Bobolink Update for September

This just arrived in my email! I hope the lands we have observed the Bobolinks in will now be protected. Stay tuned!


Hi Jennifer:

As you may be aware, the Bobolink is being designated as Threatened (as of today, I believe) and should be subject to the provisions of the Endangered Species Act. I know that some of the discussions with respect to the subwatershed study have included the need to provide for habitat for area sensitive species and Bobolink was noted in the subwatershed study as needing more study. We have just received the functional servicing reports and environmental management reports that are a follow up to the subwatershed study, which should give some direction as to how they will be looking at dealing with species of this nature.

Bob Edmondson

Director, Watershed Management Services
Conservation Halton
2596 Britannia Road West
Burlington ON L7P-03G
T: 905-336-1158 x.228
F: 905-336-6684
www.conservationhalton.ca

All quiet on the western front....

It has been a very quiet week in the yard. Prior to our trip to B.C., the feeders were quite busy. In addition to the usual visitors, on the 2nd we had an Eastern Phoebe in the front yard, along with a Northern Flicker and a Red-tailed Hawk. On the 14th we had more than 35 Gold Finch!



We also had two Catbirds right on the back deck, hiding in the roses and hibiscus plants. We also observed the Catbirds and Robins eating the blackberries. The next day, we had three Catbirds up close again.







Then things started to get quiet. On the 15th we had a lone Grackle int eh yard- the first we had in awhile. On the 20th, we had two White-breasted Nuthatch, which was our first sighting of any Nuthatch in a few weeks.

Here's our official count for Saturday, September 25th

Blue Jay-5
Black-capped Chickadee (heard only- we haven't seen a Chickadee in ages!)
Mourning Dove- 20
Canada Goose- +20
Rock Pigeon- 2
American Crow
Cooper's Hawk (juv)
Gold Finch- 2
Turkey Vulture- 3
Hairy Woodpecker M
Down Woodpecker M
White-breasted Nuthatch- 2
Great-horned Owl- we heard two calling back and forth around 8 p.m. We did not see any GHOs last year at all, so it would be great to get another sighting soon.

On Sunday there were a few variations to the list with a Red-bellied male, a Grackle, over 20 Blue Jays, 2 male House Finch and a male and female Hairy Woodpecker together in the yard.

Birding on the way to B.C.

We traveled from Calgary to Fernie, BC last week. This drive gave us the opportunity to do some birding and add a few to the life list. We observed quite a few hawks and Merlins on the drive back to the Calgary airport- we'd guess somewhere around 50 over the 40 hour drive.

New to the life list:

Black-billed Magpie. Such beautiful birds! Love the colours and the long tail. They were in groups along the roadside.



We also saw the Swainson's Hawk. Here's the description from whatbird.com:


Overview

Swainson's Hawk: Large hawk, dark brown upperparts, white throat, rufous upper breast, pale buff underparts. Tail is gray with faint bars, dark terminal band, and white trailing edge. Yellow legs, feet. Alternates series of powerful deep wing beats with long glides. Soars on thermals and updrafts.

Range and Habitat

Swainson's Hawk: Breeds on the western plains of North America and southwest Canada from Texas to the Yukon. In the winter, most fly south to the pampas of Argentina, a distance of more than 5,000 miles. Preferred habitats include prairies, plains, and other wide-open ranges with minimal tree cover; commonly seen perched on poles or fence posts.



Another new to the list is a sub-species of Northern Flicker- the Red0Shafterd Northern Flicker is the Western sub-species of this bird.

Of note is that we saw a Blue Jay, which at the time we dismissed. When going through Sibley's later, we realized that Blue Jays are not very common out west at all, so it was actually a significant sighting. We just took it for granted b/c we see them all the time out here! Sadly we did not see a Stellar's Jay as we had been hoping.

In addition to the new birds, we saw a Yellow-Rumped Warbler, Red-Tailed Hawks, a Great Blue Heron, a Downy Woodpecker, Pine Siskins, a Turkey Vulture (juv), Crows, many groups of Robins and a large group of Ravens. The Ravens were congregating and making such a variety of calls to each other. It was really interesting to observe. We also saw what we think was a Junco, but we can't be sure if it was the Yellow-eyed (which would be new for us) or the Dark-eyed.

Project FeederWatch 2010-2011

Don't forget to sign up for this year's Project FeederWatch! It's a fun activity that just requires a few hours a week. Whether you get many birds or just a few, it's important to make a contribution and help out the birds! From Bird Studies Canada:

Project FeederWatch
Project FeederWatch Needs Your Help!

At regular intervals from November to April, thousands of FeederWatchers count the kinds and numbers of birds at their feeders, then submit their observations to us. This information helps scientists study winter bird populations.

Project FeederWatch participants receive a full-colour bird poster and calendar, a FeederWatch Handbook and Instruction Book, access to the data entry portion of the FeederWatch website, and the chance to contribute to a continent-wide bird research project.

Project FeederWatch is a joint program of Bird Studies Canada and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In Canada, you must be a member of Bird Studies Canada (BSC) to participate. BSC membership benefits include a subscription to our bi-weekly Latest News e-newsletter, four issues a year of BirdWatch Canada magazine, free participation in any of our volunteer programs, and a charitable tax receipt for the full amount of your membership.

Next PFW Season: Saturday, November 13, 2010 to Friday, April 8, 2011.

Join Project Feederwatch

Contact Information:

Project FeederWatch
Bird Studies Canada
P.O. Box 160, 115 Front Street
Port Rowan, ON N0E 1M0
1-888-448-2473 / 519-586-3531
Fax: (519) 586-3532
Email: pfw@bsc-eoc.org

Oakville Municipal Elections

Municipal elections are around the corner- October 25th is election day! It's important to take some time to research the candidates. Issues surrounding the environment, the Natural Heritage System, green space, waste management, power plants, etc are of special concern for us.

Oakvillegreen has a very special all candidates event planned for October 6th at 7 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity for the public to meet the various candidates for council, regional chair, school trustee, and mayor.

Here's a link to the current candidate list in Oakville. Friday is the last day interested candidates can submit their intent to run.


I am looking forward to seeing what all the candidates in the various wards plan to do with regards to the environment. I do think that the current mayor, Rob Burton and most of the council are very pro-environment and green initiatives. I live in Ward 4 and I am supporting Allan Elgar for Ward 4 and Regional Councillor and Brian Burton for Ward 4 Town Councillor.

For those of you living in Oakville's Ward 1, you should know that John McMullen is running for Town Councillor. He is hosting a barbeque on Wed. Sept 15th from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Bronte Harbour Yacht Club at 2514 Lakeshore Road West. The cost is 10.00 and all proceeds go to two local charities. You have to RSVP by Sept. 12th to bethstewart@teksavvy.com or call 905 582 0647.

Here's a link to more information about John:


And even though I'm not in Milton, I do hope anyone living in Ward 1 in Milton will take a good look at Andrew Salmons. He has been very helpful with my concerns for the local Bobolinks. I also really like his ideas about "integrating farmland, woodlots, and open space in an urban setting." Good luck Andrew!!


I'd be happy to hear from readers as to who they plan to vote for and why (you can post anonymously!) What issues are important to you? What is your vision for Oakville in the next few years?

Birds dying in oilsands at 30 times the rate reported, says study

Birds dying in oilsands at 30 times the rate reported, says study

Published June 7, 2010

EDMONTON—A new study says birds are likely dying in oilsands tailings ponds at least 30 times the rate suggested by industry and government.

The results add weight to arguments that depending on industry to monitor its own environmental impact isn’t working, said study author Kevin Timoney, an ecologist whose paper was published Tuesday in the Wilson Journal of Ornithology.

“We need to have credible scientific monitoring,” Timoney said.

Bird deaths are currently tracked through industry employees reporting carcasses. The eight-year annual average of such reports, from 2000 to 2007, is 65.

“It’s basically ad hoc,” said Timoney, who decided to take a different approach for the tailings ponds of Suncor, Syncrude and Shell.

He started with counts of dead birds taken from formal shoreline surveys of tailings ponds done in the 1980s to get an idea of deaths per square kilometre. Those surveys remain relevant because methods of deterring bird landing haven’t changed much since then, Timoney said.

The surveys were combined with studies looking at how many birds out of the total number that flew over actually landed and were “oiled” on the tailings ponds.

Timoney then factored in reports of bird deaths obtained from the Alberta government through freedom-of-information legislation.

Using averages for the mortality rate of oiled birds, and adjusting for the increased size of tailings ponds over the last two decades, Timoney came up with what he says is a more reasonable estimate for bird deaths in the 120 square kilometres of ponds he studied.

The 14-year median, including raptors, songbirds, shorebirds and gulls, is 1,973 deaths every year. That’s more birds than died in the April 2008 incident that saw Syncrude convicted of charges under the environmental protection legislation earlier this year.

And the total is probably higher than that, said Timoney. His study, which was funded by Dalhousie University, didn’t account for birds that landed and were oiled at night or that simply sank under the surface of the ponds.

The total mortality is unlikely to have much overall impact on the millions of birds from dozens of species that migrate through the Athabasca watershed, one of the continent’s main flyways.

However, Timoney pointed out some populations, such as endangered whooping cranes, are vulnerable to a single catastrophic event. As well, oiled birds that escape take contamination with them into their summer or winter habitat.

And Timoney said the disparity between official estimates and his results is disturbing.

“Industry-reported data on bird deaths are problematic as they are not systematic, repeatable and statistically robust,” the paper says. “Government should assume responsibility for development of systematic monitoring and research on tailings pond bird landing, oiling and mortality rates.”

Alberta Sustainable Resource Development Minister Mel Knight points out that oilsands operators are required to have deterrence and monitoring systems in place for all kinds of wildlife. But he acknowledges there’s room for improvement.

“I would not argue at all with the study with respect to the fact that there could be better work done on monitoring, and we’re going to work to do that,” he said. “At the end of the day we’ll come to appreciate the advice that is being given to us and we’ll use it.”

Senior government biologist Todd Powell said the official figure of 65 dead birds wasn’t meant to be a summary of all mortality, just an indicator of where the birds are dying.

“The numbers that we banter around here are kind of unknowable because the way we’ve organized our system isn’t meant to estimate that,” he said Tuesday. “It’s all about trying to improve upon the system that’s in place.

“We’re working toward streamlining a monitoring process that gives us a more precise estimate of the number of birds that will contact the tailings ponds.”

But Knight told reporters on Tuesday that an end to industry self-monitoring is unlikely.

“I don’t believe there’s anything negative about the self-reporting system, particularly when we go out and do audits of what they’re doing,” he said. “That has to still form part of the ongoing work with respect to getting better.”

Timoney’s is not the first independent study to question official figures on the environmental impact of the oilsands.

Last December, one report suggested hydrocarbon emissions are nearly five times greater and twice as widespread as industry figures say. Another suggested that tailings leakage from storage ponds is also underestimated. A third suggested that if deforestation and wetlands removal are considered, greenhouse gas emissions from oilsands development are about 25 per cent higher than government and industry say.

Knight said government data are based on round-the-clock, seven-day-a-week monitoring by industry, unlike independent studies. He said government scientists are working to determine the natural levels of hydrocarbons in the environment so they can understand the industrial impact.

“On the basis of long-term monitoring and baseline loading, we’re going to come to the conclusion that of course human development has an impact on our environment.”

Pics from our trip to the Finger Lakes District