Get Involved

Contact the Wildlife Branch for opportunities for volunteers to get involved in wildlife surveying and monitoring. Select an activity that suits your interests, skills, and schedule, and phone or e-mail the contact person for the particular activity.

The Nocturnal Owl Survey
Phone (204) 945-7465 or email.

The Manitoba Nocturnal Owl Survey was initiated in 1991 to obtain information on owl distribution, estimate their relative abundance and trends in population, and determining habitat associations of owls. Volunteers conduct surveys for owls in late March or early April.

The Manitoba Dragonfly Survey
Phone (204) 945-7465 or email.

The Manitoba Dragonfly Survey, a project of the Manitoba Wildlife Branch in partnership with NatureNorth, is a volunteer-based survey of Manitoba's diverse population of dragonfly species.

For more information and how to get involved, see NatureNorth, or contact Jim Duncan of the Wildlife Branch Branch by email or telephone (204) 945-7465.

Piping Plover Recovery Program
Phone (204) 945-6817 or email.

Piping Plover Recovery Program staff are in need of volunteers from June through to early August each year. Nests and chicks need to be monitored, particularly during the early morning and late evening hours, when predators are prone to strike.

If you're willing to assist with the guardian program, please call or email to volunteer or for more information. Volunteers will be trained and provided with blaze orange t-shirt identifying you as a plover guardian. Volunteers will be required to keep watch for a number of hours per day on specific days; schedules will be set by the volunteer coordinator.

The Breeding Bird Survey
Phone (204) 945-5439 or email.

This is a standardized bird survey conducted each year at the height of the breeding season (June and the first week of July). Volunteers should be able to identify birds by sight and song and commit to a specific survey route on a long-term basis. Assistants are also required to accompany an observer and record data. More information on the North American Breeding Bird Survey or the the Canadian Breeding Bird Survey can be found at their respective websites.

Migration Monitoring - Songbird Banding
Phone (204)239-1900 or email

The Delta Marsh Bird Observatory monitors songbird migration annually. Training in songbird banding is provided to volunteers who can commit time on a regular, ongoing basis. Banding is an acquired skill and volunteers must apprentice prior to handling birds. Duties include removing birds form mist nets, banding and recording daily bird counts. A workshop is held annually in April.

The Christmas Bird Count (CBC)
Phone (204)943-9029

Participants identify and record all birds seen with a 15 mile diameter circle usually centered on towns or cities. Christmas bird counts generally occur in the same areas each year. Participants include amateur and skilled birders and naturalists. Knowledge of birds by sight and song not required.