Saskatchewans First Ever Breeding Bird Atlas Created

Saskatchewans First Ever Breeding Bird Atlas Created

For the first time in the province’s history, Birds Canada has compiled 5 years of data and hard work to create the first ever Saskatchewan Breeding Birds Atlas. It creates a base line that will be vital to monitoring and maintaining the province’s bird populations.

The project maps distribution and relative abundance of breeding birds throughout the province and it will give us insight into the health of each ecoregion and habitat.

Dr. Kiel Drake, the Prairie Region Director at Birds Canada, describes the Atlas as, “a snapshot of species distribution that can help us find opportunities to conserve the bird populations who need it the most.” Birds Canada was faced with some challenges in regards to collecting data. Examples of those being dividing up the province to collect representative samples in all 16 regions, access to resources and private lands to collect the data, and inclement weather.

This project wouldn’t have been possible without the help of many organizations, government and non-government groups and volunteers. The Saskatchewan Stock Growers Foundation, alongside South of the Divide Conservation Action Program, have helped to sample the southwest corner of the province to meet coverage goals for the project.

Atlassing can be done three different ways and is dependent on the skill of the person collecting the information. Bioacoustics are often used to identify bird species using specific recording equipment and sampling protocols. With improvements in technology, we are able to use autonomous and weather proof recorders that aid in detecting more rare and elusive birds.

The Atlas can be used to monitor changes in distribution to better understand how conservation, environmental disasters, urban expansion and agricultural practices affect bird distribution. Birds give us insight to changes in delicate ecosystems within the province. This is because they are present in all ecoregions and react to environmental stressors quickly. They play an important role when it comes to the food chain, seed distribution, pollination and pest control.

Data collected in the southwest further confirmed that grassland birds are declining.

This is primarily due to habitat loss from conversion of grasslands to annual cropping. Ranching and cattle grazing helps to maintain a mosaic of tall and short grasses that many birds need to breed, raise their young and thrive.  Each species has different needs when it comes to their environment. Without conservation of these native grasslands, we face the threat of losing more bird habitat and more grassland birds.

The Saskatchewan Breeding Birds Atlas will pave the way for future research and only help us to understand the problems our bird populations face. With upcoming projects in the works for wetland and grassland conservation, Birds Canada is excited for the future and only getting started.

Krista Ellingson deploying a recorder at the Monet Community Pasture to collect data for the Atlas

 

For more information on the Atlas, please visit https://sk.birdatlas.ca

For more information on conservation programs offered by the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Foundation, click here