Volunteers Needed: 2010 Ontario Nocturnal Owl Survey - Available Routes‏

Attention Owl Enthusiasts,

At Bird Studies Canada we are gearing up for the 2010 Nocturnal Owl Survey, and are looking for eager volunteers to fill available routes. Initiated in 1995, this survey has been monitoring owl populations for 16 years across central and northern Ontario.

Routes are completed during a single evening in April, beginning 30 minutes after sunset, and take approximately 3 hours to complete. Volunteers are provided with a broadcast tape or CD containing pre-recorded owl calls and timed listening periods that are played at fixed intervals along the roadside. During each listening period, you will be required to record all species of owls seen and/or heard.

The available routes for 2010 are listed below, as well as the nearest town. There are also a number of proposed route locations which have never been run, and would require scouting beforehand to determine stop locations ("new" routes). If you are interested in surveying any of the routes listed below, or would like more information, please contact Jody Allair by phone or email (toll free: 1-888-448-2473 x117). Be sure to let us know if you prefer a CD or Tape, and to state the route number of interest. Routes are filled on a first come first serve basis.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Keep up to speed with bird-related news and conservation issues, both internationally and close to home by signing up for our free bi-weekly e-newsletter at http://www.bsc-eoc.org/organization/bscnews.html (sign-up link located at end of e-newsletter).

Region	Route #	Route Name	Closest Town
CENTRAL	8	MILE 11 RANGER LK - CURTIS RD	RANGER LAKE
CENTRAL	17	MILE 38 RD - TURKEY LAKES	HEYDEN
CENTRAL	42	Turtle Lake	ORRVILLE
CENTRAL	58	SALERNO	IRONDALE
CENTRAL	183	Hope Bay	LION'S HEAD
CENTRAL	205	Canoe Lake	SYDENHAM
CENTRAL	229	South River	SOUTH RIVER
CENTRAL	240	River Valley to Temagami Lake	RIVER VALLEY
CENTRAL	250	Novar	NOVAR
CENTRAL	254	Middleville/Tatlock	MIDDLEVILLE
CENTRAL	279	Durham 1	WAUDBY
CENTRAL	283	Lake Kagawong	DRYDEN'S CORNER
CENTRAL	305	Gros Cap	GROS CAP
CENTRAL	318	Mindemoya	PROVIDENCE BAY
CENTRAL	326	Brighton	SPRING VALLEY
CENTRAL	332	Spanish River Road	Walford
NORTH	20	English River Road	REDDITT
NORTH	28	SANDBAR LAKE	IGNACE
NORTH	29	BENDING LAKE	IGNACE
NORTH	46	MICHIPICOTEN HARBOUR RD -HIGH	WAWA
NORTH	74	Tik Road	WAWA
NORTH	126	ELK LAKE TO ENGLEHART	KIRKLAND LAKE
NORTH	167	ELK LAKE TO GOWGANDA	ELK LAKE
NORTH	212	Caithness Road	HEARST
NORTH	227	Beartrack Lake	RAMSEY
NORTH	231	Smoky Line	KAPUSKASING
NORTH	246	Garden Lake	NIPIGON
NORTH	257	Nagagami Lake	HORNEPAYNE
NORTH	274	Kapuskasing	KITIGAN
NORTH	275	Station Road - Larder Lake	Larder Lake
NORTH	342	Fraserdale	FRASERDALE
NORTH	343	South Bay	SKINNER
NORTH	344	Armstrong - Highway 527	PIKITIGUISHI LAKE
NORTH	345	Upsala - Graham	UPSALA
NORTH	346	Gull Bay - Obonga Lake	GULL BAY
NORTH	347	Westree	WESTREE
NORTH	354	Aerobus Lake Rd	Ear Falls
NORTH	355	Southern Railbed	Ear Falls

Project Feeder Watch

This week's numbers are a bit low- we weren't able to spend as much time on the count as usual. We only saw the Red-Tailed Hawk (and quite a few of them were out and about in our travels). While on a hike, we saw six American Crow flying overhead. There was a huge influx of Starlings on the lawn. We observed one picking up feathers, so I suspect they may be looking for nesting sites soon. We'll have to monitor that and continue to remove their nests from any of the boxes they try to take over.

Checklist for FeederWatch Ontario Birds

Red-tailed Hawk	1
Mourning Dove	33
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	3
Hairy Woodpecker	2
Blue Jay	7
Common Raven	2
Black-capped Chickadee	3
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	3
European Starling	30
Dark-eyed Junco	4
Northern Cardinal	3
Brown-headed Cowbird	14
House Finch	8
American Goldfinch	15
House Sparrow	3

Great Backyard Bird Count - Initial Results

Waking up Friday morning to two Crows chatting away in the trees.

Observation Date: FEB 12, 2010
Start Time: 7:00 AM
Snow Depth: Less than 2 in (5.1 cm)
Number of species: 19

Species Count
Canada Goose 100
Mourning Dove 45
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 2
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 3
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Northern Mockingbird 1 (rare visitor, so we are happy it was here for the count)
European Starling 5
American Tree Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 13
Northern Cardinal 9
Brown-headed Cowbird 20
House Finch 7
American Goldfinch 14
House Sparrow 2

Also observed: Large Coyote at 7:10 a.m. out front.

Observation Date: FEB 13, 2010

Start Time: 8:00 AM
Snow Depth: Less than 2 in (5.1 cm)
Number of species: 20

Species Count
Canada Goose 11
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 45
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Blue Jay 10
American Crow 1
Black-capped Chickadee 6
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Brown Creeper 1 (just recently showing up in yard, so we are happy it was here for the count)
European Starling 15
American Tree Sparrow 4 (highest recorded # this season)
Dark-eyed Junco 9
Northern Cardinal 12 (highest recorded # this season)
Brown-headed Cowbird 25
House Finch 15
American Goldfinch 20
House Sparrow 3

Male cardinal, House Finch, Gold Finch and Downy Woodpecker all at the feeder.


Observation Date: FEB 14, 2010
Start Time: 8:00 AM
Snow Depth: Less than 2 in (5.1 cm)

Number of species: 18

Species Count
Cooper's Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 57
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Blue Jay 6
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 5
American Tree Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 4
Northern Cardinal 4
Brown-headed Cowbird 10
House Finch 4
American Goldfinch 37
House Sparrow 5

Also Observed: small opossum eating spilled seed at approximately 7 p.m.



Northern Mockingbird



Cooper's Hawk

Observation Date: FEB 15, 2010

Start Time: 8:00 AM
Snow Depth: Less than 2 in (5.1 cm)
Number of species: 22

Species Count
Canada Goose 50
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1 (the only day we saw saw all three regular hawks)
Mourning Dove 10
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Downy Woodpecker 3
Hairy Woodpecker 2
Blue Jay 11
American Crow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 6
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Brown Creeper 1
European Starling 11
American Tree Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 9
Northern Cardinal 11
Brown-headed Cowbird 20
House Finch 5
American Goldfinch 34
House Sparrow 10

We did not surpass our record high species count from last year of 22. Missing from this year's count are Robins (two of which we saw this morning- where were you yesterday???), Pine Siskins and Redpolls. New for our count this year are the Brown Creeper and Northern Mockingbird.

All the counts have to be submitted by March 1st, so I'm looking forward to comparing our data with others in the area.

We managed to see all three hawks again, even after not seeing any the first day and only Red-Tailed the second day. Thankfully Sharpie made a last minute appearance on Monday.

Cooper's spent quite a bit of time walking around the front yard and sticking his beak into the wood pile, checking to see who was hiding out in there.

GREAT BACKYARD BIRDCOUNT 2010!

It's happening THIS WEEKEND! Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Take just a little time each day. Make some notes and submit them. Not seeing any birds? THAT IS IMPORTANT TOO! Any and all findings are significant.

Help the birds. Have fun. Participate!!

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=1559&srctid=1&erid=2026629

Mark your calendar!
The 13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count is just a few weeks away.

It’s your chance to count for fun and count for the future from Friday, February 12, through Monday, February 15. You can participate once or several times over the four days. By submitting a list of the birds you see in your backyard, schoolyard, local park, or nature center at www.birdcount.org, you will help scientists learn more about how birds are faring in your neighborhood.

Welcome, Bird Studies Canada!

Audubon and the Cornell Lab are delighted to welcome Bird Studies Canada (BSC) as our first international partner for the Great Backyard Bird Count.

"Bird Studies Canada is delighted to be the Canadian partner for this extremely valuable program," said George Finney, President of BSC. "Participating in the GBBC is an excellent way for Canadians to reconnect with their love of nature and birds."

Help Make this the Biggest GBBC Ever!

The more people who participate in the GBBC, the better the information scientists will have about how bird populations may be changing over time due to habitat loss, climate change, disease, or other factors. Here are some ways you can encourage family, friends and others in your community to take part and submit lists of their own.

• Alert the Media: Send our GBBC news release to your local newspaper, TV, and radio stations. Ask them to put a notice in their calendar sections to remind everyone about the dates.
  
  
• Tweet about the count! In the weeks leading up to the Great Backyard Bird Count, and during the event, we want everybody to get tweeting on Twitter about what you’re doing to get ready, and what kinds of birds you’re seeing. Just add this “hashtag” to your message: #gbbc (make sure the letters are lower-case; a “hashtag” is simply text you leave at the end of your message). When you add that tag, tweets about GBBC will show up in a special widget on the GBBC home page so we can all share! If you don’t have a Twitter account, it’s free and easy to sign up at http://twitter.com/. It’ll be fun!
  
  Grab a Button: You can grab one or more web buttons from the GBBC website. Use them on your own website or blog, linking others to the GBBC site: www.birdcount.org. Word-of-mouth, (or word-of-web) is what helps GBBC keep growing, so spread the word!
  
  
• Join a Count Community: GBBC events are taking place around the continent. Discover what's going on in your area on the GBBC website’s Local Events page. If you’re hosting an event, email Pat Leonard at pel27@cornell.edu so your event can be posted on the GBBC website.

Win Great Prizes

Everyone who submits a bird checklist during the GBBC is automatically entered in our drawing for bird-related items donated by Wild Birds Unlimited, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Audubon, Woodlink, Droll Yankees, and DK Publishing.

White-throated Sparrow by Jeff Lemons, 2009 GBBC

Brush Up on Your Birds

• Check out the GBBC page on identifying sparrows so you can distinguish one “little brown bird” from another.
  
  
• Print a regional checklist so you know what to look for in your area.
  
  
• Review the answers to the GBBC’s Frequently Asked Questions to refresh your memory about how to do the count.

Thank you for all you do for the birds!

Janis Dickinson, Director of Citizen Science, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Tom Bancroft, Chief Scientist and Vice-President, National Audubon Society

Project Feeder Watch- Feb 6/7

Where are the Pine Siskins? The Redpolls? We certainly are missing a few of our regular winter visitors this year. Apparently there are many people noticing the absence of birds this winter. There are many theories out there. This winter, with it's lack of snow, seems to be suspected as the main culprit. Yesterday, we visited the Wild Birds Unlimited Store and the woman there was saying that they are experiencing a drop in seed sales as there just aren't the same number of birds in the area this year.

Checklist for FeederWatch Ontario Birds

Cooper's Hawk	1
Mourning Dove	37
Red-bellied Woodpecker	2
Downy Woodpecker	4
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Blue Jay	7
American Crow	1
Black-capped Chickadee	4
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	2
European Starling	5
American Tree Sparrow	1
Dark-eyed Junco	5
Northern Cardinal	9
Brown-headed Cowbird	35
House Finch	12
American Goldfinch	13
House Sparrow	7

Breaking News!!!!!!

The FEMALE Red-bellied Woodpecker was seen in our front yard today for the first time in months and months (I think the last time we saw her was early spring- I'll have to check the records to be sure). Dave saw her in the yard, feeding. She was then joined by the male and then they flew off together. VERY EXCITING!!!!!!!!!! I was worried that the female was no longer with us and that this male might be very lonely, but this is great news. I really hope we see her around and that we'll see another successful mating season from the Red-bellies, who are amongst my favourites.

More information:

http://www.wild-bird-watching.com/red-bellied-woodpecker.html

Mating and Courtship Habits

Similar to all woodpeckers, the Red-bellied uses drumming as the primary source for attracting and communicating with potential mates.

This habit of drumming may be done on hollow limbs, gutters, siding, utility poles, or any other material that it finds resonates well for its needs. Much to the dismay of the person who wishes to "sleep in" on weekends or the night shifter.

Considered monogamous throughout the breeding season. Some may form pair bonds lasting over several seasons.

An unusual part of courtship with this woodpecker species is mutual tapping. Generally done at a potential nesting cavity, one bird will enter as the other stays outside and each will take turns tapping to the other.

Nesting Habits

The nesting habits of this bird are as you might have guessed, like most woodpeckers. A cavity nester, it excavates a hole in a living or recently dead tree. Anywhere from 5 to 70 feet above ground. Most sites are below 40 feet.

Laying 3 to 8 all white eggs. Incubation is done by both parents and last between 12 - 14 days. Feeding is done by both male and female and the young will leave the nest about 25 to 30 days after hatching.

May attempt 2 broods each season, but not at the same nest site. Most only raise one brood each season.

Can be attracted to properly constructed birdhouses.

Project Feeder Watch- Jan 30/31

There were so many woodpeckers active this weekend! We had a record number of Downy WPs. A male and female Hairy Woodpecker both spent time checking out one of the nesting boxes as well. We saw three White-Breasted Nuthatches, the most in quite awhile. We still have high numbers of American Gold Finch. All three hawks showed up again this weekend.

Checklist for FeederWatch Ontario Birds

Sharp-shinned Hawk	1
Cooper's Hawk	1
Red-tailed Hawk	1
Mourning Dove	36
Red-bellied Woodpecker	1
Downy Woodpecker	7
Hairy Woodpecker	3
Blue Jay	6
American Crow	1
Black-capped Chickadee	4
Red-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-breasted Nuthatch	3
European Starling	6
American Tree Sparrow	1
Dark-eyed Junco	10
Northern Cardinal	11
Brown-headed Cowbird	34
House Finch	7
American Goldfinch	42
House Sparrow	5