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23 March 2007 
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Seabirds on Agenda at Recent U.N. Fisheries Meeting

15 March 2007 – The plight of the world’s seabirds was a key agenda item earlier this month at a week-long meeting in Rome of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Committee on Fisheries. At the meeting, BirdLife International – with backing from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, and the USA – secured the Committee’s support for the development of ‘best-practice guidelines’ for National Plans of Action to help reduce seabird bycatch (where seabirds swallow baited hooks and drown – a major threat to many albatross species in particular).
   At the same meeting, the Government of Canada tabled a National Plan of Action for Reducing the Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries. Visit the Fisheries and Oceans Canada website to download a copy of the plan.

Northern Bald Ibises Return to Syria Breeding Grounds

16 March 2007, BirdLife International – A nine-month satellite tracking project of the rarest birds in the Middle East, the Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita, began last summer with the tagging of three adult birds. This month one of the birds returned to its breeding grounds in Palmyra, Syria, with the others close behind. Scientists have gained valuable information about their migration route and wintering site. The next step may be to put a satellite transmitter on a juvenile ibis this spring in order to learn where young, non-breeding birds go in winter. For more details about this project, visit RSPB’s Northern Bald Ibis in Syria website.
   For information about Bird Studies Canada’s satellite tracking programs, check out the Southern Ontario Bald Eagle Monitoring Project and the Long Point Waterfowl & Wetlands Research Fund’s Scaup Tracker.
 

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        NATIONAL

 

BSC to Receive Substantial Environment Canada Grant

20 March 2007 – The federal Minister of the Environment has committed $289,000 to fund key Bird Studies Canada monitoring, research, and public participation programs in the current fiscal year ending March 31. Environment Canada supports broad-scale monitoring and research programs by BSC to address high priority bird science and conservation, and has now agreed to provide funding for thirteen specific BSC projects across the country.
   The projects funded range from a national and international scale (Latin American Bander Training; Canadian Migration Monitoring Network activities; eBird Canada; Wind Power and Environmental Assessment Database; National Data Centre and GIS Lab) to regional initiatives. In the Maritimes, funding will go toward the Atlantic Canada High Elevation Landbird Program, Maritimes Beached Bird Surveys, and the Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas. Other projects covered by the agreement include the digitization of Quebec Nesting Birds records to allow analysis of long-term trends, and monitoring and recovery programs in Ontario for Prothonotary Warblers, Hooded Warblers, and Bald Eagles.

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Georgia Basin Puget Sound Research Conference,
Vancouver, 26-29 March

23 March 2007 – The biannual Georgia Basin Puget Sound (GBPS) Research Conference will take place at the Westin Bayshore, Vancouver, next week. This is the premier science gathering focused on the Georgia Basin Puget Sound region of Canada and the U.S., which supports internationally significant populations of a wide variety of waterbirds, and on the Canadian side of the border alone encompasses no less than 21 Important Bird Areas. This year’s conference is focused on U.S.-Canada ecosystem issues and the integration of science and decision-making to support a sustainable transboundary region. The Conference brings together over 800 scientists, First Nations and tribal government representatives, resource managers, community leaders, policy-makers, educators, students, and citizen group representatives to share scientific information concerning the condition and management of the GBPS region. The event will feature oral presentations, workshops, posters, special evening events, and guest plenary speakers. Pete Davidson, BSC’s BC Projects Coordinator, will be giving an oral presentation on the Coastal Waterbird Survey in a session dedicated to marine birds and waterfowl. For more information, visit the conference website.

BSC Bids Fond Farewell to the Red-shouldered Hawk
and Spring Woodpecker Survey

23 March 2007 – The Red-shouldered Hawk and Spring Woodpecker Survey was initiated in 1990 by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Bird Studies Canada with the primary goal of assessing population trends of Red-shouldered Hawks in Ontario. The Red-shouldered Hawk was classified as a species of Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) in 1983, but was subsequently classified as Not at Risk in 2006 based on an updated status report.  In 2007, based on mutual consent between Bird Studies Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, the Red-shouldered Hawk and Spring Woodpecker Survey was discontinued. There were a number of factors that influenced this decision including declining participation rates in recent years, the limited extent of this survey relative to the breeding ranges of woodpecker species detected, and the limited range of the Red-shouldered Hawk in Ontario.
   From 1991-2006, more than 180 survey teams participated in the survey; a total of 119 survey routes in Ontario were run at least once. Over the duration of the survey, it was estimated that volunteers committed at least 4860 hours to the Red-shouldered Hawk and Spring Woodpecker Survey, which corresponds to over 2 years of volunteer time!!
   The Red-shouldered Hawk and Spring Woodpecker data made an important contribution to the downlisting of the species, and allowed researchers to generate an updated population estimate. The data were also incorporated into the Second Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas and thus contributed greatly to assessing changes in distribution of hawks and woodpeckers in Ontario. The survey data have been used extensively by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to develop habitat models and guidelines for Red-shouldered Hawks and Pileated Woodpeckers.
   Bird Studies Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources would like to thank all the volunteer surveyors and assistants who participated in the survey. Your dedication over the years is truly commendable! To view the final survey report, which summarizes the results of the survey and the volunteer contributions, please click here.

Good News! Pre-sale for Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas Extended

23 March 2007 – The pre-sale discount for the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario, 2001-2005 has been extended until the end of this month. This atlas is sure to be an essential resource for birders and nature lovers. Why purchase the book this fall for the full price of $96, when you can order it before March 31 for a special pre-sale price of $79? (Note: the pre-sale price is even lower for Atlas participants – only $67.) Order now on the web or call 1-866-900-7100. Prices include GST, distribution, and handling.

 

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