Upcoming Meetings 2022-2023
We are happy to report we have meeting dates set for the upcoming 2022-2023 season so put these dates on your calendars. Jean Wilson has put together an interesting slate of speakers for our 2022/23 season. More details can be found by clicking on the Meetings link in the top menu.
Saturday December 17, CBC & Potluck
January 20 Couchiching Conservancy Tanya Clark
February 17 East Coast Birding. Paul Forde
March 17 Broad-winged Hawks, A Study Malcolm Wilson
April 21 Potluck and AGM
BARRIE CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT DECEMBER 17, 2022
The Barrie CBC is now two weeks away on December 17. If you have already signed up thank you. If you have not yet signed up please do so if you are interested.
Started in 1900, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is North America’s longest-running Citizen Science project. People in more than 2000 locations throughout the Western Hemisphere participate in the CBC each year.
The information collected by thousands of CBC volunteer participants forms one of the world’s largest sets of wildlife survey data. The results are used by conservation biologists, environmental planners, and naturalists to assess the population trends and distribution of birds.
The Barrie CBC will be held on Saturday December 17, 2022. Teams will cover the Barrie CBC circle to record all birds. There will be a pot-luck dinner at the end of the day to go over the results. We welcome birders of all skill levels to participate in this event.
You can participate as a member of a field team or as a feeder watcher. Field teams will be assigned to one of the sectors of the Barrie CBC Circle, see attached map. Each team will be led by an experienced birder. Some teams may wish to try owling early in the morning while other may wait until dawn to begin. Teams will cover their assigned areas by car, foot, skis etc. or a combination of modes of transport.
If being in the field is not your cup of tea you can simply register as a feeder watcher and I will send you the information on how to conduct your feeder watch and submit your data to the sector/area leader where you are feeder watching.
You can simply keep your bird feeders filled up and register as a feeder host inviting a team to stop by to view your feeders. Please describe the location of your feeders and how you would like the team to view your feeders and to contact you.
Registration Information
Please email the following details to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than December 9th so that I can coordinate the teams.
Your first and last name
Your residence address
Your phone number(s)
Your email address
Your birding ability Novice/Intermediate/Expert
Your participation:
If you have participated in the Barrie CBC before please let me know what area you were assigned to. Each team leader will receive an information package for their area
individual field observer or sub-sector leader
please specify a preference for sector/area (see attached map of sectors/areas 1 to 9) we will try to accommodate your request but you may be assigned to a different area
individual novice - please elaborate on how you would like to participate
feeder watcher
feeder host - describe your feeders and how you wish to be contacted and how the team may check your feeders if necessary
When I receive your registration information, I will assign you to a sector/area and the sector/area leader will contact you, likely after December 10th and before December 15th. If you haven't heard from your sector/area leader by December 15th, contact me again and I will give you their contact information.
Thank you all for your participation in the 51st Annual ONBA Barrie CBC, the 123nd CBC season!
Bruce Wilson
Barrie CBC organizer/compiler
Blue Heron Spring 2022
The lastest issue of the Blue Heron is here. Another great job by Robin putting this together. Click on the picture below to download it.
NEW HONOURARY LIFE MEMBERS
On September 15 I had the pleasure of awarding Honorary Life Memberships to Lynne and Brian Gibbon in recognition of their many years of service to the club. Lynne said she first joined the club in 1988 and Brian a couple of years after that.
Lynne has been involved with the Blue Heron Newsletter and membership over the years. She was responsible for setting up the Helen Emery Award presented annually to a student in Environmental Studies at Georgian College.
Brian has been editor of the newsletter in the past and has served as club treasurer for many years. He has also brought the the PA system to the club meetings as long as I have been a member which is I think 20 years or so.
Both Lynne and Brian have led a number of field trips on local trails that have been enjoyed by many.
Congratulations on a well-deserved honour
AL McNAIR MEMORIAL BENCH
In the works is a memorial on the Barrie water front to remember Al McNair. Nature Barrie, Living Green Barrie and the City of Barrie are working out the details but it looks like a memorial bench and tree will be placed somewhere along the south shore trail to the west of the South Shore Community Centre. The memorial will likely be installed next spring.
If you wish to make a contribution towards the bench please send your cheque payable to Nature Barrie along with a note indicating it is to be directed towards the Al McNair Memorial Bench. Please note that this falls outside of our charitable status so will we not be able to issue a tax receipt for this.
Send cheques to:
Nature Barrie
PO Box 1084
Barrie, Ontario L4M 5E1
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.
