Upcoming Meetings Fall 2023/Winter 2024
We are happy to report we have meeting dates set for the upcoming fall 2023/winter 2024 season so put these dates on your calendars. Jean Wilson has put together an interesting slate of speakers for our fall 2023 season. More details can be found by clicking on the Meetings link in the top menu.
DECEMBER 16 BARRIE CBC AND POTLUCK
January 19
What is a Land trust and what do they do? Join Aileen Barclay of the Oak Ridges Moraine Land Trust to learn how they are protecting nature...forever. Learn about the various projects they are working on, including the Ontario Kirtland's Warbler Restoration Initiative.
Whether she is speaking on forests, sustainable gardening, photographing birds or developing conservation programming from behind a desk, Aileen loves any opportunity to share her passion for the outdoors with others.
Febraury 16
Conservation Starts in Your Yard: Pollinator Gardens, the food web, and creating suburban oases
Learn about the importance of native plants and ecological gardening practices for conservation of all species, and what you can do to turn your spaces into safe havens for birds by catering to bugs.
March 15. A member of a local astronomy group will give us an introduction into the wonderful world of the nigth skies.
April 19 Annual General Meeting and Potluck Dinner
Upcoming Field Trips Fall 2023
Saturday, December 16 / 2023 CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNNT and POTLUCK SUPPER
Click on Field Trips in top menu for more information
Blue Heron Winter 2023
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
This category will contain articles related to Barrie's Bird Friendly City desigination.
