THE GOOD PLACE
How One Albertan Organization is Leading Bird Conservation
The Beaverhill Bird Observatory aims to protect the province’s bird species as much as learn from them.
By Lana Hall
(Top) Head biologist Janet Teefy with Keith, a red-tailed hawk. (Above) The Young Ornithologist Workshop gives budding birders a chance to get up close with their subjects. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF JASPER JUNE; COURTESY OF BEAVERHILL BIRD OBSERVATORY
Look up. Way up. If you’re at Beaverhill Bird Observatory (BBO), about an hour east of Edmonton, you might just glimpse a black-capped chickadee or a downy woodpecker nestled in the tree canopy. Since 1984, the BBO has been stewarding more than 400 hectares of land and tracking changes in bird population, health and migratory routes. This makes it the second-oldest migration monitoring observatory in Canada. In addition to doing scientific research, it also offers public programming, including the Young Ornithologist Workshop for budding birders. The BBO does all of this as a non-profit organization, funded by grants, donations and public support.
As challenges like climate change and urban sprawl put Alberta’s biodiversity and natural habitats at risk, the BBO’s work feels more urgent than ever. “Birds are some of our most sensitive and vulnerable creatures to climate change,” says assistant biologist Jon Van Arragon, who has worked at the BBO since 2020. “But they’re also some of the ones that provide us the most information.” Shifts in air quality, pesticide use, and even changes in seasonal temperature can all dramatically influence bird populations, behaviour and migration.
During migratory season, biologists at the BBO capture birds in fine mesh nets, band their legs with a unique serial number, and record each bird’s measurements before releasing them. The bands allow staff to monitor migratory patterns and population dynamics, data that is then shared with other organizations. “When you’re looking at bird population trends and what kind of conditions are affecting them, it’s very important to have that long-term baseline to figure out what impacts might be causing certain changes,” says Van Arragon.
Members of the public are sometimes invited to join the biologists in their monitoring work, including the daily bird census count. “You get to see these tiny little birds up close,” says Van Arragon. “Normally, they’re so hard to find. It really gives you that personal connection.”
During non-migration periods, BBO staff take their conservation efforts to schools, community events, seniors’ centres and after-school programs, teaching Albertans about local birds and their habits. A live bird of prey usually accompanies BBO staff to these sessions. “You’re automatically the coolest person in the room when you’re holding a big ol’ owl or a hawk,” says Van Arragon. AMA
“Birds are some of our most sensitive and vulnerable creatures to climate change, but they’re also some of the ones that provide us the most information.”
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(From left) Head biologist Janet Teefy with Keith, a red-tailed hawk; The Young Ornithologist Workshop gives budding birders a chance to get up close with their subjects. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF JASPER JUNE; COURTESY OF BEAVERHILL BIRD OBSERVATORY
Look up. Way up. If you’re at Beaverhill Bird Observatory (BBO), about an hour east of Edmonton, you might just glimpse a black-capped chickadee or a downy woodpecker nestled in the tree canopy. Since 1984, the BBO has been stewarding more than 400 hectares of land and tracking changes in bird population, health and migratory routes. This makes it the second-oldest migration monitoring observatory in Canada. In addition to doing scientific research, it also offers public programming, including the Young Ornithologist Workshop for budding birders. The BBO does all of this as a non-profit organization, funded by grants, donations and public support.
As challenges like climate change and urban sprawl put Alberta’s biodiversity and natural habitats at risk, the BBO’s work feels more urgent than ever. “Birds are some of our most sensitive and vulnerable creatures to climate change,” says assistant biologist Jon Van Arragon, who has worked at the BBO since 2020. “But they’re also some of the ones that provide us the most information.” Shifts in air quality, pesticide use, and even changes in seasonal temperature can all dramatically influence bird populations, behaviour and migration.
During migratory season, biologists at the BBO capture birds in fine mesh nets, band their legs with a unique serial number, and record each bird’s measurements before releasing them. The bands allow staff to monitor migratory patterns and population dynamics, data that is then shared with other organizations. “When you’re looking at bird population trends and what kind of conditions are affecting them, it’s very important to have that long-term baseline to figure out what impacts might be causing certain changes,” says Van Arragon.
Members of the public are sometimes invited to join the biologists in their monitoring work, including the daily bird census count. “You get to see these tiny little birds up close,” says Van Arragon. “Normally, they’re so hard to find. It really gives you that personal connection.”
During non-migration periods, BBO staff take their conservation efforts to schools, community events, seniors’ centres and after-school programs, teaching Albertans about local birds and their habits. A live bird of prey usually accompanies BBO staff to these sessions. “You’re automatically the coolest person in the room when you’re holding a big ol’ owl or a hawk,” says Van Arragon. AMA
(From top) Head biologist Janet Teefy with Keith, a red-tailed hawk; The Young Ornithologist Workshop gives budding birders a chance to get up close with their subjects. | PHOTOS: COURTESY OF JASPER JUNE; COURTESY OF BEAVERHILL BIRD OBSERVATORY