North American Breeding Bird Survey Participation
Hello,
I'm sending this email to let you know about the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and the need for additional participants to complete survey routes here in BC.
Information on the BBS can be found and a brief summary of why this survey is important is provided below. There is a route vacancy
map and you can contact WIllow English, the National Coordinator for Canada, at bbs@... or 343-573-1192 for further information.?
I've run a route for a number of years and it's a great way to get outside and have fun while keeping your birding skills sharp and contributing to an important monitoring and conservation program for birds across North America.
All the best, Greg Ferguson Richmond
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BBS data is vital for avian conservation
The BBS is the most important source of reliable data on
population trends for many species in Canada. Environment Climate
Change Canada is working on a new website on the State of Canada¡¯s
Birds in partnership with Birds Canada, which will showcase BBS
data for many species and will be launched later this year. The site
will feature accessible information on population numbers and trends.
BBS data have also been used for highly impactful studies, such as
from North
America in the last 50 years. The trends produced by BBS data are
also considered when assessing whether a species should be listed as
a Species at Risk. Combining BBS trends with information on landscape
and habitat changes has also provided the basis for conservation
actions and habitat preservation. These are only a few of the many
ways your volunteer efforts are vital to avian conservation. If you
would like to know more, .
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So many people in the old world still have that medieval attitude that wildlife is there only to be exploited. They can¡¯t understand why anybody would be interested in it for other than that purpose. And for governments in every country, birds and wildlife are always one of the very lowest priorities. The economy, finance, creating development and jobs, the migrant crisis, wars and terrorism, civil unrest and strikes, etc. etc. If any government didn¡¯t focus on these things they would be voted out of office and no politician wants that. They will do whatever it takes to stay in power, and that means pushing development, development and more development. Birds? What¡ are you kidding? We have serious issues to deal with! Who cares about birds?
As you say, a very sad situation.
Daniel Bastaja
danielbastaja@...
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On Mar 7, 2024, at 23:32, Derek Matthews <Derek@...> wrote:
Thanks Dan - Yes, I read that Egypt is the worst place to be a migratory bird with 140 million birds trapped during fall migration with hundreds of kilometers of nets, traps, snares and lime-coated sticks set out to harvest wild birds. And European Turtle Dove populations have declined by 95% with more than one million of them illegally killed each year in the Mediterranean ¨C no species can survive that level of persecution year after year in addition to all the other anthropogenic threats they face! It's too sad!
Derek
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel Bastaja
Sent: March 7, 2024 12:57 PM
To: Vanbirds <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [vanbcbirds] Loony loon
Not just Cyprus Derek. Many birders in North America don¡¯t realize the industrial scale of the carnage that takes place all around the Mediterranean Basin every spring and fall. In Spain, Malta, France, Italy, Albania, Greece, Crete, Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt. Birds are trapped with lime sticks, lured into mist nets with playback, or just shot. Billions die every year.
Many places have traditional dishes that contain songbirds. For example ambelopoulia in Cyprus, made of Blackcap Warblers, or Ortolon Buntings in France. Trapping songbirds, especially in EU member countries, is illegal, but enforcement is up to local authorities and usually they turn a blind eye. They don't like outsiders or bureaucrats from Brussels telling them what they can and cannot do, especially when it is a cultural tradition. It¡¯s a tragic situation.
That¡¯s why I support organizations like The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), a charity based in Germany that takes direct action against illegal poaching.
Daniel Bastaja
danielbastaja@... <mailto:danielbastaja@...>
On Mar 7, 2024, at 18:48, Derek Matthews <Derek@...> wrote:
Not such a happy ending for songbirds in Cyprus though! What a truly
despicable species we are - sheesh! :o( <image002.jpg>More than
400,000 songbirds killed by organised crime in Cyprus theguardian.com
Derek J. Matthews - VARC
T: (604) 218-1191
E: Derek@...
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel
Bastaja
Sent: March 7, 2024 6:16 AM
To: Vanbirds <[email protected]>
Subject: [vanbcbirds] Loony loon
CNN did a segment on the Yellow-billed Loon in the Bellagio Hotel
fountain in Las Vegas. The bird was captured by the Nevada Department
of Wildlife and released at an undisclosed location¡ presumably Lake
Mead. It was in good health. So happy ending to a strange story. :)
Daniel Bastaja danielbastaja@...
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Thanks Dan - Yes, I read that Egypt is the worst place to be a migratory bird with 140 million birds trapped during fall migration with hundreds of kilometers of nets, traps, snares and lime-coated sticks set out to harvest wild birds. And European Turtle Dove populations have declined by 95% with more than one million of them illegally killed each year in the Mediterranean ¨C no species can survive that level of persecution year after year in addition to all the other anthropogenic threats they face! It's too sad!
Derek
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Show quoted text
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel Bastaja Sent: March 7, 2024 12:57 PM To: Vanbirds < [email protected]> Subject: Re: [vanbcbirds] Loony loon Not just Cyprus Derek. Many birders in North America don¡¯t realize the industrial scale of the carnage that takes place all around the Mediterranean Basin every spring and fall. In Spain, Malta, France, Italy, Albania, Greece, Crete, Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt. Birds are trapped with lime sticks, lured into mist nets with playback, or just shot. Billions die every year. Many places have traditional dishes that contain songbirds. For example ambelopoulia in Cyprus, made of Blackcap Warblers, or Ortolon Buntings in France. Trapping songbirds, especially in EU member countries, is illegal, but enforcement is up to local authorities and usually they turn a blind eye. They don't like outsiders or bureaucrats from Brussels telling them what they can and cannot do, especially when it is a cultural tradition. It¡¯s a tragic situation. That¡¯s why I support organizations like The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), a charity based in Germany that takes direct action against illegal poaching. Daniel Bastaja danielbastaja@... <mailto:danielbastaja@...> On Mar 7, 2024, at 18:48, Derek Matthews <Derek@...> wrote:
Not such a happy ending for songbirds in Cyprus though! What a truly
despicable species we are - sheesh! :o( <image002.jpg>More than
400,000 songbirds killed by organised crime in Cyprus theguardian.com
Derek J. Matthews - VARC
T: (604) 218-1191
E: Derek@...
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel
Bastaja
Sent: March 7, 2024 6:16 AM
To: Vanbirds <[email protected]>
Subject: [vanbcbirds] Loony loon
CNN did a segment on the Yellow-billed Loon in the Bellagio Hotel
fountain in Las Vegas. The bird was captured by the Nevada Department
of Wildlife and released at an undisclosed location¡ presumably Lake
Mead. It was in good health. So happy ending to a strange story. :)
Daniel Bastaja danielbastaja@...
|
Not just Cyprus Derek. Many birders in North America don¡¯t realize the industrial scale of the carnage that takes place all around the Mediterranean Basin every spring and fall. In Spain, Malta, France, Italy, Albania, Greece, Crete, Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt. Birds are trapped with lime sticks, lured into mist nets with playback, or just shot. Billions die every year.
Many places have traditional dishes that contain songbirds. For example ambelopoulia in Cyprus, made of Blackcap Warblers, or Ortolon Buntings in France. Trapping songbirds, especially in EU member countries, is illegal, but enforcement is up to local authorities and usually they turn a blind eye. They don't like outsiders or bureaucrats from Brussels telling them what they can and cannot do, especially when it is a cultural tradition. It¡¯s a tragic situation.
That¡¯s why I support organizations like The Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), a charity based in Germany that takes direct action against illegal poaching.
Daniel Bastaja
danielbastaja@... <mailto:danielbastaja@...>
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
On Mar 7, 2024, at 18:48, Derek Matthews <Derek@...> wrote:
Not such a happy ending for songbirds in Cyprus though! What a truly despicable species we are - sheesh! :o(
<image002.jpg>More than 400,000 songbirds killed by organised crime in Cyprus
theguardian.com
Derek J. Matthews - VARC
T: (604) 218-1191
E: Derek@...
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel Bastaja
Sent: March 7, 2024 6:16 AM
To: Vanbirds <[email protected]>
Subject: [vanbcbirds] Loony loon
CNN did a segment on the Yellow-billed Loon in the Bellagio Hotel fountain in Las Vegas. The bird was captured by the Nevada Department of Wildlife and released at an undisclosed location¡ presumably Lake Mead. It was in good health. So happy ending to a strange story. :)
Daniel Bastaja danielbastaja@...
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Not such a happy ending for songbirds in Cyprus though! What a truly despicable species we are - sheesh! :o( ? ? Derek J. Matthews?- VARC T: (604) 218-1191 E: Derek@... ? ?
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-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel Bastaja
Sent: March 7, 2024 6:16 AM
To: Vanbirds <[email protected]>
Subject: [vanbcbirds] Loony loon ? CNN did a segment on the Yellow-billed Loon in the Bellagio Hotel fountain in Las Vegas. The bird was captured by the Nevada Department of Wildlife and released at an undisclosed location¡ presumably Lake Mead. It was in good health. So happy ending to a strange story. :) ? Daniel Bastaja danielbastaja@... ? ? ? ?
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CNN did a segment on the Yellow-billed Loon in the Bellagio Hotel fountain in Las Vegas. The bird was captured by the Nevada Department of Wildlife and released at an undisclosed location¡ presumably Lake Mead. It was in good health. So happy ending to a strange story. :)
Daniel Bastaja
danielbastaja@...
|
Ha! A friend from Powdermill in Pennsylvania sent me a photo of a Pied-billed Grebe that was brought to the banding station as it had landed in a grocery parking lot and couldn't get airborne again - they released it on a pond and it was ok. These birds mistake slick highways and parking lots for bodies of water which is a huge mistake for them - I wonder if the loon mistook the whole concreted area in front of the Bellagio for water, especially with the fountains going?
D.
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-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel Bastaja Sent: March 4, 2024 10:00 AM To: Vanbirds < [email protected]> Subject: Re: [vanbcbirds] Bird collisions The Bellagio fountain is so huge, it¡¯s more like a small lake. So it might have room to take off. Likely blown inland by all those huge storms dumping all that rain and snow on California. But what a place to pick especially with 640 square km Lake Mead right nearby! It had to pick the busiest, noisiest, most neon-lit shallow place with no fish. I can¡¯t imagine it was anything but exhaustion or desperation. Hopefully it will get out of there or be rescued. My sister said it must have a gambling addiction. :D :D DB On Mar 4, 2024, at 18:49, Derek Matthews <Derek@...> wrote:
Thanks for posting Dan - two bizarre stories indeed! The first is sad
but the policy makers will still do nothing about mandating
bird-friendly glass in buildings and the second is truly bizarre -
Hopefully, it will get rescued because I can't think the Bellagio
fountain has a long enough runway for a loon to take off!
On another note, maybe Vegas will become a new birding hotspot, but
only virtually of course!:o)
Derek (VARC)
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel
Bastaja
Sent: March 4, 2024 7:45 AM
To: Vanbirds <[email protected]>
Subject: [vanbcbirds] Bird collisions
Just last week we were talking about bird collisions with buildings
and now that very thing has claimed a celebrity. Flacco, the Eurasian
Eagle Owl that escaped from a zoo and has been living free in lower
Manhattan for the past
9 or 10 months collided with a building and died. It was a local
celebrity with multiple posts on social media every day about its doings. Too bad.
rk-cen
tral-park-zoo#:~:text=Flaco%20was%20found%20dead%20on,liver%2C%E2%80%9
D%20th
e%20report%20said.
In other strange news, if anybody is heading to Vegas in the next day
or so, you may want to check the fountain in front of the Bellagio. A
Yellow-billed Loon was swimming around in there yesterday! Bizarre!
Daniel Bastaja
danielbastaja@...
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The Bellagio fountain is so huge, it¡¯s more like a small lake. So it might have room to take off. Likely blown inland by all those huge storms dumping all that rain and snow on California. But what a place to pick especially with 640 square km Lake Mead right nearby! It had to pick the busiest, noisiest, most neon-lit shallow place with no fish. I can¡¯t imagine it was anything but exhaustion or desperation. Hopefully it will get out of there or be rescued.
My sister said it must have a gambling addiction. :D :D
DB
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Show quoted text
On Mar 4, 2024, at 18:49, Derek Matthews <Derek@...> wrote:
Thanks for posting Dan - two bizarre stories indeed! The first is sad but
the policy makers will still do nothing about mandating bird-friendly glass
in buildings and the second is truly bizarre - Hopefully, it will get
rescued because I can't think the Bellagio fountain has a long enough runway
for a loon to take off!
On another note, maybe Vegas will become a new birding hotspot, but only
virtually of course!:o)
Derek (VARC)
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel
Bastaja
Sent: March 4, 2024 7:45 AM
To: Vanbirds <[email protected]>
Subject: [vanbcbirds] Bird collisions
Just last week we were talking about bird collisions with buildings and now
that very thing has claimed a celebrity. Flacco, the Eurasian Eagle Owl that
escaped from a zoo and has been living free in lower Manhattan for the past
9 or 10 months collided with a building and died. It was a local celebrity
with multiple posts on social media every day about its doings. Too bad.
tral-park-zoo#:~:text=Flaco%20was%20found%20dead%20on,liver%2C%E2%80%9D%20th
e%20report%20said.
In other strange news, if anybody is heading to Vegas in the next day or so,
you may want to check the fountain in front of the Bellagio. A Yellow-billed
Loon was swimming around in there yesterday! Bizarre!
Daniel Bastaja
danielbastaja@...
|
Thanks for posting Dan - two bizarre stories indeed! The first is sad but
the policy makers will still do nothing about mandating bird-friendly glass
in buildings and the second is truly bizarre - Hopefully, it will get
rescued because I can't think the Bellagio fountain has a long enough runway
for a loon to take off!
On another note, maybe Vegas will become a new birding hotspot, but only
virtually of course!:o)
Derek (VARC)
toggle quoted message
Show quoted text
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel Bastaja Sent: March 4, 2024 7:45 AM To: Vanbirds < [email protected]> Subject: [vanbcbirds] Bird collisions Just last week we were talking about bird collisions with buildings and now that very thing has claimed a celebrity. Flacco, the Eurasian Eagle Owl that escaped from a zoo and has been living free in lower Manhattan for the past 9 or 10 months collided with a building and died. It was a local celebrity with multiple posts on social media every day about its doings. Too bad. tral-park-zoo#:~:text=Flaco%20was%20found%20dead%20on,liver%2C%E2%80%9D%20th e%20report%20said. In other strange news, if anybody is heading to Vegas in the next day or so, you may want to check the fountain in front of the Bellagio. A Yellow-billed Loon was swimming around in there yesterday! Bizarre! Daniel Bastaja danielbastaja@...
|
Just last week we were talking about bird collisions with buildings and now that very thing has claimed a celebrity. Flacco, the Eurasian Eagle Owl that escaped from a zoo and has been living free in lower Manhattan for the past 9 or 10 months collided with a building and died. It was a local celebrity with multiple posts on social media every day about its doings. Too bad.
,liver%2C%E2%80%9D%20the%20report%20said.
In other strange news, if anybody is heading to Vegas in the next day or so, you may want to check the fountain in front of the Bellagio. A Yellow-billed Loon was swimming around in there yesterday! Bizarre!
Daniel Bastaja
danielbastaja@...
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FW: FREE Webinar March 27th: An Evolutionary Perspective on Molt presented by Peter Pyle
FYI, please follow up with the organizers if you have nay questions.
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Pamela Zevit RPBio | Biodiversity Conservation Planner
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T 604.590.7254
As a second generation settler, I am a privileged guest working on the shared traditional lands (t¨¦m:¨¦xw) of the s?my¨¢m? (Semiahmoo), q??c?iy?a??
(Katzie), K?ik?????m
(Kwikwetlem), q??¨»:n????n?
(Kwantlen), Qiq¨¦yt (Qayqayt), Sc??wa¦È?n
(Tsawwassen) and x?m?¦Èk??y??m
(Musqueam).
?
?
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From: The Institute for Bird Populations <mswalker@...>
Sent: Friday, March 1, 2024 9:44 AM
To: Zevit, Pamela <Pamela.Zevit@...>
Subject: FREE Webinar March 27th: An Evolutionary Perspective on Molt presented by Peter Pyle
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We hope you can join us for a FREE webinar
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"An Evolutionary Perspective On Molt"
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Wednesday, March 27th at
2pm Eastern/1pm Central/12pm Mountain/11am Pacific Time
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Presented by IBP Biologist Peter Pyle
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In a recent paper in the Journal of Avian Biology entitled "Moult terminology: envisioning an evolutionary approach", Peter Pyle and co-authors propose, illustrate, and discuss how molt strategies
may have evolved across avian lineages. Staunch advocates of the Humphrey-Parkes (H-P) system of molt and plumage terminology, they aim to familiarize readers with this system and increase their understanding of its evolutionary framework. In this webinar,
Peter Pyle will discuss how the four main molt strategies defined by Howell et al. (2003) may have evolved along lineages of an evolutionary tree. An evolutionary perspective makes the endeavor of understanding avian molt less daunting. "Once one envisions
the evolutionary bases of H-P, the categorization and study of molts becomes much less confusing, much more satisfying, and actually rather enjoyable," says Pyle.
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REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED
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To register use the button below
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Hope to see you there!
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The IBP team
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The Institute for Bird PopulationsPO Box 518Petaluma, CA 94953
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Is Our Food Waste Creating a Murder of Crows?
More insight from ongoing research at UBC.
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Feed: The Revelator
Posted on: Wednesday, February 7, 2024 5:01 AM
Author: Rebecca Heisman
Subject: Is Our Food Waste Creating a Murder of Crows?
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Last summer a team of researchers from the University of British Columbia headed into the field to study the food web linking aocal bird community. But their destination wasn¡¯t a temperate rainforest or rocky
coastline ¡ª it was urban Vancouver on trash day.
Their goal: untangling hidden ways in which food in the city¡¯s trash cans may shape its ecosystem.
The project is the brainchild of
, a Ph.D. student at the university¡¯s Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, who says urban trees held special significance for him while he was growing up in Philadelphia.
¡°I depended on these urban parks and green spaces to get a bit of respite from the urban hustle and bustle,¡± he says.
But not everyone enjoyed the same benefits he did. ¡°I saw that these spaces weren¡¯t distributed evenly everywhere around the city.¡± Some people, often those in richer, whiter neighborhoods, had greater access
than others to urban nature. Even then, he worried the trend would expand and worsen. ¡°I knew that urbanization was fast becoming one of the major forces for change in our world.¡±
When he arrived in Vancouver as a grad student, he and other students and faculty members noticed large numbers of crows and gulls coming onto campus to raid trash cans. How, they wondered, was the easy availability
of food waste affecting the urban ecosystem?
It¡¯s not a small question, as 30-40% of food in the United States ¡ª and
¡ª ends up uneaten and in the trash. This can be a bonanza for urban wildlife ¡ª including crows, who tend to thrive in cities.
 Photo
by on
But if food waste attracts unusual numbers of these gregarious, intelligent birds, could it create ripple effects through the rest of the local bird community?
In addition to eating trash, crows often prey on other birds, raiding their nests to eat eggs and young. According to Forrest, Vancouver¡¯s robin population has been declining for decades, while black-capped
chickadees have been holding steady or even increasing; he wonders if this could be, at least in part, because robins¡¯ open cup nests are more vulnerable to crows than chickadee nests hidden in tree cavities.
These questions eventually became the focus of his dissertation research, which began last summer. Forrest and a group of undergraduate research assistants woke up before sunrise to walk through neighborhoods
across the city, note trash receptacles with visible food waste, and observe the behavior of birds in the area. ¡°What were they doing? Were they eating, calling, interacting with another species?¡± says Forrest. ¡°And if they were eating something, what was
it?¡±
He¡¯s still analyzing the data, but it¡¯s already clear that human trash ¡°is making up a substantial portion of crows¡¯ diet [in Vancouver],¡± says Forrest, and ¡°they¡¯re congregating in areas where there¡¯s lots
of food waste.¡±
The next step will be to connect the presence of crows with overall urban bird diversity across Vancouver neighborhoods, drawing on a range of data sources. In addition to nest predation, ¡°there could be a number
of different reasons why there are fewer [bird] species around where there are crows ¡ª because they¡¯re scared of the crows, or they¡¯re being outcompeted by the crows,¡± says Forrest.
 Photo
by on
Forrest is already in touch with the city government, and if it
does turn out that crows attracted by trash are having negative impacts on bird communities, he hopes to work with officials to make changes that will benefit both birds and people, such as introducing
more crow-resistant trash bins or improving trash pickup services in lower-income areas ¡ª changes that could be made in other cities, too.
Forrest¡¯s project adds to a rich body of research on the dynamics of urban bird communities.
have uncovered complex relationships between bird feeders (another artificial source of food for wildlife), nest predators, and songbirds¡¯ nesting success. And as Forrest has
noticed in both Philadelphia and Vancouver, socioeconomic and racial inequality among human communities affects birds, too ¡ª for example, neighborhoods in Los Angeles where Black people were once prevented from buying homes by ¡°redlining¡±
than historically Black neighborhoods, which tend to have denser housing and fewer trees.
Although it¡¯s still in the early stages, other experts are intrigued by his project¡¯s potential. Desir¨¦e Narango of the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, an ornithologist and urban ecologist who is not involved
in Forrest¡¯s research, says he is embarking on ¡°an ambitious study, which is definitely admirable. I think it¡¯s exciting that he¡¯s already having conversations with the city, because that¡¯s how urban ecology can really make a difference, by actually having
these conversations, determining what sort of actions can help people and wildlife, and then making it happen.¡±
Forrest notes that his research isn¡¯t intended to vilify crows ¡ª or any other species. Crows may be a threat to smaller birds, but as Forrest acknowledges, a lot of people
like them, too. On his surveys, he met people who carried peanuts in their pockets to feed crows while walking in their neighborhoods.
¡°I don¡¯t necessarily want to make a judgment call on behalf of the community,¡± Forrest says. Instead, he wants to help residents make better-informed decisions by revealing the hidden dynamics of the urban ecosystem
they¡¯re part of. That may start by paying better attention to what we eat ¡ª and what we, as a society, throw away.
Previously in The Revelator:
The post appeared first on .
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To add to this conversation, this paper describes some of the human activities on birds that don't necessarily result in direct mortality but still cause nonlethal impacts and possible eventual mortality: Some good references cited.
If possible, it would be great to see the birding community/individuals come together as an important stakeholder group to pressure governments to take serious steps (e.g., legislation, restrictions) to significantly reduce or eliminate known, solvable, and significant threats to birds and other species such as window collisions, pollutants (e.g., pesticides, light), and free roaming cats.
Cheers, Greg Ferguson Richmond
On Thu, Feb 22, 2024 at 11:57?AM Derek Matthews < Derek@...> wrote: Thanks Krista - And we still need to work on commercial buildings. I don¡¯t know much about the Building Code here but I¡¯m sure it sets minimum requirements for new construction, renovation, and change of use of buildings. But I understand, that despite the availability of proven, affordable techniques to reduce bird collisions with buildings, there are no provisions in the Building Code to require that they¡¯re actually used! ? I was speaking with the lead architect of a major public building on the North Shore and asked if any thought was given to bird window strikes with all the glass in the building and he said ¡°it was but it got kicked back at the budget stage as being too expensive¡± ¨C it¡¯s obscene that we always put budgets ahead of biodiversity and what¡¯s best for the environment ¨C we could stop this carnage right now by changing the building code to mandate that bird friendly glass is used in all new building projects where there are window strike threats ¨C and that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean all windows. The price point is understandably higher but haven't our developers made enough money in the last couple of decades?! ? By mandating bird-friendly building construction measures in the Building Code, and educating the public about the need to protect problem windows in their homes, we could significantly reduce the number of birds that die needlessly each year from window strikes in Canada! ? Thanks again. ? Derek ? ? ? Thanks Derek - all great points, and thank you for all the great work that VARC is doing to encourage homeowners to treat windows.? The specific references for the information below are: ?
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? And the local work conducted at UBC that found Varied Thrush were highly vulnerable to collisions (higher mortality than expected, based on their relative abundance):
? Best, Krista ? Krista De Groot (she/her) Research Coordinator, Urban Ecology and Nature-based Climate Solutions Wildlife Research Division Science and Technology Branch Environment and Climate Change Canada e-mail: krista.degroot@... ? Krista De Groot (elle) Coordonnatrice de la recherche en ¨¦cologie urbaine Division de la recherche sur la faune Direction g¨¦n¨¦rale des sciences et de la technologie Environnement et changement climatique Canada adresse de courriel: krista.degroot@... ? 
? ? ? ? Thanks for posting this Dan and as you say ¡°High time!¡± ? The estimates of fatalities from window strikes in Canada and the US are from the and are likely underestimated. ? I hear from lots of people about birds hitting their residential windows with the comment ¡°It was stunned but fortunately recovered and flew off¡± but research has shown that a collision can temporarily stun a bird and that even if it does flies off, seemingly recovered, many of these birds later die from broken bones, internal bleeding or bruising. Because of the sheer number of windows in residential homes, the toll on birds is greater than in commercial buildings which is why we¡¯ve been working to get people to take action by installing the 3M dots by Feather Friendly. ? There has been a lot of focus on window strikes and migratory birds but birds that winter in Southwestern BC are exposed to mortality due to window collisions and other human related threats such as predation by cats, for at least half of their annual life cycle and birds like Varied thrushes are particularly vulnerable. Therefore, we have an increased responsibility to ensure our homes and businesses are bird-friendly! ? Lots more info. on window strikes on the : ? Thanks again for posting! ? Derek 
| Derek J. Matthews
Chairman, ?Director Communication
NABC Certified Trainer
Vancouver?Avian Research Centre
Registered Canadian Charity #82118 2656 RR0001
4115, East Braemar Road, North Vancouver, BC, V7K 3C9
T: (604) 218-1191
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? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? -----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel Bastaja
Sent: February 21, 2024 11:25 PM
To: Vanbirds <[email protected]>
Subject: [vanbcbirds] Bird collisions ? An article about how some architects are trying to incorporate bird-friendly designs into buildings. High time! The article estimates that as many as a billion migrating birds are killed every year in North America from bulding collisions. That number seems awfully high, but the article doesn't say from whence that stat came. But whatever the number, it is a LOT! ?
? Daniel Bastaja danielbastaja@... ? ? ? ?
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Thanks Krista - And we still need to work on commercial buildings. I don¡¯t know much about the Building Code here but I¡¯m sure it sets minimum requirements for new construction, renovation, and change of use of buildings. But I understand, that despite the availability of proven, affordable techniques to reduce bird collisions with buildings, there are no provisions in the Building Code to require that they¡¯re actually used! ? I was speaking with the lead architect of a major public building on the North Shore and asked if any thought was given to bird window strikes with all the glass in the building and he said ¡°it was but it got kicked back at the budget stage as being too expensive¡± ¨C it¡¯s obscene that we always put budgets ahead of biodiversity and what¡¯s best for the environment ¨C we could stop this carnage right now by changing the building code to mandate that bird friendly glass is used in all new building projects where there are window strike threats ¨C and that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean all windows. The price point is understandably higher but haven't our developers made enough money in the last couple of decades?! ? By mandating bird-friendly building construction measures in the Building Code, and educating the public about the need to protect problem windows in their homes, we could significantly reduce the number of birds that die needlessly each year from window strikes in Canada! ? Thanks again. ? Derek ? ?
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of De Groot,Krista (elle, la | she, her) (ECCC)
Sent: February 22, 2024 9:39 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [vanbcbirds] Bird collisions? Thanks Derek - all great points, and thank you for all the great work that VARC is doing to encourage homeowners to treat windows.? The specific references for the information below are: ?
?
? And the local work conducted at UBC that found Varied Thrush were highly vulnerable to collisions (higher mortality than expected, based on their relative abundance):
? Best, Krista ? Krista De Groot (she/her) Research Coordinator, Urban Ecology and Nature-based Climate Solutions Wildlife Research Division Science and Technology Branch Environment and Climate Change Canada e-mail: krista.degroot@... ? Krista De Groot (elle) Coordonnatrice de la recherche en ¨¦cologie urbaine Division de la recherche sur la faune Direction g¨¦n¨¦rale des sciences et de la technologie Environnement et changement climatique Canada adresse de courriel: krista.degroot@... ? 
? ? ? ? Thanks for posting this Dan and as you say ¡°High time!¡± ? The estimates of fatalities from window strikes in Canada and the US are from the and are likely underestimated. ? I hear from lots of people about birds hitting their residential windows with the comment ¡°It was stunned but fortunately recovered and flew off¡± but research has shown that a collision can temporarily stun a bird and that even if it does flies off, seemingly recovered, many of these birds later die from broken bones, internal bleeding or bruising. Because of the sheer number of windows in residential homes, the toll on birds is greater than in commercial buildings which is why we¡¯ve been working to get people to take action by installing the 3M dots by Feather Friendly. ? There has been a lot of focus on window strikes and migratory birds but birds that winter in Southwestern BC are exposed to mortality due to window collisions and other human related threats such as predation by cats, for at least half of their annual life cycle and birds like Varied thrushes are particularly vulnerable. Therefore, we have an increased responsibility to ensure our homes and businesses are bird-friendly! ? Lots more info. on window strikes on the : ? Thanks again for posting! ? Derek 
| Derek J. Matthews
Chairman, ?Director Communication
NABC Certified Trainer
Vancouver?Avian Research Centre
Registered Canadian Charity #82118 2656 RR0001
4115, East Braemar Road, North Vancouver, BC, V7K 3C9
T: (604) 218-1191
E:
W: |
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? -----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel Bastaja
Sent: February 21, 2024 11:25 PM
To: Vanbirds <[email protected]>
Subject: [vanbcbirds] Bird collisions ? An article about how some architects are trying to incorporate bird-friendly designs into buildings. High time! The article estimates that as many as a billion migrating birds are killed every year in North America from bulding collisions. That number seems awfully high, but the article doesn't say from whence that stat came. But whatever the number, it is a LOT! ?
? Daniel Bastaja danielbastaja@... ? ? ? ?
|
Thanks Derek - all great points, and thank you for all the great work that VARC is doing to encourage homeowners to treat windows.? The specific references for the information below are:
?
?
?
And the local work conducted at UBC that found Varied Thrush were highly vulnerable to collisions (higher mortality than expected, based on their relative abundance):
?
Best,
Krista
?
Krista De Groot (she/her)
Research Coordinator, Urban Ecology and Nature-based Climate Solutions
Wildlife Research Division
Science and Technology Branch
Environment and Climate Change Canada
e-mail:
krista.degroot@...
?
Krista De Groot (elle)
Coordonnatrice de la recherche en ¨¦cologie urbaine
Division de la recherche sur la faune
Direction g¨¦n¨¦rale des sciences et de la technologie
Environnement et changement climatique Canada
adresse de courriel:
krista.degroot@...
?
?
?
?
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From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
On Behalf Of Derek Matthews via groups.io
Sent: Thursday, February 22, 2024 9:00 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [vanbcbirds] Bird collisions
?
Thanks for posting this Dan and as you say ¡°High time!¡±
?
The estimates of fatalities from window strikes in Canada and the US are from the
and are likely underestimated.
?
I hear from lots of people about birds hitting their residential windows with the comment ¡°It was stunned but fortunately recovered and flew off¡± but research
has shown that a collision can temporarily stun a bird and that even if it does flies off, seemingly recovered, many of these birds later die from broken bones, internal bleeding or bruising. Because of the sheer number of windows in residential homes, the
toll on birds is greater than in commercial buildings which is why we¡¯ve been working to get people to take action by installing the 3M dots by Feather Friendly.
?
There has been a lot of focus on window strikes and migratory birds but birds that winter in Southwestern BC are exposed to mortality due to window collisions
and other human related threats such as predation by cats, for at least half of their annual life cycle and birds like Varied thrushes are particularly vulnerable. Therefore, we have an increased responsibility to ensure our homes and businesses are bird-friendly!
?
Lots more info. on window strikes on the
:
?
Thanks again for posting!
?
Derek
|
|
Derek J. Matthews
Chairman,
?Director Communication
NABC Certified Trainer
Vancouver?Avian Research Centre
Registered Canadian Charity #82118 2656 RR0001
4115, East Braemar Road, North Vancouver, BC, V7K 3C9
T: (604) 218-1191
E:
W:
|
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
?
-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel Bastaja
Sent: February 21, 2024 11:25 PM
To: Vanbirds <[email protected]>
Subject: [vanbcbirds] Bird collisions
?
An article about how some architects are trying to incorporate bird-friendly designs into buildings. High time! The article estimates that as many as a billion migrating birds are killed every year in North America
from bulding collisions. That number seems awfully high, but the article doesn't say from whence that stat came. But whatever the number, it is a LOT!
?
?
Daniel Bastaja
danielbastaja@...
?
?
?
?
|
Thanks for posting this Dan and as you say ¡°High time!¡± ? The estimates of fatalities from window strikes in Canada and the US are from the and are likely underestimated. ? I hear from lots of people about birds hitting their residential windows with the comment ¡°It was stunned but fortunately recovered and flew off¡± but research has shown that a collision can temporarily stun a bird and that even if it does flies off, seemingly recovered, many of these birds later die from broken bones, internal bleeding or bruising. Because of the sheer number of windows in residential homes, the toll on birds is greater than in commercial buildings which is why we¡¯ve been working to get people to take action by installing the 3M dots by Feather Friendly. ? There has been a lot of focus on window strikes and migratory birds but birds that winter in Southwestern BC are exposed to mortality due to window collisions and other human related threats such as predation by cats, for at least half of their annual life cycle and birds like Varied thrushes are particularly vulnerable. Therefore, we have an increased responsibility to ensure our homes and businesses are bird-friendly! ? Lots more info. on window strikes on the : ? Thanks again for posting! ? Derek 
| Derek J. Matthews
Chairman, ?Director Communication
NABC Certified Trainer
Vancouver?Avian Research Centre
Registered Canadian Charity #82118 2656 RR0001
4115, East Braemar Road, North Vancouver, BC, V7K 3C9
T: (604) 218-1191
E: Derek@...
W: www.birdvancouver.com |
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
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-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Daniel Bastaja
Sent: February 21, 2024 11:25 PM
To: Vanbirds <[email protected]>
Subject: [vanbcbirds] Bird collisions ? An article about how some architects are trying to incorporate bird-friendly designs into buildings. High time! The article estimates that as many as a billion migrating birds are killed every year in North America from bulding collisions. That number seems awfully high, but the article doesn't say from whence that stat came. But whatever the number, it is a LOT! ? ? Daniel Bastaja danielbastaja@... ? ? ?
|
An article about how some architects are trying to incorporate bird-friendly designs into buildings. High time! The article estimates that as many as a billion migrating birds are killed every year in North America from bulding collisions. That number seems awfully high, but the article doesn't say from whence that stat came. But whatever the number, it is a LOT!
Daniel Bastaja
danielbastaja@...
|
Research - Hummingbirds and Screech Owl
Hello
I thought the following research papers would be of interest to this group.
Best, Greg Richmond
2024. English et al. Biol Conserv 289.
2023. Rugg et al. Global Ecol and Conserv 48.
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[bcvibirds] Whooper Swan in WA
FYI
Begin forwarded message:
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From: "Robert Hay via groups.io" <rbhay2020@...> Date: 18 February 2024 at 10:44:39 am GMT-8 To: [email protected]Subject: [bcvibirds] Whooper Swan in WAReply-To: [email protected]
? FYI - seen yesterday in Puget Sound, WA. To watch out for in southwestern BC.Bob HayCassidy, BC
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Group
I see no reports for 2 weeks and wondering if it¡¯s just lack of visitation or if it¡¯s actually gone. Any negative reports?
Keith Taylor
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Derek Matthews
Pamela Zevit
pat.mary.taylor