How Much is a Duck Worth?

According to a provincial court in Alberta, about $1,868.

Syncrude Canada has been sentenced to pay an award of approximately $3 million CAD for the death of over 1,600 ducks that dove into its 12 square kilometre tailings pond north of Fort McMurray in Alberta. Syncrude had been found guilty in June 2010 of violating both the federal Migratory Birds Convention Act and Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act.

How does it add up to $3 million?

- $300,000; the maximum fine under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, which will be paid to the federal Environmental Damages Fund (EDF)

- $500,000; the maximum fine under the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act. Half of this money will be used for the establishment of a program to monitor and protect birds, and to be integrated with aboriginal training at Keyano College in Fort McMurray, Alberta

- $1.3 million; to be given to the University of Alberta's Avian Protection Research Study

- $900,000; for the purchase of lands in the Golden Ranches Conservation Area near Edmonton

$3 million does not come close to the true value of the wildlife that was lost. Help us make sure tragedies like this one don't happen again. Sign Nature Canada's petition to stop the tar sands!

Celebrating All Buffleheads Day

A pair of Buffleheads
Photo by Nick (kukkurovaca)/Flickr

A major event in the history of Buffleheads is the Great Bufflehead Crash that occurred in November 1940 near Foam Lake, Saskatchewan. The crash may have been caused by a heavy fog on the night of November 4th, with the addition of Foam Lake’s street lights that confused Buffleheads into thinking it was a lake. These are diving ducks, so one can only imagine the outcome of such a mirage – they could dive straight into the ground! Some say the crash could have been due to freezing rain that forced the ducks to ‘fall from the sky’.

At Nature Canada’s 2010 Annual General Meeting, a resolution – All Buffleheads Day, October 15th, 2010 – was adopted to recognize that 2010 is the 70th anniversary of the Great Bufflehead Crash of 1940; to encourage the government to implement and support the monitoring of key phenological indicators through citizen-based monitoring programs; and to commend the District of North Saanich and the Town of Sidney in their efforts to protect essential Bufflehead habitat in Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

Read a short profile on the Bufflehead

The Bufflehead: Canada’s Smallest Diving Duck

Common name: Bufflehead
Latin name: Bucephala albeola
Range: Coast to coast
Size: Has a wing length of 168 mm and weighs between 272–635 g
Population estimate: Continental estimate of 1.4 million birds in 2004
Lifespan: 15 years

Buffleheads, or ‘butterballs’ as some hunters like to call them because of the amount of fat their bodies store during migration (115 g - almost 20% of their mass!), are one of the scarcest birds in North America. These black and white ducks are known to be highly active, hardly ever giving themselves a break, and nest in small cavities such as the holes vacated by Flickers. Their diet in freshwaters consists of arthropods such as insect larvae, and in salt water, small shrimps, crabs and amphipods.

Buffleheads usually occur in groups of 10 or fewer, and have a coast-to-coast breeding range. However, in spring and summer, British Columbia and northern Alberta seem to be the preferred spots for breeding Buffleheads. In fall they migrate east, south and southeast, with the largest numbers migrating over the prairies making their way to the Atlantic. In winter, Buffleheads are found on Canada’s west coast, Lake Ontario and the southern coasts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. In the United States their wintering areas are from New Jersey to North Carolina in the east and Washington to central California in the west.
Besides being the smallest ducks in Canada, Buffleheads are unique in their courtship displays and their punctuality in returning to their wintering grounds along the Pacific coast. During courtship, males fly over females while fluttering their wings and then land in a ‘water-skiing’ motion, displaying both their feet and plumage (see photo on left). Buffleheads are a monogamous species, remaining with the same mate for a few years.

According to a study carried out by James Finley, the Caretaker of Sidney Channel Important Bird Area (IBA), Buffleheads arrive at Shoal Harbour Migratory Bird Sanctuary on Vancouver Island on the 298th day of the year, every year – that is punctual! The 298th day of the solar cycle equates to October 15th, which has come to be known as the All Buffleheads Day.

Quick fun facts:

- The species' name is apparently due to their domed heads and was originally Buffalo Head.
- They are also known as Bumblebee Dippers, Robin Dippers, Hell-divers and Spirit Ducks.
- The Bufflehead's genus, Bucephala, is said to be closely associated to the name of Alexander the Great's horse, Bucephalus or Buchephalas.


Photos 1 & 2: Stewart Ho
Photo3: Vladimir Morozov

Contaminants in the Athabasca River

A study, carried out by Dr. David Schindler and several of his colleagues from the University of Alberta, found high levels of mercury, lead and arsenic in the Athabasca River. Their findings challenge data found in government reports and are an indication that the tar sands industry has had a significant impact on the Athabasca River. Local fishermen have realized that migratory species such as ducks no longer land where they used to and have even found fish that were deformed or had lumps on them. The report will become available in the scientific journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Science'.

The team has recommended that monitoring must be improved in order to properly assess and control the industry’s impact on the environment. In a press conference on Monday the Edmonton Journal reported Dr. Schindler saying:

"There's no way industry can be belching out hundreds of kilograms of toxins every year and this not be detectable in the environment unless the monitoring program is totally incompetent." ... All of this is in clear violation of the Fisheries Act. The Fisheries Act is not based on amounts released or concentrations in the river; it just says flatly that there will be no deposition of any deleterious substance to a river or near enough to a river to get into it. Period. ... You have to ask where is Environment Canada on all of this? ... You have to wonder why do we have money for propaganda and not for proper science? Government has been putting money into their propaganda campaign to tell people everything is OK. I just think that's not the way democracy should work. If people can see what's really going on and they still choose to develop in the oilsands that's democracy. But making people think that everything's OK when it really isn't and therefore getting them to agree to this is not the way the government of this country or this province was set up to work.

Both the Regional Aquatics Monitoring Program (RAMP) and Alberta Environment are challenging Dr. Schindler's results. Alberta Environment would like to look at supplementary data before making comparisons and Fred Kuzmic from RAMP has said that such high levels are 'associated with naturally occurring compounds'. According to Dr. Schindler, RAMP, an industry led group overseeing the river's water quality, should be replaced with Environment Canada.

Help Nature Canada stop the tar sands from expanding and destroying significant habitat for wildlife by signing our letter to Prime Minister Harper.

Syncrude – Guilty for the Deaths of Over 1,600 Ducks!

Photo: David Dodge

Last Friday, June 25, 2010, Syncrude Canada was found guilty for the death of over 1,600 ducks that dove into the tar sands giant 12 km² tailings pond north of Fort McMurray in Alberta. The company was charged under the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act for failing to avoid dumping hazardous waste in wildlife’s way and under the Migratory Birds Convention Act for allowing hazardous waste to be deposited in areas visited by migratory birds.

Syncrude has requested a hearing, saying that both charges are unfair. The hearing is scheduled for August 20, 2010. Upon completion of the hearing, a sentence will be given for one or both charges. Potential fines could be in the amount of $500,000 to the provincial and $300,000 to the federal government.

Syncrude claims the weather conditions at the time would not have permitted them to place the right deterrents although several of its employees stated that the company was not adequately equipped and was understaffed when it came to bird deterrent activities. Judge Ken Tjosvold also stated that Syncrude could have prepared their bird deterrent in advance and that "it was reasonable to take those precautions and Syncrude did not."

Help us make sure tragedies like this one don't happen again. Sign Nature Canada's petition to stop the tar sands!

The case began as a private case that was initially filed by a Sierra Club member and later taken over by the provincial government.