Migratory Bird Day and community-led conservation

Saturday, May 9 is Migratory Bird Day. This year’s focus is community science and its important contributions to the task of conserving migratory birds. Sadly, bird populations in North America have been declining for decades. Since 1970, we have lost three billion birds in North America, including common species that live in our towns and cities. This is a reminder that we can and should do more to help protect the over four hundred bird species that live here.

There are exciting ways that you can participate in “community science,” and many of these involve using innovative mobile apps that guide you in learning how to spot, record and share sightings of local birds. Get an overview of these apps and learn how our LakeWatchers coordinator Chris Kennedy got into birding by heading over to the new HalifACT Hub.

Climate change and migratory birds

Changing climate patterns are posing challenges to migratory birds and making it harder for them to find reliable food sources. Cities are generally dangerous places for birds: loss of habitat, collisions with windows, being preyed on by cats and exposed to pesticides are just some of the threats that birds face.

This is why the municipality is investing in bird conservation with the Green Network Plan, the Urban Forest Management Plan and through our efforts to make the region a “Bird Friendly City”
 

These plans and projects are designed with nature in mind and will help protect bird habitats by managing the impacts of our infrastructure.

Other bird-friendly things we have done include reducing the use of pesticides through our Integrated Pest Management plan and replacing most of our street lights with downward facing LEDs.

What can you do? Feed the birds… seasonally

One of the ways you can protect migratory birds is by controlling how you feed them. Many people like to watch birds grab seeds from feeders in their backyards, but if you feed them with a traditional bird feeder during warm months, you are likely spreading diseases and parasites among them.

The colder months of fall and winter (after a couple of hard frosts) are a safe time for you to use these sorts of feeding methods, since birds can use the food then, and won’t end up spreading pathogens.

The sky’s the limit

We still have more work to do with partners in the community and all levels of government to make the municipality even more welcoming to bird life. Here are some things you can do to help:

• Get to know the birds in your area by trying out an app like eBird. 
• Use the iNaturalist app, created by the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society, to learn about local bird species and share observations about invasive species. 
• Use the Merlin app to learn and appreciate bird song in your area.
• Since water quality is an important part of a healthy ecosystem, remember to protect the water by picking up garbage and picking up after your dog along lakes. 
• Add decals and stickers to your windows to reduce the chance of window strikes, especially during migration season when birds are on the move.
• Choose native species of shrubs and perennials for your garden to attract and feed birds.  Some good options are Serviceberry or Elderberry.
• If you work in a place visited by the public, you can apply to become a "demonstration site" for bird-friendly window tape

Municipal water management

LakeWatchers is our community-based lake monitoring program that gathers water quality data to help us understand the health of our lakes and how they are changing. The program brings volunteers together with consultants to conduct community-driven science with the goal of collecting data that will be used to promote sustainable development in the municipality.

Living Lakeshores aims to help us enhance shorelines and build community. In 2025, the municipality's Environment and Climate Change team, in partnership with TransCoastal Adaptations (TCA) at Saint Mary’s University and the Ecology Action Centre, launched the project, which builds the resilience of freshwater shorelines in the Halifax region using natural restoration approaches.

What we can all do

Famed Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki reminds us that “whatever we do to the earth, we do to ourselves,” and that includes the water. The things we produce are dissolved into the water, affecting its quality. When a storm hits, the water that rushes across the many impervious surfaces of the city drains into our lakes and rivers. 

Whether it’s the salt we put on our driveways or the fertilizer we use in our yards, the actions we take and choices we make have impacts on the water that we rely on. 

Here are some small actions you can take that can have big results:

• limit the amount of hard surfaces and turf grass you use
• replace grass with deep-rooted, thirsty plants that are native to your area, which can reduce water pollution, prevent flooding and invite pollinators
• volunteer with LakeWatchers, our water quality monitoring program
• take part in free Green Shores naturalization training as part of Living Lakeshores
• test your well water because it could contain unwanted chemicals and bacteria, viruses or parasites that can cause disease
• capture and filter water by planting a rain garden or installing a rain barrel
• don’t use chemical fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides, which wash contaminants into our waterways
• learn more about cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae

You can also take part in our Shore Up Workshop at Albro Lake Park. This a hands-on, multi-day workshop uses nature-based solutions to create a healthier riparian zone. This workshop is open to everyone (ages 18 and older) and will have a variety of tasks available to suit different physical abilities and comfort levels.  You will learn widely approaches to enhancing freshwater shoreline health. 

The workshop will take place over three days: April 21-23 from 9am-4pm. 

Natural vegetation is the key. Naturalizing the area within 20 metres of a watercourse reduces flooding, keeps water clean and cool (and more suitable for fish). It also reduces erosion and maintains biodiversity.

Lakes and Rivers

The Halifax Regional Municipality is home to over 1,000 lakes, more than 20 rivers, innumerable streams, and 23 major coastal shorelines places for recreation, and fish and wildlife habitats. Through our Regional Plan, we've committed to study watersheds and natural watercourses before secondary planning takes place in an effort to maintain the health of water and meet body contact recreation standards in its lakes, waterways and coastal waters.

Floating wetlands

One of the projects we're most excited about are the floating wetlands we installed in Kearney Lake back in August 2025. Working with the Centre for Water Resources at Dalhousie University, we placed floating pods lined with coconut coir and a shallow mix of soil and mulch in the lake. 

As these lively pods grow, their roots reach down into the lake and use nutrients like phosphorus as their food. 

Once the plants have grown enough to fill the pods, we will harvest them in the spring and the nutrients they used to grow will be removed from the lake system. This has the benefit of purifying the water by fighting "eutrophication."

Learn more on the HalifACT Hub.

How can I improve the health of lakes, rivers and watersheds?

Watersheds are interconnected. Every action that effects the land also has indirect effects on lakes, rivers, and the ocean waters they drain into. 

Simple individual actions can help preserve and improve the quality and health of these waters:

• reduce and/or eliminate the use of household and commercial hazardous products
• make use of Household Hazardous Waste Depots and avoid pouring used cleaners, paints, chemicals or other materials down your drains or into storm water systems such as gutters, ditches, storm sewers, or streams
• pick up after your pet, and dispose of the waste in the garbage
• limit your use of lawn fertilizers, or try alternatives such as compost

Invasive aquatic species

Local waterways are home to both native and non-native plants and animals. Non-native species whose introduction causes—or is likely to cause—harm to people, the environment, or the economy, are called invasive species.  The Municipality has a few invasive species on its radar.