The Red-shouldered Hawk was
once the most common hawk in southern Ontario, but has experienced a
dramatic, continent-wide decline in the last century. The Red-shouldered
Hawk is now a rare breeding bird in Ontario, and is classified as a
species of Special Concern by the Committee on the Status of Endangered
Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and Vulnerable in Ontario by the Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR).
Red-shouldered Hawks occur in a
broad array of North American forest types, but they prefer large tracts
of mature to old growth, mixed forests, especially bottomland hardwood
riparian areas and flooded deciduous swamps. Unfortunately, this habitat
is in short supply! The dependence of Red-shouldered Hawks on large,
mature forests raised the concern that timber management practices may
be negatively affecting the hawks.
For this reason, the
Red-shouldered Hawk was chosen as a key indicator species to monitor the
effects of forest management by the Wildlife Assessment Program of the
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. The Red-shouldered Hawk and
Spring Woodpecker Survey was initiated in 1990. The primary objectives
of the survey are to provide statistically reliable population trend
data for Red-shouldered Hawks, Pileated Woodpeckers, and Yellow-bellied
Sapsuckers and determine whether forest management practices are
negatively affecting these species. Hawks and woodpeckers in general are
not well-surveyed on other volunteer bird surveys (such as the Breeding
Bird Survey) because of their early breeding season and secretive
nature. The study area is restricted to deciduous or mixed forest
habitat in central Ontario, the core breeding range of the
Red-shouldered Hawk.
Volunteers use tape playback to
elicit calls of Red-shouldered Hawks along roadside routes at 20
predetermined stops during one morning in May. Volunteers keep track of
the number of Red-shouldered Hawks that respond to the tape, as well as
the number of other raptors and woodpeckers that they see or hear at
each stop. Volunteers receive a training tape to help them learn the
calls of woodpeckers and raptors found in Ontario, as well as an
instruction booklet, a broadcast tape, and data sheets that they return
to Bird Studies Canada after completing the survey.
So far, results have shown that
the Ontario Red-shouldered Hawk population is fairly stable. Continued
monitoring is required, however, if we are to detect any major
population fluctuations. If you would like to participate in the
Red-shouldered Hawk and Spring Woodpecker Survey, please contact:
Jody Allair,
Recruitment and Outreach Coordinator,
Bird Studies Canada
P.O.
Box 160, Port Rowan, ON, N0E 1M0
Toll-free phone: (888) 448-2473
Fax:
(519) 586-3532
E-mail:
raptor@bsc-eoc.org
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