Calling all winter birders!
With support from Mountain Equipment Co-op, the Ontario Barn Owl Recovery
Program, in partnership with Bird Studies Canada and the Migration Research
Foundation are launching a wintering Short-eared Owl Survey in
Ontario. This species is listed as Special Concern in Canada and has
declined throughout its range. Southern Ontario supports large
concentrations of Short-eared Owls in winter, which creates an excellent
opportunity to collect data on a species for which little is known.
We need your help! We would like birders to report all sightings of
Short-eared Owls to Bird Studies Canada. With Christmas Bird Counts in
full swing, I am sure that many of you have been (or will be) encountering
Short-eared Owls on your counts. Information needed includes: date and
time of sighting, number of birds and geographic location.
In addition to casual sightings, we are also looking for volunteers to
monitor owls in their area on a regular basis (weekly) throughout the
winter. This will help us to determine the number of Short-eared Owls
overwintering, how long they remain in an area and whether the birds are
moving around between roost sites. If you would like to participate,
please contact Debbie Badzinski ([EMAIL PROTECTED], 1-888-448-2473) or
Susan Debreceni ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) for more information and for data
sheets.
Happy Holidays!
Debbie Badzinski
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Debbie Badzinski, Bird Population Biologist
Bird Studies Canada
PO Box 160, Port Rowan, ON, N0E 1M0
(519)586-3531 toll-free: 1-888-448-BIRD
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Debbie Badzinski <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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