Birders
I was in contact with the Canadian Wildlife Service this afternoon and
it appears that first time breeding Piping Plovers banded in Michigan
may be looking for potential breeding sites across the region. It is my
understanding that the bird at Presqu'ile Provincial Park will be
protected from unnecessary disturbance. It is important that birders
give all breeding birds the chance to succeed.
ONTBIRDers should be aware of the potential dangers of reporting the
location of any birds on breeding territories. None of us wants to be
responsible for causing any bird to abandon a nest or breeding attempt
because of disturbance. Please do not report birds on a breeding
territory unless the following criteria are met. A report is acceptable
if the birds can be seen:
from a public location (roadside, established path or trail in a
conservation area or park or similar); at a safe distance for the birds
(at least 20m/60ft);
and safely for the watchers (e.g.. roadsides must have shoulders wide
enough to accommodate cars and people without making them vulnerable to
oncoming traffic, etc.).
If the bird can be seen at a safe distance but only by entering or
crossing private property, do not report to ONTBIRDS unless the property
owner has given explicit permission for birders to visit. If in doubt,
please ask the ONTBIRDS Coordinator (yours truly) before posting.
On the other hand, monitoring agencies such as Bird Studies Canada and
the Canadian Widlife Service do need to know about rare birds on
breeding territory. If a sighting does not meet the criteria above, a
private report to the ONTBIRDS Coordinator will be forwarded to the
appropriate agency.
--
Mark Cranford
ONTBIRDS Coordinator
Mississauga, Ont.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
905 279 9576
