Archives

20 August 2004 
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Boreal Region Showcased in Joint Canada-U.S. Meeting of Bird Scientists

18 August 2004 - Hundreds of scientists, including five staff from Bird Studies Canada, are gathering in Québec City this week for a joint meeting of the Society of Canadian Ornithologists and the American Ornithologists’ Union. At the center of attention is Canada’s boreal forest - a crucial breeding ground for billions of migratory birds. Last year, Bird Studies Canada’s report Importance of Canada’s Boreal Forest to Landbirds, by Dr. Pete Blancher, drew substantial international attention to this global treasure. Descriptions of all workshops and presentations at the gathering can be viewed by clicking here.

Baillie Birdathon Prize Donor, artist Chris Bacon, 
awarded Master Wildlife Artist

 

18 August 2004 - The Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, Wisconsin, is proud to announce that Canadian painter Chris Bacon is being honored as the 2004 Master Wildlife Artist. This award is being presented in conjunction with the 29th annual "Birds in Art" exhibition at the Woodson Art Museum (11 September - 14 November 2004).
  In announcing the 2004 Master, Woodson director Kathy Kelsey Foley noted that Bacon's remarkable watercolor paintings bring to mind adjectives that range from ethereal to meticulous and vivid to subtle. "He simultaneously creates environments that are recognizable yet not of this world. Are they places we know or ones we'd like to know? His birds display an elegance that is rarely equaled and the overall effect of his paintings can seem magical. Chris's gentle manner and powerful personal style translate into artworks truly worthy of the Master Wildlife Artist honor." To learn more about the "Birds in Art" exhibition click here. To visit Chris Bacon’s web site click here.
  Chris Bacon, who resides in Burlington, ON, regularly donates artwork for Bird Studies Canada’s Baillie Birdathon. This year, a lucky Birdathon participant will receive the limited-edition framed print "Wild Geese in Blue-eyed Grass." All Birdathon prizes will be drawn prior to Bird Studies Canada’s Annual Members Meeting on 12 September 2004. To view the full list of prizes click here.

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Remarkable Rail Discovered "just in time"

Photo: Des Allen/Birdlife International

17 August 2004 - Exactly one hundred years after the last visit by an ornithologist, a team of bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian specialists arrived in May this year on the island of Calayan, one of the Babuyan Islands in the northernmost part of the Philippines archipelago. There, they made the remarkable discovery of a new species of rail, which they have named the Calayan Rail Gallirallus calayanensis. (The formal description appears in Forktail 20: 1–7, published by the Oriental Bird Club.)
  "The discovery of the Calayan Rail is a wonderful demonstration that the world has much to reveal to us yet. However, these newly discovered species are nearly always at risk from human influence, because most are on islands or mountains, where their ranges are naturally quite small. The Calayan Rail is another species that we have discovered just in time, another case for long-term care by human society." —Nigel Collar, BirdLife International
  The expedition team plans further research to determine the habitat requirements, distribution, and population of the Calayan Rail. They will work closely with the local community to minimize threats, and encourage long-term initiatives to protect the forest. To learn more about this exciting discovery click here.

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Avibase Now in Icelandic

17 August 2004 - An Icelandic version of Avibase has just been released, bringing to 10 the number of languages in which it is possible to view the web site. Avibase is an extensive database information system about all birds of the world, containing over 1.5 million records about 10,000 species and 22,000 subspecies of birds, including distribution information, taxonomy, synonyms in several languages, and more. This site is managed by Senior Scientist, Denis Lepage, and hosted by Bird Studies Canada. To visit Avibase, click here.

BSC Attends International Workshop to Address Areas of Concern

13 August 2004 - Aquatics Surveys Scientist, Steve Timmermans, recently attended a two-day workshop in Munroe, Michigan to discuss aspects of planning remedial action and monitoring of Beneficial Use Impairments in Michigan's Great Lakes Areas of Concern. The Marsh Monitoring Program (MMP) has monitored marsh habitats and inhabitants in numerous Great Lakes Areas of Concern, and is planning a large-scale project to improve wetland monitoring and coordination among U.S. Areas of Concern. The MMP has recently reported on status of Canadian and bi-national Areas of Concern, and these reports can be downloaded by clicking here.

 

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Documentation of Loon Four-chick Brood Published

13 August 2004 - Bird Studies Canada's Aquatics Surveys staff recently published a research paper in The Wilson Bulletin entitled Common Loon Pairs Rear Four-chick Broods. This paper documents observed and/or photographed occurrences of Common Loon breeding pairs accompanied by, and exhibiting parental behavior toward, four-chick broods. Normally, loons rear only one or two chicks in any given year. The Aquatic Surveys staff would like to extend a special thank you to Canadian Lakes Loon Surveyor, Cynthia Jardine Fiber, who originally brought the subject of four-chick broods to our attention. You can download a copy of this paper by clicking here.

 

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LPWWRF and Other BSC Staff Presenting at 
Great Lakes Waterfowl Symposium

18 August 2004 - Long Point Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Fund (LPWWRF) staff (Scott Petrie and Shannon Badzinski) and graduate students (Ted Barney, Mike Schummer, and Paul Ashley), along with other Bird Studies Canada staff (Steve Timmermans, Jon McCracken, and Kerrie Wilcox) will be attending the Great Lakes Waterfowl Symposium (GLWS) from 23 - 26 August in London, Ontario in order to present 16 research papers - click here to view the list. For a comprehensive listing of all oral and poster presentations for the GLWS, click here.
  The GLWS has been organized by the LPWWRF, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and Ducks Unlimited Canada in order to foster communication and future collaboration among various parties and agencies in Canada and the U.S. involved in monitoring and studying waterfowl and wetlands in the Great Lakes region. For more information regarding the GLWS and for registration information, go to the GLWS home page on the LPWWRF website by clicking here.

BC Beached Bird Survey Start Up Approaches

16 August 2004 - The BC Beached Bird Survey will resume in the last week of August for the 2004-05 season. For the third winter, surveyors will be combing beaches for beached birds and checking carcasses for oiled feathers. The survey takes place once a month, from August to April. Data are being used by the Institute for Ocean Sciences to help create a model to predict potential effects of increased petroleum activity in British Columbia. To learn more about the BC Beached Bird Survey click here.

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Atlas Milestone Achieved

19 August 2004 - Yesterday at 12:09:28 p.m., Ontario Breeding Bird Atlasser, Floyd Cosby (RC for region 31), entered online data for his 22 June 2004 atlassing outing to square 17NM13. He spent 9.5 hours atlassing in that square that day from 5h to 14h30. He added 7 species that morning, bringing his total to 61 species. It was, in many ways, a normal day's atlassing. However, the 9.5 hours that Floyd entered into the Atlas database yesterday took the overall total to over 100,000 hours of Atlas field work reported to date. A fantastic achievement!
  With a lot more 2004 data yet to come, the second Atlas is well on the way to matching the 123,879 hours of fieldwork reported to the first Atlas (1981-1985). Thanks to Floyd and all other atlassers for an excellent effort in monitoring breeding birds. To learn more about the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas click here.

 

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