Amie MacDonald of Birds Canada has a request:

Hello BC birders,

Birds Canada has recently started a research project using radio-telemetry and leg flags to track overwintering movements of Dunlin in the Fraser River Estuary and their migration. We would appreciate hearing about any sightings of birds with leg flags if you happen to see any while out birding – you can email me directly at amacdonald@birdscanada.org. Spotting a leg flag in a large flock of Dunlin is certainly no easy feat, but we know birders are up for the challenge! We will collect a lot of movement data through the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, but leg flag sightings help in areas where there is no Motus coverage and offer very precise locations. Complete reads of the 3-digit code are great, but even just one or two of the digits can be very helpful if you can’t get a complete read.

Thanks and happy birding!

Amie

Amie MacDonald
Motus Analyst and Coordinator, British Columbia
Birds Canada | Oiseaux Canada
(506) 232-1219 | amacdonald@birdscanada.org
www.birdscanada.org | www.motus.org
(she/her)

The American Robin pictured above is certainly not looking for earthworms in a mountain ash tree, but for most of us these ubiquitous birds foraging in a grassy field is another familiar sight.

Dr Rob Butler has made a study of a question that has likely puzzled many of us over the years: ” How exactly do they find the earthworms that they eat? Do they use sight or sound or …?”

Read Rob’s article here to see what he found out.

Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA) Job Posting – Deadline extended to October 15, 2020

BC Nature is seeking a part-time coordinator to manage the Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA) Caretaker Network in British Columbia.

The IBA program monitors and conserves a network of more than 11,000 of the world’s most important places for birds and biodiversity. Please find the job posting on the button below, as well as in your BC Nature Fall 2020 Magazine, coming to your mailboxes soon.

Please submit a cover letter and resume to manager@bcnature.ca by October 15, 2020.

The request from Tara Imlay reads as follows:

Last year, my colleagues and I began a research project to understand the breeding area of bird species that experience high rates of anthropogenic (human-caused) mortality in southwestern British Columbia.  The sources of anthropogenic mortality are varied, but can include things like collisions with windows or vehicles, or from cats and other domestic animals. For this work, we are collecting carcasses from this region until Summer 2021. Last year we received a large number of carcasses from the public, and we gratefully thank those who contributed.

This year, we are again asking your members, and other interested members of the public, to send us carcasses of birds that they find.  We ask that they record the day, time, and location where the bird was found, and freeze the body (placing in a Ziploc bag or similar is sufficient).  I have attached a poster that summarizes this information and this poster can be shared with your members, other organizations, or on social media.

We would also be happy to give a talk to your members about the findings of this work or other research we are involved with.

Thank-you in advance for your assistance,

Tara