Sightings Needed of Leg-flagged Dunlin

Posted on by

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)

Featured Article – How Do American Robins Find Earthworms?

Posted on by

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.

December 2020 BC Birding Now Available

Posted on by

The December 2020 edition of BC Birding is now available in the Members Only section (you will be emailed the URL if you’ve forgotten the password). This is a particularly rich edition including items on:

  • Upcoming BCFO Zoom presentations
  • Birding during COVID times
  • Bagging that rarity
  • Nest watching: Barn Swallows and Ospreys
  • Birding in The Congo
  • Northwest Crows and Green-winged Teal
  • Tracking Pleistocene Birds
  • Mexico as a winter birding destination

Plus all the usual features and some superb photography.  Print subscribers ($12 annually allows you to read the magazine in traditional form) will receive their copy through the post in due course.

Christmas Bird Counts

Posted on by
Photo: Camilla Cerea/Audubon

Christmas Bird Count season will be upon us soon. With that in mind, we have just opened our annual CBC tracking page for this 121st count season.

If your count(s) does not yet have this season’s information entered, please send the details as soon as possible to our compiler directly through the page.

Job Posting: Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas

Posted on by

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.