Kirtland's Warbler

Species information

The following is a report on progress made towards the protection and recovery of Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) in Ontario from 2007 to 2021, based on Ontario’s species-specific recovery policy. This report meets the legislative requirement for a review of progress under the Endangered Species Act, 2007 (ESA or “the Act”). Kirtland’s Warbler is listed as endangered on the Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) List under the ESA.

Kirtland’s Warbler has been classified as a species at risk since 1977. It was originally classified as an endangered species and retained its endangered status under the ESA, when it came into force in 2008.

The species-specific recovery policy for Kirtland’s Warbler, known as the Government Response Statement (GRS) was published in 2017 and includes the government’s recovery goal for the species and the actions and priorities it intends to lead or support to help achieve that goal. The GRS considers science advice provided in the recovery strategy, when developing recovery actions for the species. As legislated in the Act, the purpose of this Review is to report on progress made towards implementing the protection and recovery actions in the GRS. The review can also help identify opportunities to adjust and adapt the implementation of protection and recovery actions to achieve the recovery goal for the species.

Further information about Kirtland’s Warbler, including the threats that it faces, and actions being taken to help protect and recover this species is available on the Government of Ontario webpage for Kirtland’s Warbler. A summary on the progress towards the protection and recovery of Kirtland’s Warbler and an annual update on the broader species at risk program (i.e. the Introduction to the 2022 Review of Progress report) is available on the Review of Progress towards the Protection and Recovery of Ontario’s Species at Risk webpage.

Snapshot: Progress towards the protection and recovery of Kirtland’s Warbler

Progress towards meeting the recovery goal

• The recovery goal in the Government Response Statement (GRS) for Kirtland’s Warbler in Ontario is to “maintain the persistence of the species in Ontario at locations with confirmed breeding, through habitat management”.
• Progress has been made towards implementing all of the government-led actions. Progress has been made towards implementing one of the government-supported recovery objectives and one of the associated actions. Examples of progress include:
  • conducting monitoring at one of the two Ontario locations with confirmed Kirtland’s Warbler breeding to detect changes in the population
  • conducting monitoring at another location, where Kirtland’s Warbler has been detected in the breeding season following the establishment of young Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana) stands, to determine if there is a third breeding population in Ontario

In alignment with the GRS, further work is required to:

• work collaboratively with public and private land owners, land managers, species specialists, forestry professionals and stewardship organizations to develop, implement and evaluate site-specific habitat management plans in areas where the species has been observed, in particular, locations with confirmed breeding
• conduct research to determine the extent to which brood parasitism is affecting Kirtland’s Warbler in Ontario
• conduct research to determine the preferred breeding habitat characteristics of Kirtland’s Warbler, including microclimate and structural features

Occurrences and distribution

• Two extant breeding populations of Kirtland’s Warbler have been confirmed in Ontario, both on military bases; the best documented one being at Garrison Petawawa. There is also relatively strong evidence of a possible breeding population at Packard Tract in Simcoe County and weaker evidence of possible breeding populations at two other locations.

Government-supported stewardship projects

• Through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program, the Government of Ontario has enabled its stewardship partners to conduct one project that supported the protection and recovery of Kirtland’s Warbler.

Supporting human activities while ensuring appropriate support for species recovery

• The Government of Ontario has issued thirteen ‘protection or recovery’ permits for this species under clause 17(2)(b) of the ESA.
• No agreements were entered into for Kirtland’s Warbler. If any agreements had been entered into, they would have been enabled through Ontario Regulation 242/08 (prior to the July 1, 2013 amendment).
• Six activities have been registered for the species. The activities were registered under Threats to health and safety, not imminent’ (section 23.18) under Ontario Regulation 242/08 of the ESA.

Reporting on the progress towards the protection and recovery of Kirtland’s Warbler

The implementation of government-led and government-supported actions demonstrates progress towards reaching the desired objectives and the recovery goal set out in the GRS.

Progress towards implementing government-led actions

Progress has been made towards implementing all government-led actions identified in the GRS. Common actions for the government to lead as it works towards achieving a species’ recovery goal include:

• Educate other agencies and authorities involved in planning and environmental assessment processes on the protection requirements under the ESA.
• Encourage the submission of Kirtland’s Warbler data to the Ministry’s central repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre.
• Undertake communications and outreach to increase public awareness of species at risk in Ontario.
• Protect Kirtland’s Warbler and its habitat through the ESA.
• Support conservation, agency, municipal and industry partners, and Indigenous communities and organizations to undertake activities to protect and recover Kirtland’s Warbler. Support will be provided where appropriate through funding, agreements, permits (including conditions) and/or advisory services.
• Encourage collaboration, and establish and communicate annual priority actions for government support in order to reduce duplication of efforts.

Additionally, the government has directly undertaken the following species-specific efforts to improve understanding of the species:

• monitoring potential habitat on the east side of Algonquin Provincial Park every two to three years
• monitoring potential habitat in Cabot Head Provincial Park to inform assessments of potential recreational pressures and planning for potential management improvements

These projects were undertaken by Ontario Parks.

Key progress made towards implementing these actions is described in the following sections.

Occurrences and distribution

Two extant breeding populations of Kirtland’s Warbler have been confirmed in Ontario, both on military bases; the best documented one being at Garrison Petawawa. These populations are considered extant ^{footnote 1[1]} . There is relatively strong evidence of a possible breeding population at Packard Tract in Simcoe County and weaker evidence of possible breeding populations at two other locations.

Since 2008, the government’s central repository at the Natural Heritage Information Centre (NHIC) has received 100 records of the species. These records are based on observations between 2008 and 2021 and come from a variety of sources.

Records submitted have helped to refine where the Kirtland’s Warbler is known and has been known to occur and can provide additional information on the species’ habitat and threats. Almost three quarters of these records are from southwestern Ontario and therefore are believed to represent observations of birds that were migrating. The majority of records with breeding evidence originate from Garrison Petawawa where a breeding population of Kirtland’s Warbler has been documented. A breeding population has also been documented at another military base in Ontario. In addition, there is relatively strong evidence that a breeding population is establishing at the Packard Tract in Simcoe County, where male Kirtland’s Warblers were detected singing in the recently planted Pine-Oak forest.

Several records obtained between 2010 and 2015 represent evidence of two possible breeding populations in Ontario, one in Algonquin Provincial Park and one on lands of the Henvey Inlet First Nation community. Further investigations are needed to determine if there are additional breeding populations of Kirtland’s Warbler at these locations.

It is possible that there are observations of Kirtland’s Warbler that have not been submitted to the government. Encouraging the submission of observations of this species is included in the GRS as a government-led action. Submission of species observations increases our knowledge of where they occur and can play an important role in assessing the viability of species populations.

Everyone is encouraged, or may be required by an authorization or approval to submit observations of Kirtland’s Warbler, and any other species at risk observed, to the NHIC for incorporation into the provincial record of observations.

• 100
  observations of this species were submitted to the NHIC since 2008

Government-supported stewardship projects

An important government-led action in the GRS for Kirtland’s Warbler is to support partners to undertake activities to protect and recover the species. Through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program the government has supported one project designed to contribute to the protection and recovery of Kirtland’s Warbler.

During 2008, the Friends of Bonnechere Parks led a project to promote awareness of Renfrew County bird species at risk and the importance of bird habitat protection. For this purpose, the Friends of Bonnechere Parks developed interactive interpretive tools and curriculum-based lesson plans featuring bird species at risk of Renfrew County, including Kirtland’s Warbler. The interactive interpretive tools include a PowerPoint presentation and display panels, which contain images and audio recordings of at-risk birds, together with information about their habitats. Other tools are interactive games and quizzes to be used by educators. The Friends of Bonnechere Parks also produced a birders' checklist of Renfrew County as part of the project. Funds from the project also sponsored Renfrew County's sixth annual Natural History Day with guest speakers and guided hikes focussed on bird species at risk.

Species at Risk Stewardship Program

• 
  1

  project included Kirtland's Warbler

Supporting human activities while ensuring appropriate support for species recovery

Supporting partners through authorizations and their associated conditions is an important government-led action.

To date, no permits have been issued specifically for Kirtland’s Warbler. However, thirteen ‘protection and recovery’ permits were issued under section 17(2)(b) of the ESA to monitor for post-construction mortality of bird species at risk at wind power projects, including the collection of deceased specimens and medical treatment of injured birds.  Monitoring pursuant to these permits had the potential to detect Kirtland’s Warblers killed in migration.

Six activities that may affect Kirtland’s Warbler or its habitat have been registered for the purposes of Ontario Regulation 242/08 under the ESA. All these activities were registered under ‘Threats to human health and safety, not imminent’ (section 23.18). These registrations require the registrant to comply with all conditions of the regulation, such as:

• giving the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks notice of the activity before it commences
• having a mitigation plan prepared by a person with expertise on Kirtland’s Warbler to facilitate avoidance or minimization of adverse effects on Kirtland’s Warbler while the activity is carried out
• taking reasonable steps to minimize adverse effects on Kirtland’s Warbler while carrying out the activity

• 13
  protection or recovery permits
• 6
  registrations

Progress towards implementing government-supported actions

Government-supported actions are organized under overarching recovery objectives. Progress has been made towards achieving one government-supported recovery objective and implementing one of the associated actions identified in the GRS for Kirtland’s Warbler.

Under this objective, progress has been made towards implementing two components of the action.

Progress has been made on the first component of the action through monitoring by the Canadian Department of National Defence at Garrison Petawawa. Progress has been made on the second component through two initiatives. First, presence surveys have been conducted at Packard Tract in Simcoe County since 2018 following the establishment of young Jack Pine stands. Second, prior to this time, presence surveys were conducted by Environment and Climate Change Canada at locations across Central Ontario where conditions are suitable for breeding by Kirtland’s Warbler.

Summary of progress towards meeting the recovery goal

The recovery goal for Kirtland’s Warbler is to “maintain the persistence of the species in Ontario at locations with confirmed breeding, through habitat management.” Effort made towards the government-led and government-supported actions has helped to make progress towards this goal. For example, monitoring of the confirmed breeding populations in Ontario by the Canadian Department of National Defence has better positioned the government to judge whether the populations persist. Additionally, there is relatively strong evidence of a possible new breeding population establishing at Packard Tract in Simcoe County through habitat management efforts of a multi-partner initiative.

Recommendations

As stated in the GRS, this review of progress can be used to help identify whether adjustments to the implementation of GRS actions are needed, to achieve the protection and recovery of the species. Based on progress to date, the overall direction provided in the GRS for Kirtland’s Warbler, particularly the implementation of actions identified as high priority, should continue to guide protection and recovery of the species.

Although initial progress has been made towards the action to conduct targeted surveys at locations with confirmed breeding to monitor changes, further work is required to fully implement all components of the inventory and monitoring action.

The following actions require additional support to aid the protection and recovery of the species:

• Action No. 1 (High Priority) - Work collaboratively with public and private land owners, land managers, species specialists, forestry professionals and stewardship organizations to develop, implement and evaluate site-specific habitat management plans in areas where the species has been observed, in particular, locations with confirmed breeding. Plans may include practices such as:
  • identifying habitat-based threats observed at breeding locations (e.g., succession to understorey structure and composition not suitable for the species)
  • enhancing and managing suitable habitat or specially designed plantations with the appropriate tree species, densities and ground vegetation as required by Kirtland’s Warbler using methods deemed to be effective and appropriate for the site (e.g., prescribed burning, removal of trees to create open patches, planting Jack Pine or Red Pine)
  • identifying opportunities to increase habitat availability (in terms of patch size and the availability of dispersal habitat over time)
  • restoring areas with the potential to be suitable habitat near occupied habitat to enlarge the habitat or improve connectivity between habitats
  • implementing best management practices to reduce the level of human activity in occupied breeding habitat during nesting and fledging periods
• Action No. 2 (High Priority) - Inventory and monitor the locations and sizes of breeding populations of Kirtland’s Warbler in Ontario, using standard survey and monitoring protocols, by:
  • conducting presence/absence surveys at locations with reported observations and locations with high probability of suitable habitat
  • documenting habitat characteristics at locations with confirmed breeding and locations with reported observations
• Action No. 3 - Conduct research to determine the extent to which brood parasitism is affecting Kirtland’s Warbler in Ontario. If brood parasitism is confirmed to be a significant threat to Kirtland’s Warbler at Ontario breeding locations, actions may include the development, implementation and evaluation of appropriate methods to mitigate the impacts of brood parasitism.
• Action No. 4 - Conduct research to determine the preferred breeding habitat characteristics of Kirtland’s Warbler, including microclimate and structural features. This may include comparing habitat characteristics and population data (e.g., nesting and fledging success, dispersal tendencies, site fidelity) with similar Michigan sites to determine whether there are habitat characteristics that are specific to Ontario.
• Action No. 5 - Continue to collaborate and share information between agencies involved with recovery efforts conducted in the United States and Canada to evaluate habitat management techniques for their potential applicability to Kirtland’s Warbler habitat in Ontario and to update survey and monitoring protocols.

Protecting and recovering Kirtland’s Warbler will continue to be a shared responsibility that will require the involvement of many individuals, organizations and communities. Financial support for the implementation of actions may be available through the Species at Risk Stewardship Program. The government can also advise if any authorizations under the ESA or other legislation may be required to undertake a project. By working together, progress can continue to be made towards protecting and recovering Kirtland’s Warbler in Ontario.