if you plan to attend, please select this link to RSVP.

BSC Joins International Short-eared Owl Monitoring Effort

Photo: David Okines

20 February 2008 – As part of an international effort to learn more about the movements of Short-eared Owls, and thanks to funding from the Shell Environmental Fund, Bird Studies Canada has equipped a female Short-eared Owl wintering in southern Ontario with a satellite transmitter. Short-eared Owls are classified as a species of Special Concern in Canada and appear to be declining across their global range. An international group of researchers from North America and Europe are now working together to learn more about this poorly understood species. Small, solar powered transmitters are placed on the owl’s back, enabling researchers to follow the owl’s movements across a large geographic area. This study will provide year round data that will allow the determination of seasonal habitats occupied by the owl, and identify important breeding and wintering sites. Other researchers from New York, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, including the Migration Research Foundation have also tracked Short-eared Owls using this technology. We will post regular updates once the tagged female moves from her southern Ontario wintering grounds.
   BSC is interested in all Short-eared Owl winter and breeding sightings. Please report your sightings to dbadzinski@bsc-eoc.org.

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