February 2 is World Wetlands Day! This is a perfect time to reflect on how we can look after our wetlands. We at Birds Canada work hard to restore and protect these amazing places, and with the help of our partners and supporters like you, we’ve been very successful. Thousands of wetlands, particularly those in agricultural landscapes, remain in peril of drainage.
Some of the best tools we have for gauging the health of Earth’s biodiversity are extinction risk listings. Nationally, we have the Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA), which is based on assessments by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
In this free, fun event, people around the world count birds for at least 15 minutes on one or more days. Birds can be counted anywhere – from the warmth of your home, while out walking, or at your nearest park.
Birds Canada held a third successful bird count within the Fraser River Estuary Important Bird Area in British Columbia on November 20, 2021. Sixty-five volunteer surveyors detected 132 bird species and more than 180,000 individuals in this crucial wintering bird hotspot! An immense thank-you to all who contributed.
Dr. Tony Gaston, in collaboration with Mark Maftei and the Raincoast Education Society (RES), set out to improve this knowledge by conducting self-funded, formal surveys in 2020 and 2021. And we had an opportunity to participate in the field surveys!
Birds have long been tied to our holiday traditions, from cardinals and Blue Jays with snowy backdrops adorning our greeting cards, to songs about birds that date back to the late 1700s.
For more than 20 years, bird observatories across Canada have been banding birds and carrying out other meaningful research and monitoring activities as part of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network.
As 2021 draws to a close, all of us at Birds Canada are reflecting with gratitude on the support we’ve received this year. We hope you’ll feel the impact of your contributions as you enjoy the Winter 2022 issue of BirdWatch Canada magazine.
Find the Birds is a bridge from screen time to green time. I conceived of it to get my peers excited about nature. As an avid gamer and winner of the 2018 American Birding Association Young Birder of the Year Award, I envisioned a new type of entertainment, one where birds and content were indicative of reality, not fantasy.
Cole (9) and Arthur (7) from Surrey, BC are passionate about birds, learning, and community involvement. They are on an incredible journey walking, scooting, cycling, and stair climbing the equivalent distance AND elevation gain from Tofino to St. John’s—all to raise awareness and donations for birds!
