Archives

11 March 2005 
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Dangers of Power Lines Highlighted by Donna's Death

8 March 2005, BirdLife International - The longest continuous satellite tracking of an individual bird came to an end on 5 March, when a White Stork known as Donna was electrocuted by power lines. First tagged in 1999 by the Storks Without Borders project run by Natuurpunt (part of Birdlife in Belgium), Donna was tracked for 2033 days.
  Electrocution and collision have been implicated in decline, or range abandonment, among other large birds, including Great Bustards and Eagle Owls. At least 30 percent of newly fledged Spanish Imperial Eagles are electrocuted each year, an unsustainable level of mortality for a bird with a tiny population (fewer than 200 pairs), which takes 4-5 years to reach breeding maturity.
  "Bird-friendly" alterations to power lines can reduce mortality among storks, eagles and other large birds. To learn more, click here.

Marsh Monitoring Training Offered in U.S.

8 March 2005 - BSC's Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP) is becoming an increasingly valuable tool for evaluating marsh health in Great Lakes Areas of Concern. With support from United States Environmental Protection Agency's Great Lakes National Program Office and in partnership with the Great Lakes Commission, MMP staff are holding training workshops for three U.S. Areas of Concern to intensify monitoring in these areas. Outdoor enthusiasts interested in monitoring, as well as novice and experienced MMP participants, are invited to attend. Training and recruitment sessions are planned at the Irondequoit Wetlands Center, Rochester, New York on Saturday, 12 March 2005; the Cuyahoga River Watershed Area of Concern at the North Chagrin Nature Center, Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, 9 April; and the Clinton River Area of Concern on Saturday, 16 April in the Pontiac, Michigan area, location to be confirmed. For additional information on MMP events in the U.S., contact Greg Dunn, Project Biologist, at gdunn@bsc-eoc.org or 1-888-448-2473, ext. 218.

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Legislation to Protect Birds from Oil Pollution Before the Senate

9 March 2005 - In December 2004, the House of Commons unanimously passed Bill C-15 which would amend both the Migratory Birds Convention Act and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. The Bill has been transmitted to the Senate and is now before the Senate Committee for Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources for public hearings which are taking place during March 2005.
  An estimated 45 million seabirds share Canada's coastal waters with thousands of ships each year. It is conservatively estimated that 300,000 seabirds are killed annually off the southeast coast of Newfoundland alone owing to the illegal and deliberate dumping of oil from ships. According to data collected by the Canadian Wildlife Service between 1984 and 1999, 62% of birds found on Newfoundland beaches were oiled. Laboratory analyses show that over 90% of this oil comes from "machinery spaces" which can only enter the water through deliberate or negligent acts. In Canada's cold waters, a drop of oil the size of a quarter is enough to kill a seabird. For more information, click here.
  Bill C-15 clarifies enforcement powers and provides the government with the ability to effectively enforce internationally-established pollution limits within Canada's exclusive economic zone. Penalties will be generally strengthened and, as well, vessels over 5000 dead weight tonnes found guilty of contravening the Migratory Birds Contravention Act will face a minimum fine of $100,000 for a summary conviction and $500,000 for an indictable offence. The greater enforcement powers and penalties will create an effective deterrent to illegal dumping.
  Bill C-15 is facing opposition from some representatives of the shipping industry who are seeking amendments which would generally weaken the Bill. At the same time, Bill C-15 is strongly supported by a number of non-government organizations, including Birds Studies Canada, which feel that the Bill should be passed in its current form. These groups will be making their views known to the Senate Committee at hearings scheduled later this month.

Feather Analysis Links Migration Routes to Breeding Areas

7 March 2005 - Starting in 1998, a tail feather sample was collected from warblers of five species at five Canadian Migration Monitoring Network Stations (CMMN) as part of a study on the use of hydrogen isotopes for defining breeding ground origin of birds passing through CMMN stations in fall. A preliminary report was distributed several years ago, but lengthy delays in analysis of remaining feathers (resulting from updating of methods and equipment) prevented completion of the study until now. To read the summary of findings to date, click here.

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TD Foundation Supports New Brunswick Owl Survey

8 March 2005 - The Fredericton chapter of the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation has pledged $2000 in support of the project "Whooo lives in the woods? Educating New Brunswick Youth about Owls & Forest Conservation." This money will be used to support youth involvement in the New Brunswick Nocturnal Owl Survey.

BSC Atlantic Welcomes Finnish Employee

8 March 2005 - Bird Studies Canada (BSC) is pleased to welcome Saija Sirkiä to Sackville, NB, where she will spend four months working for Bird Studies Canada through a CIMO (Centre for International Mobility) grant. Saija, who hails from Helsinki, Finland, has a Master of Science degree from the University of Turku; her thesis was on Capercaillie (an endangered grouse) lekking habitat in Finland. Saija will be working on various programs of Bird Studies Canada, including the Atlantic Canada Nocturnal Owl Survey and the High Elevation Landbird Program. She can be reached at 506-364-5025.

Atlantic Canada Management Committee Meets

8 March 2005 - BSC's Atlantic Canada Management Committee met on 28 February in Sackville, NB to discuss progress in 2004-05 and work plans for 2005-06. Discussion centered around results and survey design of the High Elevation Landbird Program as well as plans for a second Maritime Breeding Bird Atlas. The committee, consisting of representatives from the Canadian Wildlife Service, the NB and NS Departments of Natural Resources, the PE Department of Environment, Energy, and Forestry and the NL Department of Environment and Conservation, along with Atlantic-Canada based members of Bird Studies Canada's Board of Directors and National Science Advisory Council, was pleased overall with BSC Atlantic programs and provided important feedback to the Atlantic Canada Program Manager, Becky Whittam.

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