Bird Conservation – Short-billed Dowitcher
September 23, 2008
Article in: Bird Conservation
Despite being a bird of mudflats and saltmarshes, 90% of Short-billed Dowitchers {Limnodromus griseus} breed in the Boreal Forest of Canada. An approximate decline of 50% has gained this fun-to-watch shorebird a spot on the conservation concern list.
The threats facing Short-billed Dowitchers are not fully known, but habitat loss and habitat degradation from oil and gas development and industrial pollution are probable causes.
Conservation Needs
- Increase the number of protected areas in Canada’s Boreal Forest
- Support Boreal Forest Conservation Framework with a goal to protect 50% of the Boreal region
- Decrease pollution that leads to acid rain
- Increase conservation of winter range coastal habitat
- Implement range-wide wintering and migration surveys to help identify important wintering and stopover locals
Recent conservation efforts have been successful due to the work of the Boreal Songbird Initiative and in recent news, the Ontario Government has decided to protect 55 million acres of Canadian Boreal Forest.
Using and insisting companies use recycled paper is one way to help protect the Boreal Forest and the Short-billed Dowitcher.
Full details on this species and 99 other North American birds at risk can be found in Jeffrey V. Wells’ Birder’s Conservation Handbook.
Sunday Photo – Shorebirds Find a Fuddle
May 25, 2008
Article in: Updates
In our county we have a general lacking of shorebird habitat. However, when there is a good amount of rain timed right, farm puddles form. These “fuddles” become magnets to shorebirds and thanks to notification by a birder friend, we were able to see two lifer shorebirds for both Birdfreak and Veery {Hudsonian Godwit and Dunlin}.
Hudsonian Godwit, Dunlins, & Short-billed Dowitchers

The godwit is in the front by himself, the Dunlins are back left and the dowitchers are the two on the right.
Note: We are out in the field on our 72-hour bird count and will be posting our findings in the upcoming days. Stay tuned!!








