A year or so ago I moved into the modern age and started to use an online resource called eBird to log my bird sightings. eBird is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and is essentially a database where individuals worldwide record their sightings of birds. To date, thousands of birders worldwide have logged millions of sightings since its inception in 2002.
Individually, it provides an … Continue Reading ››
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WILDLIFE HAZARD WARNING SYSTEM SURVEY
Leonard Sielecki lookforhelp@shaw.ca of the University of Victoria is conducting a web-based survey on the opinions of drivers on a wildlife hazard warning system that was developed at the university.
The system was developed to give drivers more information about wildlife hazards on roads and highways. The system is designed to let drivers know how wildlife hazards change from place to place, during different times of the year on roads and highways.
The survey is an anonymous survey so no … Continue Reading ››
SWIFTWATCH 2016
Hello SwiftWatch Volunteers
The chimney swifts have arrived back in Halton, and with that marks the start of the 2016 SwiftWatch season. This year, the National Roost Monitoring Blitz is on May 21, May 25, May 29, June 2 and 6. If you're available on one or or more of these days, your observations are important to the protection of this species at risk. Additionally, if you see swifts or identify chimneys being used please let me know for … Continue Reading ››A Letter to Forks of the Credit Provincial Park Seeking Preservation of Meadows 2016
Attention: Jill Van Niekerk, Superintendent of Forks of the Credit Provincial Park
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park contains many hectares of old field habitat, resulting from the abandonment of agricultural land. These expansive meadows provide habitat to a diversity of flora and fauna including a number of species at risk.
Meadowlarks (threatened) nest here. Bobolinks (threatened) use the extensive old field habitat for foraging before fall migration. Bank Swallows (threatened), nest in adjacent quarry operations and forage over the meadows. Monarch … Continue Reading ››
A Message From our new President
Though Thanksgiving has passed, this is an apt time for me to offer thanks to the people who help make our club strong. As your new president my first order of business must be a heartfelt thankyou to Fiona Reid, our outgoing president. Under Fiona’s leadership our club has thrived as a vibrant community of naturalists. Fiona effectively communicates her passion for nature through art and writing. We are fortunate that she served and can be thankful that she will … Continue Reading ››
Submission to the Ministry of the Environment Regarding Reflective Surfaces and Bird Mortality
The Halton/North Peel Naturalist Club is concerned with the Ministry of the Environment's proposed amendment to exempt reflective surfaces of buildings from having to obtain an Environmental Compliance Approval. Surely the Ministry of the Environment is well aware of the tremendous number of birds that die or suffer injury after colliding with windows. The toll is well documented. The Fatal Light Awareness Project estimates that 9 million birds die in Toronto alone after flying into buildings. Extrapolate … Continue Reading ››
Submission to the Co-ordinated Land Use Planning Review
Submission to the Co-ordinated Land Use Planning Review Environmental Registry #012-3256 May 2015
The Halton/North Peel Naturalist Club is a local membership group of Ontario Nature. Our membership consists of residents from Halton Hills, Brampton and other communities in Halton and Peel Regions. We are strongly in favour of maintaining the current legislation protecting the Oak Ridges Moraine, the Niagara Escarpment and the Greenbelt. An initiative to expand the Greenbelt would also be supported by our group. The Halton/North Peel Naturalist … Continue Reading ››
SwiftWatch Program
Bird Studies Canada is conducting SwiftWatch, a long-term monitoring program, with the goal of raising awareness and helping species recovery.
You can help by:
- Reporting swift sightings so we know where birds are flying during the day/evening
- Locating roost sites by observing swifts entering chimneys at dusk (8-9:15PM)
- Volunteering with the Halton SwiftWatch Program where you will be assigned to a known roost site, and will spend one to four evenings … Continue Reading ››
Notes from the Vice-President
At Tuesday’s meeting I forgot two important items:
a) a formal thank you to John Beaudette for taking over the club website. This important feature of our club remains in good hands after being turned over to John by Sandy Gillians. Another emphatic thank you to Sandy and John.
b) We are, however, still in need of someone to take on the newsletter. Fiona will pull it together for March if necessary, but I really hope someone will step forward before then. … Continue Reading ››
President’s Message
Hello and a very Happy New Year to all club members!
This winter has been so different from the last (so far at least), although the fallen branches from last winter’s ice storm are still very conspicuous in leafless forest and roadsides. On the Christmas Bird count (reported in detail in this newsletter) we found the numbers of common birds to be very low, but the overall diversity was very high. In part this resulted from a very mild day for … Continue Reading ››
