Archives

27 May 2005 
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Birdlife International-Americas Meets in Belize

25 May 2005 - Birdlife International is an organization with partners in more than 100 countries dedicated to the conservation of birds. Canada is represented by Bird Studies Canada (BSC) and Nature Canada.
  In the Americas, 15 countries are represented in Birdlife and the biannual meeting of the partners took place in Belize on 16-20 May. George Finney represented BSC. A principal focus of the meeting was development of a strategy to address the many globally threatened species which occur in the Americas. Canada is fortunate in that the Whooping Crane is our only globally threatened bird and a recovery strategy for that species is well in hand. Elsewhere though, an alarming number of birds are on the brink of extinction, and require immediate attention.
  A second focus of the meeting was on the advancement of the Important Bird Areas (IBA) program throughout the Americas. IBA identification has been completed for most partner nations. The sites identified represent areas not only important to birds but to other species as well. Many IBAs in the Americas are under serious threat and many are home to globally threatened species. Canada has close to 600 IBAs of which about 400 have some degree of formal protection. Clearly more work is yet to be done in Canada as well. For more information about Canadian IBAs, click here.

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Bill to Protect Seabirds Receives Royal Assent

24 May 2005 - Bill C-15, a Bill to amend the Migratory Birds Convention Act (MBCA) and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, received Royal Assent on 19 May 2005 after a lengthy debate in Senate Committee where certain provisions were opposed by representatives of the shipping industry. The Bill was supported by all parties in the House of Commons and there was high drama in Ottawa with maneuvering to try to achieve Royal Assent before the crucial confidence vote, which ultimately happened two hours after the Bill became law.
  The new law establishes prohibitions against the dumping of oil out to the limits of Canada's Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 nautical miles, and provides for serious penalties against those who violate the Act. In addition, it establishes very strong enforcement powers for Environment Canada officers, including provision for redirection of ships to Canadian ports for inspection.
  The amendments to the MBCA also include a change to its purpose so that its focus is on bird population sustainability as well as the protection of individual birds. This reflects an important modernization of the Act which will allow for improved conservation actions throughout Canada.
  The Bill was actively supported by a coalition of non-government organizations including BSC, who made several presentations before the Senate Committee. The efforts of this group proved essential to the passage of the Bill, and it can be viewed as an important victory for bird conservation interests in Canada. The new Act will be warmly welcomed by those who live on Canada's coasts, especially by the residents of Newfoundland who face the spectre of oiled birds every year. To view a summary of the Act, click here.

Kenn Kaufman’s Birdathon Nets 160 Species

Photo: Dick Cannings

24 May 2005 - Kenn Kaufman, this year’s Baillie Birdathon guest birder, tallied 160 species on Sunday, 22 May as he birded through the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Joining him as part of the "Off the Rails" birding team was Dick Cannings, BSC’s British Columbia Projects Officer and additional local bird experts Chris Charlesworth of Kelowna and Gary Davidson of Nakusp. Kaufman’s team was competing against five other teams in the Okanagan Big Day Challenge; their total was good enough for first place. Second place in the Challenge went to four young birders led by Cannings’ son Russell - most of whom were alumni of BSC’s Young Ornithologists’ Workshop. Bird of the Day honours went to "Four Strong Winds," a team consisting of Laurie Rockwell, Eva Durance, Bob McKay, and Glenda Ross, who had great views of a Broad-winged Hawk. Peter Blokker and Margaret Hubble took both the Little Big Day and cycling awards by spotting 90 species while cycling 45 kilometres around Vernon, finishing by noon. The aggregate total of 182 species was one of the lowest totals in the history of the event.
  If you haven’t sponsored Kenn’s efforts to raise money for bird conservation through the Birdathon, you still can. By pledging your support for Kenn’s Birdathon not only will you be making a significant contribution to Bird Studies Canada, you’ll also receive a detailed report from Kenn about his highly competitive birding event in the Okanagan. To pledge your support, click here.

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Study Contributes to Black Duck Ageing Techniques

24 May 2005 - Although the American Black Duck was once the most common duck in eastern North America, the continental population is now estimated at half of historic numbers. Studies pertaining to its population decline and life history characteristics have been limited somewhat by a lack of suitable techniques to age these birds in winter and spring.
  Paul Ashley recently completed his thesis work on Black Duck ageing techniques titled Wing Moult and Age Determination of American Black Ducks, and has graduated from the University of Western Ontario (UWO) with a Masters of Science in Biology. Paul conducted his research under the supervision of Dr. Scott Petrie, Research Director of the Long Point Waterfowl and Wetland Research Fund, and Dr. Bob Bailey, a Professor at UWO.
  For this research, Paul used captive, harvested, and trapped birds, as well as specimen wings in an attempt to develop reliable ageing techniques for black ducks. He identified sex-specific differences in extent and timing of tertial and tertial covert moult from fall to spring. The early acquisition of adult tertials and tertial coverts in males may be advantageous due to the prominent display of these feathers by males during courtship and pair bond formation.
  Paul also determined that all second year American Black Ducks retained some juvenile coverts until the end of April. This information was used to develop qualitative and quantitative techniques to discriminate age classes. An age-class scoring system was developed using qualitative observations of coverts, and multivariate models were constructed from measurements of selected feather variables. Paul determined that black ducks can be accurately aged from late winter to early spring using both qualitative and quantitative techniques. The application of these techniques should be useful in a host of life history studies directed towards the conservation of American Black Ducks.

LPWWRF’s Waste Grain Project Receives OFAH Funding.

24 May 2005 - Zone J of The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) recently provided $5000 to help support Ted Barney’s research on agricultural waste grains at Long Point, ON. Ted is completing his Master of Science at the University of Western Ontario under the supervision of Dr. Scott Petrie, Research Director of the Long Point Waterfowl and Wetland Research Fund. OFAH’s generous support will be used to fund research on post-harvest waste corn dynamics, specifically depletion rates of waste corn, changes in nutritional quality, and field use by staging waterfowl. OFAH Head Office generously provided $5000 toward Ted’s research last year.

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