2015 Survey Season News

1. 2015 Nightjar Survey Biologist

I’m pleased to announce that WildResearch has hired Azim Shariff as our 2015 Nightjar Survey Biologist! Please join me in welcoming Azim to the BC Nightjar Survey! Azim has a B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia, has been a highly active volunteer with WildResearch since 2011, and has been the Bander in Charge at WildResearch’s Iona Island Bird Observatory for the past two migration monitoring seasons. Azim hosted the 2015 orientation sessions in Oliver, Kelowna, Kamloops, and Prince George, and will be helping with volunteer coordination and data collection after the survey season. He is currently travelling across BC conducting nightjar surveys and collecting specialized data with autonomous recording units (ARUs).
 
Azim is keen to meet nightjar surveyors across the province and we are wondering if anyone is interested in hosting Azim (backyard camping would be fine) during his travels across BC? If anyone in the Cache Creek/Ashcroft, or Pemberton area is able to host Azim while he conducts his field work, the hospitality would be much appreciated! Email nightjars@wildresearch.ca.
 

2. Seeking Volunteers to Survey Routes Twice

We’re seeking BC Nightjar Survey volunteers who are interested in surveying their route twice during the 2015 survey season. WildResearch is interested in investigating whether conducting multiple surveys in a single year significantly increases our knowledge of nightjars in BC. The results will be used in the long-term to discuss best methods for surveying nightjars and will be used in discussions with other agencies about nightjar survey protocols elsewhere in North America.
 
If you’re interested in surveying your route twice this year, simply conduct identical surveys on two different nights. Ideally, the two surveys should be spaced at least one week apart. Data from both surveys should be submitted at the end of the survey season. Email Elly at nightjars@wildresearch.ca with questions.
 
Investigating the impacts of multiple surveys follows a questionnaire we circulated in the April Nightjar News about whether you as a surveyor would be opposed to an annual two-survey requirement. The questionnaire is still open and available here if you’d like to participate in the two survey discussion. All feedback is appreciated!

3. Seeking Photos & Stories
Do you have a nightjar story to tell? As always, the BC Nightjar Survey is looking for photos and stories from the 2015 survey season to share with other volunteers and the public! In particular, we’re looking for an article for the “Volunteer Spotlight” in the 2015 BC Nightjar Survey Annual Report. Email nightjars@wildresearch.ca if you’re interested in sharing your story or contributing a Volunteer Spotlight article. See the 2014 Annual Report here for our inaugural Volunteer Spotlight article.


4. 2015 Survey Season Launched with Six Orientation Sessions

The 2015 BC Nightjar Survey kicked off this past week on June 10 in the Two-Species Zone and on June 15 in the One-Species Zone. Three orientations were held in each zone to bring surveyors together to meet each other and to learn about nightjars and survey methods. In total, 48 people joined us for the 2015 BC Nightjar Survey orientations, from students to members of the birding community to concerned citizens! It's great to see people excited about learning about and surveying for species of conservation concern.
 
The orientations kicked off on June 10, with eight people joining Azim Shariff for the Oliver orientation. The most nightjars were seen and heard on the Oliver route (Willowbrook A), with four Common Nighthawks and three Common Poorwills heard calling around the group at the last survey station. Orientation participants in Oliver also got a great look at a Northern Saw-whet Owl during their survey!
 
Next, Azim hosted the Kelowna orientation on June 11. Unfortunately, the weather was quite windy, so a few individuals who were familiar with nighthawks suggested a good place to look for nightjars. At Robert Lake, the orientation crew met up with a few other birders, and saw a Common Nighthawk in the distance feeding very close to the UBC Okanagan campus. Other birds spotted during the Kelowna orientation were Spotted Sandpipers, Red-Winged Blackbirds and American Avocets.
 
On June 12, the Kamloops orientation group was small but enthusiastic! Only one volunteer was able to join Azim at the orientation but the two of them ran the Lac du Bois Rd route seeing a few nighthawks, with 2-3 individuals at a couple of the points.
 
At the Prince George orientation on June 15, Azim was met with huge support from birders, fellow environmentalists, and biologists from the area! There was also a large group of individuals who were in Prince George for field work who attended the orientation. A few people who were unable to sign up for a survey route this year also attended the orientation to get some information on the program with hopes of doing surveys next breeding season. Hopes were not high for spotting a Common Nighthawk during the Prince George orientation, as the number of sightings in the area have been very low. After meeting, the participants drove out to a gravel parking lot right by the start of the Old Summit Road route and just when they were about to head over to the first point and start the surveys, three nighthawks came flying over the trees. They didn't seem to be foraging, but heading full speed ahead for somewhere to the northeast. Participants were hoping to catch up with those individuals later in the survey route but had no such luck. Special thanks to Doug Wilson and Jack Bowling for helping to put the 2015 Prince George orientation together!
 
The Vancouver orientation was also held on June 15 and led by WildResearch Director Virginia Noble and former WildResearch President, Paul Levesque. Twelve people joined Virginia at Iona Island, with WildResearch Directors Renae Mackas and Jay Brogan lending helping hands. After the introductory portion, the group practiced their One-Species Zone survey techniques on the north jetty at Iona Island. It wasn't long on their walk out to the jetty that they came across their first Common Nighthawk; a male performing his aerial dives and wing-booms over the sand dunes. Further down the jetty, there were four more Common Nighthawks fluttering above and calling, which gave participants a chance to practice survey data recording. The only noise disturbance during the orientation survey was a hovercraft! It was a great night, everyone was happy to get to see Common Nighthawks, and the beautiful sunset over the ocean was a nice way to end the day.
 
Fourteen people attended the final orientation on June 16 at the historic Caleb Pike cabin in Victoria. In attendance were new and previous BC Nightjar Survey citizen scientists and local members of the community who wanted to learn more about the BC Nightjar Survey. After the introduction about nightjars, the group headed out to conduct surveys at two stations in the area. The seven-car convoy arrived at their first survey station and it wasn't long until they heard the first Common Nighthawks of the evening. At the second station, observers were treated to the sight of five Common Nighthawks wing-booming and calling over the conifers and open field habitat, which was a great opportunity to watch the birds' behaviour and to practice distinguishing how many calling birds were in the area. Thank you to the Highlands Stewardship Foundation for generously donating the use of the Caleb Pike cabin for the orientation, and to BC Nightjar Survey citizen scientist Warren Lee for sharing local knowledge and facilitating the survey portion of the evening!


Participants at the 2015 BC Nightjar Survey orientation in Victoria spot Common Nighthawks flying over the treeline. Photo by Virginia Noble.
 
Thank you to all WildResearch members and participants who joined us at the 2015 BC Nightjar Survey orientations! Special thanks to WildResearch Director Virginia Noble, WildResearch Biologist Azim Shariff, and former WildResearch President Paul Levesque for hosting the orientations. Funding for the 2015 BC Nightjar Survey orientations was provided in part by BC Nature and the BC Naturalists Foundation, and TD Friends of the Environment Foundation.
 
Photos from the 2015 BC Nightjar Survey Orientations are available on our Facebook page here.   

1. TD Friends of the Environment Foundation Supports the BC Nightjar Survey

WildResearch is excited to announce that the BC Nightjar Survey has received funding from the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation (TD FEF) for 2015! Four chapters of TD FEF in BC (Vancouver, Vancouver Island, South Interior BC, Northern BC) have provided funding in support of the BC Nightjar Survey. Funding from TD FEF will go towards wages for our BC Nightjar Survey Biologist, Azim Shariff, and towards the purchase of autonomous recording units (ARUs) that will help us learn even more about nightjars in British Columbia. Azim will deploy the ARUs during his 2015 upcoming field season, and the recordings collected will provide an opportunity for WildResearch members and Nightjar Survey volunteers to gain valuable skills in listening to and processing ARU data. Watch the Nightjar News in the fall for an opportunity to learn more about ARUs and help to process the BC Nightjar Survey ARU data.
 
Thank you TD Friends of the Environment Foundation! Click here to learn more about TD FEF.

2. MEC Capacity Grant Received the Build Nightjar Survey Atlas

WildResearch is honoured to have received funding from the MEC Community Involvement program to build an online data atlas for the BC Nightjar Survey. The Nightjar Atlas will be hosted by the Community Mapping Network, which hosts natural resource spatial data for non-profit organizations. The atlas will greatly increase the efficiency and capacity of the BC Nightjar Survey by allowing for online data entry by volunteers, automating the route sign-up process, and providing an interactive interface so that the public can explore BC Nightjar Survey data. The atlas will free up time for the BC Nightjar Survey coordinators, who volunteer to help run the BC Nightjar Survey, to continue to expand the program and focus on nightjar conservation research, education, and outreach. The program will continue to be overseen by a coordinator, so there will still be a personal touch to the program and someone to direct questions to. Construction of the Nightjar Atlas is already underway, with construction and beta-testing scheduled to be complete for the 2016 survey season.
 
Thank you MEC! Read more about MEC's Community Contributions here.

3. Nightjar Forum Launched on wildresearch.ca

WildResearch has just launched an online forum on the WildResearch website exclusively for nightjar citizen scientists and enthusiasts (that means you!). The forum is intended as a place for nightjar surveyors and naturalists across the province to connect with each other, and share tips, stories and sightings. There is a place for seeking a buddy to share your route if you’re looking for a safety second (and some company). You can also ask questions about nightjars or survey protocol methods to the Moderator and other citizen scientists. We are currently putting together a Frequently Asked Questions section for the forum, so please email your questions to nightjars@wildresearch.ca if there is anything you’ve ever wanted to know about the BC Nightjar Survey or if there is something you think other surveyors would benefit from knowing. The forum will be checked and moderated by WildResearch every 1-3 days.
 
Check out the forum at http://wildresearch.ca/forum/nightjar-survey/!