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18 April 2008 
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LPBO Bands Its 750,000^th Bird

Photo: Stuart Mackenzie

7 April 2008 – The Long Point Bird Observatory (LPBO) has reached a major milestone, becoming the first North American migration monitoring station to band 750,000 birds. The bird was banded at LPBO’s Old Cut Field Station by Hugh McArthur, a long-time volunteer, Bird Studies Canada board member, and coordinator of the Friends of LPBO. On April 7 at 1:00 p.m., Hugh placed a special gold-coloured band on the right leg of a Brown Creeper (Certhia americana). This small songbird is a resident throughout much of Canada and the northern United States, with many of the birds migrating south to the U.S. each winter.
   After 48 years of research, LPBO houses a vast and diverse data set on North America’s migratory birds. The information collected by LPBO, members of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, and other stations in Canada, the U.S., and Central and South America, has helped establish global ranges and population trends for hundreds of species.
   Select this link to read the full media release, or visit our website to download the latest edition of LPBO E-news, Long Point Bird Observatory’s electronic newsletter.

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Birdathon: Don’t Forget to Register!

18 April 2008 – Registrations for the 2008 Baillie Birdathon are now being accepted. Visit the BSC website for more information about the Baillie Birdathon, to register, or to download a participant kit. There are over 20 spectacular prizes available to be won by participants, including the grand prize generously donated by Eagle-Eye Tours – a guided tour of your choice of New Brunswick & Grand Manan, Guyana, or West Mexico! Be sure to register by May 2 for a chance at the “early bird” prize – a complimentary one-year BSC membership, and a polyester, anti-pill, zippered fleece vest with the BSC logo. To see the full list of prizes available to be won, select this link.

Join the BSC Team 

18 April 2008 – There are currently a number of field research positions and volunteer opportunities with various BSC programs. Visit our Job Opportunities web page for more information.

BSC Members Travel with Eagle-Eye Tours

Photos: Courtesy Eagle-Eye Tours

16 April 2008 – In February, a keen group of BSC members enjoyed an exclusive tour to Belize – the first such trip to be offered by Eagle-Eye Tours and Bird Studies Canada. (You will soon be able to read the trip report, in the upcoming Spring issue of BirdWatch Canada.) Our second tour will take members to Nova Scotia this fall, from September 6-15. Participants will visit Kejimkujik National Park, Bon Portage, Cape Sable, and Brier islands, and King’s County. From comfortable whale-watching boats, we’ll view a spectacular array of pelagic species and shorebirds, including shearwaters, puffins, kittiwakes, jaegers, sandpipers, and more! For more information or to register, visit the Eagle-Eye Tours website.
   BSC member Carlo Giovanella recently returned from a trip he won through the 2007 Baillie Birdathon – Eagle-Eye’s Central Mexico tour. “The trip exceeded all my expectations,” Carlo recently told us. “Both guides were superb, the traveling companions were agreeable and stimulating, the culture was fascinating, the meals and accommodations were excellent, the variety of terrains was mind-boggling, and the birds were good too – I even got more lifers than expected!” Don’t forget to register for the 2008 Birdathon for your chance to win an all-inclusive guided trip from Eagle-Eye Tours.
   There is currently one spot remaining for a male passenger on Eagle-Eye’s May 15-25 West Coast Voyage.  The group will travel through British Columbia’s remote northern coast aboard the 66-foot sailboat “Achiever.”
   To learn more about these and other trips, contact Eagle-Eye Tours at 1-800-373-5678 or travel@eagle-eye.com.

2008 Student Research Award Recipients Announced

15 April 2008 – BSC is pleased to announce the three 2008 student research award winners. The James L. Baillie Student Award for Field Research, funded by BSC with Baillie Birdathon proceeds, is open to any student conducting ornithological research at a Canadian university on Canadian birds in their natural environment. The 2008 award went to Robert DeCaire of University of Western Ontario, for M.Sc. field research on the impact of Brown-headed Cowbird nestlings in Song Sparrow nests in Gulf Island National Park, BC.
   The Fred Cooke Student Research Award, offered jointly by BSC and the Society of Canadian Ornithologists, supports a Canadian university student’s ornithological conference travel or research activities. 2008 recipient Roslyn Dakin, of Queen’s University, will travel to the Los Angeles Arboretum, California, for M.Sc. research on “The signal content of colour in the peacock’s train.”
   Any student at a Canadian university doing field research in Canada on cavity-nesting birds can apply for the Junco Technologies Award. 2008 recipient Andrea Norris, a doctoral candidate at the University of British Columbia, will study the impact of the mountain pine beetle outbreak on cavity-nesting birds in interior British Columbia.
   Award applications are available on the Society of Canadian Ornithologists website.  The next deadline is February 15, 2009.

Annonce des récipiendaires des bourses d’études étudiantes 2008

le 15 avril 2008 – ÉOC est fier d’annoncer le nom des trois récipiendaires des bourses d’études étudiantes de 2008. La bourse d’étude James L. Baillie, financée par ÉOC à partir des revenus du Baillie Birdathon, est disponible à tous les étudiants inscrits à une université canadienne et effectuant un projet de recherche sur les oiseaux dans leur milieu naturel. La bourse 2008 a été décernée à Robert DeCaire de la University of Western Ontario. Son projet de maîtrise évalue l’impact de jeunes Vacher à tête brune dans les nids de Bruants chanteurs au parc national du Canada des Îles-Gulf, en Colombie-Britannique.
   La bourse étudiante Fred Cooke est offerte conjointement par ÉOC et la Société des ornithologistes du Canada, à un étudiant inscrit à une université canadienne. Elle soutien les frais pour assister à une conférence ou pour effectuer un projet de recherche axé sur les oiseaux. La récipiendaire 2008, Roslyn Dakin de Queen’s University, voyagera à l’arboretum de Los Angeles, Californie, pour son projet de maîtrise « The signal content of colour in the peacock’s train ».
   Les étudiants inscrits à une université canadienne et qui poursuivent des études de terrain au Canada sur des espèces d’oiseaux nichant dans les cavités peuvent poser leur candidature afin d’obtenir la bourse Junco Technologies. La récipiendaire 2008, Andrea Norris, est candidate au doctorat à la University of British Columbia. Madame Norris étudie l’impact des irruptions du Dendroctone du pin sur les espèces d’oiseaux nichant dans les cavités dans les terres de l’intérieur de la Colombie-Britannique. 
   Les formulaires de demande de bourses sont disponibles sur le site Internet de la Société des ornithologistes du Canada. La prochaine date limite est le 15 février 2009.

 Canadian Lakes Loon Survey Seeks Participants

Photo: Peter Ferguson

15 April 2008 – The Canadian Lakes Loon Survey (CLLS) 2008 season is fast approaching. Participants are needed throughout Canada – especially in British Columbia, the northern Prairie provinces, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. The CLLS provides a great opportunity for lake users and cottage owners to support research and conservation activities. CLLS participants visit and survey their lake at least three times (once in June, once in July, and once in August), record the number of Common Loon pairs, and track each pair’s breeding success. In addition, participants record other birds seen on or near the lake. Each participant receives a full package that includes instructions and simple forms. After the season is complete, participants return the forms to Bird Studies Canada or enter the information into the CLLS online database.
   Anyone who spends time on a Canadian lake and is interested in participating can contact Kathy Jones at aqsurvey@birdscanada.org or by phone at 1-888-448-2473 ext. 212, or register online.  The CLLS is a self-supporting program, so you must hold an active Bird Studies Canada membership to participate.
   The Canadian Lakes Loon Survey still has Loon Alert educational signs and Nest Alert nest protection signs available. These signs are available to lake users and conservation groups, but we ask that they provide a donation to cover the costs of shipping and handling. To order signs, please call Kathy Jones at 1-888-448-2473 or email aqsurvey@birdscanada.org (include “Loon Signs” in the subject line).

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Wind Turbine Talk Given to ASFWB

16 April 2008 – This week, BSC’s Atlantic Canada Program Manager Becky Whittam gave a talk at the Spring Seminar of the Atlantic Society of Fish and Wildlife Biologists in Sackville. The topic was “Wind Turbines and Birds: Monitoring Challenges and a Case Study from Prince Edward Island.” Other talks at the event included impacts of wind energy on other wildlife, especially bats, as well as impacts of hydroelectricity and tidal power on fish.

Québec MMP Data Analyzed

10 April 2008 – The Québec Marsh Monitoring Program (QMMP) was set up in 2004 by BSC and Environment Canada to monitor a selection of marsh-related birds, such as the Virginia Rail and Sora. This winter, BSC analyzed the data from the first four years of the program. On April 10, BSC’s Québec Projects Coordinator Catherine Poussart presented the results to Environment Canada staff and a few volunteer participants in Québec City.
   Between 2004 and 2007, 608 stations on 111 different routes were surveyed, mostly in freshwater marshes, and 171 bird species were reported. The most frequent birds recorded were: Red-winged Blackbird (in 34.5 % of the stations), Virginia Rail (30.9 %), Pied-billed Grebe (25.7 %) and Coot / Moorhen (23.7 %; birds heard but not seen). Rare species were also reported, such as Least Bitterns (23 routes) and Sedge Wrens (2 routes).
   A summary of the results will be published in the summer issue of BSC’s quarterly magazine BirdWatch Canada. To learn more about the program, visit the QMMP webpage. To register for the 2008 season, contact Catherine Poussart (toll free 1-866-518-0212 or 418-649-6062; cpoussart@birdscanada.org). BSC is grateful to all volunteer participants and assistants who have dedicated time and expertise to this program.

Les données du PSM du Québec analysées

le 10 avril 2008 – Le Programme de surveillance des marais du Québec (PSMQ) a été établi en 2004 par Études d’Oiseaux Canada (ÉOC) et Environnement Canada afin de faire le suivi d’oiseaux associés aux marais, tels le Râle de Virginie et la Marouette de Caroline. Cet hiver, ÉOC a effectué une analyse des données des quatre premières années du programme. Le 10 avril, Catherine Poussart, Coordonnatrice des projets pour le Québec d’ÉOC, a présenté les résultats au personnel d’Environnement Canada et quelques participants bénévoles du programme à Québec.
   Entre 2004 et 2007, 608 stations comprises dans 111 routes différentes ont été inventoriées, la majorité dans des marais d’eau douce. Un total de 171 espèces d’oiseaux a été rapporté. Les espèces d’oiseaux les plus souvent répertoriées dans les stations ont été : Carouge à épaulettes (dans 34,5% des stations), Râle de Virginie (30,9%), Grèbe à bec bigarré (25,7%) et Foulque / Gallinule (23,7%; oiseaux entendus mais pas vus). Quelques espèces rares ont également été rapportées, comme par exemple le Petit Blongios (23 routes) et le Troglodyte à bec court (2 routes).
   Un résumé des résultats sera publié dans l’édition de l’été 2008 de la revue trimestrielle d’ÉOC, BirdWatch Canada. Pour en savoir davantage sur le programme, visitez la page Internet du programme.  Pour vous inscrire à la saison 2008, contactez Catherine Poussart (sans frais 1-866-518-0212 ou 418 649-6062; cpoussart@oiseauxcanada.org). ÉOC remercie tous les participants bénévoles et leurs assistants qui ont consacré leur temps et leur expertise au PSMQ.

LPWWRF Research & Education Centre Grand Opening

10 April 2008 – Please join us to celebrate the grand opening of the Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund’s new Research and Education Centre (REC) on Saturday, April 26, 2008. LPWWRF recently signed a long-term Memorandum of Understanding to use and operate the former Ministry of Natural Resources Junior Ranger Camp north of Turkey Point. The REC will be used to house part-time staff, students, and volunteers, and will be made available to many other conservation- and education-based organizations.
   Doors open on April 26 at noon, and there will be a raptor flight demonstration (Peregrine Falcon, Bald Eagle, Harris’s Hawk) at 1 p.m. Food will be served from 2 p.m., and speeches and acknowledgements will be at 3 p.m. We are looking forward to having you share in the excitement of opening such a great wildlife research and education facility. All are welcome (including children), but we do ask that you RSVP by April 21 if you plan to attend (spetrie@birdscanada.org or 519-586-3531, ext 208). The REC is located on R.R. 10 Turkey Point Road, 911 number 546.

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