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20 March 2009 
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U.S. State of the Birds Report Released

Brown Pelican Photo: Ron Ridout  Northern Bobwhite Photo: Jim Flynn

19 March 2009 – A new report on bird populations in the United States indicates that of the 800 bird species that inhabit various habitats in the U.S., nearly a third are endangered, threatened, or in significant decline due to habitat loss, invasive species, and other threats. The U.S. State of the Birds shows widespread declines over the last 40 years, but also documents some cases where conservation action has resulted in dramatic increases for species targeted for protection.
   The report synthesizes data from three long-running bird censuses conducted by thousands of citizen scientists and professional biologists: the Christmas Bird Count, a joint program of the National Audubon Society and Bird Studies Canada; the North American Breeding Bird Survey, administered by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Canadian Wildlife Service; and the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canadian Wildlife Service).
   The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service coordinated creation of the new report as part of the U.S. North American Bird Conservation Initiative. Visit the State of the Birds website to learn more, or select this link to download the full report (4.25 MB).

Toward a Tri-National Vision for Landbird Conservation

24-26 February 2009 – Andrew Couturier, BSC’s Senior Analyst, Landscape Ecology and Conservation, recently attended a Partners in Flight (PIF) Science Committee meeting concerning the continued development of a North American Tri-National Vision for Landbird Conservation. Hosted by CONABIO – a special arm of the Mexican federal government charged with biodiversity conservation – in Mexico City, the meeting was attended by representatives of Environment Canada, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, CONABIO, and several non-governmental partners including the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, and Bird Studies Canada. One of BSC’s main roles in the Tri-National Vision is to develop spatial analysis methodologies and cartographic systems to interpret and visualize the results of the PIF species assessment. Stay tuned for more updates as this project moves toward completion in late 2009. Visit the Partners in Flight website to learn more.

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eBird Wants your Observations

20 March 2009 – Spring is here and our birds are coming back! Seeing the first American Robin, the first Killdeer, or the first swallow of the season is always exciting, and we would love for you to send us your sightings. eBird Canada collects observations from birdwatchers right across the country. Together, eBird Canada participants have already contributed more data than almost any other bird monitoring program in Canada (an impressive 1.7 million observations). Those observations can be used to help monitor bird populations over time and across the landscape. Participating in eBird is simple and free, and you can even use it to keep track of your own sightings and checklists.

BSC Strengthens National GIS Lab Capacity

16 March 2009 – BSC is pleased to announce that Sandra Marquez has commenced work at our National Headquarters in Port Rowan. Sandra brings substantial experience in terrestrial ecology – gained while working for the national park system in Mexico – and recent expertise in Geographic Information Systems to BSC. Sandra will be taking up the post of Conservation GIS Analyst and will be working on a wide variety of projects, including breeding bird atlases, Important Bird Areas, and web mapping. Andrew Couturier, Senior Analyst and GIS Lab Manager, states: “Sandra’s unique combination of skills and experience will be invaluable assets as BSC continues to grow its programs nationally and internationally.” On behalf of the entire BSC family, welcome Sandra!

Aerial Insectivore Workshop

11 March 2009 – Together with Mike Cadman and Geoff Holroyd (Environment Canada), Jon McCracken, Bird Studies Canada’s Director of National Programs, helped organize and deliver a very successful three-day scientific workshop on the decline of aerial insectivore birds (swallows, swifts, goatsuckers, and flycatchers) in Canada. Hosted by Environment Canada, the Ottawa meeting was attended by 30 scientists invited from across the country. Several other BSC staff (Rob Butler from BC, and Debbie Badzinski and Elisabeth van Stam of our Ontario program) also attended, along with two post-doctoral researchers who are closely affiliated with BSC’s recent research on aerial insectivores (Dr. Silke Nebel at University of Western Ontario and Dr. Alex Mills at Acadia University).
   In addition to outlining the state of our current knowledge via a series of informative scientific presentations, the workshop’s main objective was to capture the kinds of research questions that would help identify the factors and mechanisms that could be driving the mysterious decline of aerial insectivores in Canada and the northeastern U.S. Establishing a special aerial insectivore “working group” was suggested as a priority next step to help coordinate and direct scientific research in this area.

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Tern Foraging Distribution Studied

19 March 2009 – In 2008 Bird Studies Canada, under the direction of Dr. Cory Williams, conducted a study of tern foraging distribution in Stormont Bay, Nova Scotia, where the Endangered Roseate Tern breeds along with Common and Arctic Terns. This work was conducted in consultation with the Roseate Tern Recovery Team, under contract with three companies proposing industrial developments in this area. These include a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal (Maple LNG), a petrochemical facility including a marginal wharf (Keltic Petrochemicals), and a natural gas pipeline (EnCana Corporation).
   We used a combination of land- and boat-based surveys to monitor tern foraging throughout the breeding season, to establish baseline conditions in advance of industrial development activities, and to better understand the temporal and spatial use of habitat by terns. We found similar patterns of habitat use by Roseate Terns when compared to a radio-telemetry study conducted in 2003 and 2004. Common Terns and unidentified terns were seen near the site of the proposed facilities during two surveys conducted in early and mid-June, but terns were rarely present in the area on subsequent surveys. Land- and boat-based surveys throughout the study area reveal the foraging distribution of terns shifted across the season, possibly due to changes in foraging strategies associated with the stage of reproduction, or seasonal changes in prey availability. For more information, select this link to download the project report.

Winnipeg Students Learn about Owls

Photo: Christian Artuso

17 March 2009 – In the month of February, grade four and five students at two Winnipeg schools – Greenway and Hampstead – received special visits from bird enthusiast (and BSC’s Manitoba Projects Manager) Christian Artuso. An educational and interactive presentation introduced the students to Manitoba’s owls. The groups also had opportunities to examine and discuss items such as study skins from the Manitoba Museum’s education collection, dried pellets and samples of pellet contents, books, photographs, and other related materials. The Greenway kids had lots of questions related to Farley Mowat’s Owls in the Family, which they were reading. Students from both schools were remarkably quick and accurate at the spot-the-owl contest. The Outdoor Ed Club at Hampstead School, with teacher Alvin Dyck, have been putting up boxes for Wood Ducks (donated by Ducks Unlimited), Purple Martins, wrens, and chickadees, and got to see Christian’s photos of Eastern Screech-Owls that nested in one of their duck boxes.

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