Uplands Park and Cattle Point will be packed with avian aficionados for Big Bird Day next Saturday.
Hosted by the Friends of Uplands Park (FOUP), the first-annual event encourages folks from across Greater Victoria to spot birds passing through the scenic sites between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on Aug. 30.
Participants are encouraged to log spotted fowl on ebird.org – a website used to store birding observations, photos and sound recordings to allow teachers, scientists and birders to understand the movements and needs of birds at local and global scales.
“I'm really excited to see how many people are going to be involved in this and to see what the data is going to look like,” said FOUP’s president Margaret Lidkea, who helped organize the event.
In 2009, FOUP sprouted to help protect and educate the public about Uplands Park – a 30-hectare greenspace boasting meadows and Garry oak woodlands, which contain one of the highest concentrations of endangered species in Canada, according to Oak Bay’s website. It's also home to the highest number of bird species in the Capital Regional District, at 274.
The group has since led restorative efforts there, including the removal of invasive plants. Lidkea explained “there have been areas that have had hundreds of invasive trees removed to open up the meadows.”
Part of FOUP’s drive to maintain these spaces includes monitoring the life in Uplands Park. The group, for example, has led insect BioBlitzes and even monthly bird counts.
“With the restoration of the plant material, we are now providing more habitat for birds,” said Lidkea. “It’s really important for us to document the birds that are in the park and to keep a record of those birds to make sure that we are encouraging a healthy population of different birds that are in the park.”
With the restoration of plant material, they are providing more habitat for birds, Lidkea added. Documentation also helps encourage a healthy population of birds in the park.
With all the information logged on ebird.org on Aug. 30, FOUP will be able to see which bird populations have decreased in Uplands Park and Cattle Point – information that could inform efforts to help bring them back.
“I'm also excited to meet many of these people,” said Lidkea. “There's so many other younger birders that are coming along that are becoming really interested in this whole thing, and to connect the older experienced birders and the young people is just awesome.”
There will be an information table with refreshments and chairs at the Cattle Point entrance from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
For more information about FOUP, visit: friendsofuplandspark.org.
