March 2004 Newsletter Partners In Flight Ontario

Welcome to the second Partners in Flight Ontario (PIFO) newsletter. As a first stage of Partners in Flight activities in Ontario, four biological plans are being prepared based on Bird Conservation Regions working from south to north. BCR 13 Workshop October 2003 Planning efforts are well underway for BCR 13 (Great Lakes St. Lawrence Plain). A Technical Advisory Committee workshop was hosted at the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Building in Peterborough on the 28th and 29th of October 2003. A total of 22 bird experts from across BCR 13 Ontario attended. The objectives of the workshop were to:

1) Provide context and familiarize the Technical Advisory Committee with relevant initiatives;

2) Reach consensus on priority species for BCR 13 in Ontario;

3) Reach consensus on priority habitat types and the level of specificity required for planning; and

4) Work towards consensus on an approach to setting population and habitat objectives.

Summary notes can be viewed at the OPIF website http://www.bsc-eoc.org/PIF/PIFOntario.html . Subsequent to the workshop, additional effort was required by the Technical Advisory Committee to address a variety of action items. As a result, lists and suites of priority species and habitats were redrafted. Key components of the BCR 13 plan are outlined further in the following sections of this newsletter.

Peterborough Workshop October 2003

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http://www.bsc-eoc.org/PIF/PIFOntario.html

March 2004 PIF Ontario Newsletter Page 2 of 4

PIF Priority Species for BCR 13 Ontario (February 2004) Priority Species Score* Priority Species Score Continental Watch List Regional Concern & Threats

Henslow’s Sparrow 19 Northern Harrier 15 Short-eared Owl (wintering) 18 Federally or Provincially Listed Cerulean Warbler 18 Kirtland’s Warbler 20 Golden-winged Warbler 17 Loggerhead Shrike 15 Blue-winged Warbler 16 Northern Bobwhite (breeding and wintering) 14 Wood Thrush 15 Prothonotary Warbler 14 Willow Flycatcher 13 Louisiana Waterthrush 14

Continental Stewardship Species, High Reg. Responsibility Red-shouldered Hawk 13 Swamp Sparrow 12 Acadian Flycatcher 13

Continental Watch List, Low Regional Responsibility Yellow-breasted Chat 12 Red-headed Woodpecker 16 Bald Eagle (breeding and wintering) 11 Short-eared Owl (breeding) 15 Barn Owl 11 Canada Warbler 15 Hooded Warbler 11 Prairie Warbler 14 Peregrine Falcon (breeding and wintering) 9 Bay-breasted Warbler 14 Provincially Listed Rusty Blackbird 11 Golden Eagle (wintering) 12

Regional Concern & Decline Great Gray Owl (wintering) 11 Yellow-throated Vireo 16 Other Species with Regional Declines and High

Threats Bank Swallow 16 Northern Saw-whet Owl 16 Long-eared Owl (breeding and wintering) 15 Whip-poor-will 15 Field Sparrow 15 Chimney Swift 14 Eastern Meadowlark 15 Brown Thrasher 14

Regional Concern and High Responsibility Eastern Towhee 14 Black-billed Cuckoo 17 Vesper Sparrow 13 Bobolink 16 Grasshopper Sparrow 13 Belted Kingfisher 15 Northern Flicker 15 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 15 Baltimore Oriole 15

* The PIF Assessment Scores are for the entire BCR 13 (February 2004) - Total PIF Score is based on a series of species assessment factors. A Priority Species list containing all of the scoring components and additional information regarding endangered species status in other regions can be viewed at http://www.bsc-eoc.org/PIF/Priority%20Species%20BCR%2013%20Ontario.pdf of endangered species on the list that are not currently present in Ontario (but for which future management actions may be appropriate, e.g., Kirtland’s Warbler). At the workshop, much of the discussion centered on how data from the current Ontario Atlas could be used to inform the plan. Although still early, the Atlas data are suggesting some broad-scale patterns. In particular, there appears to be an alarming decline in the distribution of aerial insect foragers (e.g., Common Nighthawk, Whip-poor-will, Purple Martin, swallows, swifts). The Atlas is also illustrating range contractions for several grassland species. In thinking about threats for grassland species, it was noted that the impacts of “industrialized” agriculture need to be considered in addition to the natural succession of marginal farmland back to forest (i.e., re-growth of abandoned fields in central and eastern Ontario).

http://www.bsc-eoc.org/PIF/Priority Species BCR 13 Ontario.pdf

March 2004 PIF Ontario Newsletter Page 3 of 4

Priority Habitats and Suites of Species for BCR 13 Ontario Priority habitats for BCR 13 bird conservation have been discussed at numerous planning meetings over the last few years. Although broad habitat definitions are appropriate for planning at the BCR-wide scale, more specific sub-habitats need to be considered during implementation. For the BCR 13 plan, this will be achieved by linking the broad habitat definitions to Ecological Land Classifications Units which are being increasingly used for land use planning at the site level. The Technical Advisory Committee also recommended that specific habitat types be considered within broader habitat associations. For example, it was suggested that within the “forest” category, specific attention be directed to mature closed canopy, swamp/riparian/ravine, and gap/open habitats. Likewise, care needs to be taken to distinguish between “agricultural” grasslands and “native” grasslands.

In addition to considering conservation needs from a habitat perspective, it was also decided that some of the priority species be grouped according to their life history characteristics. As such, suites of aerial insectivores and wintering raptors will also be highlighted in the completed biological plan and species with wetland affinities will be identified.

Forest Grassland – Native & Low-intensity Agriculture

Mature Closed Bobolink Wood Thrush Eastern Meadowlark Cerulean Warbler Henslow’s Sparrow Yellow-throated Vireo Short-eared Owl Bay-breasted Warbler Vesper Sparrow Red-shouldered Hawk Grasshopper Sparrow Acadian Flycatcher Northern Bobwhite Northern Saw-whet Owl Barn Owl

Swamp / Riparian / Ravines Loggerhead Shrike Canada Warbler Wetland – Marsh Rusty Blackbird Swamp Sparrow Acadian Flycatcher Northern Harrier Louisiana Waterthrush Short-eared Owl Prothonotary Warbler post-breeding passerine roosts

Gaps & Openings Shoreline Black-billed Cuckoo Bank Swallow Northern Flicker Belted Kingfisher Rose-breasted Grosbeak Baltimore Oriole Long-eared Owl Bald Eagle Red-headed Woodpecker migrant concentration areas Hooded Warbler Aerial Insectivores* Kirtland’s Warbler Bank Swallow

Shrub – Early Successional Chimney Swift Willow Flycatcher Whip-poor-will Black-billed Cuckoo Purple Martin Blue-winged Warbler Common Nighthawk Golden-winged Warbler Wintering Raptors Field Sparrow Short-eared Owl Brown Thrasher Long-eared Owl Prairie Warbler Bald Eagle Whip-poor-will Peregrine Falcon Eastern Towhee Golden Eagle Vesper Sparrow Great Gray Owl Yellow-breasted Chat

* Several species of aerial insectivores are showing population declines in southern Ontario A more detailed priority habitat and suite of species list containing additional information about relative density, population trend, threat score, priority tier, and wetland associate can be viewed at http://www.bsc-eoc.org/PIF/Priority%20Habitats%20and%20Suites%20of%20Species.pdf

http://www.bsc-eoc.org/PIF/Priority Habitats and Suites of Species.pdf

March 2004 PIF Ontario Newsletter Page 4 of 4

Next Steps: Population and Habitat Objectives

To date, population and habitat objectives have been discussed only in general terms. Possible objectives might include: wetland and forest habitats – reversal of declining population trends observed in recent decades (through Breeding Bird Survey, Breeding Bird Atlas, etc.); shrub and grassland habitats –

maintenance and/or stabilization of current populations (i.e., declining trends need to be stopped); and more proactive efforts may need to be considered for certain species (e.g., Golden-winged Warbler). Currently more detailed population and habitat objectives are being drafted for consideration at the next Technical Advisory Committee Meeting on 15-16 April in Peterborough Ontario. In addition to discussions about habitat objectives, the Committee will also be asked for guidance regarding recommended actions and best management practices for the various habitats and suites of species that are of conservation interest. A first draft of the BCR 13 plan will be circulated sometime this summer. Moving North: Planning in other BCRs We are moving north! Planning work has already started for BCRs 12 (Boreal Hardwood Transition) and 8 (Boreal Softwood Shield); the first Technical Advisory workshop for these regions will likely be held in September 2004. We’ll keep you posted! PIF Ontario Home Page A PIF Ontario web page has been developed to help disseminate information about the BCR plans. Correspondence, workshop presentations, data summaries, and components of the plans are available in downloadable format. Please visit it at http://www.bsc-eoc.org/PIF/PIFOntario.html

Partners in Flight Ontario Contacts: Overall Contact / General Information

Brigitte D. Collins Program Development Biologist Canadian Wildlife Service, Ontario Region 49 Camelot Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0H3 Ph: (613) 952-2408; Fax: (613) 952-9027 Email: brigitte.collins@ec.gc.ca

Ministry of Natural Resources Contact Julie Simard Habitat Conservation Biologist, Wildlife Section Ministry of Natural Resources 300 Water Street, P.O. Box 7000 Peterborough, Ontario K9J 8M5 Ph: (705)-755-1980; Fax: (705) 755-1900 Email: Julie.simard@mnr.gov.on.ca

Technical Contact

Peter Blancher PIF Scientist Bird Studies Canada /Ètudes d’Oiseaux Canada 49 Camelot Drive, Nepean, ON K1A 0H3 Ph: (613) 954-1253; Fax: (613) 952-9027 Email: peter.blancher@ec.gc.ca

Plan-writing Contact Steve Wilcox Administrative and Development Manager Bird Studies Canada / Ètudes d’Oiseaux Canada P.O. Box 160, Port Rowan ON N0E 1M0 Ph: (519) 586-3531; Fax: (519) 586-3532 Email: swilcox@bsc-eoc.org

The Canadian Wildlife Service and Ministry of Natural Resources are major financial supporters of this effort. Other important financial supporters include PIF Canada, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and Wildlife Habitat

Canada.

http://www.bsc-eoc.org/PIF/PIFOntario.htmlmailto:swilcox@bsc-eoc.org