Birds of Western New York

The Canisius Ambassadors for Conservation are delighted to bring you these pages devoted to the wonderful bird species found in our own backyard -- Western New York and Southern Ontario.  In the flight of birds, nature gives us both beauty and inspiration.

Bird life is an ideal point of focus for those of us concerned about wildlife conservation.  Many people are attracted to birds because of their charisma and beauty, and therefore come to care about their places in nature.  Moreover, birds are often "indicator species" for the ecosystems that they inhabit.  This means that the presence/absence of bird species can often serve as useful indices of the overall health of a given ecosystem. 

People understandably fall in love with birds and become willing to devote time, money and resources to preserve them.  This then has a wonderful spill down effect that benefits almost all wildlife as well.  Generally, what is good for birds is also good for the thousands of other species that lie below them and above them in the web of life. 

