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Birds of Southern Ontario

Their Status, Threats and What We Can Do To Help

Adult

This presentation will highlight some of the birds found in Waterloo Region throughout the year. Dr. Friesen will address the significant and widespread losses of North America’s birds (a decline of one-third individual bird abundance since 1970) and of native insect populations that are also in free-fall. He will describe how the way we have developed the urban landscape has contributed to these declines and describe how we can greatly improve matters by using native plantings and by managing our yards to provide food and shelter for birds and insects throughout the year. Dr. Friesen will show slides and play original sound recordings of some of the 110 species of birds that have appeared in our naturalized urban yard, near downtown Waterloo, in the last 30 years, offering evidence that if ‘you build it, they will come’. There will be time for a Q&A at the end of the program.

Dr. Lyle Friesen Biography:

Dr. Lyle Friesen worked for over twenty years as a Songbird Biologist with the federal government (Canadian Wildlife Service, a division of Environment Canada). His work focused on monitoring and researching native bird populations in Ontario - particularly species-at-risk including Wood Thrush, King Rail, Cerulean Warbler, Prairie Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush - and on environmental assessment including the impacts of wind turbines on birds and bats. He has had a native plant garden at his home since 1990 and was a lead organizer of a large pollinator garden established at Rockway Mennonite Church in Kitchener in 2022.

This is a registered program.  Please register every person attending.

Programmer: Kerstin