by Pat on January 26, 2010
BirdLife International initiated the Important Bird Area (IBA) program in the mid-1980’s. The main goals of the program were to identify, conserve and monitor the world’s most critical places for bird populations.
IBAs are priority areas where threatened, restricted-range, biome-restricted and congregatory birds occur.
Birds are the best documented, and are often thought to be the most efficiently monitored, of all animal and plant groups. For these reasons, birds are often chosen for environmental monitoring efforts.
Places rich in bird species are generally rich in other forms of biodiversity. When IBAs are maintained, there is value for birds and non-birds alike. As such, maintaining IBAs contributes to conservation objectives beyond birds.
IBAs are critical for people and their communities. Human health and wellness are increased when people are reconnected with natural places such as IBAs. Visiting IBAs can be a way for people to de-stress, relax or engage in physical and social activities. Enjoying an IBA does not require expensive or specialized equipment, therefore, most people could so so without concern for potential financial barriers.
Many IBAs are wetlands. These sites provide environmental services, such as maintaining freshwater and reducing the impact of extreme weather events including floods and droughts.
In Canada, BirdLife International’s national partners are Nature Canada and Bird Studies Canada. The Federation of Alberta Naturalists (FAN) has taken on the coordination of the IBA program at the provincial level in Alberta where forty-eight sites have been declared IBAs. Other provincial level partners have taken on coordination and delivery of the IBA program in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Nova Scotia. It is hoped that all provinces and territories will be represented in the collaborative effort to identify, conserve and monitor Canada’s premier bird places.
Currently, FAN is working to establish, coordinate and assist the efforts of a network of volunteer caretakers across Alberta. Caretakers could choose to be involved in a variety of work such as working on the ground to increase the profile of IBAs, engage with local people that live near IBAs, count birds and assess habitat conditions at IBAs.
An individual, a group of individuals or an organization could be caretakers. FAN will also work to help increase the profile of Alberta’s IBAs by creating an interactive website that will take people to Alberta’s IBAs virtually. Our technological age is often cited as one of the main reasons that people have lost their connection with nature. In a “fight fire with fire” approach, we will use technology to reconnect people.
Awareness of IBA sites and the program will be increased by doing presentations at public events, publishing articles and bring the public and media out for “Big Birding Days”.
Delivery of the IBA program is about collaboration and partnership. The program is a coming together of people who feel that birds and the habitats that support their populations are critical. The goal of these combined efforts is to ensure that people will recognize the importance of the world’s most important places for birds and support efforts to monitor and conserve these sites.
The preceding article was reprinted with permission from the Federation of Alberta Naturalists. Written by Chuck Priestly and Vid Bijelic, it appeared in the Autumn 2009 issue of Nature Alberta. If you would like to learn more about, or participate in the Alberta IBA program, please contact Chuck Priestly at chuck@fanweb.ca or (780) 427-8124.
Bird Studies Canada and Nature Canada are thrilled to announce the launch of a new website for the Canadian Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program. The site’s main goals are to share information about IBAs in Canada, and to empower more Canadians to reconnect with nature as volunteers for the IBA Caretaker Network.
The new, fully bilingual website provides information, tools, and mapping features to help IBA partners and volunteers more effectively monitor birds and assess conditions at key sites. There are nearly 600 Canadian IBAs, many of which are not legally protected.
To learn more or get involved, visit the IBA Canada website or contact Bird Studies Canada’s IBA Technical Coordinator, Janet Moore, at jmoore@birdscanada.org.
by Pat on January 11, 2010
We took a prairie birding drive yesterday, looking for snowy owls. Naturally enough, this post is therefore about black-billed magpies.
This is the countryside where we looking for owls. White owls.
Some trips they are easy to find, perched on power poles, fence posts, graineries and hay bales. Some trips they just don’t want to be seen.
When we left the city, I commented to my husband that we should write down on the species we see on this trip. The words had no sooner left my mouth than he said “black-billed magpie.” And he kept saying it all day.
Everywhere we went, we saw black-billed magpies perched on power poles, fence posts, buildings etc etc. On this trip we were glad of their company, as we saw little else.
With all this time to actually think about black-billed magpies, I chastised myself once again for taking these beautiful birds for granted. Having grown up in the west, these birds have been in my life for as long as I can remember. I plead guilty to looking past them to find ‘real birds.’
Their bold black-and-white pattern and long tail make them easy to identify, and in true Corvid fashion, they are rarely, if ever, silent. These clever Corvids are not actually black though, but a beautiful iridescent green/blue colour. They are magnificent in the sunshine.
This photo is by Nick Saunders, one of many wonderful pictures on his blog at http://www.saskbirder.com/
One day when I was doing a shift at the local bird sanctuary, I was approached by two very excited visitors. They said they had just seen the most beautiful bird, and wanted to know what it was. I immediately started thinking western tanager, or varied thrush or something similar. They said it was black and white with a very long tail. Oh.
It turned out they were from eastern Canada, and had never seen a black-billed magpie before. Yep, we surely do take them for granted.
I regularly feed the magpies in my yard, without giving it a thought. They love chicken or turkey carcasses, and even have their own feeding tray. When I put one of these out, I immediately have about 10 magpies descend on it, providing hours of squabbling, squawking entertainment.
They often pick up a piece of meat, drape it over the edge of the tray and put one foot on it. When it is thus securely held, they can tear strips off, and prevent other birds from getting near it.
A few years ago when we had a heavy overnight snowfall, I threw a few cups of dry dog food out on the deck for the magpies, and it disappeared quickly. Ever since then, whenever we get a heavy snowfall, there is a flock of silent magpies siting on the deck railing, looking in the window and waiting patiently for their meal. The older birds have taught the younger ones the routine.
As a true Corvid fan – my favorite bird is the raven – I should be ashamed of myself for taking the clever, magnificent black-billed magpie for granted.
Yes, it is always a treat see snowy owls when they make their way down from the Arctic, but their appearance is decidedly a hit or miss affair. Our magpies, on the other hand, are always around when we want to see birds. I’d do well to remember that in future.
- To read more about black-billed magpies, visit the Boreal Songbird Initiative This page also lets you listen to the sound these birds make. Turn your volume up all the way, and imagine that outside your bedroom window at 5:00 am…
by Pat on January 7, 2010
While I have been birding as long as I can remember, I am relatively new to photographing birds. Now that I’ve finally moved into the world of digital cameras. I’ve become a picture taking fool. Some of my photos are even decent shots, and I love the surprises I get once the pictures have been loaded onto the computer.
The hobby of birdwatching is one gigantic challenge. Your subjects are always on the move, they have different plumages at different times of year, they hide in the shrubbery etc etc. The challenge is why most of us love it.
Combine birdwatching with the challenge of learning how to work a new camera, and you clearly have challenge-overload.
A recent trip to Nevada provided me with the chance for some desert birdwatching, and an opportunity to figure out this wonderful new piece of equipment.
I decided that just as beginning birdwatchers are encouraged to start with ducks, I would do the same with my new camera.
However…
Trying to photograph diving ducks presented me with a whole swack of challenges at the same time. Winter plumage diving ducks, plus a new camera with many unknown buttons provided a wealth of blurry birds and some colorful language.
When I uploaded my pictures though, I discovered some that I wanted to share with my readers.
This is an Eared Grebe ripple
This is a Ruddy Duck ripple
And if those aren’t impressive enough…
There is a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher in here
An Abert's Towhee is thrashing through here
Clearly, I need to spend waaaay more time outdoors, looking for birds and practicing with my new camera. What a pity.
