Bird Studies Canada WMS/WFS Server

Canadian Important Bird Areas (IBA)

This layer represents *generalized* boundaries of Important Bird Areas (IBA) in Canada. IBAs, in Canada and elsewhere, are evaluated and designated on the basis of internationally criteria. The polygons contained in the dataset meet these criteria and are therefore deemed significant at the national, continental, or global level. In Canada, IBAs are not legally recognized entities and therefore do not have any regulatory status. Nevertheless, they are extremely useful for conservation planning for birds. Polygon boundaries were digitized on-screen in ArcView GIS 3.2 by using NTDB 1:50K or 1:250K digital layers for reference. If NTDB coverage was not available (e.g., far north), the Digital Chart of the World (1:1M) was used. The boundaries of IBAs in this dataset are intentionally generalized to reflect the importance of the surrounding ecosystem on the values present within IBAs. For example, small islands supporting colonies of seabirds might be buffered by 1 or 2 km to form an IBA. Boundaries for a very small minority of IBAs were available in paper form as part of IBA conservation plans that had been developed previously. In such cases, we visually estimated their boundaries against the NTDB or other base layers. Many IBAs are already recognized as other types of protected areas, e.g., National Wildlife Areas, National and Provincial Parks, Migratory Bird Sanctuaries, conservation reserves, and so on. In these cases, we used digital boundaries from other sources (e.g., WWF Canada's Designated Areas Database, Environment Canada's Canadian Conservation Areas Database) as reference points when digitizing IBA boundaries. Please cite as follows: Bird Studies Canada and Nature Canada. 2004-2012. Important Bird Areas of Canada Database. Port Rowan, Ontario: Bird Studies Canada. To access the Canadian IBA directory: http://www.ibacanada.ca/explore.jsp Full metadata for this layer: http://www.bsc-eoc.org/website/metadata/caniba_wms.xml

Canadian Christmas Bird Count Locations (CBC_PY)

A winter survey of bird populations conducted during the Christmas period - December 14 to January 5th inclusive. More than 1800 counts are conducted each year across Canada, the United States and Latin America. On a selected day within the count period, local birders count as many birds as possible within a 24 km (15 mile) diameter circle. The Christmas Bird Count had long been organized on the continental scale by the New York-based National Audubon Society. In 2000, Audubon finalized an agreement with Bird Studies Canada that would see BSC partner with Audubon to coordinate CBCs in Canada. This layer represents the 24 km circles surveyed as part of each Christmas Bird Count conducted in Canada. An accompanying layer (CBC_PT) contains the centre point of the circles.

Canadian Lakes Loon Survey Locations (CLLS)

A volunteer-based program that monitors the effects of acid rain and other human disturbance on loon breeding and presence on Canada's cottage lakes and other waterbodies.

Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas Administrative Regions (OBBA_REGION)

An administrative unit that is used for local bird atlas co-ordination, which is based on bioregions and access. Each region is assigned a Regional Coordinator who administers bird surveys within their region.

Nocturnal Owl Survey Locations (OWLS)

A volunteer-based program that monitors the abundance of owl species across Canada by means of broadcast surveys. Ontario survey locations are currently available through this service.

Project FeederWatch - Bird Data (PFW_R)

Project FeederWatch is a winter survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the highest numbers of each species they see at their feeders from November through early April. FeederWatch helps scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Project FeederWatch is operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in partnership with Audubon, Bird Studies Canada, and Nature Canada.The data set includes: date of observation, species, highest number seen at one time, effort, weather (low temperature, high temperature, precipitation, snow depth, and snow cover), count site description (size, vegetation, population density of neighborhood, elevation, habitats, numbers and types of feeders, types of food provided, etc.). +++++ This layer provides access to the raw bird data records in GML format and can take a very long time to process if the full dataset is requested. Users are advised to query this layer by species -- the full dataset can be obtained as a zip archive from www.naturecounts.ca +++++

Project FeederWatch - Summarized Data (PFW_S)

Project FeederWatch is a winter survey of birds that visit feeders at backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales in North America. FeederWatchers periodically count the highest numbers of each species they see at their feeders from November through early April. FeederWatch helps scientists track broadscale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance. Project FeederWatch is operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology in partnership with Audubon, Bird Studies Canada, and Nature Canada.The data set includes: date of observation, species, highest number seen at one time, effort, weather (low temperature, high temperature, precipitation, snow depth, and snow cover), count site description (size, vegetation, population density of neighborhood, elevation, habitats, numbers and types of feeders, types of food provided, etc.). +++++ This layer contains data that has been rolled up to each site and species combination, so that users may get a sense of the abundance of bird species across survey locations. +++++

Great Backyard Bird Count - Survey Locations (GBBC_L)

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all levels in counting birds and reporting their results to create a mid-winter snapshot of the numbers, kinds, and distribution of birds across the continent. Participants count birds for as little or as long as they wish during the four-day period and tally the highest number of birds of each species that they see at any one time. At the Great Backyard Bird Count web site, they fill out an online checklist to submit their counts. As the count progresses, anyone with Internet access can explore what is being reported from their own towns or anywhere in the United States and Canada. They can also see how the current year's numbers compare with those from any of the previous years. Participants may also send in photographs of the birds they see. A selection of images is posted in the GBBC online photo gallery. After the count, scientists analyze the results and post summaries highlighting the year's trends and findings. The Great Backyard Bird Count is managed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon, with sponsorship from Wild Birds Unlimited. +++++ This layer contains the unique locations at which surveys have been conducted and should be used in conjunction with the appropriate summary and raw data layers to understand the distribution and abundance of birds in Canada. +++++

eBird Canada - Bird Data (EBIRD_R)

eBird Canada, a project developed by Bird Studies Canada, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, provides a simple way for birders to keep track of the birds they see anywhere in North America with a focus on the birds of Canada. You can retrieve information on your bird observations, from your backyard to your neighborhood to your favorite bird-watching locations, at any time for your personal use. You can also access the entire historical database to find out what other eBirders are reporting from across North America. In addition, the cumulative eBird database is used by birdwatchers, scientists, and conservationists who want to know more about the distributions and movement patterns of birds across the continent. Various regional eBird clones exist (aVerAves, Vermont eBird, Mass Audubon eBird, Texas eBird, Bird Conservation Network eBird, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory eBird), but they all contribute to the cumulative eBird database. +++++ This layer provides access to the raw bird data records in GML format and can take a very long time to process if the full dataset is requested. Users are advised to query this layer by species -- the full dataset can be obtained as a zip archive from www.naturecounts.ca +++++

eBird Canada - Summarized Data (EBIRD_S)

eBird Canada, a project developed by Bird Studies Canada, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the National Audubon Society, provides a simple way for birders to keep track of the birds they see anywhere in North America with a focus on the birds of Canada. You can retrieve information on your bird observations, from your backyard to your neighborhood to your favorite bird-watching locations, at any time for your personal use. You can also access the entire historical database to find out what other eBirders are reporting from across North America. In addition, the cumulative eBird database is used by birdwatchers, scientists, and conservationists who want to know more about the distributions and movement patterns of birds across the continent. Various regional eBird clones exist (aVerAves, Vermont eBird, Mass Audubon eBird, Texas eBird, Bird Conservation Network eBird, Gulf Coast Bird Observatory eBird), but they all contribute to the cumulative eBird database. +++++ This layer contains data that has been rolled up to each site and species combination, so that users may get a sense of the abundance of bird species across survey locations. +++++