Birds

 "By some estimates, we may have already lost almost half of the songbirds that filled the skies forty years ago."

-Dr. Bridget Stutchbury, Silence of the Songbirds

The amazing beauty and incredible diversity of birds captures the imagination of all who spend time with them.

Birds are very sensitive to climate change, habitat loss, and poisoning from pesticides and other toxins, so they are excellent indicators for the general health of the planet.

Birds and Coffee

Many of our songbirds travel long distances each year to overwinter in Central and South America, returning here each spring to nest.  The sad news is that many songbirds are declining in numbers. JUDES and the Ecology Action Centre are hosting discussions across the province about coffee farming practices that can help conserve our songbirds, including screening the film Birdsong and Coffee: A Wake-up Call.  More info...
 

Bird Collisions

In the spring and fall migration seasons of 2009, our team of volunteers set out to see how many bird fatalities were caused by downtown office buildings. Read about our findings here.

Birds in the Park

Birds help us and our children, too! It has been shown that exposure to outdoor activities and to nature greatly reduces ADHD, stress levels, obesity, asthma, and general health problems in children. It has also been shown that children are smarter when they spend time outside: a study in California found that children who spent class time in the outdoors scored about 25% higher on science tests.

Point Pleasant Childcare  asked us to put together an information booklet on some of the species that live in Point Pleasant Park. Along with birds, we will include information on mammals, insects, amphibians and plants that can be found in the park. The booklet will focus on species that are easily seen, and information will be tailored to a four-year-old’s mentality. We hope it will help educators give their students a positive nature experience to be carried into adulthood.  We also plan to adapt this publication for use by other daycares, schools, camps and other children’s groups.
 

Birds are Back Celebrity Challenge

Each spring, migratory birds make an epic journey from their wintering grounds in places such as Brazil, Trinidad and Texas, back to Nova Scotia. To welcome them, EAC organized the Birds are Back Celebrity Challenge in the Spring of 2009.

For Our Birds Conference: Outcomes

In order to better understand the state of birds in Nova Scotia, the EAC helped organize For Our Birds 2008 Conference in November 2008 (the conference outcomes are available here). Over 140 participants identified a number of actions to reverse the declines.

The birds need your help, too!  Please view What You Can Do To Help the Birds of Nova Scotia.