The Midland-Penetanguishene Field Naturalists are welcoming a wildlife biologist involved with a very rare bird Thursday.
Last June, the endangered Kirtland’s Warbler found a new home in southern Ontario. This is a significant milestone. Successfully creating habitat for a severely at-risk species is a tremendous environmental achievement, according to the club.
There are fewer than 5,500 Kirtland’s Warblers in the world. It was one of the first species to be listed by the U.S. Endangered Species Act in 1973 and given the status of Endangered in Canada in 1979.
As part of its monthly meeting Thursday evening, the club is welcoming Peter Burke, who started working on the recovery of this species in Canada in 2013. The author WP Kinsella (Shoeless Joe Jackson Comes to Iowa) famously wrote: “If you build it, they will come.” This can happen even when conserving rare species.
Together, Burke and his team created the structural and specific vegetation components to attract these rare birds.
Burke grew up exploring the picturesque landscape of the Canadian Shield, in the area of Peterborough. This part of Ontario is characterized by Cedars, white pines, spruce and open granite rock outcrops – landscapes that are more than enough to inspire the beginnings of an artist and spark the interests of a naturalist.
He studied wildlife biology at the University of Guelph, while continuing to explore his artistic abilities by taking fine arts courses.
To learn more about the club, including how to take in Burke’s talk, click here or email [email protected].
