Archives

Bird Studies
Canada Main Page

5 May 2006 
Download a Printable PDF Version  

 

International Migratory Bird Day

2 May 2006 - Celebrate and support migratory bird conservation on International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD), held on 13 May. This is a day set aside to recognize the incredible journey birds undertake between their summer and winter homes. IMBD is an outreach event for Partners in Flight (PIF), in which Bird Studies Canada (BSC) is an active participant. This year, the theme for IMBD is The Boreal Forest: Bird Nursery of the Americas; a research topic for which BSC has played an active role. This vast forest stretches from Alaska to Newfoundland, covering about 1.5 billion acres and providing a refuge for numerous wildlife species. BSC is taking part in IMBD in a number of ways. On 10 May, Gregor Beck, Director, Avian Science and Conservation, will make a special presentation on the significance of the boreal forest for birds at the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society in Ottawa. On 13 May, BSC will host its annual public Baillie Birdathon day in the Long Point area. Visit the IMBD website for more information on the importance of the boreal forest to migratory birds and for information on other IMBD events throughout the month of May.

Canadian Authors Named as Honorary Presidents

Photo: Peter Everard Smith

28 April 2006, BirdLife International - Noted Canadian authors and conservation activists Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson have accepted a joint role as Honorary Presidents of BirdLife International's Rare Bird Club. The Rare Bird Club, founded in 1988 by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, is for nature lovers, keen birders and conservationists from all over the globe. Internationally recognized, Margaret Atwood and Graeme Gibson are noted for their generosity in time and effort on behalf of other writers, social causes and conservation. They are both avid birders. "We are thrilled to have been asked to fill this crucial position, and we look forward to working with BirdLife International, and to doing what we can to help it in its vital work." - Margaret Atwood & Graeme Gibson. To learn more, click here.

        NATIONAL

 

Canada's List of Species at Risk Grows

1 May 2006 - BSC staff member Dick Cannings attended the annual Species Assessment Meeting of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), held April 22 to 29 at Cypress Hills, Saskatchewan. Following the 5-day meeting, the results of status assessments for 64 species of Canada's flora and fauna were announced. Bird species assessments included Burrowing Owl (confirmed as Endangered); Ivory Gull (upgraded from Special Concern to Endangered); a BC subspecies of Vesper Sparrow (Endangered); Golden-winged Warbler (Threatened); a BC subspecies of Northern Saw-whet Owl (Threatened); McGowan's Longspur (Special Concern), Rusty Blackbird (Special Concern); Louisiana Waterthrush (Special Concern); and Red-shouldered Hawk (downgraded to Not at Risk).
  Volunteer-based bird monitoring programs play an important role in assessing species at risk. BSC's Ontario Program Manager, Jon McCracken, authored the updated status report for Lousiana Waterthrush, drawing heavily upon results from the two Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas projects. Debbie Badzinski, BSC's Bird Population Biologist, authored the updated status report for Red-shouldered Hawk, making extensive use of results from Ontario's Red-shouldered Hawk Survey and the Atlas. Results from Ontario's Breeding Bird Atlas and Long Point Bird Observatory's migration monitoring program were also used in assigning a Threatened status to Golden-winged Warbler populations in Canada. For more information on the results of this meeting, click here.

CMMN Stations do More Than Count Birds

1 May 2006 - At more than a dozen sites across Canada, volunteers and staff are heading into the field early each morning to count and band migrating birds. Data collected by these Canadian Migration Monitoring Network (CMMN) stations are used by Bird Studies Canada to calculate population trends for landbirds and provide valuable information on the status of the many landbird species that breed in remote northern forests and winter in the neotropics. CMMN stations routinely handle large numbers of birds and are increasingly being asked to assist in a wide range of avian research projects. The CMMN network provides researchers with a very cost-effective means of collecting many samples from many birds across Canada. This spring, numerous CMMN stations are participating in "value-added" collaborative research projects.
  One such project involves collecting a feather sample from the various species of birds being captured for genetic analysis. These feathers are being used to develop a library of DNA "barcodes" for all bird species in Canada (see www.barcodinglife.org for more information on genetic barcoding and the All Birds Barcoding Initiative). CMMN participation in this project is being coordinated by Dr. Charles Francis, Canadian Wildlife Service and Kevin Kerr, University of Guelph. Another project involves checking each bird captured to see if it is carrying any ticks, particularly black-legged ticks which are responsible for transmitting Lyme disease. Information on the number of infected ticks found on birds at CMMN stations in eastern Canada will be incorporated into complex models being developed by Dr. Nick Ogden of the Université de Montréal that will ultimately be used to predict the spread of Lyme disease in Canada. To find out more about the CMMN and its member stations, click here.

Return to Top of Page

ebird: Canadian Edition

21 April 2006 - eBird is an exciting online data entry system for reporting bird sightings in North America, developed by the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (CLO). Birders can enter their sightings and then explore the database through maps, graphs and tables. First available in 2002, the program has become very popular over the past six months with the launch of eBird version 2, which has many new and improved features. Participants can now keep track of life lists and year lists for any area. Over 25,000 checklists are submitted each month and a total of six to eight million bird records per year by birders across the continent.
  BSC staff members Dick Cannings and Denis Lepage hosted a meeting at the headquarters office with representatives of the CLO on 20 and 21 April to discuss the possibility of BSC developing eBird Canada. The meeting was very successful, and the BSC Board of Directors authorized the launch of this Canadian eBird program the following week. Denis Lepage will work with CLO to develop the eBird Canada website, while Dick Cannings will coordinate the program across the country. BSC is particularly keen to cooperate with other Canadian bird checklist schemes so that eBird data can be used by these provincial and regional programs. We expect to launch the Canadian program this fall. For more information, contact Dick Cannings at dickcannings@shaw.ca.

ebird Canada

eBird est un outil Internet palpipant, développé par le Laboratoire d'ornithologie de Cornell (LOC). Les observateurs peuvent entrer leurs observations puis explorer la base de données grâce à des cartes, des graphiques, et des tableaux. Bien que eBird ait été lancé en 2002, le programme a réellement pris son envol au cours des 6 derniers mois depuis la mise en service de la version 2, qui contient de nombreuses améliorations par rapport à la version précédente. Cette nouvelle version permet même aux observateurs de garder à jour leurs listes personnelles, que ce soit pour une région ou une année donnée. eBird reçoit présentement plus de 25 000 feuillets par mois à travers le continent, pour un nombre total annuel de mentions variant de 6 à 8 millions.
   Dick Cannings et Denis Lepage, employés d'ÉOC, ont accueilli les représentants du LOC les 20 et 21 avril dernier au siège social d'Études d'Oiseaux Canada. Le but de la rencontre était de s'entendre sur la participation possible d'ÉOC dans le programme eBird au Canada. La rencontre fut un vif succès, et le conseil d'administration d'ÉOC a approuvé le lancement du programme eBird par ÉOC au Canada dès la semaine suivante. Denis Lepage travaillera avec le LOC afin de développer une version canadienne du site eBird (en français et en anglais), tandis que Dick Cannings coordonnera le programme à travers le pays. ÉOC est particulièrement intéressé a coopérer avec les autres programmes de feuillets déjà existant au Canada, afin que les données recueillies par eBird puissent être utilisées par ces programmes. Le lancement du site canadien de eBird est prévu pour l'automne 2006. Pour plus de renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec Dick Cannings à dickcannings@shaw.ca.

Return to Top of Page

 

Ontario Trillium Foundation Provides Major Support
to MMP Ambassador Initiative

23 April 2006 - Bird Studies Canada is very pleased to announce that it has received a grant of $75,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) to complete the implementation of The Marsh Monitoring Program Ambassador Initiative (MMPAI) in eastern Ontario over the next 18 months. The MMPAI, a collaborative partnership with the St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences (SLRI), aims to expand the presence of the MMP throughout the Ottawa and St. Lawrence River watersheds by engaging and empowering dedicated and experienced MMP "ambassadors". These ambassadors will function at a grassroots level, allowing for a much more rapid and stable program expansion than could be accomplished by BSC and SLRI staff alone. The main goal of this initiative is to increase the retention, servicing, feedback, and appreciation of MMP volunteers in Eastern Ontario through the development of Ambassador mentors. Ultimately, a greater MMP presence in Eastern Ontario will increase our knowledge of wetland health and promote the ideals of wetland conservation, as well as providing a framework for BSC ambassador programs in other regions.
  BSC would like to acknowledge Peter Goddard, Baxter Conservation Area; Lissa Deslandes, Raisin Region Conservation Authority; and Fred Lepine, Rideau Valley Field Naturalists. These dedicated conservationists are the MMP's first Eastern Ontario ambassadors and their efforts have allowed us to continue with this important program.
  The Ontario Trillium Foundation, an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Culture, receives annually $100 million of government funding generated through Ontario's charity casino initiative. More information about the Ontario Trillium Foundation can be found by clicking here.

Projet AVES is Born!

23 April 2006, Tall Structures and Birds/Bats Information Group (TSBBIG) - A group of citizens concerned about collision mortality of birds during the migration season in downtown Montreal has created Projet AVES [Avifaune Volant En Sécurité - avifauna flying in security]. Their objective is to determine whether collision mortality is a problem in Montreal, and if so, to address it by rescuing injured birds and raising awareness of the problem. Projet AVES is a collective effort that falls in the footsteps of groups such as Fatal Light Awareness Program (Toronto), Project Safe Light (New York), and the Chicago Bird Collision Monitors. To learn more about Projet AVES, click here (French only).
  The TSBBIG is an informal networking and information-sharing group that brings together persons and organisations concerned with the issue of the impacts of tall structures on wildlife.
 

 Return to Top of Page

This email was sent by BirdStudiesCanada@bsc-eoc.org.  If you receive duplicates of this email, to unsubscribe, please contact us.
Ce courriel a été envoyé depuis l'adresse BirdStudiesCanada@bsc-eoc.org. Si vous recevez plus d'une copie de ce message, ou si vous voulez que l'on retire votre nom de la liste d'envoi, veuillez communiquer avec nous. Nous nous excusons du fait que ce message ne soit pas disponible en français.