Birding in Gatineau on International Migratory Bird Day

Last weekend I went birding. Not for long as the weather in Gatineau was wet and cool. However, life outside goes on. Last weekend was also a celebration of migratory birds across the Americas - International Migratory Bird Day. I head out for a short walk in Gatineau Park to experience the birds and talk about how I feel as a birder. Join me on my walk, learn about "pishing," and see what happens.

International Migratory Bird Day (IMBD) celebrates the 350 species that migrate between countries in the Americas. Canada likely holds the record for the country with the most migratory birds. It is estimated that every fall, 90% of our birds leave the country, the great majority heading south. Terns and shorebirds tend to go the farthest. The Hudsonian Godwit, for example, flies from its subarctic and arctic breeding grounds to Tierra del Fuego in Chile. Many songbirds also fly long distances to South America. Purple Martins end up in Sao Paulo State in Brazil. Bobolink's non-breeding destination is the pampas of Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uraguay and Brazil. Blackpoll Warblers and Common Nighthawks make it to Brazil, and Venezuala. Veery, Swainson's Thrush and Gray-cheeked Thrush also go to South America, as do several Flycatchers, Scarlet Tanager, and the iconic Canada Warbler. American Redstarts and Chestnut-sided Warblers spend their "winters" in Central America with many other Warbler species, Vireos, Yellow-bellied and Least Flycatchers, Orioles, and Whip-poor-will.

Many species other than songbirds and shorebirds also have impressive migrations, including Peregrine Falcon, Osprey, Swainson's Hawk, Blue-winged Teal and Green Heron. Over one billion Canadian-born birds over-winter in the continental United States, including some of our commonest species such as most blackbird and sparrows including the White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows, and most waterfowl.

Take a moment to think about this. For some long-lived species, this migration would take them to the moon over the course of their lifetimes. In addition to the amazing ecological services that they provide to all of the countries of their passages, these birds wow people with their beauty and their song. Birds inspire me for all of these reasons. They bring me happiness, and make me feel connected to nature.

So fellow Canadians, get out and enjoy these most inspiring members of creation in the next week or so, and always remember to respect their lives and the rest of nature in your daily decisions.

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

UPDATE - Version française - Your thoughts on the state of Environment Canada's protected areas?

Hello Readers! Bonjours lecteurs!

Yesterday I posted information about a survey that Nature Canada is conducting to determine naturalists' and nature enthusiasts' views on the condition/state of Environment Canada's protected areas.

To be more specific, I posted information on the English version of this survey.

Mais, veuillez noter qu'il y a aussi une version française du sondage disponible içi.

Once again, the French version of Nature Canada's survey is available here.

Thanks for your interest! Merci infiniment de votre intérêt!

Your thoughts on the state of Environment Canada's protected areas?

Hello Readers!

Have you ever visited one of Canada's National Wildlife Areas or Migratory Bird Sanctuaries?

These sites make up Environment Canada's network of protected areas and complement our national parks system and provincial/territorial protected areas networks from coast to coast, to coast. Eventually, Marine Wildlife Areas will also make up Environment Canada's network, with the Scott Islands off of northern Vancouver Island slated as the first addition in 2012.

Regardless of how you answer the above question, Nature Canada would like to know your views on National Wildlife Areas and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries. In fact, we're in the process of conducting of survey of naturalists and nature enthusiasts across Canada (and beyond) to better understand their views on the condition/state of these areas.

Simply follow this link if you'd like to participate in the survey. Time to complete the survey shouldn't exceed 25 minutes and will vary depending on your level of familiarity with Environment Canada's protected areas.

Nature Canada will use the results of this survey to inform a formal report on the state of Canada's National Wildlife Areas and Migratory Bird Sanctuaries (to be completed this fall). The report will build on previous work we've done on this theme, including Conserving Wildlife on a Shoestring Budget (2002) and Wildlife In Crisis (2004).

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the survey and/or Nature Canada's protected areas program.

Photo 1 - A. Teucher, CFB Suffield National Wildlife Area

Our last "official" word on the Mackenzie Gas Project

Nature Canada has been involved in the review of the Mackenzie Gas Project since 2005. Last week, we made our last official intervention by submitting comments on the Joint Review Panel (JRP) recommendations to the National Energy Board (NEB) and the federal and territorial governments. The JRP concluded the Mackenzie Gas Project could be carried out without major negative impacts if all of its 176 recommendations were fully implemented.

I've commented before on the huge challenge of implementing the Panel's recommendations. However, if the National Energy Board determines the project is in the public interest and decides to approve it, the NEB and governments should take every measure to ensure all the JRP recommendations are indeed implemented fully. This is the essence of our comments to the NEB and the territorial and federal governments, which also include specific comments and recommendations relating to protected areas, Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and the Kendall Island Migratory Bird Sanctuary.

We also argue against the Proponents' recommendations that the NEB ignore a large part of the JRP recommendations. This would undermine the approach of sustainability that the region has chosen for its development. The Proponents show deep disregard of the JRP's efforts to ensure this basin-opening project is the foundation of the sustainable development of the region. Given this lack of commitment to sustainability, I can't imagine it could be in the public interest for the Mackenzie Gas Project to proceed. There's too much at stake.

Another show of disregard for sustainability came yesterday from the new Minister of Natural Resources, Christian Paradis. While acknowledging that he has a lot to learn still, he pointed to the Mackenzie Gas Project review as an example of the "red tape" he means to eliminate to facilitate industrial development projects. He also said he believes in balancing the environment with the economy. Perhaps among the things he has yet to learn is that there is no economy without the environment; and that if sustainable industrial development can be achieved it is only through, among many other things, careful assessment and planning. And yes, this takes time and it is not easy. There is too much at stake.

The NEB is considering a motion by Alternatives North for an economic update from the Proponents. If the NEB rules in favour of this motion, the hearings for final argument currently scheduled for April 2010, will likely be postponed.

Why does the Mackenzie Gas Project threaten the integrity of the Mackenzie valley? Read more and take action.

3 out of 7 is still a victory for avian conservation

Parks Canada has released a map of the recommended boundaries for the new Mealy Mountains National Park Reserve and adjacent waterway provincial park in Labrador. We're happy to tell you that 3 of the 7 important bird areas (IBAs) in the Mealy Mountains region and surrounding coastal areas have been included in the new protected area. This is excellent news for avian conservation in Canada!
















The South Growswater Bay Coastline IBA, Cape Porcupine IBA and Tumbledown Dick Islands and Stag Islands IBA all fall within the recommended boundaries for the new national park. However, it appears that only the offshore islands of the South Groswater Bay IBA are inside the park boundary, leaving the mainland coastal sections of this IBA unprotected.

Bird species to benefit from strong habitat protection in the above IBAs include: Common Eider, Harlequin Duck, Black Scoter and Surf Scoter, as well as other waterfowl. Continentally or globally significant concentrations of these species are present in the IBAs at different times during the summer; Harlequin Duck and Common Eider breed in the IBAs, while the Scoter species congregate there when moulting.

IBAs falling outside the new protected areas' boundaries are The Backway IBA, Goose Brook IBA, Gannet Islands IBA and the Northeast Groswater Bay IBA. While the Gannet Islands IBA is actually protected as part of the provincial Gannet Islands Ecological Reserve, safeguarding habitats for globally significant concentrations of breeding Atlantic Puffin, Razorbill and Common Murre, habitats for species found in the remaining IBAs will not see stronger protection. Species found in the 'unprotected' IBAs include Canada Goose (during migration), Atlantic Puffin and Razorbill (globally significant concentrations), Leach's Storm-Petrel (west Atlantic population) and both Common and Thick-billed Murres.

The Migratory Birds Convention Act protects most of Canada's bird species and their nests from harm, but fails to protect their habitat outside of designated Migratory Bird Sanctuaries (and even within them, any "protection" is weak). Protected areas such as National Wildlife Areas, Marine Wildlife Areas, National Parks, National Marine Conservation Areas and Marine Protected Areas can protect habitat for a variety of different bird species on land, in aquatic environments and offshore.

Find out what you can do to help secure habitat protection for all of Canada's IBAs by visiting the IBA Canada website.

Map courtesy of Parks Canada and Newfoundland & Labrador Environment and Conservation