To kick off the 2016 Nightjar Program survey season, WildResearch will be hosting orientation sessions near major cities across several provinces and territories. Each session will run about three hours and is a great chance to meet or catch up with some other nightjar enthusiasts and to get in the groove for surveying with hands-on practice. We’ll learn about nightjar biology, the survey protocol, and then have a practice survey together.

British Columbia – email Paul Preston, nightjars.bc AT wildresearch.ca

• June 10 -Vancouver
• June 11 – Victoria
• June 15 – Kelowna
• June 16 – Oliver

Alberta – email Elly Knight or Alessandra Hood, nightjars.ab AT wildresearch.ca

• June 13 – Edmonton
• June 14 – Calgary

Saskatchewan – email Gabe Foley or Amanda Foley, nightjars.sk AT wildresearch.ca

• June 15 – Regina

Yukon – email Andrea Sidler, nightjars.yt AT wildresearch.ca

• June 6 – Whitehorse

New Brunswick – email Virginia Noble-Dalton or Alex Dalton, nightjars.nb AT wildresearch.ca

• June 11 – Hampton

To sign up for an orientation, email your Regional Coordinator at the email address provided above. Your Coordinator will send you details on meeting time and place prior to the event. In general, orientations begin approximately an hour and a half before local sunset time. For those of you who can’t make your nearby orientation session or live too far away, we’re making an online orientation video for posting on the WildResearch website on June 15th.

~ Elly Knight, Nightjar Program Manager
           Photo credit: Tom Benson

Do you want to learn more about wetlands and the creatures within? We will be taking a tour around a newly constructed wetland in Aldergrove April 24, 10:30am.  We have an opportunity to check some minnow traps to see wetland creatures, such as Western Toads and North-western Salamanders, up close. There are also lots of birds to be found in this little wetland oasis.

This trip will be led by Aleesha Switzer from the Fraser Valley Conservancy.  Aleesha has worked in this wetland since its construction and is very excited to showcase its success. A fun day of trapping, wading, and frogging awaits!

This event is open to WildResearch members; register on Better Impact! Not a member yet? Read about the many benefits of WildResearch memberships, and how to become a member here.

WildResearch’s Bird ID Trips Field Trips 2015-2016 Are BACK!

Join WildResearch for our annual winter Bird Identification Field Trips at a variety of parks across the Metro Vancouver area! Learn to identify a wide variety of wintering passerines, waterfowl, raptors, and shore birds. Meet and socialize with nature loving individuals and network with professional biologists.

Dates and Locations:
1) December 20, 2015 – Iona Beach Regional Park, Richmond
2) January 17, 2016 – Maplewood Flats, North Vancouver
3) February 14, 2016 – John Henry Park (Trout Lake), Vancouver
4) March 13, 2016 – Reifel Bird Sanctuary, Delta
* Trips begin at 10am and will be about 2-3 hours in duration.

Field trips are open to all current WildResearch members
– Members: confirm your participation, please sign up using Better Impact. Those registered for the events will be sent further details on meet-up locations.
– Non-members: join us here

WildResearch will be hosting an introduction to R and data analysis workshop designed for those who have never or are starting to learn R.  We will start with basic R functions such as how to set your working directory, input data, and manipulate data.  The workshop will also cover basic statistical methods such as null hypothesis testing, significance, data distributions, t-tests, ANOVAs, linear modelling – all in R! This is great way to be introduced to or be reacquainted with R and statistics.

Date: Jan. 30th, 2016, 11am to 4pm.
Location: Vancouver Library’s Kensington Branch
Cost: The cost is $35 and is for members only*
Registration: Sign-up using Better Impact (Members), registration is limited to 20 participants

Not a member, but interested in participating? Join us here

If you have any question, please contact Jay Brogan (jbrogan@wildresearch).