British Columbia Field Ornithologists

Recent events, including the racism directed at Christian Cooper on the Ramble in New York City’s Central Park, demonstrate that racism and discrimination are everywhere, even in the birding world. British Columbia Field Ornithologists is committed to ensuring inclusion and diversity within its own ranks and within the wider birding community. All of us have a responsibility to challenge racism and discrimination whenever they appear and to work towards respect and inclusivity, whether we are in the field or meeting with our members and fellow birders.

The latest edition of the quarterly newsmagazine is now available online in the Members section of this website. (If you’ve forgotten the password, the direct link will be emailed to all members shortly.)

This 32-page edition includes:

• The latest installment of Curlewmania
• Reports of birding in Costa Rica, The Algarve and New Zealand’s subarctic islands
• A tale of finding, at last, a Boreal Owl
• A new feature: Bird Photographers’ Corner
• Some initial annual reports, to whet the appetite for the Zoom AGM on June 25 (details are included)
• All the usual features and some surprises

Print subscribers ($12 annually allows you to read the magazine in traditional form) will receive their copy through the post in due course.

Discussion of Round 28 submissions to the Bird Records Committee has just been completed. Consensus decisions to “accept” were made for nine of the ten submissions for this round.

Photo: David Baird

To see the full report of those recently accepted records, follow the link here or use the drop down menu above – BRC Public > Feb – Mar, 2020.

The latest edition of the quarterly newsmagazine is now available online in the Members section of this website. (If you’ve forgotten the password, the direct link will be emailed to all members shortly.)

Information on the Smithers Conference and AGM, including the pre-conference trip, can be found, along with registration processes and a hotel list. Other contents, in addition to the usual features, include:

• This year’s set of listers’ tables
• Christmas Bird Count Highlights
• Golden Eagles in the Rocky Mountains
• Palaeo-ornithology in BC and South Africa

Print subscribers ($12 annually allows you to read the magazine in traditional form) will receive their copy through the post in due course.

 – Invitation to Apply –

Needed – Three (3) individuals to serve as participating members of the BC Bird Records Committee (BCBRC).

Duration – We are seeking three individuals who are willing to commit to a three-year term, beginning April 2020. As per BRC operating guidelines, up to two consecutive terms may be served, for a total of six years. Renewal for a second term is optional and subject to BCBRC approval. Members may not sit for more than two-consecutive terms before taking a mandatory one-year absence. Following this absence, individuals may be re-nominated for additional terms, and placed in the candidate pool for available positions. Monthly time commitments vary, but candidates should be willing to put in approximately ten (non-consecutive) hours.

Qualifications – Candidates should be knowledgeable on bird identification and distribution of all bird species in the province, as well as familiar with the identification and distribution of avian taxa from the remainder of North America, and ideally also Eurasia and Mexico. Preferred candidates will have first-hand experience with the majority of species that may be reported (see the current Review List). In addition to field experience, candidates should have access to sufficient resources (e.g., books, web resources) to provide critical, independent commentary and evaluations of bird records by set deadlines. Knowledge of aging and sexing of birds is a plus.

Candidates must be courteous and respectful of fellow committee members and to individuals whose records are being reviewed, including confidentiality of observer names and committee discussions. Previous experience with committees is beneficial, but not mandatory; however, candidates must be able to work effectively in a committee operating under a consensus framework.
In addition to birding experience, candidates must be able to reliably communicate electronically. This includes frequent and reliable access to the internet and the ability to email, Skype (or similar alternative), and send/receive files in MS Word and MS Excel formats.

Prior membership to BCFO is not a requirement, but non-members are expected to join the organization upon appointment to the committee. All BCBRC members are expected to maintain their membership to BCFO in good standing for the duration of their tenure. Candidates should reside in British Columbia for the majority of each calendar year for which they are serving.

Selection – The committee strives to maintain representation of the entire provincial birding community by selecting members from varied regions of the province. To further ensure that the committee is representative of the provincial birding community, women are strongly encouraged to apply.

The BCBRC is a committee of the BCFO. Applicants, or a short-list of applicants, will be discussed by the current BCBRC membership for nomination to the committee. Final appointments are made by the BCFO Board of Directors.

How to apply – You may nominate yourself or someone else who you believe is qualified. All nominations should be sent electronically to the Chairperson of the BCBRC, at bcbrc.chair@gmail.com. In the email include a brief description of your qualifications, or, if nominating someone else, highlight why you think that person would fit well on the committee. Make sure to include your full name and contact information (email address and/or phone number), or the full name and contact information of the nominee. All information should appear in the body of the email; formal cover letters, CVs, etc., are not required.
 Please apply as soon as possible, and no later than March 15. The positions will remain open until filled.

Round 27 of the Bird Records Committee was a significant one. Two new species were added to the Main Provincial list, and another was elevated from the Provisional List to the main list.

Photo: David Bell

To see the full report of recently accepted records, follow the link here or use the drop down menu above – BRC Public.

BCFO is delighted to present the latest entry in our Featured Photographer series. This time we showcase another of our talented young birders, Adam Dhalla, who received a BCFO Young Birder Award in 2017. See his work here

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The BCFO Young Birder Award welcomes talented young birders into the BC birding community providing them with recognition, opportunity, encouragement, and mentoring.

We present Young Birder Awards to youth who meet certain qualifications. To be selected for a BCFO Young Birder Award, recipients must be between 11 and 18 years of age, and have:

• exceptional observational and birding skills well beyond the ‘novice’ level;
• shown substantive engagement in the activities of the birding community through their accomplishments, participation, and contributions;
• been nominated and sponsored by a BCFO member, and approved by the Board of Directors.

2020 is the seventh year of the BCFO Awards Program as we continue to find many young, keen, committed birders from around BC. Each recipient receives a free membership to BCFO until age 18, a memorial plaque, and a stylish BCFO ball cap.

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Congratulations to Nicholas Croft and Gaelen Schnare the 2020 BCFO Young Birder Award recipients. They join the ranks of a very talented and growing group of British Columbia young birders.

Nicholas Croft

Nicholas Croft started birding in 2015 when he was eight years old. His favourite birding places include Tofino, Waterton Lakes and the Okanagan. He recently joined two Young Birder Program field trips to Kamloops and the Southern Okanagan. On these trips he saw many lifers, with the highlight being a family of Great Grey Owls. Nicholas has done one pelagic trip, which he loved and hopes to do more. Nicholas recently helped OWL release an injured and rehabilitated Northern Saw-whet Owl.

His passion for birds was rewarded at the Vancouver Island Regional Science Fair where he won an award for his project assessing winter bird use of the Hope Bay estuary. Nicholas has also contributed to citizen science through the annual CBC4Kids on Pender Island, and helps out with the BC Coastal Waterbird Survey, a program of Birds Canada and Environment Canada.

Birding for Nicholas also has an artistic side. Developing and honing his photography skills has resulted in four photo exhibitions on Pender Island. Nicholas hopes to experience a whole new world of birding when he goes to Australia next year.

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Gaelen Schnare

Gaelen has a deep love for all things bird-related. He is an impressive young person and an impressive birder. Possessing a keen eye and unbridled enthusiasm, he is also very good with a camera; framing and selling his photos at various art shows.

As a citizen scientist, Gaelen contributes his bird observations through eBird, and also posts his natural history observations to iNaturalist. He regularly gives presentations about birds at the annual Creston Valley Bird Festival, and has led tours at that festival for young birders – a mentor already.

Gaelen also gives presentations to local Nelson schools, and participates in the Nelson Christmas Bird Count. This past summer, he and his father accompanied friends to Saskatchewan to bird the Grasslands National Park.

The latest edition of the quarterly newsmagazine is now available online in the Members section of this website. Revel in some superb bird photographs by members and read about:

• The extraordinary influx of rarities this fall
• Latest BCFO information
• The final flourish of the Young Birders under Melissa Hafting
• Local and international trip reports
• Some unexpected avian encounters
• All the usual features
• –And for listers, instructions on how to get your updated lists into the Spring edition

Hard copy subscribers ($12 annually allows you to read the magazine in peace without electronics) will receive their copy through the post in due course.