Says Bev Wigney on Annapolis Royal & Area – Environment & Ecology (Public Facebook Group):
Many of us are feeling that something needs to be done about protecting birds that are nesting right now. We’re seeing forests being hacked to pieces as we speak this week — on private and Crown land. Earlier today, I spoke with someone working on a news story who thought that Rankin’s “hold” on logging was for all Crown land through nesting season and they were horrified to hear it was only at Corbett-Dalhousie peninsula.In Nova Scotia, the Northern Parula (a wood warbler) shrouds its nest in Beard Lichen (Usnea spp) “where they are impossible to spot except by the actions of the parent birds” – Audubon (Photo taken in forest by Gays River, Nova Scotia on May 19, 2018)
Well, I think we have to get something done about this issue. Conscientious foresters practice “Silent Summer” which means they do not harvest during the bird nesting season, which also coincides with the time when turtles are laying eggs (often on gravel shoulders of rural roads). It coincides with the final development of amphibians in vernal pools that would be crushed during forestry operations. It coincides with the raising of young mammals such as flying squirrels, porcupine, etc.. often living inside hollow trees, and of fox and other animals that often den in cavities under the roots of trees.
So what should we do? This is a major issue that all nature and wilderness organizations should be taking up…
The group also released a document titled Save Habitat and Nests of Breeding Birds. It is reproduced on this website under Natural History > Birds > Save Habitat & Nests
Bev Wigney also “set up a [Facebook] page about Corbett-Dalhousie Peninsula – to help us work toward a more permanent protection status for the area”. View Corbett-Dalhousie Peninsula Biodiversity Sanctuary.
She invites people to ‘Like’ the page.
Please Do.
——–
Some related, recent posts on NSFN:
June 24, 2019: L&F to report on progress on Lahey Recommendations June 25, critiques by HFC and Annapolis Ecology Group 24Jun2019
June 15, 2019: Logging at Nova Scotia’s Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land NOW officially on-hold 15Jun2019
June 12, 2019: Logging at Nova Scotia’s Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land NOT delayed, WestFor’s Marcus Zwicker: “it would be inevitable that nests are destroyed” 12Jun2019
June 11, 2019: Logging at Nova Scotia’s Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land delayed by company doing the cut to respect Migratory Bird Convention Act 11Jun2019
June 5, 2019: Nova Scotia’s Corbett-Dalhousie Lakes Crown land scheduled to be harvested in nesting season, endangered turtle found in the lakes 5Jun2019
May 29, 2019: Bev Wigney On Forest Roads in Nova Scotia 29May2019
May 27, 2019: Nova Scotia Annapolis County Council seeks protection for Corbett-Dalhousie Lake Forest as a “Climate Forest” 27May2019
May 21, 2019: iNaturalist keeping an eye on Nova Scotia’s forests 21May2019
May 12, 2019: Intensive tree cull in Halifax’s Point Pleasant Park delayed until after nesting season; Nova Scotia L&F continues to ignore federal regs 12May2019
and in 2018:
Logging during bird breeding season raises the ire of Nova Scotia birdwatchers
Post, May 30, 2018