Bird Friendly City

In the last 50 years, North American bird populations have dropped by more than 25 percent and 3 million birds, including species that live in towns and cities, are gone due to predation by domestic cats as well as car/window collisions. Birds are also affected by a changing climate, for example, changing temperatures can affect the timing of food availability and migration patterns.

 

What is the City doing to protect birds?

Vaughan has successfully become a Bird-friendly City! On June 18, 2022 Council passed a Member’s Resolution to endorse the City’s efforts to become a Bird-friendly City, through Nature Canada.

Nature Canada has developed a standard to certify eligible cities as a “Bird-friendly City” to recognize and celebrate the contributions they have made to save bird lives in their municipalities. Certification is a badge of honour and a source of community pride. It tells the world that Vaughan protects birds and reduces the amount of unnecessary bird deaths within the city. 

The City met the criteria and received the official certification during the May 30, 2023, Committee of the Whole (1) meeting.

The City is currently executing bird-friendly activities related to threat reduction, habitat protection and restoration. Below are examples of these activities:

 

• In June 2022, Council endorsed that Bird-Safe Design Standards (PDF) be a requirement for all new private and City-owned developments, through the Sustainability Metrics Program.
• The City’s Animal Control By-law (066-2020) outlines guidelines about licensing cats, running at large and leash requirements.
• LED streetlight retrofit program will see the installation of lights which are Dark Sky Compliant, assisting to reduce light pollution.
•  Bylaw 88-2008 regulates the use of harmful pesticides on public and private property.
• Tree Protection Bylaw 052-2018 and Tree Protection Protocol regulates the planting, maintenance and removal of trees on public and private property. The City is also working on an Urban Forestry Management Plan that will provide recommendations on how to increase our urban tree canopy.
• Through the Mayor’s Monarch Pledge and various pollinator projects, the City is committed to planting and protecting pollinator habitat, including the habitat of birds.

 

World Migratory Bird Day

World Migratory Bird Day is an opportunity for the City to share why protecting birds is so important. Birds play an essential role in maintaining healthy and resilient ecosystems – they help to pollinate plants, disperse seeds and control insects.

 

On Saturday May 13th residents enjoyed an indoor bird-watching activity, bird-themed arts and crafts for kids, a short film about birds, and bird-focused vendors. 

 

 Join Vaughan’s Bird Team

You can help advance City of Vaughan to Bird-friendly Certification! Through Nature Canada, recruitment is underway for the City of Vaughan Bird Team. The Team’s mission is to protect the birds in Vaughan by:

• creating safer urban environments
• mitigating key threats
• protecting and restoring natural habitats
• increasing climate resiliency
• conducting community outreach and education

The Bird Team may consist of naturalist groups, birding clubs, environmental organizations, municipal staff, Indigenous Peoples, businesses, educational institutions, researchers and citizens. No skill level or birding experience is required to participate. Recruitment is open to all Vaughan residents. Interested? View the Vaughan Bird Team Guide (PDF) and email environment@vaughan.ca to begin the process.

 

Watch a bird-friendly webinar

 

2023: In line with this year's World Migratory Bird Day theme, water, Nature Canada Water Watchers and Nature Canada hosted a webinar highlighting the importance of water protection and it's link to Indigenous sovereignty and migratory birds. 

 

2022: Nature Canada and FLAP Canada outlined the importance of World Migratory Bird Day, and the impacts of light pollution on birds during a webinar aimed at motivating the community to take action.

 

Make your home bird-safe

 You can save a great number of birds – at home! Here are some tips:

 

• Plant a native, bird-friendly garden as it provides them both shelter and food. Some examples of trees, shrubs and flowers you can plant include maple and oak trees, milkweed, harebell, hawthorn, juniper, dogwoods, coneflowers and black-eyed susans.
• Tweak your daily routine. At night, turn off lights or draw the blinds to prevent light-seeking birds from crashing into windows. You can also mark windows with bird-friendly coverings/tape, to make it visible to them when flying. Refer to FLAP Canada for window covering guidelines.
• Be a conscious consumer. When shopping for items such as coffee, chocolate and paper products, look for certifications like Bird-friendly, Rainforest Alliance or Forestry Stewardship Council; these certifications help protect bird habitats.

 

Looking for more ways to help protect Vaughan’s bird population?

 

• Participate in citizen science. Citizen science is a collaborative way to inform scientists about bird observations on a large geographical scale. To participate, you can do your own research and report your findings in a variety of ways: through online databases, local municipality projects and through non-profit organization efforts. Some examples of bird citizen science efforts that you can join are from eBird and Birds Canada.
• Engage with local conservation groups. You might learn a thing or two about birds by supporting local conservation groups and by participating you are directly helping ecosystems in your community. They are a great way to exchange knowledge and use strength in numbers to conserve the bird population.