Bird atlas coming north

A massive census of Ontario’s breeding bird population is being launched across Ontario and local bird enthusiasts are gearing up to take part.
“The more, the better. The way it works is the volunteers get involved and go out and search in designated areas,” noted Mike Cadman, co-ordinator for the Breeding Bird Atlas.
“We hope to get more experienced birders involved,” he added.
The Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas is a province-wide initiative that will run from 2001-2005, followed by publication of the findings in 2008.
More than 2,000 volunteers will scour the province during that period, taking note of where breeding birds are found in Ontario and how many there are.
At the end of the four-year study, the information will be published and used for numerous environmental assessments, research, and conservation projects across the province.
In Great Britain, the second Breeding Bird Atlas found that, overall, most species of birds had shifted north by about 18 km–a possible indication of climate change.
“We’re expecting quite a few changes. From the populace, all the birders out there, we have an indication of species changing, increasing or decreasing,” said Cadman.
Falcons and owls appear to be increasing in population, he noted, while grassland birds appear to be decreasing.
“Rainy River is a unique part of Ontario. It’s the western extreme of the province so it has birds that are representative of the prairies,” said Cadman.
“We’re expecting quite a few changes could occur in the Rainy River fringe area.”
It is the second Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas being launched. The first was conducted from 1981-85 and became the standard reference book on breeding bird distribution in the province.
As part of the atlas’ “northern trip,” staff will be teaming up with local atlas regional co-ordinators to offer training workshops.
Anyone interested can take part in the Fort Frances workshop next Wednesday (Feb. 28) from 7-9 p.m. at the Northwestern Health Unit office on Scott Street.
Atlas staff will teach birders how to collect breeding evidence, collect abundance data, get tips for identifying bird songs, read maps, and navigate using global positioning systems.
The atlas is a joint project sponsored by the Federation of Ontario Naturalists, Bird Studies Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, the Ontario Field Ornithologists, and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources.