Registration is now open for the 29th Annual Kemptville Winter Woodlot Conference to be held on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at the North Grenville Municipal Complex!

This year’s keynote speaker is Bruce Di Labio on “Changes to Bird Life in Eastern Ontario”
Bruce will discuss the population changes in various species from the Turkey Vulture to the Northern Cardinal, the decline in other species such as the Loggerhead Shrike and the Red-headed Woodpecker, the impact of land clearing and the importance of maintaining a healthy forest landscape for bird habitat. Other speakers and topics include:

• Introduction to Hardwood Tree Marking – Martin Streit RPF, Partnership Specialist, Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry
• Conservation Easements – Jim Hendry RPF, Team Lead, Property and Approvals, South Nation Conservation and Lee Mattice Chartered Accountant, Manager, Welch LLP Chartered Accountants
• Coyote Behavior – Brent Patterson, Research Scientist, Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry
• Managing for Beech Bark Disease – Richard Wilson, Forest Program Pathologist, Ministry of Natural Resources & Forestry
• Shooting a Moving Target – Restoring Forests in a Changing Climate – Barb Boysen, Coordinator, Forest Gene Conservation Association

Demonstrations
This year’s conference will feature live sawmill demonstrations by “Logs to Lumber” (Bob Parent, Oxford Mills, ON) courtesy of Wood-Mizer Canada.

Registration
Registration in advance is required by February 19, 2016. The registration fee is $30 and includes refreshments and lunch. You can register and pay by Visa, MasterCard or PayPal by visiting the Eastern Ontario Model Forest website to access the "Ways to Contribute" page and the "One-Time Payment" window or by calling 613-258-6587.

Location: North Grenville Municipal Complex (see map here).
Time: 8:00 am-4:00 pm. Registration, coffee & exhibits from 8:00 am-9:00 am. 

Download the flyer and share widely!

[A special field report from Josh Van Weiren, Park Ecologist / Ecosystem Scientist, Thousand Islands National Park]

Thanks again to all that attended this years 1000 Islands Christmas Bird Count!

We had a great turnout (~20 active participants and 3 feeder watchers) and found some interesting species in this unusually warm year. Thanks to those that helped cover additional ground this year with long hikes through 1000 Islands National Park properties on Hill Island and Landon Bay!  I've attached an excel sheet with our observations (broken into sample units if you're interested), otherwise a quick summary of our results is found below:

• 59 total species (avg=56.  highest count since 2010)
• 5501 total birds (avg=6774.  Low duck numbers dragged the total down this year)

Highs:

• Mute Swan (26 - Highest count on record)
• Trumpeter Swan (66 - Highest count on record)
• Common Raven (38 - Highest count on record (by 8))
• Red-bellied Woodpecker (7 - 2nd highest count on record) -- pictured above
• Pileated Woodpecker (20 - 2nd highest count on record)
• Winter Wren (2nd record ever) -- pictured above
• Ruby-crowned kinglet (4th record ever) -- pictured above

Lows:

• Red-breasted Nuthatch (1 - Lowest count on record)
• Snow Bunting (0 - First time they were not observed during this count)
• American Tree Sparrow (34 - 3rd lowest count on record)
• Bufflehead (2)
• Common Goldeneye (51, average 417.  Of note, this was the 4th consecutive year this species was well below the average for this count)
• Common Merganser (57, average 1190)

To learn more about the Christmas Bird Count (CBC):

• In Ontario, visit Bird Studies Canada's CBC website
  
• In New York, visit Audubon's CBC website