Welcoming the birds back to Canada

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The Long Point Biosphere Reserve marked World Migratory Bird Day virtually on May 9.

Many conservation groups across Canada have held online photo sharing sessions to help nature lovers discover, defend, and restore migratory bird populations.

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Hundreds of species of birds spend their spring migrating to Canada, returning from as far away as South America.

“We’re thrilled that groups from across the country are participating in this year’s bird day celebrations — even as we shift online,” Graham Saul, executive director of Nature Canada, said in a press release. “Birds continue to connect Canadians, and this celebration is of added importance at a time when we are advised to be physically apart. We owe it to these magnificent creatures to defend and protect their habitat so they’re always able to migrate home.”

The Long Point peninsula and marshes, within the LPBR, is recognized as a globally significant important bird and biodiversity area due to the number of staging and feeding birds using the area during spring and fall migration, notably migratory songbirds, waterfowl, and swans.

This area is home to the Long Point Bird Observatory, Birds Canada, and several other local groups that support research and conservation efforts beneficial to birds.

“Long Point is an ecological gem situated in the heart of Canada’s most biodiverse region and, for birds, remains one of the nation’s most important places. We can all do our part to help birds in six easy ways – see birdscanada.org to get started,” Andrew Couturier, an LPBR director and senior scientist at Birds Canada, said in the release.

A report from BirdLife International, State of the World’s Birds 2018, concludes that birds are in trouble. Forty per cent of the world’s 11,000 bird species are in decline, and one in eight bird species is threatened with global extinction.

World Migratory Bird Day raises awareness on the need to conserve birds and their habitats. In Canada, groups are encouraged to register their online events on a virtual map, an initiative led by Nature Canada. You can also follow the discussion online using #BirddayEh.

The May 9 event was hosted by LPBR’s NatureHood and Cleaning Up Norfolk.