Atlantic Canada Nocturnal Owl Survey

Bird Studies Canada, in partnership with the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy, the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund, the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, the Prince Edward Island Wildlife Conservation Fund, and Stora-Enso Port Hawkesbury Ltd. (in Nova Scotia) invite you to participate in an exciting new survey:

The Atlantic Canada Nocturnal Owl Survey

Designed to monitor owl populations on both crown and private lands, this survey involves volunteers across New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The best part is: you don't have to be an expert! Anyone can monitor owls, with a little bit of practice. In 2001, owl survey routes were established in a random fashion across NB and PE. In 2002, we selected an additional 48 routes in mainland Nova Scotia (an owl survey has been ongoing in Cape Breton, led by local naturalist Susann Myers - myerss@eastlink.ca - for 2 years already. Contact Susann if you'd like to help out in Cape Breton!). We need your help! If you'd like to survey a route (or two!), please contact Becky Whittam at the Atlantic Region office of Bird Studies Canada in Sackville, NB. Let her know where you live, and how far you're willing to drive to reach a route. Every attempt will be made to match volunteers with routes near their homes; however, existing routes will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants run their owl survey route once per year, during any evening in April (starting half an hour after sunset). Each route takes approximately 2.5 to 3 hours to complete, and consists of 10 stops spaced 2 km (NB and PEI) or 1.6 km (NS) apart. At each stop, participants play a CD of owl calls (Boreal Owl and Barred Owl; Boreal Owl calls will attract both Northern Saw-whet Owls and Boreal Owls) interspersed with timed listening periods. Portable CD players and CDs are provided, along with a training CD containing recordings of all possible species that could be heard in the region. Participants record the kinds and numbers of owls that respond to playback at each stop, and return these data to Bird Studies Canada for analysis. The goals of this survey are to determine population trends of owls (especially Barred Owls) in Atlantic Canada, to gather location information on rare or little-known owl species (especially Boreal and Long-eared Owls), and to involve volunteer birders from across the region in active wildlife monitoring. The Atlantic Canada owl survey follows the recently-developed North American guidelines for monitoring nocturnal owls. Volunteers can receive a tax receipt for the amount of any expenses incurred while running an owl survey route (e.g. mileage, batteries, accommodation), and will also receive an annual report of survey results.  Anyone interested in knowing more about owl monitoring in Atlantic Canada can contact:

Greg Campbell
Bird Studies Canada - Atlantic Region
P.O. Box 6227 
Sackville, N.B. E4L 1G6
Phone: (506) 364-5025
 Fax: (506) 364-5062 
Email: bwhittam@bsc-eoc.org