Important Bird Area

What is it?

The Important Bird Area (IBA)was established as part of an international effort to identify and conserve sites important to all bird species worldwide. The goals of the program are to identify a network of sites that conserve the natural diversity of Canadian bird species and are critical to the long- term viability of naturally occurring bird populations; to determine the type of protection or stewardship required for each site and ensure the conservation of each site through partnerships with local stakeholder groups who develop and to imple ment on- the- ground community conservation plans. species.

Selkirk Birdwatchers Club
The Selkirk Birdwatchers Club formed in the late 1990s, are interested in the avifauna and other wildlife that inhabit the region. Manitoba Conservation and Ducks Unlimited Canada have also been active partners in marsh conservation.

Netley-Libau Marsh Surveys
Since 2000, the Selkirk Birdwatchers Club, assisted by the Netley Marsh Waterfowl Foundation, has conducted bird surveys on 4 routes around the Netley-Libau Marsh. The routes are: a) West Side of the marsh from Petersfield to Chalet Beach, b) East Side of the marsh from northeast of the Hwy 4 bridge to near Libau, c) around Goldeye Lake to End of Main, and d) the Beach Ridge between the Main and West Channels of the Red River.
The surveys are conducted during migration in May, during nesting in June and July, and in the fall during migration. The surveys use a system of counting all the birds seen or heard during a 3 minute stop at half mile intervals. Additional surveys were initiated in 2002 using tape recorded calls to count rails, bitterns, and some waterfowl.
A significant Great Blue Heron colony was identified along the Beach Ridge route during the surveys.

Site Description
Netley-Libau Marsh is situated at the south end of Lake Winnipeg, where the Red River branches several times and empties into the lake. Wave action on Lake Winnipeg, particularly due to strong wind-assisted tides, has produced a small beach ridge at the lakes south end, which acts as a barrier separating parts of Netley-Libau Marsh from the lake. The Red River is an important force of change in the large network of wetlands found here. Due to its history of frequent flooding, the route of the main channel of the river has changed numerous times. The area is very flat, and consists of many small bodies of water connected by channels and is interlaced with fingers of grassland, trees and shrubs.

Birds
Netley-Libau Marsh is best known for its tremendous concentrations of southward-migrating birds. Numbers of geese and ducks on some occasions exceed 100,000 during fall migration. A little earlier in the year, at least 25,000 moulting ducks are found in the area. Red-winged and Yellow-headed blackbirds congregate here in late autumn in numbers exceeding 100,000. As well, at the beginning of the fall migration in August, swallows are found here in the thousands.

In addition to the numerous species that stopover at the site during fall migration, several bird species breed at this site in significant numbers. Franklins Gulls nest in large colonies within the marsh, in numbers exceeding 4,500 pairs. This represents at least 1.3% of the North American population, based on upper level population estimates. In the late 1970s, 325 Forsters Tern nests were recorded in the marsh (about 1.5% of the global population). In addition, over 100 pairs of Black-crowned Night-Herons have been observed nesting in the marsh, which account for 2% of the estimated national population. Species that breed in large, though not significant numbers at the site include the Eared Grebe (100+ pairs) and the Western Grebe (125+ pairs). At least twelve species of ducks breed here mostly dabbling ducks.

Links:
www.bsc-eoc.org/iba/site.cfm?siteID=MB009&lang=en