Latest on BC Bird
Mortalities
23 March 2006 - Confirmed reports of
small aggregations of birds washed ashore along parts of the British
Columbia coast in December-January, reported in BSC’s Latest News on 27
January, eventually totaled some 80 or so carcasses. Fortunately, there
have been no further reports of repeat events. Analyses of carcasses
sent for testing showed no signs of disease or poisoning. Last year was
a very poor breeding season for many seabirds along the Pacific
northwest coast, particularly Cassin's Auklets, which comprised the
majority of carcasses found in January. Adult mortality tends to be a
little higher following poor breeding seasons. BSC’s Beached Bird
Surveyors continue to scour coastal areas in BC and are on the lookout
for additional die-offs. For more information on the survey,
click here.
Recruitment
Begins for Québec Marsh Monitoring
23 March 2006 - The Québec Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP) is looking for
participants for the 2006 season. People who have the ability to
recognize marsh birds by sight and sound, and are interested in joining
the program can contact Catherine Poussart by phone at 418-649-6062 or
by e-mail at
cpoussart@bsc-eoc.org. All regions of the province, with the
exception of the Montréal and Québec City areas, have marshes that can
be assigned. Prior to surveying, participants receive an MMP kit
containing an instruction manual, field sheets, and two CDs (training
and broadcast). Surveys are to be conducted during two evenings, at
least 10 days apart, between 27 May and 12 July.
Le Programme de surveillance des marais du Québec (PSM) est présentement
en période de recrutement pour sa saison 2006. Les personnes ayant
l’habileté à reconnaître les oiseaux de marais au chant et à la vue, et
qui sont intéressées à joindre le programme peuvent communiquer avec
Catherine Poussart par téléphone au (418) 649-6062 ou par courriel à
cpoussart@bsc-eoc.org. Toutes les régions de la province, à l’exception
de la grande région de Montréal et de Québec, ont des marais pouvant
être attribués. Avant les inventaires, chaque participant inscrit
recevra une trousse comprenant le manuel d’instructions, les feuilles de
données à compléter et deux disques compactes (de formation et de
diffusion). Les inventaires doivent être effectués lors de deux soirées
espacées d’au moins dix jours, entre le 27 mai et le 12 juillet. Pour de
plus amples renseignements, visitez
le site Internet du programme.
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BSC President
to be Guest Speaker in Montréal
23 March 2005 - Dr. George Finney,
President of Bird Studies Canada, will be speaking to Bird Protection
Québec at their monthly meeting on 3 April 2006 at 8:00 p.m. Dr. Finney
will provide an overview of Bird Studies Canada’s monitoring programs
and the role of Citizen Scientists. Meetings are held in the Fraser
Hickson Library Auditorium in Montréal. For more details,
click here.
Le président d’ÉOC est le conférencier
invité à Montréal
Le président d’ÉOC, Dr George Finney, s’adressera aux membres de
Protection des oiseaux du Québec le 3 avril 2006 à 20h00 dans le cadre
des réunions mensuelles de l'organisme. Le Dr Finney présentera les
programmes de suivi d’Études d’Oiseaux Canada et le rôle des
citoyens-chercheurs. La conférence, qui sera présentée en anglais, aura
lieu à l’auditorium de la Fraser Hickson Library, au 4855 avenue
Kensington (coin Somerled) à Montréal.
Maritimes Breeding
Bird Atlas Gears Up
23 March 2006 - Preparation for the
Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas is in full swing. To date over 200 people
have registered to participate in the Atlas so we are off to a great
start! Maps, forms, and the Guide for Atlassers are in the final stages
and Atlasser kits should be ready for distribution in April. Atlassers
are chomping at the bit to get going and it is great to see such
enthusiasm! For more information,
click here.
BSC to Help Protect Piping
Plovers
23 March 2006 - Bird Studies Canada
will begin work to protect Endangered Piping Plovers in Nova Scotia this
spring. This initiative will continue work previously directed by the
Canadian Wildlife Service and by Anna McCarron through the Nova Scotia
Coastal Guardian Program. Bird Studies Canada will be working closely
with the Canadian Wildlife Service to find plover nests on Nova Scotia
beaches and to reduce nest predation and human disturbance at these
sites. The Endangered Species Recovery Fund recently announced they will
be partially funding this work.
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More Scaup to be Added to
Tracker
23
March 2006 - The Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research
Fund (LPWWRF) recently satellite-tagged 5 male and 10 female Lesser
Scaup from Long Point Bay on Lake Erie and 3 female Lesser Scaup and 2
female Greater Scaup from Hamilton Harbour on Lake Ontario to track
their seasonal movements across North America. Last spring, LPWWRF
researchers satellite-tagged 6 female Lesser Scaup from Long Point Bay,
2 of which are still being tracked online. Recent locations for
Henrietta and Mussel Muncher show they haven’t left their wintering
areas at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge in Florida and the Bay
of Quinte on Lake Ontario. The "Scaup Tracker" web site is currently
being modified to accommodate the migration paths of the additional
scaup tagged this spring. These modifications should be completed by
early April - just in time to see each bird's first movements from the
lower Great Lakes region. Until then, keep checking the
Scaup Tracker
to see when Henrietta and Mussel Muncher depart on their spring
migration and where they decide to go.
Research Examines Scaup
Contaminants
Photo: Scott
Petrie
23
March 2006 - Contract researcher Lindsay Ware, an M.Sc.
candidate at the University of Western Ontario, recently completed her
first season of field work examining contaminant levels in Greater
Scaup, a species experiencing long-term population declines. Her
research, entitled Selenium Uptake and Effects in Greater Scaup
Wintering on Western Lake Ontario, was recently awarded financial
support from the Delta Waterfowl Foundation and the Ontario Federation
of Anglers and Hunters’ Wildlife Research Grant.
The continental scaup population has
been declining for approximately twenty years, and a major hypothesis
for the decline is that increased contaminant levels are impacting
health and/or reproductive output. Since a large proportion of the
continental population of Greater Scaup now winter on Lake Ontario,
Lindsay is studying the changes in selenium and other contaminant levels
in this species throughout the winter in Hamilton Harbour. She is also
investigating the effects that the contaminants may be having on health
and body condition of the birds. This research is supported by the Long
Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund. Her supervisor is Dr. Scott
Petrie, LPWWRF Research Director, and Dr. Shannon Badzinski, LPWWRF
Research Scientist, is a member of her advisory committee.
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Ontario Owls Soon to be Calling
23 March 2006 - Spring has arrived,
and the start of the survey window for the Ontario Nocturnal Owl Survey
is just around the corner. Beginning 1 April, surveyors will start
heading for the woods to listen for calling owls. Surveys are run during
one evening in the month of April. Participants are to return completed
data forms to Bird Studies Canada by 15 May. To read up on last year’s
adventures in owling and the continuing story of owl population trends,
the 2005 Final Report is now available by
clicking here.
Information contained in this report is a direct measure of Citizen
Science participation, so surveyors - pat yourselves on the back for a
job well done! For more information on the survey, contact Susan
Debreceni by e-mail at
sdebreceni@bsc-eoc.org.
Marsh Monitoring Workshops Offered in
Muskegon, Saginaw, and Wallaceburg
22 March 2006 - Bird Studies
Canada's Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP), in conjunction with several
partners, is looking for outdoor adventurers to be trained as amphibian
and/or bird monitors (no prior experience necessary) for wetland areas
in the Saginaw River/Bay, Muskegon Lake, and the St Clair Areas of
Concerns (AOCs). The sessions have been funded by Environment Canada,
the Great Lakes Sustainability Fund, Michigan Department of
Environmental Conservation, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
- Great Lakes National Program Office.
The West Michigan session (including
Muskegon and White Lakes) will be held from 8:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m. on 1
April at Muskegon Community College’s Blue & Gold Room in Muskegon,
Michigan. The hosts will be Kathy Evans from Timberland Resource
Conservation & Development Area Council and the Muskegon and White Lake
Public Advisory Councils. The trainer will be Ric Pedler from the
Muskegon Nature Club. A special White Lake area marsh tour will be
hosted by BSC’s Steve Timmermans on the following Tuesday, 4 April for
trained volunteers. Anyone interested in this event should contact Kathy
Evans by phone at 616-954-9432 ext.156 or by e-mail at
kevansrcd@aol.com.
Pre-registration is required and there will be a small fee, payable at
the door, to cover breakfast and minimal meeting expenses.
The Saginaw River/Bay session will be
held 8 April from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Chippewa Nature Center,
400 S. Badour Road, Midland, Michigan. The Partnership for the Saginaw
Bay Watershed is hosting the event and the trainer will be John Hummer
of the Great Lakes Commission. Anyone interested in attending should
contact John by phone at 734-971-9135 or by e-mail at
jhummer@glc.org. There is no cost
to attend this event but pre-registration is required.
The St. Clair AOC session is being held
at 7:00 p.m. on 18 April at the Oaks Inn in Wallaceburg, ON. Bird
Studies Canada staff will be hosting this event. For more information,
contact Kathy Jones by e-mail at
aqsurvey@bsc-eoc.org. There is no cost to attend this event but
pre-registration is required.
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BSC and
Naturalists’ Club Reach out to Youth
21
March 2006 - On the weekend of 11-12 March, over 2500 youth
attended the 2006 Wildlife Festival and Adventure Show in Simcoe, ON.
The Festival
featured more than 20 exhibits and interactive attractions
including live animal displays, taxidermy, a raptor show, a reptile
show, and much more. Bird Studies Canada and the
Norfolk Field Naturalists
teamed up to provide a youth-oriented booth, which promoted Bald Eagle
education by asking children to assist in the construction of a
life-sized eagle nest and to take part in a colouring contest. Just over
150 children entered the contest! The Best in Show, showcased above, was
by Katie Barber, age 8. To view all first place winners,
click
here. Youth and adults were also “banded” (with paper bands that
represented bird bands used in the field) and were invited to look up
the history of these recovered birds. To learn more about eagle banding
and the Bald Eagle Program,
click here.
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