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7 September 2007 
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Countries Cooperate to Save South American Ruddy-headed Goose

© R. Moller Jensen/Birdlife International

31 August 2007 – Argentina and Chile have signed the first ever Convention on Migratory Species agreement for an American migratory bird species. The countries are coordinating their conservation efforts for the Ruddy-headed Goose Chloephaga rubidiceps. There are less than 1000 remaining in the mainland South America population, which breeds in southern Patagonia and winters in the Buenos Aires province. Illegal hunting poses one of the greatest threats to the goose. The new agreement calls for greater collaboration between Argentina and Chile, and closer work with local farmers, hunters, and reserve managers who can help to implement conservation measures. Visit the BirdLife International website for more information.

Neotropical Birding 2 Features Article on IBAs

27 August 2007 – The newly released second volume of Neotropical Birding features an article about BirdLife International’s Important Bird Area (IBA) Program. The piece, authored by Darién Montañez and George Angehr of the Panama Audubon Society, highlights IBAs in Panama, and will be the first in a series on the IBAs of the Neotropics.
   Neotropical Birding covers topics of practical use for those birding in the Caribbean and South and Central America. This publication from the Neotropical Bird Club was launched in 2006, and is published annually (in addition to two issues per year of the club’s journal Cotinga).
   Visit the Important Bird Areas of Canada website to learn more about our country’s IBA program. As a co-partner in BirdLife International, Bird Studies Canada hosts the online directory of Canadian IBAs, which can be viewed here.

 

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        NATIONAL

 

Ian Davidson to Speak at BSC Annual Members Meeting

7 September 2007 – Ian Davidson, the Head of BirdLife International’s Americas Division, will give a free talk at Bird Studies Canada’s Port Rowan headquarters the afternoon of Sunday, September 23. The presentation will address the challenges of bird conservation in the Americas. Mr. Davidson will speak about key BirdLife International programs such as the identification and conservation of Important Bird Areas, the Globally Threatened Bird program, and the Flyway Initiative for the preservation of migratory species.
   Ian Davidson oversees BirdLife’s Americas-based operations from its headquarters in Quito, Ecuador. He was formerly a wildlife biologist for the Canadian Wildlife Service, and has since worked on a wide range of conservation issues in Africa, the Middle East, nearly every country in Latin America, and much of the Caribbean.
   The talk will take place as part of BSC’s Annual Members Meeting, which will begin at 2:00 p.m. on September 23. The talk will follow the business portion of the meeting. BSC members and the general public are welcome to attend the meeting and the talk at the Bird Studies Canada office, 115 Front Road, Port Rowan, in the Natural Heritage Events Room. If you plan to attend, please notify Rosie Kirton at rkirton@bsc-eoc.org.

BSC Gears Up for 31^st Season of Project FeederWatch

6 September 2007 – Project FeederWatch alumni and newcomers alike are invited to sign up for the upcoming 2007-08 season, which will run from November 10, 2007 to April 4, 2008.
   Project FeederWatch is Bird Studies Canada’s largest and longest-running volunteer bird survey. Participants count birds at their feeders for a 2-day period each week, and their reports tell us what kinds of birds visit feeders across North America each winter, and in what numbers. About 2020 people volunteered for the program in 2006-07, and we’re looking forward to another successful season this winter.
   Visit our new Project FeederWatch web page for more information and to register.

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Bird Atlassing Arrives in British Columbia

7 September 2007 – Atlassing has become a global phenomenon that epitomizes public volunteerism at its most effective. Building on the successes of the Ontario and Maritimes atlas projects, BSC is spearheading the launch of a British Columbia Breeding Bird Atlas, which is also a multiple-agency conservation partnership between NGOs, governments, and the private sector, and follows the same general format of assessing breeding bird distribution in 10km-squares, sampling relative abundance using point counts, and collecting more detailed nest location information for species of conservation interest and colonial nesters.
   We are happy to announce that planning is now well underway thanks to significant funding contributions from both provincial and federal governments. A Steering Committee and series of sub-committees are being formed to guide the project, and we are currently running competitions for two salaried staff positions, an Atlas Coordinator and Assistant Coordinator.  The province is being divided into approximately 40 regions that largely correspond to existing naturalist/birding community catchments, and work has begun to establish Regional Coordinators for each. So set aside the next five summers and get ready to explore parts of the province in a brand new way! We will be posting further updates on progress here in Latest News; in the interim, if you have any questions or would like further information, please contact Dick Cannings at dickcannings@shaw.ca or Pete Davidson at pdavidson@bsc-eoc.org.

Second Year Almost Done for MBBA

7 September 2007 – The second year of fieldwork for the Maritimes Breeding Bird Atlas is almost done. It’s been a great season! We have already received more than 2600 forms from volunteers who spent nearly 13,200 hours doing what they love – birdwatching! Participants observed 213 species, and over 1170 atlas squares have had some survey work done. That means nearly 70% of the Maritimes region has been visited by Atlas volunteers – absolutely incredible! And data is still being entered, so the figures above are just the tip of the iceberg. To those participating in the Atlas, if you haven’t already done so, please send your data to your Regional Coordinator, or you can enter your data online at www.mba-aom.ca.
   During the field season, Atlas staff helped lead many training workshops, outings, and square bashes throughout the Maritimes. Everywhere we went, we were amazed by the dedication and enthusiasm of the Atlas volunteers. Thanks so much to everyone who participated in and organized these events, and to all those who participated in the project this year! The work you are doing now will be a critical part of conservation planning in the future.

La seconde année presque terminé pour l’AONM

Le 7 septembre 2007 – Notre seconde année de travail de terrain pour l’Atlas des Oiseaux Nicheurs des Maritimes est presque terminé. Ce fût une très belle saison! Jusqu’aujourd’hui, nous avons reçu plus de 2600 formulaires de la part de nos volontaires qui ont passés près de 13 200 heures à faire ce qu’ils aiment, c’est-à-dire l’observation d’oiseaux! 213 espèces furent observées dans plus de 1170 carrés dans les Maritimes. Ceci veut dire que près de 70% des carrés des Maritimes furent visités par nos volontaires ce qui est incroyables! De plus, il reste encore des données à entrer donc les chiffres ci-dessus ne sont que la pointe de l’iceberg. Pour ceux et celles participant à l’Atlas, si vous ne l’avez pas encore fait, veuillez envoyer vos données à votre Coordonnateur régionale ou, vous pouvez les entrer en ligne sur notre site web, www.mba-aom.ca.
   Pendant le travail de terrain, l’équipe de l’Atlas a effectué plusieurs présentations, sorties et ‘square bashes’ dans les Maritimes. Partout où nous sommes allés, nous avons été ébloui par tout l’effort et l’enthousiasme dont faisaient preuve les volontaires. On remercie tout ceux et celles qui ont participés ou préparés ces événements et tout ceux et celles qui ont participés au projet cette année! Le travail que vous effectué présentement jouera un rôle critique dans les futures plans de conservations.

BC Coastal Waterbird Survey Enters 9^th Year

5 September 2007 – This weekend sees the start of the ninth year of the BC Coastal Waterbird Survey. On the second Sunday of each month, well over 200 volunteers conduct comprehensive monthly counts of all bird species using shoreline, inter-tidal, and near-shore habitats at approximately 180 sites up and down the coast. The survey traditionally runs from September through to April, although we encourage participants to cover their sites year round if possible. To date, Coastal Waterbird Surveyors have amassed a databank of close to 150,000 records, which provide the barometer for trends in many non-breeding loon, grebe, duck, goose, swan, heron, cormorant, shorebird, gull, and alcid populations that flock to BC’s mild and productive coastline during winter and on migration. For more information on the survey, or if you would like to participate, contact Pete Davidson at pdavidson@bsc-eoc.org.

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