Speaker wants to keep birds singing

Nature P.E.I.’s October meeting will feature a discussion with Brendan Kelly on the decline of songbird populations and what can be done at a local level to ensure that the birds keep singing.

All are welcome to the Carriage House at Beaconsfield in Charlottetown, starting at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 2.

Through stories of his personal experiences and a look through his camera lens, Kelly promises to “shed a light on the travesty that is happening to our feathered friends.”

His hope is that by sharing the work he has done, he will motivate others to make individual contributions towards conserving birds and their habitats.

Since elementary school, Kelly has been an environmental activist and conservationist, working with local governments and organizations to protect and conserve birds and their native habitats. He continues to actively volunteer for a number of organizations and in 2012 received the title of a Newalta Wetland Hero by Ducks Unlimited Canada. Later in 2014, received the Newfoundland Environmental Award.

After many years of building and monitoring over 100 nest boxes across Newfoundland and Labrador, Kelly successfully documented the first and second nesting record of the northern saw-whet owl for that province. Currently, he is a student in UPEI’s bachelor of wildlife conservation program.