Sign up to be a Rare Bird Ambassador
Overview
Birdwatching and bird photography have both become exceedingly popular in the last few decades and rare birds that show up in Ontario always generate a lot of interest.
When a rare bird appears on private property or public property where access and/or crowd control may become an issue, careful planning is required to ensure that the owner/host/property manager, birders, photographers and the bird all have a positive experience.
The goal is to promote positive relations between landowners, birders, and photographers, ultimately resulting in happy people and happy birds. Birders can still decide if they want to share sightings or not; we just hope that this makes the decision easier and spreads out the workload related to managing rare bird observations.
You do not need to be an OFO member to be a Rare Bird Ambassador. OFO has created this program to help with open and fair access to rare birds for everyone.
What about owls?
Rare owls such as Burrowing Owls or Barn Owls fall under the same consideration as other birds treated here. If it is believed that they can be shared in a way that is not negative for the property owner or the birds, an attempt to share them can be undertaken. Potential ambassadors are encouraged to discuss owls with the Ambassador Panel though as sharing owl sightings is rarely simple.
Most Ontario owls aren’t rare but they elicit such a frenzy of interest that they deserve their own discussion.
For common owl species that will entice a large following, we can also attempt to use the ambassador approach. Local ambassadors can use various methods such as taping off an area to keep people back from a known roost site, setting observation schedules and providing information to educate viewers.
Do you want to be an Owl Ambassador?
If you want to try to take on a responsibility like this, you should give it some thought and brainstorm with the Ambassador Panel. OFO will consider creating informative signs about owl species that can be put up at select sites that are amenable to viewing.
Ambassadors
Want to become a Rare Bird Ambassador?
We are always looking to grow our team of Rare Bird Ambassadors.
As a Rare Bird Ambassador, you are making yourself available to be called into action should a rare bird turn up in your area. The goal is to have enough Ambassadors to cover all areas of the province assuming that not everyone will be available when needed.
Rare Bird Ambassadors will make contact with hosts of rare birds, help present possible viewing scenarios to them, and/or coordinate the viewing – sometimes by themselves and sometimes by recruiting other local birders and bird photographers to act as Ambassadors to help with crowd control or other site-specific duties where needed.
Another aspect of being a Rare Bird Ambassador is to communicate information about rare birds, when appropriate, to other Rare Bird Ambassadors or to the Ambassador panel if you are not able to attempt arranging access.
With the role comes responsibility. Finding out about a rare bird that isn’t public knowledge is a privilege, and Rare Bird Ambassadors are expected not to use the information they gain for personal viewing by themselves or their friends, unless it is in order to assess site logistics. Please keep a bird’s presence confidential unless/until the landowner approves of a viewing plan. As well, as a representative of the birding community you are expected to adhere at all times to OFO’s Code of Conduct and the Rare Bird Ambassadors Code of Conduct.
If this interests you, please complete the Rare Bird Ambassador sign up form.
As a representative of the birding community you are expected to adhere at all times to OFO’s Code of Conduct.
All information is to be kept strictly confidential.
Do not use this as an opportunity to allow special access for your friends to see the bird.
Respect the process and the work of other ambassadors.
If you agree to help, you will have to drop everything and move quickly as birds don’t always stay for long. The Ambassador panel can help you find alternates so that you don’t have to be on the hook for too long.
These are guidelines, please contact the Ambassador panel if you have any questions or would like help with any steps.
Be courteous. The owner does not “owe” you access and you should not pressure them into allowing it.
Introduce yourself, emphasize the privilege of having a rare bird and how much fun sharing it with others can be. Birders are really respectful, the team has experience doing this.
To help with brain-storming and to connect others who may know about the bird, contact the Ambassador panel with the general information (species and general circumstances).
Ensure others aware of the bird know that you are the single point of contact. This could entail posting publicly to let everyone know that the bird is currently being investigated by an Ambassador.
Consider posting publicly to state that the bird viewing is already being arranged.
Consider recommending to the property owner that they add a statement along with a post (e.g. if they had posted on Facebook) that access is being arranged.
Typically it is helpful to do a site visit to talk to the owner in person and/or to assess the site-specific situations:
- What’s parking like?
- Will tripods be an issue?
- Consider where people will stand. Does an area need cordoning off?
- If there are adjacent neighbours, it may be important to discuss with them too.
Whenever possible have the site visit conducted by no more than two people. Do not invite more birders with you.
Ensure you have all the rules clear.
If sign-ups are required, create a booking form (remember that sign-ups for time slots are the most work for everyone to manage, but are effective in some situations)
Think ahead of time how you will handle the situation if the bird is a no show for a time slot.
Be sure to post news of the bird and instructions publicly (e.g. Ontbirds, Birdnews, Discord Rare Bird Alert) and share in as many places as possible.
Do not allow people to sign up until the sign-up form is posted publicly. No one should have “inside access”.
If there is a finite number of people allowed (e.g. one time only access to a relatively small number of people) discuss with the Ambassador panel to come up with the most equitable approach. A lottery (could be weighted by things like distance from bird, whether they have seen the bird already, size of Ontario list, etc.) or first-come, first-served are two approaches that offer fairness and transparency.
If the location is to remain a secret, ensure this is communicated with people clearly. Have a way to share the location before it is their turn to visit.
If the location is to be public knowledge, contact the Ambassador panel to create an eBird hotspot. If the location is to remain a secret, save this for after the bird/birders have gone.
Some expenses (e.g. caution tape, guest book, donation jar) will be reimbursed by OFO. Please save your receipts, scan and email the images to the [Ambassador Panel](mailto: ambassadors@ofo.ca) as soon as possible or to discuss other potential expenses before you purchase them.
Caution tape can be purchased at most hardware stores (e.g. Home Depot, Canadian Tire, Home Hardware).
Remember to thank the hosts again. Ask for their feedback – was there anything that they think we could improve on? Would they be willing to do a testimonial for the Rare Bird Ambassador Program web page?
Fill out an OFO Certificate of Appreciation nomination form.
Please pass on any feedback you have to the [Ambassador Panel](mailto: ambassadors@ofo.ca) so they can ensure they are incorporated into future situations.
If the location remained a secret, contact the [Ambassador Panel](mailto: ambassadors@ofo.ca) to create an eBird hotspot and once it is created inform the visitors that they may now enter their eBird checklists and/or share the location publicly elsewhere.
Please contact the [Ambassador Panel](mailto: ambassadors@ofo.ca) for advice when dealing with these species/scenarios:
- Any species exhibiting breeding behaviour
- Owls
- Any other bird you think could generate controversy
Finding a Rare Bird
For Landowners: Do you have a rare bird on your property?
Congratulations! Having a rare bird is a very special experience; one that you may never have again.
With proper planning you can share the excitement with a lot of very grateful birders and photographers – OFO is here to help with all aspects involved.
What to do?
Please contact the Ambassador Panel and they will set up a confidential consultation to:
- Assist with identification and confirm your rare bird
- Make sure it gets documented for the official record
- Discuss possible visiting options for birders and photographers
- Coordinate the viewing with the team of volunteers
Many birders and photographers may be interested in seeing “your” bird. This can seem very daunting, but with careful planning this turns into a very memorable experience while maintaining the bird’s safety and your property. The vast majority of former rare bird hosts cherish their memories of the bird and all of the people who came from far and wide to see it.
The team of volunteers can be on site whenever birders and photographers are, and can supply a guestbook for you to keep, along with a donation jar. The monies raised can be used however you see fit – past hosts have used it for personal expenses, bird food, or to make a donation to their favourite charity. It’s your decision.
Depending on your specific circumstances, organizers may set up a cordoned off area for birders to stick to and/or a set of visitation rules (e.g. restricted days/hours to visit, or even pre-booked time slots).
All decisions are ultimately yours and can be amended at any time.
We generally recommend against using an “invite only” approach. First and foremost, this is an unfair way to decide who gets to see your bird, but more importantly, these approaches usually end up with people breaking rules and suggesting more of their friends to come and see the bird, which can end up being a big job for you as the home owner to manage. Inviting a small number of people almost always turns into more people that originally planned.
The Ambassador team is here to help you, if you want to limit the number of people coming to see the bird, we can suggest options to keep numbers down or limit the times when birders are allowed to visit. Managing individual visits can quickly become a daunting task that should not be your job.
For Birders: Did you hear about a rare bird?
The overarching goal of OFO’s Rare Bird Ambassador program is to try to facilitate as many rare bird viewing opportunities for the Ontario birding community as possible, all while ensuring positive experiences for the hosts, whether they be private landowners or some other authority (e.g. a conservation authority).
What to do?
If you hear about a rare bird, please contact the Ambassador Panel and they will help you to arrange viewing for Ontario birders or have one of the local Rare Bird Ambassadors do the same. If you are in a position to negotiate access, then please do; the team is happy to offer whatever support and guidance to help you.
Remember not to overwhelm the observer or host – a barrage of emails/messages from excited birders may overwhelm potential hosts. Whether the bird is on private or public property, the Ambassador Panel can help with contacting the proper authority.
Suggested text to post on social media
If you see a post on social media but do not have the capacity to try to arrange details yourself, please consider a standard reply, encouraging the finder to contact the Ambassador Panel:
This is a very rare bird in Ontario, congratulations! I am sure other birders would love to see this bird if the homeowner was willing to allow visitors. The OFO Rare Bird Ambassador Program is set up to help facilitate this sort of thing and ensure if it’s an enjoyable (and memorable!) experience for everyone. Rare Ambassador Program Webpage