I received this email today:
Hello Jennifer,
I have to thank you again for contributing information to the distribution and presence of Bobolink and Western Meadowlark within Milton. We have included the information in our final report to the Ministry of Natural Resources for our Species at Risk Stewardship Fund. I've attached an excerpt of the data that was sent to the MNR using your google earth data and other submissions.
I'd encourage you to continue to report presence of this species and including additional information regarding number of pairs and highest level of breeding behaviour (see attached background sheets). By recording this higher level of information, it will better guide the Ministry of Natural Resources in determining highly significant Bobolink habitat.
If you haven't seen the FuellingChange initiative, please visit it below to help Conservation Halton raise funds for open country bird habitat at Glenorchy.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Many thanks,
Nigel Finney | Natural Heritage Ecologist, Conservation Projects
Conservation Halton
Please vote for and support the Conservation Halton habitat restoration initiative at FuellingChange
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Star article on the Northern Wheatear
25-gram songbird makes miracle migration to Africa each year
Published On Tue Feb 14 2012
The sharp-eyed northern wheatear is a songbird that weighs a mere 25 grams, about the same as two tablespoons of flour. With its spindly legs, its muted white, brown and black colour, who would think such a lightweight capable of heroic endurance?
For the first time, Ontario scientists have proven what they long suspected — the wheatear is the only songbird that breeds in the Canadian Arctic and Alaska and spends the winter in Africa. The migration can take from one to three months.
They also showed that the wheatear completes the longest known flight over water of any songbird — 3,500 kilometres across the Atlantic. That remarkable passage takes about four days of non-stop flying.
There are two separate populations of wheatears in the far north. One breeds in Alaska, flies west over Russia, Kazakhstan and the Arabian Desert some 14,500 km, ending up in Sudan and Uganda in East Africa. Another, which breeds in the Canadian Arctic near Iqaluit heads the opposite direction, east over the Atlantic, stopping for the winter in Mauritania in West Africa, a journey of 7,500 km.
The study, published Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters, is the research of University of Guelph biology professor Ryan Norris; David Hussell, emeritus scientist from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and German scientists from the Institute of Avian Research.
“It’s impressive that a bird that size could do this,” says Hussell, speaking from Germany. “I don’t think a lot of North Americans are aware they have this bird migrating to Africa.”
The wheatear has one of the largest breeding ranges in the world, stretching across northern Europe, Asia and North America. With its white rump, the name is said to be a corruption of the Old English descriptor “white arse.”
Hussell, Norris and the German research team tagged 46 wheatears in Eagle Summit, Alaska, and near Iqaluit in 2009 and 2010. They trudged along the rocky tundra looking for birds carrying food back to their nests, which are usually hidden under boulders.
Once they found the birds, new technology allowed them to track their migratory path. Researchers attached tiny backpacks under the wheatears’ wings. The packs were fitted with geo-locators weighing 1.2 grams to record light levels — based on sunrise and sunset. The light levels allow scientists to measure latitude and longitude.
Wheatears have to bulk up for the long days of flight and stuff themselves with insects and spiders. By the time they leave the north, they may have doubled their weight. “If they weighed 25 grams when they took off, they wouldn’t make it,” says Hussell.
They travelled an average of 290 km a day. Those flying overland from Alaska could rest or feed along the way, but the Iqaluit birds flying over the ocean could not.
How migrating birds can fly for days without getting dehydrated has long puzzled scientists. But last year, researchers at Western University (formerly the University of Western Ontario) reported their discovery that birds burn their own muscle and organs as a source of water. Burning protein provides about five times as much water as burning fat.
The following year, the challenge for the scientists tracking the wheatear was to find the same birds once they returned to the summer breeding grounds in the north. They only found one in Iqaluit and three in Alaska.
But it was enough to provide evidence linking the African ecosystems with the Arctic ones.
“It makes it hard when we don’t get many back,” says Norris. “But it’s good evidence that these birds are likely not wintering in North America and make this incredible journey to Africa.”
Published On Tue Feb 14 2012
The sharp-eyed northern wheatear is a songbird that weighs a mere 25 grams, about the same as two tablespoons of flour. With its spindly legs, its muted white, brown and black colour, who would think such a lightweight capable of heroic endurance?
For the first time, Ontario scientists have proven what they long suspected — the wheatear is the only songbird that breeds in the Canadian Arctic and Alaska and spends the winter in Africa. The migration can take from one to three months.
They also showed that the wheatear completes the longest known flight over water of any songbird — 3,500 kilometres across the Atlantic. That remarkable passage takes about four days of non-stop flying.
There are two separate populations of wheatears in the far north. One breeds in Alaska, flies west over Russia, Kazakhstan and the Arabian Desert some 14,500 km, ending up in Sudan and Uganda in East Africa. Another, which breeds in the Canadian Arctic near Iqaluit heads the opposite direction, east over the Atlantic, stopping for the winter in Mauritania in West Africa, a journey of 7,500 km.
The study, published Wednesday in the journal Biology Letters, is the research of University of Guelph biology professor Ryan Norris; David Hussell, emeritus scientist from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and German scientists from the Institute of Avian Research.
“It’s impressive that a bird that size could do this,” says Hussell, speaking from Germany. “I don’t think a lot of North Americans are aware they have this bird migrating to Africa.”
The wheatear has one of the largest breeding ranges in the world, stretching across northern Europe, Asia and North America. With its white rump, the name is said to be a corruption of the Old English descriptor “white arse.”
Hussell, Norris and the German research team tagged 46 wheatears in Eagle Summit, Alaska, and near Iqaluit in 2009 and 2010. They trudged along the rocky tundra looking for birds carrying food back to their nests, which are usually hidden under boulders.
Once they found the birds, new technology allowed them to track their migratory path. Researchers attached tiny backpacks under the wheatears’ wings. The packs were fitted with geo-locators weighing 1.2 grams to record light levels — based on sunrise and sunset. The light levels allow scientists to measure latitude and longitude.
Wheatears have to bulk up for the long days of flight and stuff themselves with insects and spiders. By the time they leave the north, they may have doubled their weight. “If they weighed 25 grams when they took off, they wouldn’t make it,” says Hussell.
They travelled an average of 290 km a day. Those flying overland from Alaska could rest or feed along the way, but the Iqaluit birds flying over the ocean could not.
How migrating birds can fly for days without getting dehydrated has long puzzled scientists. But last year, researchers at Western University (formerly the University of Western Ontario) reported their discovery that birds burn their own muscle and organs as a source of water. Burning protein provides about five times as much water as burning fat.
The following year, the challenge for the scientists tracking the wheatear was to find the same birds once they returned to the summer breeding grounds in the north. They only found one in Iqaluit and three in Alaska.
But it was enough to provide evidence linking the African ecosystems with the Arctic ones.
“It makes it hard when we don’t get many back,” says Norris. “But it’s good evidence that these birds are likely not wintering in North America and make this incredible journey to Africa.”
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Robins and Horned Larks!
When I dropped Dave off at work one day this week, there were more than twenty Robins in the fruit trees out front, They were there when I picked him up at the end of the day as well. This was the most numerous group I've seen in quite awhile.
And this morning there was approximately eighteen Horned Larks at Oakville Executive Golf Courses. Again, a large group that we haven't seen since last year.
Also of note, we had a Grackle at the feeders this past week. Unusual for this time of year, but with the mild winter we're having, I think this kind of sighting must not be uncommon.
A reminder that next week is the Great Backyard Bird Count. If you don't have backyard birds, you can visit another spot regularly over the course of the four days and submit your sightings. Give Mother Nature and Science a helping hand!
Of note from the latest BSC newsletter:
New Report on Raptor Population Trends
2 February 2012 – The Raptor Population Index (RPI) has released a new report showing that the majority of North America’s 26 species of migratory raptors (a group that includes hawks, falcons, kites, ospreys, harriers, eagles, and vultures) are either recovering or in stable condition. Unfortunately, the American Kestrel is a stark exception. Long-term declines of this tiny, colourful falcon continue to alarm conservationists, who are calling for increased efforts to monitor populations and identify causes of the decline.
RPI is a cooperative partnership among four leading raptor and conservation organizations: Bird Studies Canada, Hawk Migration Association of North America, HawkWatch International, and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Select this link to read a press release about RPI’s new continent-wide assessment of population trends. Full results, including conservation status reports and an online resource featuring easy-to-read maps of population trends for each species, are available on the RPI website.
Dave and I see a Kestrel perched on the wires along Hwy 25, near the 407 almost every morning on our drive to his work. Otherwise, they are not one we see often at all. Hopefully there will be a recovery effort. I'll take "Things for which people are to blame, for 100, please Alex."
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Great Backyard Bird Count 2012
From the latest BSC newsletter:
Get Ready for the 15th Great Backyard Bird Count
27 January 2012 – From February 17-20, take part in a free, family-friendly, educational activity that is loads of fun and supports bird conservation! Each year, tens of thousands of Canadians and Americans take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), counting birds wherever they happen to be. The possibilities are endless!
The GBBC is a great way for people of all ages and levels of birding experience to learn more about local bird species. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect with nature, from your living room window or by hiking a local trail. Count on your own or as part of a group of family, friends, or classmates. The GBBC is also an ideal way for more experienced birders to introduce others to the wonderful world of birding.
Explore the species seen in your community or province using maps and charts on the Canadian GBBC website, where you can also find out how to take part in the community challenge and view Canadian highlights. Make the birds in your neighbourhood count as part of the big picture in continental bird conservation. Join in this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count. Email us at gbbc@birdscanada.org for more information.
BSC is seeking GBBC Ambassadors. If you are interested in promoting the GBBC in your area, you can sign up online. For more information, contact the Canadian GBBC Coordinator, Kerrie Wilcox, at gbbc@birdscanada.org or 1-888-448-2473 extension 134. The GBBC is a joint project of Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, with Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada.
Get Ready for the 15th Great Backyard Bird Count
27 January 2012 – From February 17-20, take part in a free, family-friendly, educational activity that is loads of fun and supports bird conservation! Each year, tens of thousands of Canadians and Americans take part in the Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC), counting birds wherever they happen to be. The possibilities are endless!
The GBBC is a great way for people of all ages and levels of birding experience to learn more about local bird species. It’s the perfect opportunity to connect with nature, from your living room window or by hiking a local trail. Count on your own or as part of a group of family, friends, or classmates. The GBBC is also an ideal way for more experienced birders to introduce others to the wonderful world of birding.
Explore the species seen in your community or province using maps and charts on the Canadian GBBC website, where you can also find out how to take part in the community challenge and view Canadian highlights. Make the birds in your neighbourhood count as part of the big picture in continental bird conservation. Join in this year’s Great Backyard Bird Count. Email us at gbbc@birdscanada.org for more information.
BSC is seeking GBBC Ambassadors. If you are interested in promoting the GBBC in your area, you can sign up online. For more information, contact the Canadian GBBC Coordinator, Kerrie Wilcox, at gbbc@birdscanada.org or 1-888-448-2473 extension 134. The GBBC is a joint project of Audubon and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, with Canadian partner Bird Studies Canada.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Please vote and help save songbird habitat!
Please vote! This issue is near and dear to my heart. If you missed the article in the local paper this summer, you can read it here:
and yes, it is not lost on me that it's a gas company giving money for this and the same nesting ground is in danger due to roads and traffic. Sometimes we gotta take what we can get. Thanks for voting.
www.fuellingchange.com
and yes, it is not lost on me that it's a gas company giving money for this and the same nesting ground is in danger due to roads and traffic. Sometimes we gotta take what we can get. Thanks for voting.
www.fuellingchange.com
Monday, November 28, 2011
Saving birds in the shadowhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif of the Taliban's menace
Published On Mon Nov 28 2011
Tom Hussain Special to the Star
For conservationist Ehsan-ullah Wazir, it’s been a 12-year “mission.”
Now, the amateur ornithologist, along with a group Pakistani tribesmen, plans to finally conduct a wildlife survey in South Waziristan — a territory on the Afghan border known more for its Taliban safe havens than nature conservation.
“We will cover the whole region, filling in questionnaires, and travel to the most remote settlements to gather data on birds, animals and their habitats,” said Wazir, founder of the Waziristan Nature Conservation Organization.
The survey is the outcome of Wazir’s 12-year campaign — or “mission,” as he calls it — to discourage tribesmen from hunting and trapping migrating flocks of birds that stop over at the confluence of the Gomal and Zhob rivers.
It’s been more than a century since such a survey has been conducted.
And it would have been unthinkable just two years ago, when an estimated 15,000 Pakistani Taliban insurgents occupied much of South Waziristan.
Wazir became interested in conservation by chance. In 1999, his nephew brought him a dead, sparrow-like bird — called shangharai in Pashto — with a plastic ring on its leg.
The ring bore the address of a bird observatory in the Swedish town Annsjon.
Intrigued, Wazir asked hunters in his village of Dabkot to bring him any rings they found.
Then, in March 2001, he summoned his courage and posted a letter to Annsjon, along with a ring.
He was shocked to receive a reply from Dr. Thomas Holmberg, head of the Swedish bird centre.
Wazir had inadvertently solved the mystery of where the Scandinavian bluethroat spent its winters — something that had befuddled ornithologists for decades.
“The recovery of the bluethroat from Pakistan is the most memorable event for Swedish bird-ringing this year,” wrote Holmberg.
He sent Wazir a book about the birds of the Indian subcontinent and advice on how to record migratory data.
Painstakingly, Wazir set about gathering data on the bluethroat, chakor partridge, demosielle crane, sandgrouse and houbara bustard.
But it came to a halt in 2002, when Al Qaeda and Taliban militants fleeing NATO forces swamped South Waziristan, prompting nine years of brutal warfare with the security forces.
It wasn’t until June that the Pakistani government was able to declare a victory of sorts — and Wazir was able to resume his work.
He and his colleagues at the conservation organization took advantage of the recent Eid Al-Adha — the Muslim festival of animal sacrifice — to launch a public awareness campaign. The festival is in early November, when the birds return from Eurasia.
They urged residents to stop hunting birds, and to breed captive animals at home rather than trapping them. “For the sake of Allah, spare these birds so they might multiply.”
The conservationists said they were greeted with a mix of interest and incredulity.
“Many people said: human life isn’t worth a damn here. Birds? You’re joking, right?” laughed Ali Mohammed, a director of the NGO.
But Wazir is serious. And he has no illusions about the challenge ahead.
“Hunters have trapped more than 7,000 cranes, the most in living memory,” he said. “Every year, the flocks are diminishing. If the hunting goes unchecked, we’re worried they might disappear altogether.”
Tom Hussain is a freelance writer living in Islamabad.
Published On Mon Nov 28 2011
Tom Hussain Special to the Star
For conservationist Ehsan-ullah Wazir, it’s been a 12-year “mission.”
Now, the amateur ornithologist, along with a group Pakistani tribesmen, plans to finally conduct a wildlife survey in South Waziristan — a territory on the Afghan border known more for its Taliban safe havens than nature conservation.
“We will cover the whole region, filling in questionnaires, and travel to the most remote settlements to gather data on birds, animals and their habitats,” said Wazir, founder of the Waziristan Nature Conservation Organization.
The survey is the outcome of Wazir’s 12-year campaign — or “mission,” as he calls it — to discourage tribesmen from hunting and trapping migrating flocks of birds that stop over at the confluence of the Gomal and Zhob rivers.
It’s been more than a century since such a survey has been conducted.
And it would have been unthinkable just two years ago, when an estimated 15,000 Pakistani Taliban insurgents occupied much of South Waziristan.
Wazir became interested in conservation by chance. In 1999, his nephew brought him a dead, sparrow-like bird — called shangharai in Pashto — with a plastic ring on its leg.
The ring bore the address of a bird observatory in the Swedish town Annsjon.
Intrigued, Wazir asked hunters in his village of Dabkot to bring him any rings they found.
Then, in March 2001, he summoned his courage and posted a letter to Annsjon, along with a ring.
He was shocked to receive a reply from Dr. Thomas Holmberg, head of the Swedish bird centre.
Wazir had inadvertently solved the mystery of where the Scandinavian bluethroat spent its winters — something that had befuddled ornithologists for decades.
“The recovery of the bluethroat from Pakistan is the most memorable event for Swedish bird-ringing this year,” wrote Holmberg.
He sent Wazir a book about the birds of the Indian subcontinent and advice on how to record migratory data.
Painstakingly, Wazir set about gathering data on the bluethroat, chakor partridge, demosielle crane, sandgrouse and houbara bustard.
But it came to a halt in 2002, when Al Qaeda and Taliban militants fleeing NATO forces swamped South Waziristan, prompting nine years of brutal warfare with the security forces.
It wasn’t until June that the Pakistani government was able to declare a victory of sorts — and Wazir was able to resume his work.
He and his colleagues at the conservation organization took advantage of the recent Eid Al-Adha — the Muslim festival of animal sacrifice — to launch a public awareness campaign. The festival is in early November, when the birds return from Eurasia.
They urged residents to stop hunting birds, and to breed captive animals at home rather than trapping them. “For the sake of Allah, spare these birds so they might multiply.”
The conservationists said they were greeted with a mix of interest and incredulity.
“Many people said: human life isn’t worth a damn here. Birds? You’re joking, right?” laughed Ali Mohammed, a director of the NGO.
But Wazir is serious. And he has no illusions about the challenge ahead.
“Hunters have trapped more than 7,000 cranes, the most in living memory,” he said. “Every year, the flocks are diminishing. If the hunting goes unchecked, we’re worried they might disappear altogether.”
Tom Hussain is a freelance writer living in Islamabad.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Recommended Viewing.
Last night, Dave and I happened to catch a documentary called "Ghost Bird". It's from 2009, so we're not exactly on to something new here, but it was a great film. It focuses on claims of sightings of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a species long thought to be extinct from loss of habitat. These alleged sightings were made in 2004 in a small town in Arkansas. The film examines the impact of the "rediscovery" had on the town and the birding world. There are interviews with those who believe and the skeptics, the ensuing controversy and the government's role with regards to conservation and funding. We also learn about the tragic loss of a wonderful and unique species and how this could have been prevented if habitat had been set aside. It's sadly a message that many still do not hear and we continue to carve up forests for the sake of industry. I wonder how many more species will meet the fate of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.
Here's the link to the film. It would be great for high school students and families who ware interested in this material.
Here
Here's the link to the film. It would be great for high school students and families who ware interested in this material.
Here
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