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Important Bird Area co-ordinator offering presentation, tour of Creston Valley

The presentation will take place at the Wildlife Interpretation Centre from noon-1 p.m. Sept. 22...
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(From left) BC Nature Important Bird Area co-ordinator Krista Englund

Fall is upon us and as we prepare our gardens for winter, birds begin to migrate to their wintering areas. The Creston Valley is well known for its birds, especially the waterbirds that pass through during spring and fall migration. As a result of the high concentrations of waterbirds using the valley during migration, it is known as an Important Bird Area (IBA).

On Sept. 22, BC Nature Important Bird Area co-ordinator Krista Englund will be visiting Creston to tour the valley and give a presentation about the Important Bird Areas program, which is co-ordinated by BC Nature in partnership with Bird Studies Canada and Nature Canada.

“I would like to invite all interested residents to come down and learn about this international program and join us for a birding tour of the valley” says Englund, who hopes to increase local interest in monitoring birds, in particular waterbirds, in the valley.

The presentation will take place at the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area’s Wildlife Interpretation Centre from noon-1 p.m. Sept. 22. Following the presentation, participants will be invited to tour some of the key hotspots for birds in the valley, returning back to the centre by 4:30 p.m. The CVWMA conducts bird monitoring within the wildlife management area and is co-sponsoring the event with BC Nature.

Anyone interested in attending the event should pre-register with Englund at iba@bcnature.ca so that she can arrange for a light lunch during the presentation and carpool transportation. Please note that parking may be limited at the Wildlife Interpretation Centre, as the centre is also the site of the Blue Heron Half Marathon and 10K, which ends around noon.

The Important Bird Area program identifies, monitors and helps protect the most vital places in Canada for birds so that conservation action can be directed in the most effective way possible. Canada’s 600 Important Bird Areas are part of a global system of more than 11,000 sites. Migratory birds depend on IBAs to rest, feed and breed. Without them, birds could not make their long and difficult journeys each year. The Important Bird Areas program is an initiative of BirdLife International that is jointly co-ordinated in Canada by Bird Studies Canada and Nature Canada, and by Bird Studies Canada and BC Nature in British Columbia.

—BC NATURE