The Canadian Museum of Nature recently hosted the world première of the BBC documentary Earthflight.
The film is an exploration of migratory birds that debuted in conjunction with this year’s 100th anniversary of a landmark migratory-bird treaty between Canada and the United States.
The Sept. 15 screening was followed by a panel discussion on the importance of bird conservation and why the treaty remains relevant today.
The world première was held at the Museum of Nature, where Canada first signed the treaty all those years ago.
The 1916 U.S.-Canada Migratory Bird Treaty was enacted to reverse the effect hunting was having on bird populations at the time.
Although hunting is a lesser threat today, birds in North America are still facing a number of serious challenges to their survival.
According to a recent survey by Partners in Flight, authored by several academics, activists and government bodies from Canada and the U.S., North America has more than a billion fewer birds than it did 40 years ago. In total, one third of North America’s migratory bird species are currently threatened by extinction.
Overall, the survey lists 86 of North America’s 450 bird species as vulnerable.
Among these include the evening grosbeak and Canada warbler.
“I learned a lot tonight,” said Sylvia Schade, a Gatineau resident and nature lover who attended the screening with her friends.
“I didn’t know there were so many bird issues.”
Panelists, who spoke after the screening, said these declining numbers demonstrate the continued importance of the treaty.
“Every step of the way, (birds) have to overcome the obstacles that we as society are throwing up in front of them,” said Judith Kennedy, head of bird conservation at Environment and Climate Change Canada.
“International cooperation is probably more important now than it was 100 years ago.” Other factors affecting bird populations include urbanization, cats and growth in agriculture.
According to FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness Program), one of the biggest threats to migratory birds today is window collisions.
In North America, window collisions cause about 100 million bird deaths annually – and close to one million of those deaths happen in Ottawa.
Other factors affecting bird populations include urbanization, cats and growth in agriculture.
Ellen Jakubowski, a communications volunteer for Safe Wings Ottawa, said downtown Ottawa is a hotspot for window collisions. “There are many similar looking buildings with reflective windows that make birds’ navigation difficult,” she said.
Some cities in Canada, including Toronto, have established bird-safe strategies for business owners, building managers, architects and homeowners. But Ottawa hasn’t followed suit.
Jakubowski said the city has been good at responding to short-term problems, such as fixing the glass skywalk at City Hall, which killed over 30 birds in one day in April 2016, by covering it with brown paper. But she said Safe Wings would like to see more push for long-term solutions.
Anouk Hoedeman, coordinator of Safe Wings, said the city is looking into drafting a set of bird-friendly guidelines for buildings, but no formal decisions are expected until next year at the earliest.
“It’s disappointing that there’s been a delay … but city councillors are trying to do something about it,” said Hoedeman.
Canada’s past conservation efforts with other countries have been successful. Jakubowski said North America’s ban on the pesticide DDT has helped some waterfowl and raptors, including the iconic bald eagle, make a comeback.
“It shows what’s possible when we work together,” she said.
Safe Wings Ottawa’s website has outlines efforts people can make to help birds. For example, it explains how homes and buildings can be made safer by applying visual markers on the exterior surface of windows. This discourages birds from flying into windows because they will see something in the way, instead of what appears to be a clear path they can fly through.
The 20-minute Earthflight documentary will be playing at the McLeod Street museum every weekend until Dec. 18. Tickets are $4 (in addition to museum admission).