A group of local volunteers are hoping to announce Sarnia as a certified bird friendly city by this spring.
The "Sarnia Bird Team" has been working to gain the "badge of honour" for over a year.
"We've been working on this quietly since August of 2021 and we're close to getting the entry level of certification and we're hoping to be able to announce that in May," said Chairperson John Cooke. "Actually, the second Saturday of May is World Migratory Bird Day and ideally, we'd be able to announce our certification on that day."
Cooke said the majority of birds seen in Sarnia are migratory and will pass through the area in the spring and fall. Canatara Park was identified as an important migratory corridor for thousands of birds such as hawks and blue jays.
At this time, Cooke said the team is working to provide evidence to Nature Canada of the city's bird friendly initiatives.
"This is a Nature Canada program but it requires action at the local level to make that happen," he said. "We have a small team of people working to demonstrate the evidence that programs and facilities are in place that would make us a bird friendly city."
So far, Cooke said the campaign has received support from various community organizations, and has been endorsed by the City of Sarnia and Aamjiwnaang First Nation.
Cooke said the certification would be a sense of pride for the area and would highlight the efforts being made to address bird population declines.
"I think another advantage is, birds visible and healthy in the city, indicates the health of other natural species," he said. "So if we're talking about birds and being friendly to birds, it's a springboard to talking about the health of other species."
Other southwestern Ontario cities such as London and Windsor have been certified as bird friendly. London received it's certification in May 2021 and Windsor received it's badge in June 2022.
In the meantime, a poll is being held online to vote for Sarnia's City Bird.
"Kind of like a mascot, if you like, or a bird representative of the city," explained Cooke.
The five finalists are the Red-headed Woodpecker, Coopers Hawk, Black-Capped Chickadee, Ring-billed Gull, and Tufted Titmouse.
Details about the five finalists can be read on Bird Friendly Sarnia's Facebook page and people can vote for one by clicking here.
-With files from Colin Gowdy