Winter 2018 NCC magazine

There is something magical about
animal migration. From the unseen
cues that pull wildlife across the globe,
to the trials of travel that each individual faces
on the journey, the spectacle of migration is
both scientifically fascinating and awe-inspiring.
There are more than 575 migratory species
in Canada. Some of these species stay within
Canada, but many move south before the
winter to find food or warmer temperatures.
The congregations of individuals that often
happen during migration can also be an
opportunity to find a mate. While the migration
of birds is well known, many other species
leave Canada for the winter and return in the
spring, including butterflies, bats, dragonflies
and marine mammals.
Animal migrations around the world
are threatened. Habitat loss, fragmentation,
light pollution, physical barriers and
environmental contamination are impacting
the ability of species to migrate. Many
migratory animals are also vulnerable to
persecution, over-hunting and extreme
weather events during migration because
they congregate in large numbers.
Protecting migratory species requires
cooperation. The first Migratory Bird Treaty
was signed by Canada and the U.S. in 1916,
and there have been several other initiatives
to protect migratory birds, including the
North American Bird Conservation Initiative.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC)
is helping protect important summer and
migratory stopover habitats for wildlife
across Canada.
Here are six species that have been documented
on NCC properties and that migrate to
other countries for the winter, or in the case of
elk, probably move back and forth across the
Canada/U.S. border. We look forward to seeing
them in the spring!1
3: MARK RAYCROFT/MINDEN PICTURES, 4: LYNN M. STONE/MINDEN PICTURES, 5: SCOTT LESLIE/MINDEN PICTURES, 6: ALAN MURPHY/MINDEN PICTURES.
Elk
Elk make short-distance
seasonal migrations between
habitats within their range to
find food and cover. Portions of
the Vita Cross Border elk herd
recorded on NCC properties in
Manitoba’s tall grass prairie
region regularly move between
Manitoba and Minnesota. NCC
and partners are currently
studying this herd via aerial
surveys and tracking collars to
better understand its conservation
needs.
natureconservancy.ca
3 4 5 6
Common
green darner
While most of Canada’s
dragonflies spend the winter in
their aquatic stage, four species
fly south. Dragonfly migration
in North America is still poorly
understood. Most green darners
from eastern Canada probably
fly to the southern U.S. or
Mexico over the course of about
two months. Green darners
occur in wetlands across
southern Canada, including
NCC’s Wilson Island property in
Lake Superior, Ontario.
Bicknell’s thrush
This songbird has one of the
smallest breeding and wintering
ranges of any North American
bird. In summer it breeds in
high-elevation coniferous
forests in the northeastern U.S.,
Atlantic Canada and Quebec,
including NCC properties in the
Appalachian Mountains of
southern Quebec. Most of these
birds winter in the Dominican
Republic after migrating along
the eastern coast of the U.S.
Semipalmated
sandpiper
Every July and August, more
than 100,000 of these shorebirds
return to the mudflats of the Bay
of Fundy, a critical feeding area,
during their migration from the
Arctic. NCC’s Johnson’s Mills
Shorebird Interpretive Centre
in southern New Brunswick
provides an excellent vantage
point for this migration
spectacle, as well as critical
coastal habitat protection.
The sandpipers feed in the Bay
of Fundy for about three weeks
before their non-stop flight to
Caribbean and South American
coasts, including the Reentrâncias
Maranhenses/Paraenses
Important Bird Area in Brazil.