It is with great excitement that the Migration Research Foundation (MRF) introduces a new bird conservation initiative, Frontenac Bird Studies (FBS)! The project has been in development for much of the past fall and winter and it is a joy to finally get started with this blog and the all of the fieldwork to come. Spring has arrived and most of the lakes in the study area are now mostly free of ice. Red-shouldered Hawks are common in the region and have been observed daily while early spring landbirds and waterfowl have also been plentiful. The nesting season is well underway for Great Horned, Barred and Northern Saw-whet Owls as well as Red-breasted Nuthatches and Pileated Woodpeckers, to name a few!

While our flagship program, Frontenac Breeding Birds, will not begin officially until mid-May, 2009, we will have several activities to keep us going in the meantime. Starting on April 12, we will commence bird surveys on alternating days along Canoe Lake Road for the Spring and Fall Migration Census program. This program will continue on a regular basis until May 31 for the spring and will start-up again in August for the autumn season. In the next couple of weeks, we will also initiate nocturnal surveys of breeding owls in the FBS study area. April is the best window for conducting these surveys as owls of all species breeding in the area will be active. All of these activities will be heavily featured in the blog, along with other noteworthy sightings, events and developments.

The FBS blog will be a dynamic site with regularly updated content, which will include field summaries, articles and lots of multimedia. Our programs are ideally suited to the production and presentation of video content and we will be uploading short clips of birds as a regular feature. The goal of this endeavour is to try to provide a compelling visual experience of the Frontenac Arch and its remarkable flora and fauna. We will also be including frequent updates from the field in the sidebar under “Recent Observations”. Please note that the categories listed under the “Browse by topic” button will fill out as content is added to the blog.

If you are interested in lending a hand to the establishment of FBS, we invite you to consider joining the 2009 Baillie Birdathon in support of the Migration Research Foundation (MRF). The birdathon is an important fundraiser for MRF and your support will help FBS take flight in 2009! Click here more information.