By Jennifer Nantais
On May 11, Windsor held its 2nd annual Windsor Urban Birding Challenge to bring together novice and expert birders to celebrate and document avian diversity in the city. This event is part of an ongoing commitment to maintain the Bird Friendly City designation awarded by Nature Canada in 2022, and to honour World Migratory Bird Day.
The Bird Friendly City certification recognizes cities that have made substantial efforts to protect bird populations through habitat preservation, community engagement, and sustainable urban planning, and provides a framework for creating safe environments for birds, especially during critical migratory periods.
World Migratory Bird Day, celebrated on the second Saturday in May, aims to raise awareness about the importance of protecting migratory birds and their habitats. The day highlights the challenges birds face, including habitat loss, climate change, and obstacles like buildings, light pollution and stray cats. The Windsor Urban Birding Challenge aligns perfectly with this mission, encouraging awareness and community participation in bird conservation efforts.
This identification challenge was organized by the Pelee Island Bird Observatory, supported by the City of Windsor, and sponsored by Vortex Canada. Participants spread out across Windsor’s parks, waterfronts, urban areas and green spaces armed with binoculars and field guides. They documented various species, contributing valuable data to bird conservation projects. The WUBC is still in its early days, and this year’s participants enjoyed a generous prize package consisting of binoculars and a fun collection of nature-themed items. Laura Foy and Andrew Campbell won the grand prize with a whopping 82 species found within the 24-hr period despite rainy weather conditions.
The Windsor Urban Birding Challenge not only celebrated the city’s Bird Friendly status, but it also highlighted the collective effort needed to protect migratory birds.
Events like this help track populations, demonstrate how urban areas can coexist harmoniously with nature, and share our collective love for birds. As the city looks forward to future challenges, the ongoing commitment to bird conservation promises to keep Windsor a sanctuary for birds and a haven for bird lovers.
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