High
Elevation Landbird Program Completes 4th Year
24 June 2005
- For the last three weeks, Bird Studies Canada (BSC) staff and
volunteers have been surveying mountaintops in New Brunswick and Nova
Scotia as part of the fourth year of the High Elevation Landbird
Program. Approximately 65 routes are run annually in search of the
elusive Bicknell's Thrush, a COSEWIC-listed Species of Special Concern,
as well as other high elevation landbirds including Fox Sparrow and
Blackpoll Warbler. Two new routes were added this year in Prince Edward
Island, at East Point and North Cape, which are not high elevation areas
but coastal sites with habitat features that mimick those of
mountaintops due to strong winds and harsh weather. No Bicknell's Thrush
were found on PE routes, but preliminary results suggest that similar
numbers of Bicknell's Thrush were found in NB and NS as in previous
years. BSC is also continuing a study on the impacts of precommercial
thinning on Bicknell's Thrush, with funding and in-kind support from
forestry company UPM (Miramichi, NB), and will be conducting a habitat
supply analysis in both NS and NB this year.
The High Elevation
Landbird Program receives funding and in-kind support from the federal
Habitat Stewardship Program for Species At Risk, the Nova Forest
Alliance, Human Resources Development Canada, UPM, NB SEEDS Program,
Parks Canada, the NB Department of Natural Resources, and the Canadian
Wildlife Service of Environment Canada. Look for a feature article on
Bicknell’s Thrush in the next issue of BirdWatch
Canada.
Bicknell's
Thrush Topic of Cape Breton Talk
24
June 2005 - Becky Whittam, BSC's Atlantic Canada Program
Manager, will give a presentation entitled, "Monitoring a Mystery:
the Bicknell's Thrush in Cape Breton" on Tuesday, 12 July at 9 p.m.
at the Broad Cove Campground Outdoor Theatre, Cape Breton Highlands
National Park, Ingonish, NS. Cape North and the Cape Breton Highlands
are home to one of the rarest songbirds in North America - the
Bicknell's Thrush - a small, secretive bird that lives in dense, low
stands of spruce and fir at high elevations and along coastlines. Since
2002, BSC's High Elevation Landbird Program has been monitoring
Bicknell's Thrush populations around Cape North and in Cape Breton
Highlands National Park. Join Becky to hear more about this fascinating
research. For more information, contact Becky at becky.whittam@ec.gc.ca.
Return to Top of Page
NB
Environmental Trust Fund Supports Maritime Atlas
22
June 2005 - Bird Studies Canada, on behalf of the Maritime
Breeding Bird Atlas Steering Committee, has received $20,000 in support
from the NB Environmental Trust Fund for the development of a second
Maritime Breeding Bird Atlas. Becky Whittam, BSC's Atlantic Canada
Program Manager, thanked NB Minister of Environment and Local
Government, Brenda Fowlie, and Minister of Business NB, Peter Mesheau,
on 14 June at the Tantramar Wetlands Centre when awards given to
Tantramar-based organizations were announced. Field work for the second
Atlas will begin in spring 2006. For more information, contact Becky
Whittam at becky.whittam@ec.gc.ca.
Coordinator
Hired for Maritime Atlas
22 June 2005
- The Maritime Breeding Bird Atlas Steering Committee is pleased to
announce that Karel Allard, an enthusiastic birdwatcher, biologist, and
communicator, has been hired as the Atlas Coordinator. Karel will be
employed by Bird Studies Canada in the Atlantic regional office, housed
with the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) in Sackville, NB.
Karel
is fluently bilingual and a skilled and keen birder. He has eight
seasons of experience working as an interpreter at Mount Revelstoke,
Glacier, Pacific Rim, and Fundy National Parks, as well as experience
teaching in schools and universities on subjects ranging from math to
French language. Karel has also spent seven summer and three winter
field seasons in the Canadian Arctic, as a biologist for the CWS. He
possesses a Honours Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and a Bachelor
of Education from the Université de Moncton. Karel is in the final
stages of completing his Ph.D. from the University of New Brunswick, and
will start work with the Atlas on 1 August 2005, after submitting his
thesis.
Regarding
the Maritimes Atlas project, Karel notes, "In addition to my
passion for simply observing nature, I believe strongly in the
development of tools needed to monitor trends in species distribution,
productivity, and survival. The continuance of the Maritime Breeding
Bird Atlas project can contribute greatly to our understanding of
species-specific habitat requirements at broad spatial scales over time.
Such tools together with others can help managers monitor species,
identify potential threats, and develop appropriate protection
measures."
Return to Top of Page
NB
Wildlife Trust Fund Supports Owl Survey
22 June 2005
- The NB Wildlife Trust Fund is providing $8000 in support for
"Five Years of Owl Surveys in New Brunswick: Reporting on Results
and Recognizing Volunteers." The money from the Fund will go toward
producing a full-colour, five-year report on the NB Owl Survey including
maps and preliminary population trends, for distribution to all survey
volunteers and partners.
Students
Flock to Waterbird and Wetland Ecology Course
20 June 2005
- Eleven third and fourth year students from several universities across
Ontario came to Bird Studies Canada (BSC) last week to participate in
the Waterbird and Wetland Ecology field course. The course was
coordinated and taught by Dr. Scott Petrie and Dr. Shannon Badzinski of
the Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund (LPWWRF). Students
learned about the ecology, management, and conservation of waterbirds
and wetlands in Canada's lower Great Lakes region through lectures and
field trips to important wetland areas and conservation projects
throughout southern Ontario, including Long Point on Lake Erie, Lake St.
Clair, and Oshawa Second Marsh on Lake Ontario. Students also gained
insight into the role that several major government organizations, non-government
organizations, and hunt clubs have in wetland and waterbird
conservation, monitoring, and management. Numerous individuals from
these groups (see below) kindly donated their time and expertise to
provide students with a wealth of information and many unique field
experiences. Hands-on activities included surveying and identifying
marsh birds by sight and sound, banding Canada Geese, sampling and
identifying aquatic invertebrates, capturing reptiles and amphibians,
studying bird skins, and dissecting birds to learn about anatomy and
physiological processes. Scott and Shannon plan to teach this course
annually as part of LPWWRF's ongoing commitment to university education.
LPWWRF
would like to thank and acknowledge the following individuals and
organizations for helping to make the first year of the field course a
success: Paul Ashley (Canadian Wildlife Service [CWS]), Ted Barney
(University of Western Ontario), Tara Crewe (Bird Studies Canada [BSC],
Rick Davis (Long Point Company [LPC]), Darrell Dennis (CWS, retired),
Sarah Emons (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources), Greg Grabas (CWS),
John Haggeman (CWS), Stu MacKenzie (BSC), Dave McLachlin (Ducks
Unlimited Canada [DUC]), Lynn Miller (LPWWRF), Satu Pernanen (Central
Lake Ontario Conservation Authority), Owen Steele (DUC), Steve
Timmermans (BSC), Maurice Sylvain (Big Point Club), Emile Vandommele
(Murray Marsh Club), James Vanos (CWS), and David Wamsley (LPC).
Return to Top of Page
Avian
Energetics Lab under New Management
17 June 2005
- As of May 2005, Bird Studies Canada transferred management of the
Avian Energetics Lab to the Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research
Fund (LPWWRF). The lab provides unique services that are not offered
commercially anywhere else in North America. Under LPWWRF management,
the lab will continue to provide top-quality scientific services to
researchers and graduate students throughout North America and the
world.
Avian
energetic studies broadly deal with bird physiology and seasonal gains
and losses in energy. Birds obtain fat, protein, and minerals from the
foods they consume throughout the year. These are subsequently
incorporated into body tissues or are stored so they can be used by
birds during times of heightened energetic demand. For example, birds
may mobilize fat, protein, and minerals for egg development or
metabolize fat as an energy source during migration. Changes in body and
reproductive components of birds over time reflect survival strategies
and responses to environmental conditions. Thus, avian energetics has
been, and remains, an important research topic.
Having
the lab more closely allied with LPWWRF will strengthen its connection
with the University of Western Ontario (UWO), primarily by graduate
research opportunities through LPWWRF adjunct and teaching appointments.
Plans are also in the works to increase training opportunities for
students interested in gaining experience with laboratory techniques
related to energetic and dietary intake studies. Over the past several
years, LPWWRF was a major client of the lab, and will be in an excellent
position to increase the number of research projects that utilize the
lab’s services.
To learn more about
the Avian Energetics Lab and services available, click
here or contact: Scott Petrie spetrie@bsc-eoc.org,
Kerrie Wilcox kwilcox@bsc-eoc.org,
or Shannon Badzinski sbadzinski@bsc-eoc.org.
Return to Top of Page
|
