The Canadian Migration Monitoring Network provides valuable information about a variety of birds (Canada Warbler photo by Paul Konrad).

The Canadian Migration Monitoring Network recently published a 20-year report describing the collective work of the 29 independently operated bird observatories participating in the Network from the Atlantic to Pacific across Canada. Member observatories study annual bird migration by conducting daily visual bird counts and bird banding activities during seasonal migrations. Overall, Network observatories have banded more than 2.5 million birds and contributed information to more than 150 original research publications about migration since 1998.

The bird observatories also conduct and support research, train students and professionals, and educate the public. Most observatories participate in a Trend Monitoring Program. Trends calculated for birds that nest in the boreal forest are a uniquely valuable product of this program because they account for species arriving at observatories from varied parts of their nesting range, rather than more accessible parts of the boreal forest that are covered during Breeding Bird Surveys and Breeding Bird Atlases.

The Canadian Migration Monitoring Network’s goals are to 1) generate high quality research and monitoring information on population trends, nesting and wintering areas, timing and routes of migration, stop-over sites, and other aspects of avian ecology; and 2) influence bird conservation by making results readily accessible to member stations, the scientific community, wildlife managers and regulators, and the public. Birds Canada manages and archives Network data, regularly analyzes information collected, and provides information about population trends to the public and researchers.

During the next decade, the network will continue to implement refinements in programs and products to secure the long-term sustainability of the Network and its member observatories. For more information about the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, including a map of the 29 Network bird observatories across Canada, see Canadian Migration Monitoring Network (CMMN) | Birds Canada | Oiseaux Canada

To refer to the 20 Year Report of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network, refer to CMMN Reports | Birds Canada | Oiseaux Canada