Upcoming Meetings Fall 2024
The next scheduled meeting with be the joint area nature clubs' meeting in September. Watch our web site and Facebook pages for details as the date approches.
Upcoming Field Trips Sping 2024
Tiny Marsh might be the richest spot for birds in Simcoe County. It’s in Tiny Township, but it’s a giant wetland with a great diversity of nesting birds. Surrounding the marshes are various swamps and woods, and these too, host many birds, especially migrants like warblers, vireos, and flycatchers. Migration peaks in mid-May, and this is a great chance to see many species.
Pack a lunch. Easy Walk.
THE GABLES
We will walk the well-maintained trails and focus on the ephemeral wildflowers and naturalized spring bulbs, that are abundant in this mixed Hardwood & Pine woodland.
There will also be an opportunity to view some of Kempenfelt Bay’s avian residents, along with the possibility of seeing some spring migrant birds, as they pass through this area.
Easy walking on maintained trails, insect repellent
6:30 p.m. Meet at The Gables Parking Lot Hurst Dr. & Tollendale MIlls Rd.
Leaders Clare Holden & Lane Henderson
NOTE WE WILL NOT BE MEETING AT LLP AREA
PROTECT INSECTS, PROTECT BIRDS
World Migratory Bird Day 2024 focuses on insects and its importance to bird life.
Insects are essential sources of energy for many migratory bird species, not only during the breeding seasons but also during their extensive journeys and greatly affect the timing, duration, and overall success of bird migrations.
Along their migration routes, birds actively seek out insects in fields, forests, wetlands, and various habitats during stopovers. The timing of bird migration often coincides with peak insect abundance at stopover locations, supplying nourishment for birds to replenish their energy reserves before continuing their journeys.
The loss and disturbance of insect populations at breeding sites and along avian migration routes threaten bird survival and well-being. Natural spaces like forests and grasslands that have been transformed or endangered by intensive agriculture and urban development and its effects such as light pollution can result in a decline in insect populations. Pesticides and herbicides designed to protect crops harm insects that birds rely on for food. A scarcity of energy- and protein-rich insects can hinder bird migration and breeding, leading to weakened immune systems, reduced reproductive success, and increased mortality rates for both adult birds and their offspring.
Birds play crucial roles in pollination and pest control, and a lack of insects disrupts these ecosystem functions. Overpopulation of certain insects, without natural predators from birds, can also cause outbreaks that damage plant health and agriculture.
The World Migratory Bird Day campaign in 2024 will stress the need for proactive conservation measures. This includes reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and where possible, switching to organic farming. Other measures include maintaining and connecting areas of natural vegetation which provide food and shelter for birds and other species, in agricultural landscapes.
Event hosted by Barrie Bird Friendly City Bird Team
Saturday, May 11, 2024 9 AM - 1 PM outside during Barrie Farmers' Market at Barrie City Hall.
At 11 am Mayor Alex Nuttall will announce the winner of the bird poll for Barrie's official City Bird!
Visit our booth where members of the Barrie Bird Friendly City team and Nature Barrie will be ready to explain ways to help pollinators and other beneficial insects and the urban birds that depend on insects during migration and nesting.
Free insect and bird crafts for the kids.
Enter free draws for a basket filled with bird related gifts, a Nature Barrie membership, or an NVCA season parking pass!
The Friends of Minesing Wetlands will be hosting an Introduction to Birding Basics event at the Waterfowl Viewing Platform Saturday May 11, 2024, 9am-11am.
Join them for a morning of learning about the Minesing Wetlands with an introduction to birding basics and identification with Naturalist David Featherstone. This will be an all-ages event with fun for the whole family including bird and insect themed activities with Environmental Educator Naomi Saunders. Weather permitting, there will be short guided walks along the Mad River Trail. Bring rubber boots and binoculars!
see
https://www.facebook.com/events/451250780736817?ref=newsfeed
for more information
Blue Heron Winter 2024
The lastest issue of the Blue Heron is here. . Click on the picture below to download it.
Ontario's Third Breeding Bird Atlas
Calling all Simcoe County and area Birders!
Ontario’s third Breeding Bird Atlas is set to kick off in the spring of 2021, and we’re looking for birders to make this the most successful effort yet.
The atlas is a five year project intended to document the presence and distribution of all the birds that breed in the province, and to provide data on their relative abundance. Previous atlases were undertaken from 1981 to 85, and 2001 to 2005. Ontario is one of the first jurisdictions anywhere to begin its third atlas, providing valuable information on population and distribution trends over time.
Data is collected by citizen scientists (volunteers like you and me) in the field. The entire province is divided into 10km x 10km squares. The goal is to achieve a MINIMUM of 20 hours of birding effort in every square, recording the birds observed during the breeding season, and documenting evidence of breeding (nest-building, courtship display, feeding young, etc). In addition, volunteers are asked to complete 25 point counts where all the birds seen and heard at specified points in the square are recorded.
I’m the Regional Coordinator for the Simcoe County atlas region. To assure coverage, I am assigning a birder to each square in the region. This person will ensure that the minimum effort is met in that square. It doesn’t mean others can’t submit records for the square, and it doesn’t mean that the person assigned a square can’t do atlassing elsewhere. 20 hours spread over 5 years is not a huge effort. It could be completed with one visit every year, although the more time spent in the square the better. Personally I find it’s a great way to give you incentive to get out there, sharpen your birding skills, and discover lovely new birdy spots in your square.
Ideally I’d like the birders I recruit to “adopt” a square to be experienced. By that I mean be familiar with most of the birds likely to breed in the region, and be proficient with at least the more common bird songs likely to be encountered. If you are a more novice birder, or unsure of your skills, there will still be lots of opportunity to participate and to sharpen your skills.
More information including detailed protocols and data collection software is available at the atlas’ website at https://www.birdscanada.org/birdmon/onatlas/main.jsp
Most importantly, register at https://www.birdscanada.org/birdmon/onatlas/register.jsp
If you think this is for you, contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. If you have a square you would particularly like to adopt or a general region of interest let me know; I will try to accommodate. Remember though, if your favourite birding spot is in a square assigned to someone else, you are still more than welcome to provide data. This really is a fun project for those of you who, like me, love to get out in nature and have an interest in birds. Good birding! Ian Cook
Lyme Disease in Ontario
Brochure author John Scott and his wife Catherine (Kit), have been researching Lyme and ticks since 1990. For more information on Lyme Disease in Ontario, click this link.
Bird Friendly Barrie
A link to the City of Barrie's Bird Friendly City web site
Barrie was certified as a Bird Friendly City on June 16, 2022. A Bird Friendly City is a community where key threats to birds are effectively mitigated, nature is restored so native bird populations can thrive, residents are actively engaged in admiring and monitoring local bird populations, and organizations are creating events to protect birds..
