Latest news with #MigratoryBirdsConventionAct
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Threatening geese a serious fowl, judge advises woman out $300 after cellphone video cooks her goose
This one's for the birds. They leave city sidewalks and parks slick with poop, bring traffic to a standstill when they waddle lazily across the roadway and honk angrily at anyone who has the nerve to get in their way. We speak of the Canadian Goose. PHIL HOSSACK / FREE PRESS FILES A Winnipeg woman learned the hard way that Canadian geese are nationally protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act. The woman admitted to 'harrassing' a nesting goose and it earned her a $300 fine. The nationally protected bird has cost one frustrated Winnipeg woman a $300 fine after she admitted to 'harassing' a nesting goose, an offence under the Migratory Birds Convention Act. The now-20-year-old woman was trying to visit a friend at a Henderson Highway apartment in May 2024 when a nesting goose blocked her car's path, Crown attorney Joan Schmidt told court. The woman threw a bottle of leather cleaner and a pylon at the bird in an effort to chase it away. 'Canadian geese are protected under legislation, so if you throw things at them to move them off where they are, that is under the definition of harassing,' Schmidt said. An area resident recorded the incident on her cellphone and forwarded it to the Conservation Officer Service a day later. An environment officer tracked down the owner of the vehicle seen on the video, who confirmed his daughter had been driving it that night. In an interview with an environment officer the following day, the woman admitted to her involvement, saying 'she was not in her right head space' after just learning she was pregnant. The woman told court last month she wasn't trying to harm the bird. 'I tried to get into my friend's apartment and they were in the way,' said the woman, who was accompanied to court by her mother. 'I was just trying to move them, I was trying to scare it away,' she said. 'You understand that they are protected birds?' provincial court Judge Kelly Moar asked the woman. 'Now I know,' she said. However frustrating geese might be, 'you have to bide your time, be patient,' Moar said. 'Patience is a good thing to learn, anyway,' he said. The woman was not represented in court by a lawyer. The woman and her mother resisted a suggestion earlier in the hearing that they seek legal advice, saying they had already been to court three times on the matter and just wanted to 'clear it off' and pay the fine. 'As frustrating as geese can sometimes be… because they can be aggressive, especially when they are nesting… they are protected in Canada and you just have to work around them.'– Crown attorney Joan Schmidt 'We just want this to end,' the woman's mother told court. 'We don't want to waste any more time.' Schmidt said the standard fine for the offence is $740, but told Moar a lower fine would be sufficient to send a message to the woman and the community that the rights of the birds must be respected. 'As frustrating as geese can sometimes be — because they can be aggressive, especially when they are nesting — they are protected in Canada and you just have to work around them,' Schmidt said. Winnipeg city councillor Vivian Santos said she receives complaints about geese each year. 'Most of the time, the complaints that come in are usually around the retention ponds. That's where a lot of the geese will come and lay their eggs, and then… it ends up becoming what looks like hundreds (of them),' said Santos (Point Douglas). 'They create a bit of a mess.' The councillor noted provincial rules are in place to help conserve geese, in addition to federal laws. Noting geese can be aggressive, the councillor said the city requires developers to 'naturalize' retention ponds, which helps deter the birds. 'We've changed our standards of our ponds. So, you'll see they'll have cattails now and naturalized grass,' said Santos. She said the city has obtained federal permits at times in the past to remove goose eggs from nests on major roadways to reduce safety concerns. 'The only way that the City of Winnipeg will cull the eggs… is if they're noticing that they're in high-traffic locations, which (can) cause accidents, because people will tend to slow down and not want to hit them.'– Winnipeg city councillor Vivian Santos 'The only way that the City of Winnipeg will cull the eggs… is if they're noticing that they're in high-traffic locations, which (can) cause accidents, because people will tend to slow down and not want to hit them,' said Santos. In an email, city spokeswoman Pam McKenzie said the City of Winnipeg doesn't officially track the number of complaints it receives about geese. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. 'Anecdotally, the number of complaints we do receive is very low. Geese are protected under the Migratory Birds Act and are under federal jurisdiction,' wrote McKenzie. Despite many geese gathering at Memorial Park recently, a provincial government spokesman said the department that manages that park has received no complaints about the waterfowl this year. In an email, the spokesman noted a 'squawk box' audio device was installed to deter geese from the property in 2022. Visitors are advised not to feed the birds. Dean PritchardCourts reporter Dean Pritchard is courts reporter for the Free Press. He has covered the justice system since 1999, working for the Brandon Sun and Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 2019. Read full biography Joyanne PursagaReporter Born and raised in Winnipeg, Joyanne loves to tell the stories of this city, especially when politics is involved. Joyanne became the city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press in early 2020. Read full biography Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
CBC
5 days ago
- CBC
Winnipeg woman fined $300 for throwing things at Canada goose
A Winnipeg woman has pleaded guilty under federal legislation known as the Migratory Birds Convention Act after being caught on video throwing a bottle of leather cleaner and a pylon at a nesting Canada goose in 2024. "I was just … trying to scare it away," she said.
Hamilton Spectator
17-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Tree debris removed at Burlington Millcroft Greens site as investigations continue
Removal of tree debris at Millcroft Greens began June 11 as an investigation into last month's tree cutting on the Burlington property continues. City forestry staff are supervising the removal work. Both the City of Burlington and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) are investigating the tree cutting on parts of Millcroft Golf Club. The tree cutting took place May 1, in preparation for future construction of 90 homes, but the city apparently issued a stop work order shortly after the cutting began and opened an investigation under its private tree bylaw. Details of the planned development can be found at the city's project website . The city issued a permit allowing the developer's contractors to access or cross city property in order to remove tree debris from the golf course. The golf club currently operates just nine of its 18 holes. Due to the ongoing investigation, the city is releasing limited information. An ECCC spokesperson told the Burlington Post on May 2 the federal department had launched an investigation to determine whether the tree cutting contravened the Migratory Birds Convention Act. That law 'prohibits the disturbance or destruction of migratory birds, their nests, and eggs.' Spokesperson Cecelia Parsons stated in a June 11 email ECCC publishes enforcement notifications or news releases that relate to convictions and when it is in the public interest, may, in some cases, share information about investigations or charges that are before the court. 'Otherwise, to protect the integrity of enforcement processes, the department does not share specific details relating to its inspections or ongoing investigations,' Parsons said. According to a joint statement issued by ward 6 city councillor Angelo Bentivegna and Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, the permit issued earlier this month allows the landowner to remove fallen trees and branches but prohibits any further removal of living trees or stumps. The stop work order remains in place — limiting any work on site to the permitted removal of tree debris. According to a previous update issued by Meed Ward, the city and Millcroft Greens had a pre-servicing agreement that set out conditions to be met before tree removals could begin. 'Millcroft Greens began removing trees before all conditions were satisfied,' Meed Ward's statement continued in her June newsletter. 'As a result, the City issued a cease-work order on May 1, 2025.' Representatives of Millcroft Greens did not respond to requests for comment by deadline. A statement on the Millcroft Greens website acknowledges 'many in the community are disappointed to see the removal of trees' but calls the work 'a necessary step in the creation of new homes.' 'As part of our approved development application, we have preserved 425 existing trees and are planting over 2,600 new trees in the developed blocks,' the Millcroft Greens statement continues. 'We also want to assure the community that all work that has been conducted on site was undertaken only after the necessary approvals were obtained.' The Millcroft Greens website states an ecologist ensured no active migratory bird nests were disturbed and some trees within a designated buffer zone were preserved. Sonia Robinson, of the group Millcroft Against Bad Development , said large machines rolled into the neighbourhood at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, June 11 to begin the removal of tree debris. 'The noise level was unbearable yet they continued to wood chip the felled trees for over 10 hours,' Robinson said. 'This heavy machinery was less than 50 feet from some of the homeowners' backyards.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Yahoo
'Pretty evil birds' are dive-bombing pedestrians in Etobicoke, residents say
Red-winged blackbirds are dive-bombing residents of one Toronto neighbourhood, swooping down and pecking at their heads, but an expert says there's not too much the locals can do as the birds protect their nests. On one street in Etobicoke, near Kipling Avenue and Dundas Street W., the birds with the distinctive markings are annoying and even frightening residents. In some cases, if the pedestrians flee, the birds will chase. Ron Glatt, a local resident who has lived in the area for four years, said on Thursday that the attacks seem to be worse this year than last. He said the red-winged blackbirds live in the trees in the area, including outside his house. "We've just really been seeing them be more aggressive than usual," Glatt said. "When people are running, it seems to make things worse. The birds will follow them down the street. We've seen delivery drivers get repeatedly attacked while they're trying to deliver packages. So yeah, they're pretty evil birds." Glatt said his home security camera footage has shown instances where people have been attacked to the point where they have fallen over. Glatt said it would be good if the birds found another area in which to nest. But failing that, he said he has found that staring at the birds, or making eye contact, is one way to lessen attacks. "Walking backwards and looking at the birds tends to work pretty well," he said. One of the homeowners who lives in the neighbourhood told CBC Toronto that her family stopped using the front door to avoid getting attacked. 'A territorial bird just protecting its eggs' Tristan Boswell, another resident, said he was pecked in the head earlier this week in the evening when he was not wearing anything on his head. "It's a territorial bird just protecting its eggs. And it's annoying," he said. "I've seen people, when people are just passing through, get swooped on and they're like, they're being attacked by some invisible enemy, but it's just a bird nesting and trying to protect its little ones." Boswell said he thinks the birds' behaviour is more of an inconvenience rather than a major problem, but he said the city could perhaps put decoys of hawks or owls or blue jays in the trees to ward the red-winged blackbirds off. "Nothing invasive or anything like that... because life is life, you know," he said. Shane Abernethy, bander-in-charge at the Tommy Thompson Park Bird Research Station, an initiative of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, said the nests are "extremely vulnerable" because the eggs have hatched and they now contain live chicks. Abernethy said bird nests and their eggs are protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act, an international treaty. Moving them is not possible, he said. 'They're not out for blood' "These birds are defending their nests so this is a purely defensive action. They're not out for blood. This is nesting season for red-winged blackbirds and, in fact, the peak of it," Abernethy said. "As a result, they're aggressively driving away anything they perceive as a threat, which will include any potential predators as well people who have wandered a little bit too close to the nest sites themselves," he said. Abernethy said the attacks should end in the next few weeks. He said the birds attack from behind and he recommends that people make eye contact if a bird is spotted close by, avoid getting close to the birds and consider wearing a hat for protection. In a statement, a city spokesperson said the city can't anticipate where nests are being built or how a bird might react to a person's proximity to one. "We encourage the public, if they see or encounter an aggressive red-winged blackbird, to please keep their distance because they're protecting their young and their nest."
National Observer
09-06-2025
- Climate
- National Observer
Influx of chimney swifts in N.B., a promising sign for threatened species: experts
The spring migratory season got off to an encouraging start for one threatened bird species, a national conservation group says, noting it recently logged thousands of chimney swifts at a single address in Fredricton. Allison Manthorne, associate director of Atlantic programs with Birds Canada, said chimney swift numbers have dropped by about 90 per cent since the 1970s. So when Birds Canada counted more than 2,400 chimney swifts pouring into a city flue on the evening of May 25, she said the group was pleasantly surprised. "It's the only large roost that we know of in Fredericton at the moment ... typically, we'll see this kind of pulse in late May of a few hundred birds," she said. "Sometimes there's a bit of a traffic jam, and maybe it's weather, maybe it's a predator, maybe it's a big storm down south, ... We're not entirely sure what happened to make all of these 2,400 swifts pack into that roost on that particular night." Manthorne said Birds Canada staff and volunteers participate in a national roost monitoring survey on four set dates across chimney swift nesting sites every year. Manthorne said the last time Birds Canada counted close to this number of chimney swifts — about 2,700 — was in 2018. The scimitar-shaped chimney swifts are classified as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada, and are also protected under the Migratory Birds Convention Act. Environment and Climate Change Canada estimated the chimney swift population stood between 20,000 and 70,000 mature birds as of 2023. It said the long-term goal is to maintain a stable population between 2033 and 2043, while the short-term objective is to halt the drop in numbers within 10 years. Chimney swifts are long-distance migrants, breeding anywhere between Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia and wintering in South America. They regularly nest in chimneys or other tall stacks on their travels. Nick Lund, a network manager for US wildlife conservation organization Maine Audubon, called chimney swifts incredible birds. "They're often called a cigar with wings," he said while describing their short, tubelike bodies flanked by scythe-like appendages. "They spend their days zooming around over towns and cities, gulping flying insects out of the air. ... They're never seen perched or on the ground, unless you're able to peer into a nest chimney." Lund said there's a lot to love about chimney swifts, especially for city-dwellers with fewer opportunities to see the natural world in action. 'They're unlike any other bird you'd find in a city — very different from pigeons or starlings — and so they're a great connection to a wilder world for many people." Scientists say the birds are now threatened due to climate change, habitat loss and pesticide use, which depletes the supply of flying insects they rely on for food. "It's not just one single threat," Manthorne said. "It's this constellation of threats, and they're doing the best they can to survive." In 2021, University of Connecticut entomologist David Wagner said climate change, insecticides, herbicides, light pollution, invasive species and changes in agriculture and land use are causing Earth to lose probably one to two per cent of its insects each year. Insects 'are absolutely the fabric by which Mother Nature and the tree of life are built,' Wagner said. Ripple effects of habitat loss is affecting not just insects, but birds too. Lund said chimney swifts used to nest in large trees hollowed out by lightning or other forces. But now, he said they nest exclusively in the closest manmade equivalent: chimneys. Manthorne said the birds have large eyes, short legs and "giant" feet that they use to cling on the inside of hollow trees or chimneys. The birds also have distinctive tails, where each feather has a pointy end that helps the birds climb smokestacks. "When they're clinging to the inside of a chimney at night, they're using their giant feet with their big claws, and they're using their tails, and they can hang on to the side of a vertical surface all night," she said. "It's really cool." They often return to past nesting sites, she added, noting that pattern highlights the importance of spots like the roosting site in Fredericton. Manthorne is troubled by what she says is a common misconception that birds and humans can't comfortably co-exist. "We always say chimney swifts make really good house guests. They're clean, they're tidy, they're not loud. You probably wouldn't even know that they're there unless somebody told you, 'Hey, I saw a bird flying down your chimney,'" she said. "If you've got a pair of swifts, it's really special. You're providing a home for this threatened species. And they've chosen your chimney for a reason."
