The City of Belleville joins 40 other municipalities across Canada in being certified by Nature Canada in their Bird Friendly Cities program. Each certification demonstrates a commitment to reducing key threats to birds, protecting their habitat and educating residents on steps they can take to protect birds in their daily lives.
Nature Canada began the Bird Friendly Cities program in 2020 in order to empower communities to use local action to address an international conservation issue – In the last 50 years, North American bird populations have dropped by more than 25-per cent, a loss of roughly 3 billion birds.
Bird Friendly City Certification
Certification in the Bird Friendly Cities program requires the formation of a volunteer-led group in the community, called a Bird Team. Formed in January 2025, the Bay of Quinte Bird Team is a group of dedicated volunteers, including representatives from local organizations and businesses, who have worked together to fill out the application which shows that the municipality meets or exceeds the certification criteria. After a year of hard work, the team is excited to have the City of Belleville as the first community in the Bay of Quinte region to be officially designated as a Bird Friendly City.
The Bay of Quinte Bird Team includes representatives and input from community partners such as Wild Birds Unlimited Belleville, Quinte Field Naturalists, Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre, Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory, Quinte Conservation, the City of Belleville’s Green Task Force, the Quinte Museum of Natural History, Natural Themes Native Plant Nursery, and Prince Edward County Field Naturalists.
Birding on the Bay Event – Saturday May 9th
To celebrate the official announcement of Belleville’s certification and to participate in the global World Migratory Bird Day, the Bay of Quinte Bird Team is co-presenting a free family-friendly event called “Birding On the Bay” in partnership with Quinte Conservation.
The event takes place from 9am to 12pm on Saturday, May 9th at South Potter’s Creek Conservation Area (2056 Old Highway #2, Belleville). Parking is free for the duration of the event. Participants are invited to bring their own camp/lawn chairs to join a birding “sit spot” for accessible birdwatching, or join short guided bird walks with experts to learn about the many wonderful bird species that call the Bay of Quinte home. If they’re lucky, they might even spot migrating species like the many warblers who travel through Belleville and surrounding locales on their way North to Canada’s Boreal Forest. Children and the young at heart can also join the fun with bird-themed crafts and activities including birding bingo. Everyone will also have a chance to meet Bird Team members and chat about the Bird Friendly Cities program, bird conservation, and how they can help conserve birds in their everyday lives.
For more information about Nature Canada and its Bird Friendly Cities program, visit
https://naturecanada.ca/defend-nature/how-you-help-us-take-action/bfc/
To register in advance for the free Birding on the Bay event, visit
https://onlineforms.quinteconservation.ca/Events/2026/South-Potters-Bird-Friendly-Belleville-Event
To follow along with the Bay of Quinte Bird Team and hear more about future activities and projects to help birds and their habitat in the Bay of Quinte, find them on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/BoQBirdTeam
Photo Credits:
● Birding on the Bay event poster image of Blackburnian Warbler by Ray Hennessy via Unsplash
● Three bird photos by John Lowry
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Baltimore Oriole
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
