Mcgill bird observatory

MBO is a member of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, filling a significant gap between banding stations, with the nearest other active sites in Ottawa and Prince Edward County to the west, and Tadoussac to the east. Operations at MBO are patterned after those at other Canadian bird observatories, with an emphasis on migration monitoring, research, mcgill bird observatory, and volunteer training. This page has moved to www. Mcgill bird observatory tax receipts will be issued for all donations upon request.

Operations at MBO emphasize migration monitoring, research, and volunteer training. It is adjacent to the hectare Morgan Arboretum, the largest arboretum in Canada. MBO also pursues a variety of other research projects and delivers educational programs, ranging from banding workshops and ongoing training of volunteers to public presentations and development of identification resources. It is designated as a McGill Research Station, and as such there is no public access, except within the context of special events or research programs. Operations at MBO are patterned after those at other Canadian bird observatories, with an emphasis on migration monitoring, research, and volunteer training. Volunteer assistance is required to operate all research programs at the McGill Bird Observatory. Help is needed both with banding activities and with site maintenance — information about volunteering can be found here.

Mcgill bird observatory

It was established in as a partnership between the Migration Research Foundation and graduate students in the Natural Resource Sciences department at McGill University. Every day during spring and fall, up to six volunteers gather at the observatory 30 minutes before sunrise to monitor bird migration through banding and observation for six hours. Birds are caught using specialized nets, which are visited frequently during the morning. After a bird is extracted from the net, it is brought back to the banding station where the bander-in-charge will first identify it, then put an appropriate size band on its tarsus. The bird is then aged, sexed, its wing chord is measured, its fat level is taken and it is finally weighed just before release. Since its inception in , MBO has banded 69, birds of species. The collection of data through migration monitoring stations has proven to be a practical and effective way of tracking changes in bird populations, especially the species that breed in the vast and hard-to-reach boreal forest. One aspect of this standardized protocol is that we must keep the habitat stable throughout the years in order to be able to compare our data. The vegetation maintenance on our hectare site is done by one retired volunteer, Malcolm Johnson. He spends over hours every year, doing everything from mowing our grass to trimming down our bushes. Before every migration season, the net lanes we use for our mist nets need to be pruned. To accomplish that task, he was previously using a stepladder and a pair of clippers to cut the hawthorn and buckthorn branches that are overhanging in the lane. This equipment will allow Malcolm to work efficiently from the ground and be able to cut our lanes without too much risk.

Bird banding is an essential tool for gathering information regarding the timing and routing of bird migration, survival rates, mcgill bird observatory, social mcgill bird observatory, population trends, and more. MBO is a member of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, filling a significant gap between banding stations, with the nearest other active sites in Ottawa and Prince Edward County to the west, and Tadoussac to the east.

However, a broader audience grew quickly, as other birds and banders found these pages to provide a useful visual complement to Peter Pyle's Identification Guide to North American Birds , and over time the collection expanded to over 60 species. After a decade of hosting the photo library here on the Migration Research Foundation's website, we partnered with Environment Canada in to share our material through the Piranga module of NatureInstruct - a website specifically developed to teach bird identification. While Piranga focuses on ageing and sexing of birds, the Dendroica component is designed to help identify species by sight and sound, and a new module Avichorus is in development, to aid with interpretation of multispecies sound files. Migrating the MBO photo library to Piranga provides users with several advantages. Piranga allows users to select images for side-by-side comparison, and a quiz feature provides an easy opportunity for self-testing.

Stoneycroft is directly adjacent to the Morgan Arboretum, the largest of its kind in Canada, covering hectares. An internal report Bardo, L. Goulet, A. Hibbert, V. Lukasik and K. Ecological assessment of the Stoneycroft Wildlife Area. Internal Report, Dept. The habitat is a patchwork of different vegetation types comprising shrubland, mature deciduous forest, hawthorn tracts, sumac stands, and remnants of an apple orchard. It is designated as a McGill Research Station, and as such there is no public access, except within the context of special events or research programs. This area provides a variety of attractive habitat for migrating birds as well as a sheltered and safe location for equipment.

Mcgill bird observatory

Even for the most common species, such research continues to reveal surprises, while for species of concern it provides critical data for the planning of conservation and management efforts. The success of the North American bird banding program depends on the participation of many independent observatories across the continent. The likelihood of birds being recovered at sites other than where they were banded increases in proportion to the number of banding stations in operation. As such, there is particular merit in establishing new observatories in regions which currently have little coverage. At present there are very few active banding stations in Quebec, and since its establishment in , McGill Bird Observatory MBO has been the only one in the province to undertake standardized migration monitoring through banding in both spring and fall.

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A Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship station MAPS The first passerine ageing and sexing workshop was offered in fall with two others offered in following years, including a workshop led by Peter Pyle Volunteer opportunities: MBO is run almost entirely by volunteers. MBO is a member of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, filling a significant gap between banding stations, with the nearest other active sites in Ottawa and Prince Edward County to the west, and Tadoussac to the east. Even for the most common species, such research continues to reveal surprises, while for species of concern it provides critical data for the planning of conservation and management efforts. He spends over hours every year, doing everything from mowing our grass to trimming down our bushes. Charitable tax receipts will be issued for all donations upon request. Help is needed both with banding activities and with site maintenance — information about volunteering can be found here. This page has moved to www. In August , volunteers restored an old cabin on the Stoneycroft property, which now serves as the MBO banding station. On-site accommodation is not currently available, though camping is allowed. Please visit NatureInstruct to register free for Piranga and help us continue to improve this resource! Questions or comments? Have you seen a banded House Finch or American Goldfinch? Please visit our Supporters page for a complete list. One aspect of this standardized protocol is that we must keep the habitat stable throughout the years in order to be able to compare our data. What do we do?

In the event that you have reached this page without first visiting the introductory page, please click here for some important background information about this site. Species accounts are being expanded and added on an ongoing basis as we acquire new photos. See the Yellow Warbler or Baltimore Oriole pages for examples of particularly comprehensive accounts.

MBO is a member of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, filling a significant gap between banding stations, with the nearest other active sites in Ottawa and Prince Edward County to the west, and Tadoussac to the east. However, many projects have either become part of migration monitoring, or are very closely associated with it: Owl banding efforts targeting Northern Saw-whet Owl and Boreal Owl using a standardized audio lure technique, as promoted by Project Owlnet Winter banding is undertaken to study residency patterns and northern migrants using a small number of nets around a bird feeding station close to the station Several undergraduate students from McGill have undertaken a variety of research projects concerning banding methodologies, results, and trend analyses. The collection of data through migration monitoring stations has proven to be a practical and effective way of tracking changes in bird populations, especially the species that breed in the vast and hard-to-reach boreal forest. Also in , volunteers established a census route, cleared a series of net lanes, and developed a standardized operating protocol. Bird banding is an essential tool for gathering information regarding the timing and routing of bird migration, survival rates, social structures, population trends, and more. After a bird is extracted from the net, it is brought back to the banding station where the bander-in-charge will first identify it, then put an appropriate size band on its tarsus. Questions or comments? Gravure Brentech Inc. Many members of BPQ volunteer there in assorted capacities while our charity provides financial support for some of their important projects. It is adjacent to the hectare Morgan Arboretum, the largest arboretum in Canada. Spring migration census coverage runs from March 28 through June 5, with banding coverage from April 18 to June 2. MBO relies heavily on volunteers; donations to support operating costs are greatly appreciated! Operations at MBO emphasize migration monitoring, research, and volunteer training. Migrating the MBO photo library to Piranga provides users with several advantages. The results of these limited banding efforts suggested that this area could be productive for a passerine banding operation.