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2 June 2006 
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BirdLife International-Americas Meets at BSC Headquarters

30 May 2006 - 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, 17 countries are represented in BirdLife and the bi-annual meeting of the partners took place at BSC's national Headquarters in Long Point, from 24 - 26 May. The partners welcomed ProNatura of Mexico as a new partner designate in the region. The main focus of this meeting was to strengthen the local capacity to implement species and site conservation across the Americas.
  The continued development of the Important Bird Areas program of the region was heavily discussed. While Canada completed its identification process in 2001, many countries are still in the process of identifying these sites. In Canada, we are currently in the process of identifying means to monitor these sites and are encouraging various forms of protection. Another focus of these meetings was settling on a strategy for the protection of the 87 Globally Threatened Bird species in the Americas. In Canada, programs are underway to protect the very few species which fall into this category, such as the Whooping Crane, but in many Latin American countries, numerous species are critically endangered and in need of urgent attention. A core element of this strategy is to develop means for North Americans to help fund projects and programs to assist these species.
   Participants visited Long Point Bird Observatory's Old Cut field station each morning before the formalities began. Aside from the opportunity for a close look at Canadian birds, they were eager to see the banding operations that have helped train a great number of people who are making an important contribution to bird conservation internationally. This training and capacity building is clearly a vital contribution to many countries. Participants were also treated to a boat tour of the Long Point World Biosphere Reserve, where they learned about the ecology and history of the area as well as witnessed migration station operations at the tip of Long Point.

Bird Studies Canada Participates in World Ocean Day

30 May 2006 - BSC will be presenting a display of our British Columbia and national programs at the World Ocean Day celebration on Sunday 4th June, from 11am - 3pm at Blackie Spit (at the foot of McBride St.), Crescent Beach, South Surrey, BC. World Oceans Day is an international celebration, declared a decade ago at the United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, to raise awareness of the importance of our oceans and the roles we can play in their conservation. The event is being hosted by the Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society, and will include interpretive beach walks, environmental displays, crafts for all ages, face painting, live music, food, prizes and more. The BC Coastal Waterbird and Beached Bird surveys will form the focus of the display. For more information on World Ocean Day and the events being celebrated worldwide please click here. More information on the Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society can by found by clicking here.

 

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Bird Studies Canada Remembers Doug Erickson

24 May 2006 - Bird Studies Canada is saddened to report that Doug Erickson, a long-term volunteer and member of the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey, passed away tragically in the Kimberley Mines accident in British Columbia on 15 May 2006. Doug, an active outdoorsman and environmental consultant, monitored loons since 1999 and planned to do so again in 2006. BSC staff wish to express their sympathy and support to Doug's family and friends as well as to the families and friends of the three people who died attempting to rescue him. Anyone wishing to remember Doug can visit www.dooger.net.

Searching for Satellite Tracked Loons

24 May 2006 - The Canadian Lakes Loon Surveys asks western BSC members to keep an eye out for some very special loons. Four loons captured on Flathead Lake by a biologist from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe were implanted with transmitters last fall and have been tracked by satellite since they left Montana last November to migrate south. The tracking is part of a larger study funded by the Montana State Wildlife Grant program administered through Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. With the northern migration completed, three loons have made it to Canada. The spring migrations varied between 2400 to nearly 4000 kilometres, all occuring over the eastern migratory path. The most recent locations included Churchill Lake and Delaronde Lake, SK and Mitsue Lake near Slave Lake, AB. These birds can be identified by the antenna upon their back or the color bands on their legs. Any sightings of these birds or reports of their breeding status will be greatly appreciated. Please contact Brett Gullett CSKT Wildlife Management Progam 406-883-2888 ext. 7292 or brettg@cskt.org. Those who wish to watch for the return of the loons can do so by online by visiting www.seaturtle.org/tracking and clicking on the "Migrating Common Loons" link.

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Wintering Bald Eagle Results to be Presented at ON Nature Conference

2 June 2006 - Hosted by the Kitchener-Waterloo Field Naturalists, Ontario Nature is holding its annual general meeting and conference from 2-4 June at Wilfred Laurier University in the city of Waterloo. The upcoming conference marks the 75th anniversary for Ontario Nature and celebrates their commitment to protecting and conserving the environment by expanding public awareness on conservation issues. This year, the theme is "Greenways and Waterways," and Bird Studies Canada has been invited to present its work on wintering Bald Eagle research in the Lower Great Lakes Basin on Saturday 3 June. Volunteer Projects Research Assistant, Susan Debreceni, will be presenting on behalf of the Southern Ontario Bald Eagle Monitoring Project and will also take part in a panel discussion on overwintering eagles in the Grand River watershed and the opportunities available to provide habitat protection. For more information on the Southern Ontario Bald Eagle Monitoring Project, please visit the website by clicking here. For more information on the conference, please click here.

Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation is Now Open

2 June 2006 - The Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory, in partnership with Alberta Parks & Protected Areas and Alberta Community Development, is extremely happy to announce the completion of the new Boreal Centre for Bird Conservation (BCBC). This six year project was a cooperative effort involving countless volunteers, partners, and contractors. The Boreal Centre is the only educational and research facility in the world that is strategically located to study boreal birds on their breeding grounds. In conjunction with the Government of Alberta's Centennial Celebration, grand opening festivities are being held from the weekend of 2 - 4 June. Information on the BCBC facilities and programs is available at www.borealbirdcentre.ca/. This facility is the home of the Lesser Slave Lake Bird Observatory, one of the founding members of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network.

Okanagan Big Day Challenge a Big Success!

Photo: Ken Wright

21 May 2006 - Thirty-four birders on 11 teams took part in the 21st annual Okanagan Big Day Challenge on 21 May. This friendly competition takes place on the Sunday of the Victoria Day weekend each year as part of the Meadowlark Festival in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. The participants register with the Baillie Birdathon and then comb the valley for as many bird species as possible. Event organizer and BSC staff member Dick Cannings headed up "The Soras," a team that bicycled 105 kilometres and tallied 139 species through morning sun and afternoon wind and rain. The winning team this year consisted of Dick's son, Russell, Peter Davidson (BSC's Coastal Waterbird Survey coordinator) and Pierre Geoffray -- the "Three-toed Surfers" who spotted 165 species. Of the 188 species seen, the bird of the day was a Ruddy Turnstone spotted by Gwynneth Wilson, Judy Latta, Elke Fischer and Howard Braun of the Kelowna area.
 

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