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CCFEW Bird Walk Report- for Feb.24, 2025 AGM
Submitted by Barbara Keaveney
We organized the following guided free community bird walks in 2024-
at Humber Bay East Park- 2 hr. walks- Jan., Feb., Dec.
at Col. Sam Smith Pk.- 2 hr. walks- March, April, June, Sept., Oct., Nov.
May (4 x 1 hr.+ 3 x ½ hr.) at Spring Bird Festival at Col. Sam
All walks continue to be generously sponsored by “Birds and Beans Coffee Shop” in Mimico- they give the walk leader a $50 honorarium, and advertise the walks at their shop with a poster in the window. We have added a stand-up walk poster for our walks, and indicate their sponsorship there as well. We have been starting our Humber Bay walks at the HB west parking lot now to enable easier parking for participants. This means we have been missing out on our “coffee times” at “Birds & Beans” after our winter walks! We will have to consider this for next winter!
I arrange for walk leaders, and follow up with a reminder phone call the week before the walk. Brian Bailey promotes the walks by creating a beautiful poster each month. He also advertises them on the CCFEW website, and puts pictures and bird lists from the walks there afterwards. After the walk, he sends in our bird results to ebird.
At the beginning of our walks we indicate that they are organized by CCFEW and sponsored by “Birds and Beans”. Brian Bailey usually gives a brief update about current issues that CCFEW is involved in. We also appeal for membership in CCFEW, offer our pamphlets which have a membership application, and refer interested people to our Treasurer, Alan Drinnan. We also give out CCFEW Bird Checklists. We have had very encouraging participation on our walks this year, with average numbers ranging from 20-30 people, and some walks much higher.
It has been a challenge to sign on new bird walk leaders this year, since we have lost many of our regular leaders- Don Burton, Hugh Currie, Glenn Coady, Bob Yukich, Marc Lichtenberg, and now Nancy Barrett. However, new walk leaders have included David Creelman, Julia Zarankin and Cesar Ponce, and we have Ross Harris back as well, so it has been interesting to have new leaders!
I feel that these walks are a very successful way of creating interest in our waterfront parks, which will lead to their appreciation and preservation.
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