2004-2005 Community Action Fund NEW BRUNSWICK Dedicated Observer for Point Lepreau Bird Observatory Saint John Naturalists' Club Point Lepreau / Maces Bay IBA, New Brunswick The Point Lepreau Bird Observatory (PLBO) was established in 1995 by the Saint John Naturalists' Club as a result of concerns about negative impacts of oil spills on seabirds in the Bay of Fundy. Prior to the establishment of the observatory, no detailed information existed on the timing of seabird migration through the area or on the size of migration flocks or their eventual breeding destination. As a result of the PLBO monitoring we now are aware there is a significant and previously unrecognized migration of three Scoter species through the bay, including the Black Scoter. Little is know about the life history or population dynamics of the Black Scoter and the data PLBO are collecting on this species and several other seabirds are of considerable value to the conservation and management of Eastern seaduck populations. This year the Canadian Nature Federation's Communities in Action program is again pleased to support the LSBO in their effort to hire a dedicated observer to provide consistent daily coverage and to assist volunteers in their data collection during the spring and fall migration. Data collection has been underway since 1996 and will continue until the end of 2005 in order to establish a ten-year database of seabird records for the area. Top       back to map