Waterfowl/Waterbird Migration Monitoring Services, Yukon Canadian Wildlife Service Northern Region

Background:

Numerous wetlands in the Yukon are important migration staging area for Waterfowl/Waterbirds. In the spring, these wetlands are all located at the outlets of large lakes, become ice-free very early, and provide an abundance of shallow water and exposed mudflats that provide food and rest for migrating Waterfowl/Waterbirds. Three wetlands in the southern Yukon, M’Clintock Bay, Tagish River, and the outlet of Teslin Lake, are critical migration staging areas and support over 1% of the global and/or North American continental populations of Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) and Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) in the spring. These areas are easily accessible by people and have significant infrastructure (roads, bridges, residences, docks, etc.) along the shorelines. Additional spring staging areas often also support regionally significant numbers of migrating Waterfowl/Waterbirds. Waterfowl use of these areas has been documented each year since 2001 to measure the ecological integrity of the wetland areas and to provide an indication of the timing of spring migration each year especially for populations that are difficult to monitor on their breeding grounds.

Objective:

The purpose of this Contract is to seek the services of a contractor to provide field work support for the monitoring of waterfowl/waterbirds populations during spring migration at important wetlands in the Yukon to the Canadian Wildlife Service Northern Region Yukon Waterfowl Program on an as required basis.

Scope:

- On an as required basis provide technical field work support for the long-term monitoring of migrating Waterfowl/Waterbird populations at important wetlands in the Yukon
- The Contractor must travel to and reside in the Yukon, Canada for the spring migration staging (April – May of each year of the Contract) where the fieldwork is to occur.
- The Contractor must travel to survey locations on primary highways and secondary paved or gravel roads using a suitable vehicle.
- The Contractor must supply all necessary field equipment required to conduct migration monitoring, including but not limited to a high-quality spotting telescope, binoculars, high-quality camera, counting aids (i.e. hand-held tally counter), field notebooks and writing supplies, personal safety equipment (i.e. first aid kit) and personal gear (i.e. field clothes, rain gear).
- The Contractor must have at least five (5) years of experience in counting large aggregations of waterfowl and/or waterbirds (at least 1,000 individuals) from ground observation sites in northwestern boreal ecosystems in Canada (northwestern is defined as Yukon, Northwest Territories, British Columbia or Alberta) or Alaska.
- The Contractor must document the patterns of use by Waterfowl/Waterbirds of the Tagish River, and the Teslin Lake outlet Yukon, during the months of April and May of each year of the Contract.This will be accomplished by means of counting the birds from suitable vantage points at each of the areas. Photographs will be taken by the Contractor to document the progression of ice and snowmelt, water levels, and greening of vegetation.
- The Contractor must document the patterns of use by Waterfowl/Waterbirds, of M’Clintock Bay, Marsh Lake Yukon during May. This will be accomplished by means of counting the birds from suitable vantage points at the specified area. Photographs will be taken by the Contractor to document the progression of ice and snowmelt, water levels, and greening of vegetation.
- The Contractor may be required to document the patterns of use by Waterfowl/Waterbirds in additional locations on an as required basis: in the Yukon during the months of April and May of each year of the Contract. This will be accomplished by counting the birds from suitable vantage points in the specified areas. Photographs will be taken by the contractor to document the progression of ice and snowmelt, water levels, and greening of vegetation.
- The Contractor must supply all necessary personal electronic equipment (i.e. personal computer) to report counts of migrating Waterfowl/Waterbirds to the eBird electronic database (www.ebird.org), draft report summarizing the fieldwork undertaken and to enter data into electronic MS excel (XLS) templates provided by the Technical Authority.

Period of the Contract

The period of the Contract is from date of Contract to March 31, 2025 inclusive.

Option to Extend the Contract

The Contractor grants to Canada the irrevocable option to extend the term of the Contract by up to four (4) additional one (1)-year periods under the same conditions. The Contractor agrees that, during the extended period of the Contract, it will be paid in accordance with the applicable provisions as set out in the Basis of Payment.