Bird data : Canada, Ottawa

Abstract

We have only a basic understanding of how urban development affects native bird populations. Citizens, planners, and developers will all benefit from having access to rigorously collected and quantified baseline observations. The Ottawa Bird Count is the first survey of its kind in Canada and only the second in all of North America (a similar survey has been conducted in Tucson, Arizona since 2001). We know that the diversity of native birds generally declines as development increases but people need to live somewhere and we have little information that can help us balance our needs with those of other species. Since cities will continue to grow, we need to find a way to manage and direct that growth so that it provides the best possible habitat for native species.