FLAP Canada has been a global leader in bird conservation for almost 30 years, paving the way for change with our education and outreach programs and campaigns. You can get involved and join us in making a difference for birds!
Programs
Bird Collision Monitoring Patrols
FLAP Canada conducts collision monitoring/bird rescue patrols during spring and fall migration, when bird-window collisions are at their peak in the Greater Toronto Area. Trained volunteers search for birds that have hit windows, collecting anywhere from 3,000 to 5,500 injured and dead birds each year. All observations are recorded in a centralized database. A network of volunteer drivers transports injured birds to wildlife rehabilitation facilities for medical treatment to give them the best chance at recovery. Are you interested in joining FLAP’s dedicated bird rescue team? Visit our volunteer page for more information.
Birds in Your Hood
Birds in Your Hood is an educational outreach program for primary and secondary school students. FLAP Canada staff and volunteers give free, engaging presentations to classrooms, which can include field trips in local parks to look for birds (we supply binoculars and field guides). Our goal is to foster an appreciation of birds and their value in our local ecosystems, and to engage youth in bird conservation. If you are a teacher in the Greater Toronto Area and would like to have your school participate in Birds in Your Hood, please contact us. We can also offer virtual presentations.
Bird-Safe Campus
FLAP Canada’s Bird-Safe Campus initiative seeks to empower students, professors, sustainability staff, and others in the pursuit of a collision-free campus environment. Detailed guides, tools, and best practices are at the core of Bird-Safe Campus, all specifically tailored to the unique needs of academic institutions. If you have been hoping to advocate for and implement bird-safe solutions and practices on your own campus, this is the resource for you!
Homeowner Awareness Program
Research suggests that, in Canada, houses likely cause most bird-window collisions because they are the most numerous type of building. FLAP Canada has an ongoing program to educate homeowners about this danger and how to make their windows safe for birds. We do this through distributing informative brochures and other resources, giving presentations at public events, using social media, partnering with government, and much more. Learn how to make your home safe for birds.
Annual Campaigns
Global Bird Rescue
Global Bird Rescue is an annual event hosted by FLAP Canada to raise awareness about one of the leading causes of bird deaths across the globe: collisions with buildings. Each year, in late September/early October, teams and individuals around the world take to the streets to search for and rescue birds that have collided with buildings in their community. A major aim of the event is also to inspire participants to protect local and migrating birds by making windows bird-safe. Anyone can participate, anywhere in the world! Learn more and sign up here.
Annual Bird Layout
Although FLAP Canada has saved an impressive number of window-collision survivors over the years, many birds do not survive the impact. One of the ways FLAP aims to give these fallen birds another life is through our Annual Bird Layout, an emotive and provocative display of dead birds collected by our bird rescue volunteers in the previous year. This annual exhibit has proven to be one of FLAP’s most effective techniques for raising awareness and generating conversation over the dangers birds face in our built environment. Since our first display in 2001, we have inspired other bird conservation groups across North America to hold similar exhibits in their communities.
Ongoing Campaigns
Advocating for Bird-Safe Building Codes
Currently in Canada there are several cities and municipalities that, with FLAP’s support, have adopted their own requirements or guidelines on bird-safe building design. While we applaud these efforts, this piecemeal approach to conserving birds does not reach far enough. To effectively protect migrating birds, bird-safe design must be a mandatory requirement across the country. FLAP Canada is advocating for the adoption of bird-safe guidelines in Canada’s National Building Code and the Ontario Building Code, through targeted outreach, petitions, and meetings with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and Members of Parliament. Want to help? Show your support for the inclusion of bird-safe building design requirements in the Ontario Building Code, a measure that would save countless birds’ lives.