Dear Residents,
Have you ever stopped to wonder about the benefits of birds? They are incredibly beautiful creatures, providing us with essential services such as food, seed dispersal, pollination, pest control, and sanitation, not to mention the joy of their presence in our lives. It is a small price for them to ask for our help in their survival. Shockingly, over 3 billion birds are killed annually in North America, and this is a concerning trend we must address.
We are thrilled to share that the City of Richmond Hill is actively working towards becoming certified as a Bird-Friendly City through Nature Canada. This certification acknowledges our commitment to mitigating threats to birds, restoring and enhancing their habitats, and engaging our community in education, awareness, and citizen science to monitor and protect our local bird populations.
Birds are essential for healthy ecosystems and resilient communities. However, over the past five decades, North American bird populations have declined by more than 25%, which is equivalent to 3 billion birds. This decline is mainly driven by human activities, including predation by domestic cats, collisions with windows and cars, and the impacts of climate change on food availability and migration patterns.
Richmond Hill is determined to reduce these threats and be part of the solution. As we work towards our Bird-Friendly City certification, we need your support and involvement.
Here’s how you can help:
- Like our BirdFriendlyRichmondHill Facebook page for updates and information on our efforts.
- Participate in citizen science programs to monitor and protect our feathered friends. Check out the following programs:
- Global Bird Rescue – weekly bird count exercise (https://flap.org/global-bird-rescue-2022/)
- Project Feeder Watch (https://www.birdscanada.org/you-can-help/project-feederwatch)
- Great Backyard Bird Count (https://www.birdcount.org/)
- Christmas Bird Count (https://www.birdscanada.org/bird-science/christmas-bird-count)
- Take steps to make your environment more bird-friendly by using feather-friendly applications on your windows and keeping your cats indoors.
Richmond Hill is home to more than 115 bird species, thanks to our unique natural features, including wetlands, kettle lakes, and forests. Let’s work together to protect these beautiful creatures and ensure their survival.
If you want to learn more about what the City is doing to support and protect birds or how you can get involved in birding activities, please visit our Birding in Richmond Hill page or consider joining Richmond Hill’s Bird Team.
Together, we can make a positive difference for our feathered friends and our community’s natural heritage. Let’s take action and show our commitment to bird conservation!
Sincerely,
Joe DiPaola
Regional Councillor