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10 August 2007 
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Researchers Study Drastic Ivory Gull Declines

3 August 2007 – In the High Arctic of Canada, Norway, and Russia, Ivory Gull numbers have declined considerably. Canadian Wildlife Service surveys indicate that the Canadian population has dropped by 80% since the 1980s. In 2006, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) listed the Ivory Gull as endangered. Researchers are investigating the role of climate change in the declines, with the organization Defenders of Wildlife reporting that retreating sea ice and glaciers are making it more difficult for the gulls to find food and protect nesting sites from predators. Meanwhile the August 2007 issue of the Birding Community E-bulletin reports that an Environment Canada (EC) research scientist has found high mercury levels in Ivory Gull eggs; visit the Environment Canada website to learn more about current EC seabird field projects.

Development Threatens Lesser Flamingos

16 July 2007 – A company jointly owned by TATA Chemicals and the Tanzania National Development Corporation is planning to build a large plant at Lake Natron for the extraction and processing of soda ash (also known as sodium carbonate or washing soda). Lake Natron is a Ramsar site  and Important Bird Area located near Tanzania’s border with Kenya. Considered one of Africa’s most important lakes for waterbirds, it is the largest of only three breeding sites in Africa for the Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor. It has been reported that the proposed development would be likely to destroy the lake’s ecosystem and could threaten more than one threatened waterbird species, including the entire East African Lesser Flamingo population. Conservation groups including BirdLife International and Wetlands International are calling for a thorough, open, and consultative consideration of the proposed development and its possible effects on the biodiversity of the region.

 

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        NATIONAL

 

Opinicon 2007: 26^th Annual Meeting of the SCO-SOC

10 August 2007 – The Society of Canadian Ornithologists/Société des Ornithologistes du Canada is holding its 26^th annual meeting at the Queen’s University Biological Station and the Opinicon Resort Hotel in Chaffey’s Lock, Ontario from September 25-29, 2007. The conference will showcase current ornithological research conducted in Canada and around the world.
  The conference will consist of contributed oral presentations, poster sessions, and discussion groups. In addition, two special sessions will constitute a mixture of contributed and invited talks on the topics of “Challenges and Conservation of Cavity Nesters” and “Monitoring and Management of Boreal Birds.” The Boreal Bird session is a memorial to Neal P.P. Simon. Dr. Simon, at the age of 32, passed away in September 2006 in a tragic boating accident. His friends and colleagues would like to honour his contributions to, and exceptional interest in, boreal forest management.
  This event will bring over 150 people to the area, and is financed by the Society, non-profit organizations, and donations from supporters such as Bird Studies Canada. More information about the conference, including fees, abstract submission, and field trips, is available at the SCO-SOC website.

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LPBO Launches New Electronic Newsletter

10 August 2007 – Last week, the Long Point Bird Observatory launched LPBO E-news, a new electronic newsletter. The first issue is available now on BSC’s website in PDF format and can be downloaded quickly by following this link. The newsletter includes a summary of the spring 2007 migration monitoring season, sightings highlights, information about this year’s volunteers, news on facility upgrades, and much more, all illustrated with many wonderful photographs.
   LPBO E-news will come out twice a year, between migration seasons. We welcome you to read about our recent experiences and accomplishments. For a free subscription, please email BirdStudiesCanada@bsc-eoc.org.

La ZICO/IBA de Sept-Îles bénéficie d’un plan de conservation

Le 3 août 2007 – Nature Québec/UQCN, avec le soutien financier de Nature Canada, de la Fondation de la faune du Québec et de la Protection des oiseaux du Québec, a récemment complété le plan de conservation de la zone importante pour la conservation des oiseaux (ZICO/IBA) de Sept-Îles. Réalisé conjointement par la Corporation de protection de l’environnement de Sept-Îles (CPESI) et par Nature Québec/UQCN, ce plan de conservation a pour but de conserver les écosystèmes qui caractérisent la ZICO/IBA et les espèces aviaires qui lui sont associées, tout en tenant compte du contexte socio-économique de la région.
   Le réseau des ZICO/IBA a été lancé en Europe en 1985 par l’organisme BirdLife International et constitue maintenant un réseau international de groupes de conservation non-gouvernementaux dans plus de 100 pays. Au Canada, le programme a été implanté en 1996 et sa gestion au niveau national est assurée par Études d’Oiseaux Canada et Nature Canada. Au Québec, la coordination du programme ZICO/IBA est assurée par Nature Québec/UQCN, en collaboration avec les intervenants du milieu. Accédez au répertoire canadien des ZICO/IBA en appuyant ici.

Conservation Plan Now Available for Sept-Îles IBA, Québec

3 August 2007 – Nature Québec/UQCN, with financial support from Nature Canada, la Fondation de la faune du Québec, and Bird Protection Québec, recently completed a conservation plan for the Sept-Îles Important Bird Area (IBA). The plan, available in French only, was jointly prepared by the Corporation de protection de l’environnement de Sept-Îles (CPESI) and Nature Québec/UQCN. The plan’s objective is to conserve the ecosystems and bird species associated with this IBA, while considering the socio-economic context of the region.
   The IBA network was launched in Europe in 1985 by Birdlife International, and now comprises a global network of non-governmental conservation organizations in more than 100 countries. In Canada, the IBA program was initiated in 1996 and is managed at the national level by Bird Studies Canada and Nature Canada. In Québec, the IBA program is coordinated by Nature Québec/UQCN, in partnership with local groups. Select this link to access the Canadian IBA online directory.

Ontario Power Generation-Nanticoke Generating Station Supports
Youth Education

2 August 2007 – The Long Point Waterfowl & Wetlands Research Fund (LPWWRF) is pleased to announce that Ontario Power Generation-Nanticoke Generating Station will pay the registration fees for all the 14- to 16-year-old students who will be taking our Young Wildlife Biologist Workshop (YWBW) later this month. This generous donation (totaling $2,500) along with financial and equipment donations from many other individual and corporate sponsors will ensure that the students have a very fun and informative week. The YWBW runs from August 20-24. Some of the activities will include: duck and passerine handling and banding, wildlife identification, dip netting for aquatic macroinvertebrates, a boat tour of some of Long Point’s coastal marshes, retriever training, and field demonstrations on wetland and waterbird conservation and management.

Paper Published on Reptile Road Mortalities

1 August 2007 – Paul Ashley (Canadian Wildlife Service), Amanda Kosloski (University of Western Ontario), and Scott Petrie (Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund/Bird Studies Canada) recently published a paper on the “Incidence of Intentional Vehicle-Reptile Collisions at Long Point” in Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 12:127-143. The impact of vehicles on certain reptile species is well-documented, and population consequences of associated mortality from collisions with vehicles can be significant. The intentionality of some of these collisions by motor vehicle drivers has been speculated upon but had not been studied.
   The authors documented the response of motor vehicle drivers to a fake turtle, a fake snake, an item frequently found on the road (i.e., disposable cup), and an inconspicuous control. Response was documented as a hit, miss, or rescue. It was determined that reptile decoys were hit at a higher rate than by chance, with approximately 2.7% of motorists intentionally hitting them. These results may be used to improve vehicle-reptile collision probability models and demonstrate the need for highly effective mitigation measures to prevent reptile access to roadways with moderate to heavy traffic volumes.

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