Archives

16 July 2004 
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L. to R.: Alberto Cen Caamal, Ismael Caamal Angulo, 
Stu Mackenzie, Ivonne Gómex Rivera

Bird Studies Canada Hosts Mexican Conservationists

12 July 2004 - Through Bird Studies Canada’s Latin American Training Program, three Mexicans spent the last month at Long Point, Ontario, learning a variety of bird research and monitoring techniques. All three are associated with one of Mexico’s several international biosphere reserves - Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve. Ivonne Gomez Rivera is leading a project to establish a bird monitoring strategy in the reserve, and Alberto Cen Caamal and Ismael Caamal Angulo are guides working in the reserve. During their time here, they learned field techniques for bird monitoring such as mist-netting, point counts, and breeding bird censuses, and attended sessions on data management and Geographical Information Systems.

"Extinct" Bird Rediscovered in Mexico

12 July 2004 - The Cozumel Thrasher (Toxostoma guttatum), a bird not seen or recorded by scientists for close to a decade and thought by some to have gone extinct, was sighted last month by a team of field biologists, American Bird Conservancy and Conservation International announced recently. Its rediscovery immediately makes this species the single most threatened bird in Mexico.
  The Cozumel Thrasher, an endemic bird found only on the island of Cozumel off the Yucatan Peninsula, appears to have experienced a precipitous decline in 1988 after Hurricane Gilbert tore through the island. It immediately became rare, but small numbers of the bird were known to exist until it was last sighted in 1995. That same year, Hurricane Roxanne ripped through Cozumel and may have also contributed to the species' decline. Scientists estimate that as many as 10,000 once thrived on the island. To read the entire media release click here .
  Bird Studies Canada’s Senior Scientist, Denis Lepage, spent time last year in nearby Sian Kaan Biosphere Reserve on the Yucatan Peninsula, helping to design a bird monitoring strategy and train local biologists.

 

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Loon Chicks Afoot!

14 July 2004 - Ross Hall, a Biologist with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and past Canadian Lakes Loon Survey (CLLS) participant, reported that he has reason to believe a single loon chick traveled 200 metres from a land-locked marsh to a nearby lake in Colchester County, NS. Two chicks were seen in the marsh on 7 July; the next day, one of the chicks appeared on the lake (the other chick disappeared). The chick would have had to climb up a steep shoreline, cross an oat field, and then pass through a cottage property to reach the lake. Ross believes this pattern of behaviour has been ongoing for at least three years.
  This is a rare event indeed! CLLS participants have reported similar behaviour at an Ontario lake (see BirdWatch Canada, Spring 1997). Since it is nearly impossible for a loon to walk, the chick would need to plod along using a combination of wings, legs, and breast in a shuffling fashion. The parents would probably be flying overhead calling them. During this harrowing trip, the young would be extremely vulnerable to predation from both mammals such as foxes and raccoons and avian predators such as gulls. Conventional wisdom is that loon chicks live or die on their natal lakes - thus, why would this behaviour occur? It may relate to the combination of a busy lake, with lots of fish but no breeding sites, and a small, quiet lake (or marsh), with a limited food supply but plenty of nesting locations. Ross reported that the lake the chick moved to has a completely developed shoreline with no nesting opportunities for loons.
  BSC is interested in learning about similar occurrences elsewhere. If anyone suspects loon chicks are crossing a land barrier, please contact Kathy Jones at aqsurvey@bsc-eoc.org.

Date Set for Annual Members Meeting and 
Tribute Luncheon for Michael Bradstreet

26 June 2004 - Please join us for Bird Studies Canada’s Annual Members Meeting and Tribute Luncheon for Past President, Michael Bradstreet, on Sunday, 12 September 2004. The Luncheon, a fundraiser commencing at 11:30 a.m., will recognize Michael’s role over the past 14 years in creating this strong and dynamic national bird research organization. You’ll be sure to enjoy the line up of prestigious speakers, including John Lounds, President of The Nature Conservancy of Canada, as Master of Ceremonies. The Annual Members Meeting will follow at 3:00 p.m. The entire event will be held at The Greens at Renton near Simcoe, Ontario. For more information and to register for these events, please contact Rosie Kirton at 1-888-448-2473 or e-mail rkirton@bsc-eoc.org.

 

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BC Projects Coordinator to Visit Queen Charlotte Islands

16 July 2004 - British Columbia Projects Coordinator, Tasha Smith, will be visiting the Queen Charlotte Islands in BC to promote both the BC Coastal Waterbird Survey and Beached Bird Survey. From 4-11 August, Tasha will meet with volunteers, provide program talks, and recruit new volunteers for the surveys. She looks forward to receiving feedback from existing volunteers and thanking them for their past participation. To learn more about BC’s coastal surveys click here .

What is Happening to Swallows in Ontario?

16 July 2004 - Audrey Heagy, Partners in Flight Ontario Plan-writer, was recently interviewed by the hosts of the CBC Radio early morning programs in Sudbury and Thunder Bay, ON. The subject of the live interviews was the decline of swallows in northern Ontario. Audrey highlighted the role of the volunteer-based Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) in providing reliable information on population trends in common birds such as Barn Swallows. BBS data show that swallow populations have been declining in Ontario and Canada since the mid-1980s. (To view BBS Bird Trend data, you can search by species by clicking here ). Further research is needed to determine the factors leading to widespread declines in many species of swallows and other aerial foraging birds, such as Chimney Swifts and nighthawks.

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Great Lakes Waterfowl Symposium Agenda Available

13 July 2004 - The agenda for the "Great Lakes Waterfowl Symposium" has been finalized and is now available online. Hosted by BSC’s Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund along with the Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and Ducks Unlimited, the symposium will be held from 23-26 August in London, Ontario. The scheduled talks will be of interest to researchers, managers, hunters, farmers, and everyone else that has an interest in waterfowl and wetlands. The agenda, registration forms, and other Symposium-related details can be obtained by clicking here .

Ontario Atlas Maps Updated

13 July 2004 – The most recent maps for the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas illustrate the extraordinary effort that volunteers are making toward understanding the distribution of birds across the province. With atlassers pushing to bump up breeding evidence for as many species as possible, the fourth season of the Atlas promises to be very productive. Click here to view the results of this effort and stay tuned for another update next month.

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New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund Supports BSC Atlantic

12 July 2004 - For the fourth year in a row, the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund (NB-WTF) is providing support to Bird Studies Canada’s Atlantic Canada programs. This year, the NB-WTF is supporting "The Rap on Raptors: Volunteer Surveys of hawks and owls," in the amount of $10,000. The NB-WTF receives its funds from a conservation fee on hunters, anglers, and fur harvesters licences and from the sale of special Conservation licence plates.

New Brunswick Owl Survey Releases Three-year Report

12 July 2004 - The year 2003 marked the third of surveying for the New Brunswick Nocturnal Owl Survey. Bird Studies Canada’s Atlantic Canada Program Office has produced a report outlining the results of the survey over the first three years, including an early look at trends in owl populations. Preliminary analyses show that the data collected for Barred Owls (the species of greatest interest to the Department of Natural Resources) will likely provide trend detection when changes are compared within individual routes. A declining trend for Barred Owls over the first three years of the survey appears to be driven by two extreme values in 2001. When these values are removed, Barred Owl numbers appear to be stable in New Brunswick. Trend detection for Great-horned Owls and Northern Saw-whet Owls will be more difficult, given the lower number of detections for these species. Click here to download the full report .

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Bowater Mersey Supports Nova Scotia Owl Survey

12 July 2004 - Bowater Mersey Paper Company Limited has announced its support of the Nova Scotia Nocturnal Owl Survey, in the amount of $250. Bowater Mersey also provides logistical support to volunteers who conduct owl survey routes on Bowater property. To learn more about owl surveys in Atlantic Canada, click here .

Northern Atlas Expedition a Success

Standing: L to R. Colin Jones, Peter Burke, Jon McCracken, Ron Ridout Seated: L. to R. Don Sutherland, Marty Obbard  Photo: Ron Ridout

Willow Ptarmigan

American Golden Plover

9 July 2004 - The Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas expedition to the Pen Islands on northwestern Ontario's Hudson's Bay coast has safely returned to warmer climes. Bird Studies Canada team members Jon McCracken and Ron Ridout report a successful trip, despite sub-freezing temperatures, gale-force winds, and a marauding Black Bear. Highlights of the trip included the first documented nests in Ontario for both Stilt Sandpiper and Hoary Redpoll, among the 109 nests of 29 different species found.
  The crew covered 4 different 10 x 10 km squares in 2 different 100 x 100 km blocks. The species total for Block CH reached 97, while 53 species were observed in the less accessible Block CJ. The team also completed 97 and 27 point counts in Blocks CH and CJ, respectively. Point counts involve standing at one spot for 5 minutes and recording all birds heard and seen. Each count must be 500 metres from any other point, so the completion of 124 counts is indicative of how much ground was covered. The team credits the success of their trip to great advance planning by Marty Obbard, Colin Jones, and in particular, team leader, Don Sutherland.
  The trip was a joint effort of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources' Natural Heritage Information Centre and Bird Studies Canada and was funded by the James L. Baillie Memorial Fund, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Canadian Wildlife Service. A feature article is being prepared for the fall issue of BirdWatch Canada.

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