Kentville is Bird Friendly!

Join us for Bird Day on May 10, 2024 at 10am at Miners Marsh!

A Bird Friendly Town is a community where people take steps to protect birds and their habitats. This includes things like reducing threats to birds, restoring natural areas for them to live in, and involving residents in bird conservation efforts. The town plans to organize events focused on bird protection, and local government supports these activities.

There are 429 bird species in Nova Scotia

Being Bird Friendly is important because birds are crucial for healthy ecosystems and the environment overall. Towns and cities can be dangerous for birds, so making them bird-friendly helps support bird populations and biodiversity.

To help protect local birds, you can get involved in events celebrating birds, educate yourself about birds and how to help them, make your windows safer for birds, preserve bird habitats, and explore your interests in bird conservation.

Kentville, for example, is working on building a sense of community around bird conservation, raising awareness about bird-friendly practices, and creating policies to support bird protection as part of its broader efforts for climate action and environmental resilience.

What is a Bird Friendly Town?

A Bird Friendly Town is a community, designated by Nature Canada, that is working to help birds and bird habitat. Kentville is striving to be a town where:

Key threats to birds are effectively mitigated;
Nature is restored so native bird populations can thrive;
Residents are actively engaged in protecting and monitoring local bird populations;
Organizations are creating events to protect birds;
The municipality supports these initiatives

38% of canadians enjoy birdwatching

Why is this important?

Birds play an essential role in maintaining healthy and resilient ecosystems in our community and our planet. Cities and towns present many hazards to birds and are threatening bird populations. Let’s help restore the Kentville and North American bird population!

What can we do?

Here are some ways you can help protect our local birds:

Engage and Celebrate: Join Kentville in celebrating our local birds with events like World Bird Day, Birdathon, and more!

Education: There are many useful resources to help you support birds in your area. To start learning, check out: NatureCanada.ca > Discover Nature > Birds

Bird-proof your windows: 25 million birds in Canada die annually from collisions with glass! In fact, over 90% of collisions are caused by residential homes and low-rise buildings. Reduce collisions with proven glass treatments such as patterned window films or markers.

Habitat Protection: Protect and preserve bird habitats by: Choosing local native plants for your property, keeping plastic out of our natural environment, and opting for natural ecological management rather than pesticide/herbicide use.

Get Curious: Learn what interests you about protecting local birds! From insect conversation to bird watching, there’s something for everyone. Check out the list below to get yourself started-- or start making your own!

Around 25% of Canadians buy feed or shelter for birds and other wildlife

Here is a list of some of the migratory and resident birds in Kentville:

American Redstart
Least Flycatcher
Common Yellowthroat
Ovenbird
White-winged Crossbill
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Common Eider
Cedar Waxwing
American Black Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Tree Swallow
Red-breasted Nuthatch ("nut-hatch")

What is Kentville doing?

Building Community: We are bringing the Kentville community together to celebrate the wildlife and nature around us. By facilitating gatherings, putting on events, and fostering shared interest among residents, we will see Kentville grow stronger and more connected as a Bird Friendly Town.

Advocacy and Awareness: Through this initiative, we are sharing bird friendly practices and share resources with residents to support their own participation. We are offering programming for youth and educational campaigns on different issues connected to birds, biodiversity, and conversation.

Policy and Programs: As we work towards a resilient Kentville through climate action, we will develop different municipal strategies to support this effort. We look to the Province and to exemplary municipalities across the country to guide and inform this approach.

Bird populations are decreasing