Wandering Tattler - November 2011.pdf - Nature Vancouver

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BACKYARD BIRDER WITH AL GRASSWELCOME THE JUNCOSJuncos, classic ground feeders, returned in good numberslocally to backyard feeders. It is true that juncos love toscratch on the ground for millet along with towhees, Goldencrownedsparrows and Varied Thrush but, juncos are also verycomfortable, feeding from perches on tube feeders loadedwith premium oil sunflower chips. Chips are 100% edible andthus the cleanest way to feed birds. Lately, juncos have alsobeen seen picking at suet cakes, perhaps on the peanut bits.Cheap suet cakes often contain seeds like millet, but the bestquality types don’t. No, the juncos are going after the best.WHO WAS ANNA?The Anna’s Hummingbird is the only hummer that stays in theNorthwest and West for the winter. How did this lovely jewel getits name? Anna’s Hummingbird was named for Princess Anna deBelle Massena. John James Audubon himself was charmed by her,but it was actually naturalist René Primevère Lesson who namedthe bird in her honour. Learn more about this dazzling jewel atCornell's AllAboutBirds. You'll find a recipe for hummingbirdnectar at SeattleAudubon.orgPhoto: Oregon Junco.Al GrassMost of our local juncos are of the “Oregon type”, but thereare always a few “slate-colored” types about. And thenthere’s the problem of trying to turn paler Oregon typesinto “pink-sided” types. Campbell, et al. 1997, Birds ofBritish Columbia, Vol. 4, Pg. 341 (UBC Press) notes: “fourspecies of the Dark-eyed Junco are known to occur in BritishColumbia”. Vanner, 2003, Encyclopaedia of North AmericanBirds, Pg. 344 (Paragon Press) comments, “the pink-sided juncosummers in the Northern Rockies”.NB: If anyone has seen a Pink-sided Junco lately at yourfeeder, please let Al know…thanks.Enjoy the juncosCheerAl Grassalgrass@shaw.caThe Wandering Tattler – November 2011 page 12
BSC ASSISTS ENVIRONMENT CANADAWITH SEABIRD-FISHERIES STUDY14 October 2011 – Bird Studies Canada's Christopher DiCorrado and Karen Barry joined Laurie Wilson and YurikoHashimoto from Environment Canada as sea bird observers tostudy the relationship between the BC Salmon Gillnet Fisheryand seabirds in waters off northern Vancouver Island.Environment Canada has been studying three areas near PortMcNeill, BC – the north side of Malcolm Island, BlackfishSound, and Johnstone Strait as well as the mouth of theSkeena River near Prince Rupert. Studies involved systematictransects in traditional fishing waters before, during, andafter the short commercial gillnet fisheries openings. Thestudy will map relative abundance, distribution, and behaviourof all birds on or flying over the water and it will compare birddata when there are no fishing fleets out at sea to bird dataduring active fishing periods. This data will provide betterunderstanding of the interaction between local seabird andfishing activities thereby helping to determine how, when, andwhere gillnet fishing may impact local seabirds and to identifypotential ways to mitigate impacts. The majority of birdsobserved during the surveys were colonial breeding speciessuch as Common Murre, Rhinoceros Auklets, Pigeon Guillemot,and Marbled Murrelets, as well as loons, grebes, and gulls. Formore information, contact Environment Canada’s Laurie Wilsonat laurie.wilson@ec.gc.ca28 October 2011 – Bird Studies Canada (BSC) is nowaccepting applications to the James L. Baillie Memorial Fundfor Bird Research and Preservation (the Baillie Fund) for the2012 grant cycle. A portion of funds raised through BSC’sannual Baillie Birdathon fundraiser are allocated to the BaillieFund to provide grants to individuals or groups for projectsthat further BSC’s mission. Since 1978, the Baillie Fund hasprovided grants totalling nearly $640,000 to 550 birdresearch and conservation projects across Canada. Inreviewing grant applications, the Baillie Fund Trustees givepriority to well-designed projects that engage the skills andenthusiasm of amateur naturalists and volunteers to help usunderstand, appreciate, and conserve Canadian birds in theirnatural environments.There are three granting programs, each with a differentapplication and review process. Applications for Regular Grantsare due by December 15, 2011; applications for Small Grantsare due by January 15, 2012; and applications for the James L.Baillie Student Award for Field Research, administered by theSociety of Canadian Ornithologists, are due by February 15,2012. For more information about the Baillie Fund grantprograms, past grants, and how to apply for a grant for yourproject, http://www.birdscanada.org/about/jlbmf/index.jspor contact the Baillie Fund Secretary at 1-866-518-0212 oracoughlan@birdscanada.orgCANADIAN MIGRATION MONITORINGNETWORK MEETS IN BC28 October 2011 – Seven Bird Studies Canada staff membersfrom our national headquarters and British Columbia officeswere among 48 participants at the recent VIIIth NationalMeeting of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network –Réseau canadien de surveillance des migrations (CMMN-RCSM).This biennial meeting of Canada’s CMMN stations and partnerswas hosted by the Vaseux Lake Bird Observatory at Naramata,BC from October 13 to 16. Representatives of 16 memberstations and 5 associated stations participated in the meeting,along with 4 Environment Canada staff, and other CMMNsupporters. Special guest lectures were presented by DavidToews, a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbiaand Dr. Ken Otter from the University of Northern BritishColumbia. Established in 1998, CMMN membership currentlyincludes 20 bird observatories and migration research stationsfrom across Canada. The CMMN is a collaborative initiativeamong these independent member stations, BSC, and theCanadian Wildlife Service. For more information contactAudrey Heagy, aheagy@bsc-eoc.org, 1-888-448-2473 ext. 166.The Wandering Tattler – November 2011 page 13
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Page 5 and 6: THE TRUTH ABOUT B.C. SOCKEYESALMON
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Wandering Tattler - November 2011.pdf - Nature Vancouver

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