By Liz Purves, Manager of Institutional Giving
Bird conservation thrives when communities lead the way. We’re thrilled to announce the seven inspiring recipients of our new Birds Canada Community Grant program, who are working on bird conservation solutions in Canada. This pilot initiative, built on the legacy of the James L. Baillie Fund, supports projects across Canada dedicated to increasing the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of birds. Supported by funds generated from Birdathon, the Birds Canada Community Grant is one way your support is put into action for birds!
Congratulations to the following 2025 recipients:
Bird-friendly Ottawa with Ecology Ottawa will use their funding to educate the public on bird identification, habitat, and conservation importance within the Ottawa River Lac Deschenes Important Bird Area (proposed Key Biodiversity Area) by hosting an accessible urban birding event on World Migratory Bird Day (May 10th).
Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP) Canada will use their funding to take a multi-faceted approach to raise awareness of – and offer solutions to – bird-window collisions in our built environment by targeting key audiences.
Hamilton Naturalists’ Club will use their funding to increase habitat availability for Purple Martin by installing two new nesting colony structures in Hamilton, extending the Lake Ontario South Shore Purple Martin Nest Trail.
Heartwood Learning Community Salmon Arm will use their funding to work with the community and engage students in bird box monitoring and maintenance, helping foster student curiosity and stewardship of local bluebird and swallow populations.
Purple Martin. Photo: Nina Stavlund
Saint John Naturalists Club will use their funding for their Greenlaw Mountain Hawk Watch program, which gathers unique data on migrating raptor and songbird species, timing, and population trends in Atlantic Canada to support conservation, while also engaging and educating the public.
Snow Bunting. Photo: Yousif Attia
University of Windsor will use their funding for their Iqaluit ᖃᐅᓪᓗᖅᑖᖅ (Qualluqtaaq- Snow Bunting) project, which aims to help conserve Snow Buntings by working with Iqaluit community members and Indigenous youth to design, build, install, and monitor nest boxes, providing alternative nest sites for this Arctic-breeding cold specialist bird that is experiencing population declines.
Wildlife Preservation Canada will use their funding to track endangered Eastern Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus migrans) migrating from Ontario using the Motus Wildlife Tracking System to identify crucial routes and wintering locations for binational conservation efforts.
Thanks to the incredible generosity of our Birdathon participants, this funding will directly support work that makes a tangible difference for birds. We received an overwhelming number of applications to the program. Applications were reviewed by our external Grant Review Committee, with representatives from across the country. We wish to thank all applicants for taking the time to apply and for your work for birds. We also deeply thank our volunteer Grant Review Committee members for dedicating your time to the program.
Stay tuned! More details on the next grant round, including the application deadline and priorities, are coming soon and will be posted on our website and through our channels.