Pimachiowin Aki

World Heritage Site

Birds

Songmeter Project – First Results Are In

Thank you to contributors Councillor Eddie Hudson, Poplar River Lands Guardians Norway Rabliauskas and Brad Bushie, Dr. Jeff Wells, and Elisha Corsiga (writer)

Our Elders and their ancestors have cared for our Traditional Lands for over 6,000 years.

Protecting Pimachiowin Aki, which over 200 bird species rely on for survival, is an important example of how we care for the land,” says Poplar River First Nation Lands Councillor Eddie Hudson.

Since 2016, Poplar River Lands Guardian Norway Rabliauskas has been collaborating with scientists from Audubon’s Boreal Conservation program to better understand how songbird populations are changing in the face of climate change.  

The first results of the ‘Songmeter Project’ are in.

“Songmeters record bird sounds,” says Guardian Brad Bushie, Poplar River Lands Guardians Program. Using knowledge of the land, Poplar River Lands Guardians placed the recording units at four sites across the traditional territory, he explains.

The number of bird species recorded allows us to analyze population changes over time,” adds Dr. Jeff Wells, Vice President for Boreal Conservation at National Audubon Society.

Map of survey sites in Poplar River First Nation and its location within Pimachiowin Aki, courtesy Audubon

  • Guardians placed Songmeters in four survey sites in Poplar River First Nation throughout the spring of 2016
  • 71 bird species were detected
  • At least 18 of the species detected have more than 70% of their breeding range confined to the Boreal Forest biome, meaning their survival relies heavily on healthy landscapes like Pimachiowin Aki 
  • Two species were detected on more than half of all recordings: 
    • White-throated Sparrow 
    • Swainson’s Thrush  
  • Five species were detected on more than 30% of all recordings:
    • Blackburnian Warbler
    • Ovenbird 
    • Song Sparrow 
    • Bald Eagle
    • American Crow
Song Sparrow
Photo: Hidehiro Otake
Bald Eagle
Photo: Lorne Coulson
  • At least 20 species listed as special concern, threatened, or endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) are believed to occur within Pimachiowin Aki. The Songmeter project captured recordings of three of the bird species listed by COSEWIC: 
    • Common Nighthawk
    • Eastern Whip-poor-will
    • Canada Warbler  
Common Nighthawk
Photo: Christian Artuso
Eastern Whip-poor-will
Photo: Christian Artuso
Canada Warbler
Photo: Christian Artuso
  • National Audubon Society’s recent study, Survival by Degrees, found that over two-thirds of North American birds are moderately or highly vulnerable to a global average temperature increase of 3°C by 2080. This includes many species detected at Poplar River First Nation, such as:  
    • Bay-breasted Warbler
    • Cape May Warbler
    • Canada Warbler
    • Blackburnian Warbler

How the collaboration began

“We first talked with the Guardians and community, and asked if they would be interested,” says Jeff.

Norway says the project is a good fit for his community. “One of our goals is to develop new research partnerships. Plus, the project builds on the monitoring work we have already been doing.”   

Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science come together

The Songmeter project relies heavily on Guardians, and the process of collaborating starts with listening and respect. 

Listening to Guardians’ advice is crucial in a project like this, where Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science combine to create strong, respectful conservation efforts, says Jeff. “Things always overlay with Indigenous knowledge.” 

Guardians serve as stewards and scientists and are central to a program that pairs data collection with Indigenous ecological knowledge to track changes across the site over time. 

Chad Wilsey, Vice President and Chief Scientist, National Audubon Society, in his blog about his work and experience in Poplar River First Nation

Guardians have a good understanding of the land and decide where to install Songmeters.

“Our Guardians’ hard work and understanding of the land have contributed to the project’s success,” says Councillor Eddie Hudson. “We are proud of the work they do.”

Guardian Norway Rabliauskas installs a Songmeter.

Songmeters last for a long time between battery changes. Recordings are saved onto SD cards for researchers to analyze.

The project continues

This past year, Guardians installed Songmeters in the same four locations as 2016. The 2017-2021 recordings have yet to be formally processed but since the start of the project, the number of species the team has identified has “greatly expanded,” Jeff says.  

Thousands of hours of song

Analyzing bird sounds can be a difficult and time-consuming task.

“What happens with this kind of work is that you can get thousands of hours of recordings, and you can imagine someone sitting down and listening… You can only get through so much,” says Jeff.

The relatively small team picked random samples, listening to four 10-minute recordings from each day collected in 2016.

187.3 hours of recordings were sampled between May 27 and July 1, 2016 

Birds of Poplar River Project – First Results

New technology to speed up the process

Recently, the team implemented BirdNET in their identification process. BirdNET is an artificial intelligence algorithm developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This bird identification machine can quickly go through recordings to identify specific bird species. 

The team will use BirdNet to help identify the recordings taken in Poplar River First Nation from 2017–2021. 

Looking forward

In the upcoming year, National Audubon Society and Poplar River First Nation Lands Guardians  Luke Mitchell, Brad Bushie and Youth Guardian Aiden Heindmarch will work together to expand the areas where Songmeters are placed. They plan to set up Songmeters in deeper and more remote areas of the forest.

“One place takes a couple of days to get to by boat,” Jeff says. “It’s exciting to see what we might find in these places.”

He hopes that over the years more First Nation communities can use Songmeters when developing their monitoring programs. He also hopes for more collaborative initiatives with communities in Pimachiowin Aki.

“If that’s what communities want to be a part of,” he says, “there are a lot of interesting things to discover.”

What Birds in Pimachiowin Aki Can Tell Us

Pimachiowin Aki is the largest protected area in the North American boreal shield. It is home to millions of trees, pristine waters, and over a thousand plant and animal species—making it a paradise for songbirds, shorebirds and waterfowl.

The Natural Resources Institute (NRI) at the University of Manitoba and Pimachiowin Aki Guardians are working together to observe birds and discover what they can tell us about the health of the land.

During our first virtual meeting in 2020, these people shared their thoughts:

  • Melba Green, Guardian, Bloodvein River First Nation  
  • Dennis Keeper, Guardian, Little Grand Rapids First Nation
  • Dr. Nicola Koper, Professor, NRI
  • Chris De Ruyck, PhD Student, NRI
  • Alison Haugh, Executive Director, Pimachiowin Aki
(from left) Chris De Ruyck, Melba Green, Dennis Keeper, Dr. Nicola Koper

What do you hope to learn from this project?

Melba: My hope is for us to understand birds’ ways of living and the messages that they bring about weather and climate. If we see birds dying there is a problem.

Nicola: I am particularly interested in how lands managed by First Nation communities contribute to the conservation of birds. How are the birds we find in Pimachiowin Aki different or similar to birds outside the World Heritage site?

Chris: Bird species you find on the land can also tell you things about the land. Our goal is to examine how birds in Pimachiowin Aki are protected in comparison to places where the land has been altered. If species are present in Pimachiowin Aki but missing in other areas, it might point to a specific problem.

Nicola: I think that western science has a lot to learn from the stewardship of Pimachiowin Aki First Nations. By comparing birds in Pimachiowin Aki with how well birds are doing outside of Pimachiowin Aki, we hope the project will help make western-contemporary society better stewards of the land.  

What do you mean by conserving birds?

Nicola: Birds can be harvested and populations can still be conserved at the same time. When I talk about conserving birds, I mean trying to protect ecosystems to protect birds that live there. We want to make sure bird populations are high across large areas, including Pimachiowin Aki and other regions, and are not declining.

What is the state of birds today?

Nicola: In most parts of North America, many, many species have declined over the last four to five decades. We don’t know a lot about birds in Pimachiowin Aki yet, but we think that Pimachiowin Aki may be a refuge where bird populations can be successful because the habitat is being protected. There’s a lot of habitat and food, and less noise and disturbance. The land is kept well, and people living on the land have a good relationship with it.

Gulls (Photo: Hidehiro Otake)

What can we learn from this project?

Melba: One of the rules of being Anishinaabe is to respect every living thing on Mother Earth. That’s why we wanted to create the Bloodvein River First Nation land use plan—it says all living species and their habitats will be protected.

Nicola: I like the idea of documenting the outcome of that respectful interaction with the land. Our hope is that we’ll be able to see how populations are changing over time, compare this to other areas, and show how important it is that birds have the habitat that Pimachiowin Aki is providing.  

Why did Pimachiowin Aki choose to collaborate with NRI?

Alison: The project helps Pimachiowin Aki meet the monitoring and reporting requirements of being on the World Heritage List.  We must show that we are taking active measures to protect the site’s natural and cultural values. This is just one of the many community initiatives that help keep the land.

Melba: This is a very interesting project and it is another way of being a Guardian. Observing birds is another way for me to learn. I can learn from [NRI]. Birds are fascinating. It’s teaching me something else rather than just the four-legged animals.

Why did NRI choose to collaborate with Pimachiowin Aki Guardians?

Nicola: We know different things—Guardians have knowledge of the area and how birds are using the land while NRI can provide information on how to identify birds and the locations they are likely to be found in. We’re bringing together our knowledge with the knowledge of the community. It wouldn’t work if it were just western scientists coming in.

Why study birds to learn about climate change?  

Chris: We focus on birds because there are over 200 bird species in the boreal. We can gather information on many species at the same time, which makes it an efficient way to obtain information about ecosystems.  

In addition, we know a lot about birds. Indigenous communities like Pimachiowin Aki have been passing down traditional knowledge about birds for generations. Plus, birds have been studied a lot by western science. This gives us a strong starting point—we know how to identify birds and we know how they typically behave. If their behaviour changes, we can link it to how healthy the boreal ecosystem is.

What kinds of things will Pimachiowin Aki Guardians be watching for?

Nicola: If you see multiple species arriving earlier than normal, that is one indicator that could help us understand if there are changes over time. Also, looking for new species or species that are more abundant than in other years.

Dennis: We’ve started to see new ducks that are black and look like the bufflehead. They’re all black except for a white mark on their bills.

Nicola: Possibly American coots—this is an example of a species that would be interesting to monitor because the community is noticing it and you haven’t expected to see it before.

Chris: New species showing up, and also species that are conspicuous by absence. Ones that disappear are equally important. Even seeing birds that are switching a food source and eating new things could be indicative of climate change.

Nicola: Fire can also change where species are found.

Melba: After a fire, you don’t see wildlife until the land restores itself. The birds will fly by and look around but they won’t go near a place when it’s burned. Once there is grass then you see them come back.

Nicola: Eventually, we want to go to Pimachiowin Aki, meet in person, explore the landscape together and decide what bird species to monitor. Initially, we’ll try to monitor all the species we can, but we will probably end up focusing on 20-40 species that are abundant, and that people see regularly.

Black-backed Woodpecker (Photo: Christian Artuso)

Chris: We can also choose species that use different habitats and live in Pimachiowin Aki during different seasons, like summer and winter. Also, species that other animals in the boreal forest depend on, like woodpeckers, which have an effect on the forest. They help control western pine beetles by eating them, and they create cavities in trees, creating homes for insects, flying squirrels, owls and other birds. Even mice have been found in cavities created by woodpeckers.

Melba: There are lots of red-headed woodpeckers in Bloodvein. I have a book here on North American birds, which I take with me when I’m on the land. There are lots of birds! An Elder said that birds are coming back that haven’t been seen in a long time.

Nicola: I love hearing these stories and I hope to have more of these conversations with you.  

Dennis: We have golden eagles. They have a nest here that they go back to every year. They look bigger than the bald eagle. On my trapline, where I hunt ducks, there are seven different pairs there. When I first started hunting, there were no eagles there. They anticipate us going there to hunt and they go there to clean up.

We are also seeing some kind of doves.

Is it bad to see exotic bird species in Pimachiowin Aki?

Nicola: It’s not a bad thing if exotic species are not highly abundant, but if they are abundant there’s always a risk that new species will push out native species. In places where there are a lot of house sparrows, there are often fewer chickadees and nuthatches.

Chickadee (Photo: Melba Green)

How does this relate to climate change?

Nicola: Some birds probably thrive in Pimachiowin Aki because they are tough and able to tolerate cold winters. As weather conditions become milder, new species are also able to live in northern areas like Pimachiowin Aki. There is probably room in Pimachiowin Aki for more birds, but as new birds move in they might push the native birds out, away from a great food source. Populations are declining everywhere, so if birds get pushed out and end up losing refuges like Pimachiowin Aki, they will have even more problems.

What is the Land that Gives Life telling you through birds?

Climate Watch asks you to share your observations and stories about birds, plants, animals, natural events or changes in the landscape. Help Audubon scientists protect birds and the places they need—share what you see and hear:

https://bit.ly/2JYHwBa

Feature Photo: Pine Grosbeak (Christian Artuso)

How Bird Populations are Changing in Pimachiowin Aki

Dr. Nicola Koper, Natural Resources Institute

Selections from telephone interviews and conversations between Pimachiowin Aki Guardians Melba Green (Bloodvein River First Nation) and Dennis Keeper (Little Grand Rapids First Nation), and Dr. Nicola Koper, Professor, and PhD Student Chris De Ruyck of the Natural Resources Institute (NRI).  

What birds are you seeing in Bloodvein River and Little Grand Rapids?

Melba: We see a lot of blue jays here in Bloodvein. A lot of people are feeding birds and blue jays come around.

Blue Jay (Photo: Melba Green)

Dennis: We rarely see blue jays. Or ptarmigan. But in the last couple of years, the ptarmigan are coming in huge flocks—200 or more! It used to be 10-20 in a group. We have had them covering this whole area. People are asking if you could eat them. People harvested them and saw that they were carrying some kind of bugs.

Nicola: That is really cool. We’ve had records of a few flocks near Winnipeg. They are not supposed to be here, so far out of their range. If we have species moving out of their natural range, they might be exposed to parasites that they are not tolerant of. If you have a species that evolved in the north, they might not be resistant to parasites in the south. It might be possible that ptarmigan are having problems in Pimachiowin Aki because it’s an area where they are not supposed to be. We could work with a parasitologist on those kinds of things—study where birds are and what health they are experiencing.

Dennis: Last year, the geese went back really early, around the last week of August. It’s usually the middle of September when you start to see the real migration. I don’t think they even nest around here anymore. I found a few eggs. And I didn’t see any snow geese pass by this way this year.

Canada Geese (Photo: Hidehiro Otake)

Nicola: I hope we can learn more about that through the type of monitoring we are talking about here. I’m interested in the common nighthawk and Canada warbler because they are species at risk. I’m also interested in exotic species like the house sparrow and European starling, which are starting to move further north because of climate change. It would be interesting to know if they have higher or lower populations in Pimachiowin Aki than in areas that are more influenced by western society.

Common Nighthawk (Photo: Christian Artuso)

Dennis: I’m concerned about the Canada jay. They store their food in black spruce. With the warming, their food goes bad and they abandon their nests. We used to see them everywhere. In the last four years, I have only seen one. It was by itself. Usually, we see them in groups.

Whiskey Jack/Canada Jay (Photo: Christian Artuso)

Nicola: I also think that I have not seen as many [Canada jays] in the last couple of years. This is one of the species that we would be able to monitor. By being on the land, there is so much opportunity for you to make these observations.

Dennis: I’ve also been trying to find out about this one type of bird I’ve been observing for years. It’s dark in colour but when I get closer it’s greenish in colour and has a yellow banana nose. It’s nesting in buildings like the water treatment plant.

Nicola: Maybe the European starling. Look for little specks on them. They are black with iridescent green and purple.

Dennis: Short tail?

Nicola: Yes! The observation you made is really interesting because the European starling is a species that is very closely tied with humans. The fact that you might have them nesting there in buildings, tied with human structures, could mean that it’s what you’re seeing.

European Starling (Photo: Adobe Stock)

Chris: European starlings are not native to North America but I think they helped us out with the canker worms [last summer]. Birds love those outbreaks. Even if adults don’t eat the worms, they feed them to their young.

Nicola: Most species, even if they eat seeds, don’t feed seeds to their young. They feed them insects because insects have more protein than any plant matter would. That’s one of the reasons we don’t want to lose birds—because they perform roles that are good for wildlife and people.

Dennis: This year, I saw an eagle in January. It was a warm day. We usually see spring birds in March—known as the eagle moon month because eagles return to Pimachiowin Aki in March. They come before the geese. They wait for them to bunch up, then they attack them at a certain time of the day.

Bald Eagles (Photo: Lorne Coulson)

Chris: It will be really interesting to hear how birds this year are different from next year. 

Melba: I can’t wait! I’ll take my camera with me out on the land, and take lots of pictures.

Chris: It can be hard to get a good picture. When you get your camera on them, there’s an idea that the birds might think it’s a large eyeball staring at them, like an owl or something, and they might not like it very much.

Melba: I know birds don’t like you bothering them. You have to stand around for quite a while until they come back.

Want to view Melba’s photos of birds?

Join us on Facebook to see her beautiful shots.

Junco in Pimachiowin Aki
Junco (Photo: Melba Green)

Grandpa’s Story: Gwiigwiishiwag

Whiskey Jack bird in tree.
Gwiigwiishiwag (Photo: Christian Artuso)

When I was out as a young boy with my slingshot, my Grandpa always told me not to bother Canada Jays, Gwiigwiishiwag, because they help moose hunters find moose. My Grandpa would talk to that bird, and they would understand him. Whichever direction the bird flies, he would go hunting for the day. Most of the time he was successful. My Grandpa would feed Gwiigwiishiwag, except before he went hunting. After Gwiigwiishi would show him the way, he would feed that bird, not one particular bird, but the one that showed him the way that day.”

—Little Grand Rapids First Nation Guardian Dennis Keeper tells his Grandpa’s story  

The Land that Gives Life to Birds

An Interview with Dr. Jeff Wells

Birds around the world are in trouble. North America alone has 2.9 billion fewer birds today than 50 years ago. Dr. Jeff Wells has been working with Poplar River First Nation to record bird sounds in Pimachiowin Aki using leading-edge technology—Songmeters—to record bird sounds and help identify any changes in bird populations over time. Jeff shares his concerns for the future of birds, as well as some of his favourite bird recordings.

Pimachiowin Aki is home to over 200 bird species, including up to 14 species of conservation concern. What makes the Land that Gives Life important habitat for this amazing diversity of birds?

The large, intact and healthy forests, wetlands, lakes, rivers, streams and other habitats of Pimachiowin Aki make it an ideal place for millions of birds to thrive as well as mammals, fish, insects, trees and other plants, and many other living things. 

As part of one of the largest intact forests left on the planet and one of very few large intact forests in the southerly reaches of the Boreal biome, Pimachiowin Aki is crucial as a refuge for the species inhabiting it today to be able to have healthy populations that are more resilient to climate change impacts.

The Songmeter project brings together Indigenous science and Western science. Tell us about your work with Poplar River First Nation.

We started the project in 2016 as a way to begin gathering more information on the birds on Poplar River First Nation lands within Pimachiowin Aki and to test a new tool (Songmeter) that could be deployed by people on the ground in the community who had the best idea for where it would be useful to know more.   

Norway Rabliauskas (now a Poplar River First Nation Guardian) took the lead and has since done the work of maintaining the Songmeters, making sure they are working properly and are programmed to record at the times we wanted, and placing them out on the land. 

The project uses Songmeters under the direction of Indigenous stewardship to decide what areas are best suited for and most in need of further bird inventory and monitoring efforts. This collaboration opens up new avenues for understanding and learning that will provide increased ability to monitor birds and other wildlife and plants in Pimachiowin Aki. 

How do Songmeters work?

Songmeters are sound recording devices in watertight, rugged containers. They can be programmed to turn on and off on a prescribed time schedule. The sounds are recorded to an SD card and the unit can be left out for months at a time. The sound recording files can then be downloaded to a computer to listen and identify the birds that can be heard singing or calling. Sophisticated software can also be used to search through the files and find sounds of particular high priority species. We usually have the units record for several hours at dawn and dusk each night when they are deployed for the summer breeding bird season.

Norway Rabliauskas (now a Pimachiowin Aki Guardian) helps Jeff Wells determine the best places to install Songmeters in Poplar River First Nation.

What findings concern you the most? 

The three recent scientific findings that have concerned me the most are:

  • The number of species around the world that are in danger of extinction has reached one million 
  • North America has 2.9 billion fewer birds today than 50 years ago 
  • There are widespread declines of insects occurring across the globe 

What findings make you most hopeful?

The findings that make me the most hopeful are:

  • Lands managed by Indigenous people have better biodiversity protection outcomes
  • Maintaining large, intact forest habitats have a large number of benefits to biodiversity and society
  • 70% or more of the North American boreal forest is still intact and healthy and through Indigenous governments and communities it is and can continue to be maintained and stewarded

What are some of your favourite recordings? 

Some of my favourite bird species recorded in the Songmeter recordings include:

  • A Barred Owl giving its “who-cooks-for-you” song that echoes through the woods 
  • Several Whip-poor-wills calling back and forth at night
  • A Canada Warbler singing exuberantly on a May day after returning from its wintering grounds in South America
  • The rattling calls of a Belted Kingfisher in the rain
  • Early morning choruses that include the sweet whistled songs of White-throated Sparrows, Magnolia and Tennessee Warblers and Ovenbirds and in the background the piping of a Bald Eagle and the yodeling cry of a Common Loon

The sound recordings provide an opportunity to share a type of virtual experience with people from all over the world to increase their interest in and support of Pimachiowin Aki and its communities.

Experience the birds of Pimachiowin Aki:

What are some of your fondest memories out on the land in Pimachiowin Aki?

On a trip to Aikens Lake and the Bloodvein First Nation in 2011, I got the chance to see, hear, photograph, sound record and video many birds, flowers (not sound record these of course), and beautiful scenes. It was incredible to see the ancient drawings at Aikens Lake, experience a drum ceremony at the falls on the Bloodvein RIver and thrill to the amazing birdlife throughout the forests and wetlands of Pimachiowin Aki. 

I have wonderful memories of watching and sound recording Bay-breasted and Blackburnian warblers in the tops of tall spruce trees, passing by a small rocky island on which were nesting Herring Gulls, hearing the loud, piping “Quick-three cheers” song from an Olive-sided Flycatcher sitting boldly upright at the top of a spindly tree in a bog, perhaps a bird just returned from its northern South American wintering grounds.

What’s next for the Songmeter project?

We were able to get a large number of recordings from four locations in 2016 from late May through early July. In 2017 we were unable to get the units out because of the fires and evacuations from the community. Norway deployed them again in 2018 and 2019. 

The Songmeters collected a large amount of recordings and processing them has been a challenge. We have only summarized the 2016 field season so far, and will be releasing in a joint report with Pimachiowin Aki in 2020. In the meantime, we have found that we can use the recordings to continue to engage the broader public to become aware of Pimachiowin Aki and its importance to birds by sharing short, lively segments of recordings of different birds through social media channels.

Have you used Songmeters in other areas, too? 

Yes, in the Northwest Territories with the Lutsel K’e Dene First Nation to monitor birds on their Thaidene Nene IPCA. We deployed another version of this technology in the community of Deline on Great Bear Lake, also in the Northwest Territories. We have provided Songmeters to the Waswanipi First Nation within the Cree Nation in Quebec as well. The Moose Cree First Nation in Ontario has deployed these devices through their own project but has allowed us to use their recordings as they work to protect one of their most important watersheds, the North French River watershed.

Learn more about how Indigenous conservationists are tracking the impact of climate change on the boreal soundscape: https://www.canadiangeographic.ca/article/vanishing-birdsong

Dr. Jeff Wells is a scientist, conservationist and author. He is the Vice President of Boreal Conservation for the National Audubon Society, and a supporter of Pimachiowin Aki.