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27 July 2007 
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Bird-Safe Building Guidelines Available

20 July 2007 – New York City Audubon has announced the publication of Bird-Safe Building Guidelines by Hillary Brown, AIA, and Stephen Caputo. The manual contains strategies for reducing bird collisions with windows and buildings, and is a valuable resource for policy makers, people in the building and design industries, and the general public. Visit the New York City Audubon website for more information, or request a printed copy of the guidelines by emailing info@nycaudubon.org.
   In Canada, the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) is dedicated to the protection of wild birds in built environments. Visit the FLAP website to learn more about the organization and their activities, or click here to view the City of Toronto’s Bird-Friendly Development Guidelines, which were released in March 2007.

New Threats to Little Egret Habitat on Barbados

17 July 2007, BirdLife International – The Little Egret Egretta garzetta, an Old World species, established its first colony in the Western Hemisphere in 1994 in Barbados. With population numbers declining in recent Christmas Bird Counts, that colony has an uncertain future, especially in the light of new challenges to its habitat. As a result of the birds’ presence and the effects of storms, habitat conditions have been deteriorating at Graeme Hall Swamp, a Ramsar wetland of international importance that holds the last significant red and white mangrove swamp in Barbados. Furthermore, marshlands within the Graeme Hall Swamp have recently been put up for sale, raising concerns about the possibility of development in the area. Conservationists are calling for correct management of the swamp to protect and boost egret numbers. More details are available on the BirdLife International website.

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        NATIONAL

 

BSC and Junco Technologies Inc. to Offer Canadian Student Award

27 July 2007 – BSC is pleased to announce a new partnership with Junco Technologies Inc., a Montréal area company specializing in the production of birdhouses. Each year, Junco Technologies Inc. will donate $1000 for the Junco Technologies Award, a new grant to be given annually to a student enrolled in a Canadian university. The recipient must be conducting a field research project in Canada on cavity-nesting birds, and must use the funds to purchase field equipment (such as audio recording gear, optics, video camera, or radio transmitters). The Society of Canadian Ornithologists will select the successful candidate each year. The first Junco Technologies Award will be given in winter 2008, and students will be able to apply this fall. Visit BSC’s online shop to purchase Junco Technologies Inc. birdhouses.

ÉOC et Junco Technologies Inc. s’associent pour offrir une nouvelle bourse d’étude canadienne

Le 27 juillet 2007 – Études d’Oiseaux Canada (ÉOC) vient de signer une entente de partenariat avec Junco Technologies Inc., une compagnie opérant de la grande région de Montréal qui se spécialise dans la fabrication de nichoirs. Chaque année, Junco Technologies Inc. commanditera la bourse Junco Technologies d’un montant de 1 000$. Tous les étudiants inscrits dans une université canadienne et dont le projet de recherche est réalisé en milieu naturel, au Canada, sur au moins une espèce d’oiseaux nichant en cavité pourront postuler pour cette bourse. La bourse devra servir à défrayer les coûts d’achat d’équipements requis pour la réalisation du projet de recherche (p. ex. équipement d’enregistrement audio, produit d’optique, caméra vidéo ou émetteurs radio). La bourse sera offerte par ÉOC; le processus de sélection de candidature pour cette bourse sera administré par la Société des ornithologistes du Canada. La mise en candidature débutera à l’automne 2007 pour la première bourse qui sera offerte à l’hiver 2008. Par cette entente de partenariat, ÉOC offrira l’achat de nichoirs Junco Technologies par l’entremise de son magasin en ligne.

Cottage Life Auction Benefits BSC Owl Surveys

26 July 2007 – In the May 2007 issue of Cottage Life magazine, the article “Welcome to Hooterville” encouraged readers to make their own owl boxes, and included building instructions as well as tips about owls and other birds that use nest boxes. The story also featured five unique owl boxes that were made by creative cottagers and decorated in eclectic styles. The owl houses were auctioned off this spring, with the proceeds benefiting BSC’s Nocturnal Owl Surveys program. BSC is grateful for the support received from Cottage Life, the artists who donated their owl box masterpieces, and everyone who participated in the auction.

Seventh Annual “Swift Night Out” Coming Soon

25 July 2007 – Following serious population declines, Chimney Swifts were assessed earlier this year as Threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). For the seventh year, Driftwood Wildlife Association is inviting people across North America to participate in a continent-wide effort to raise awareness about, and encourage interest in, Chimney Swifts and Vaux’s Swifts by counting them on their evening roosts.
   As summer draws to a close, and before their fall migration begins, swifts congregate in communal roosts that can range in size from just a few birds up to the hundreds or even thousands of swifts. Interested volunteers are encouraged to watch the skies at dusk and locate the roosts of Chimney Swifts (central to eastern North America) or Vaux’s Swifts (Pacific coast) in structures such as chimneys or tall shafts.
   Hold your “Swift Night Out” on one night over the weekend of August 10-12 and/or September 7-9 by observing the roost starting about 30 minutes before dusk. Estimate the number of swifts that enter, and email your results to dwa@austin.rr.com. For more information and to view results from previous years, visit the “Swift Night Out” website.

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TD Funds Waterbird Monitoring in British Columbia

26 July 2007 – Since April, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation Chapters have committed over $17,000 to strengthen coastal and inland waterbird monitoring and stewardship work in eight TD regions: Vancouver, Burnaby/Burrard Inlet, North Shore, Duncan (Cowichan Estuary), Prince Rupert, Kamloops, Southeast BC, and Northern BC. The funding will be used to develop and support existing programs, including the Coastal Waterbird and Beached Bird Surveys, and the Canadian Lakes Loon Survey. Specific activities will include providing recruiting and training workshops to expand the existing networks of survey locations, developing regional coordination to help sustain coverage of sites that have been surveyed over long periods, and providing new volunteer resources and education materials. If you live in one of the listed regions, we look forward to seeing you soon! For further details email Pete Davidson at pdavidson@bsc-eoc.org.

NS Students Promote Plover Protection

25 July 2007 – Shelburne County, the most southerly point in Nova Scotia, provides beach habitat for more endangered Piping Plovers than any other county in the province. In this important region, BSC’s Nova Scotia Piping Plover Conservation Program works closely with a local partner, Cape Sable Important Bird Area, to reach local schools. This spring over 100 grade 2-3 children learned about plover ecology, threats, and how to help, and were encouraged to participate in an annual artwork competition to depict stewardship tips or plover ecology. The poster contest was sponsored by NS Department of Natural Resources. Nearly 100 entries were received and a panel of judges chose the four most original. The four winners (Amanda Newell, Lynsay Stoddard, Courtney Smith, and TJ Torak) had their artwork printed on posters, which were displayed throughout Shelburne Co., and received one week free at Cape Sable Important Bird Area’s summer nature camp. We thank NS Department of Natural Resources, World Wildlife Fund, and Environment Canada’s Endangered Species Recovery Fund for their ongoing support.

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