This summer, people have been reaching out to our staff at Bird Studies Canada with questions, concerns, and ideas about helping birds. It’s always great to hear from those who are eager to make a difference!
Thank you very much to all the BirdWatch Canada readers who completed the survey enclosed with the Spring 2018 issue. Our team is poring over your feedback. Soon, we will have the survey results available to share with you, and to guide improvements to the magazine.
In late July, I will be joining forces with an exceptional team of volunteers with Bird Studies Canada’s Québec Beached Bird Survey. This long-term program is currently active along the Côte-Nord and the Bas-Saint-Laurent, and around the Gaspésie peninsula.
The second field season of the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas is well underway! Our dedicated volunteers and intrepid field crews have been scouring the province in search of birds both great and small.
There are an abundance of chicks on Ontario’s shores this year, which are due to fledge soon. We consider a chick fledged when it can fly a distance of 50 m at one time. Many of the chicks are stretching their wings out and giving it a try, getting a few metres at a time – it’s a wonderful sight to see!
Did you know that there are three genetically distinct populations of Piping Plovers in North America, which breed in the Great Plains, Atlantic, and Great Lakes regions? The Great Lakes population is the smallest of the three.
The aim of the Space to Roost Project is to reduce human disturbance to shorebirds at high-tide roost sites in Nova Scotia’s Minas Basin. Human disturbance causes shorebirds to “flush” (fly off in search of a safe roost site) and deplete the energy reserves they need to complete their transatlantic, non-stop flight to South America. Bird Studies Canada and partners (Dalhousie University, Environment and Climate Change Canada, NS Natural Resources, Blomidon Naturalists Society, and Nature Conservancy of Canada) have been collaborating with recreational beach users to address the problem.
This spring and summer, Bird Studies Canada’s seasonal staff are on the ground executing valuable research and conservation projects. These positions provide opportunities for staff to develop specific skills and experience, and advance their careers in bird and conservation-related fields.
The team at Bird Studies Canada extends our hearty congratulations to Dr. Kathy Martin on being elected President of the American Ornithological Society. Kathy is a scientific advisor to Bird Studies Canada and a former member of our Board of Directors.
On behalf of birds across Canada, thank you to all who have supported the 2018 Great Canadian Birdathon. So far, 444 registered participants have raised more than $140,000, and donations are still coming in!
