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17 July 2009 
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South American Fishermen Help Save Seabirds

Photo: Oliver Yates/ATF

15 July 2009 – BirdLife International’s Albatross Task Force (ATF) works in seven priority countries to help South American fishermen understand the problem of albatross mortality in longline and trawl fisheries, and to work out simple solutions. The ATF is the first international scheme to place specialized instructors on fishing vessels to reduce the number of seabirds killed accidentally in fishing industries.
   Thousands of albatrosses have been saved in South America. In the south of Chile, the incidental capture of seabirds was reduced from over 1500 birds in one year to zero through the adoption of modified fishing gear. In Argentina, the use of mitigation in the trawl fishery has shown it is possible to reduce seabird mortality to close to zero. In Brazil, the voluntary adoption of bird-scaring lines has helped reduce incidental capture of seabirds by 56%.
   Modern fishing methods accidentally kill about 100,000 albatrosses around the world every year. Of the world’s 22 albatross species, 18 are facing extinction, and four are classified as Critically Endangered.

Partners in Flight Science Committee Gathers at BSC

Photo: Denis Lepage

7-9 July 2009 – The Partners in Flight Science Committee met at Bird Studies Canada’s headquarters in Port Rowan, Ontario to continue its work on a high level ‘vision’ for landbird conservation for Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The meeting was attended by sixteen individuals representing a wide array of government and non-government partners. Special guest Ian Davidson (former Head of the Americas Secretariat of BirdLife International; current Executive Director of Nature Canada) also attended and offered insights as to how BirdLife and Partners in Flight could work cooperatively to advance bird conservation in the western hemisphere.
   Our guests were treated to thought-provoking presentations by BSC staff members Phil Taylor, Chief Scientist, concerning migration stopover ecology, and Director of National Programs Jon McCracken, who spoke about aerial insectivores. As well, the group attended a dinner hosted by BSC President George Finney and his wife Pat.
   BSC’s GIS Lab has developed the capacity to produce detailed species richness maps from any combination of bird range maps in the western hemisphere (select this link to view a sample). These maps will play a key role in interpreting and visualizing the results of the PIF Species Assessment process. Stay tuned for more updates as this project moves toward completion in late 2009.

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Last Chance for Loon Survey

16 July 2009 – The Canadian Lakes Loon Survey (CLLS) is in progress, and we thank all new and returning participants who have registered for the 2009 season. Anyone spending time on a Canadian lake this summer is welcome to become a surveyor for this valuable and enjoyable program. If you are watching loons on a local lake this season, but do not have a 2009 survey package, it’s not too late. Please register online by July 31.

Aquatic Surveys Data Analyst Position Available

15 July 2009 – Bird Studies Canada is seeking qualified individuals (one to two positions available) to conduct programmatic data summaries and analyses, with a focus on the Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP). This is a six-month contract position partly subsidized by Environment Canada’s Science Horizons Youth Internship Program. The Science Horizons program requires that applicants be 30 years of age or younger, Canadian citizens, and not previously employed by another federal Youth Employment Strategy program. The length of this position may be expanded given appropriate funding resources.
   The successful candidate(s) will work closely with BSC staff to: develop and use wetland health bioindicators as part of regional habitat assessment projects; produce annual MMP population indices, long-term trends, and data summaries for program and special project purposes; lead a gap analysis of MMP monitoring coverage throughout the Great Lakes basin; contribute to MMP program development needs; and assist with other Bird Studies Canada program data analyses as required.
   Select this link to view the full position posting. Applications may be submitted to Ryan Archer, Aquatic Survey Programs Coordinator, by email at rarcher@birdscanada.org or by fax at 519-586-3532. The application deadline is Tuesday, July 28, 2009.

New Issue of ACE-ÉCO Now Online

10 July 2009 – Tom Nudds and Marc-André Villard, Editors-in-Chief of Avian Conservation and Ecology – Écologie et Conservation des Oiseaux (ACE-ÉCO), are pleased to announce the publication of Volume 4, Issue 1. In their editorial “Is Monitoring Growing Up?” Nudds and Villard discuss the current status of monitoring, and point to opportunities for improvement in existing Canadian monitoring protocols. Visit the ACE-ÉCO website to read this and other articles. As well, authors are encouraged to submit manuscripts to an upcoming special feature on the conservation of Prairie birds. Submissions will be accepted until December 31, 2009; select this link to download the call for papers.
   ACE-ÉCO is an open-access, fully electronic scientific journal, sponsored by the Society of Canadian Ornithologists and Bird Studies Canada. It publishes papers that are scientifically rigorous and relevant to the bird conservation community, to exacting editorial and production standards, in a cost-effective electronic approach that makes them widely available in real-time. Although ACE-ÉCO is intended in part to enhance the international profile of Canadian ornithology and applied avian science, contributions are welcomed from all over the world.

Tons of New Bird Data Available through NatureCounts

6 July 2009 – Over the last few weeks, three large datasets have been added to the  NatureCounts portal hosted by Bird Studies Canada as part of the Avian Knowledge Network. Last month, we added the entire Project FeederWatch database, representing more than 14 million bird sightings from Canada and the U.S. for a period of more than 20 years. More recently, results from the Marsh Monitoring Program have also been included, for the bird surveys and the amphibian surveys since 1995.
   Data from a variety of BSC programs can be downloaded or examined online through NatureCounts. Over the long term, our goal is to have data from all programs that are managed by BSC available through NatureCounts, and therefore to increase their utility for conservation and science. So far, NatureCounts includes an impressive 42 million observation records, described in a single standard format also used by other partners of the Avian Knowledge Network.

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Ontario Chimney Swift Blitz Results

15 July 2009 – The reports are in, and Ontario birders contributed a great effort for BSC’s first Ontario-wide Chimney Swift blitz on the weekend of June 26-28. We received about 80 accounts of Chimney Swifts from 35 different communities, covering areas from Niagara to North Bay, most of which reported nesting behaviour. These reports have all been added to a central database of sightings from across Ontario (and sometimes beyond) that will be used to direct future recovery and monitoring efforts in the province. Thanks to all who participated to make the Chimney Swift blitz a success.
   This blitz was undertaken as part of Ontario SwiftWatch, funded through the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Species at Risk Stewardship Fund. The goal of Ontario SwiftWatch is to establish community-based Chimney Swift monitoring across the province to help track distribution and abundance, identify important habitat, and direct future recovery efforts for this federally threatened species.
   Have you noticed Chimney Swifts in your area? The official blitz weekend has passed, but we are still looking for volunteer Chimney Swift monitors in cities across Ontario. For more information, or to become a volunteer, please contact Elisabeth van Stam (1-888-448-2473 ext.173, evanstam@birdscanada.org) or Hazel Wheeler (1-888-448-2473 ext. 165, hwheeler@birdscanada.org).

Online Survey Targets Atlantic Canada FeederWatchers

13 July 2009 – The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC), a national organization dedicated to the surveillance of wildlife health, is conducting a study on the health of ‘garden birds’ (such as finches, sparrows, pigeons, chickadees, and Blue Jays) in Atlantic Canada. Birds that frequent bird feeders or water baths are of particular interest. If you are a bird enthusiast and have bird feeders on your property, you can help.
   The CCWHC has launched an online questionnaire that explores feeder bird mortality, especially related to trichomoniasis. Several cases of this disease were noted in Nova Scotia Purple Finches in recent years. Cases seem to peak in late summer and early fall. Visit the CCWHC – Atlantic Region website to participate in the Garden Bird Health Survey. The questionnaire should take about 10 minutes to complete.

Birding the Chignecto Game Sanctuary

Photo: Becky Whittam

8 July 2009 – BSC’s Atlantic Canada Program Manager Becky Whittam recently joined Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) staff Lindsay Notzl and Jon Feldgajer, as well as Vicki Daley of Cumberland Wilderness, for a day of bird atlassing in the Chignecto Game Sanctuary near Joggins, Nova Scotia. The area contains large tracts of mature deciduous and coniferous forest and a series of bogs known as the Bucktagen Barrens, and provides habitat for many regionally interesting bird species including Spruce Grouse, Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Palm Warbler, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Barred Owl, Northern Goshawk, Black-throated Blue Warbler, and Eastern Wood Pewee.
   CPAWS and Cumberland Wilderness are campaigning for the NS government to protect this area under the Wilderness Areas Protection Act, as the current Game Sanctuary designation offers no protection from resource extraction activities such as forestry and mining. Read the Fall 2008 CPAWS newsletter for more information about the campaign. To find out what species have been found in Atlas square 20LR84 so far, download the data summary from the Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas website. 

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