Destroying, Harming Or Killing This Small Protected Migratory Bird Could Lead To A Big Fine

It might be a long way between Moose Jaw and Milville, Kings County, Nova Scotia but we both share something in common which not only needs our protection but it is also a law which if you break it could cost you some major dollars and also reduce the numbers of an endangered species at risk.

Recently a Nova Scotian front end loader operator was found guilty for destroying the nesting habitat of bank swallows. The swallows were nesting in a sand pit he was working in with his front end loader.

Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia) are a small migratory bird that nests in most of Canada including Saskatchewan. Bank swallows are listed as a Species At Risk and harming, killing or destroying their homes (nests) is illegal under the Species At Risk Act.

Bank Swallows were listed as a threatened species under the Act on November 2, 2017 after populations in Canada have declined by 98% in the last 40 years.

In the Nova Scotia incident equipment operator Gerald Douglas Fulton was sentenced after pleading guilty to one charge under the Species at Risk Act related to destroying Bank Swallow habitat. Mr. Fulton was ordered to pay a monetary penalty of $5,000, which will be directed to the Government of Canada’s Environmental Damages Fund and used for the purpose of conducting research into the protection of Bank Swallows. In addition, he was also ordered to pay a fine of $1,000.

Fulton was charged after a tip from witness who saw him working in an area close to where swallows were nesting. A subsequent investigation discovered he had destroyed nests and killed baby swallows.

Bank Swallows nest in burrows dug into exposed soil, primarily on the banks of ponds and rivers, but also in sand pits and quarries, and at some construction sites where vertical banks of soil are found. To reduce the risk of damaging or destroying a Bank Swallow nest, it is recommended that persons conducting work near potential nesting areas avoid scheduling excavation or construction activities during the spring and summer nesting season.

Anyone who suspects bank swallows have been killed or their nesting habitat is in peril or destroyed to contact the Turn In Poachers hotline.

Call the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment Turn In Poachers & Polluters (TIPP) Line, toll-free, at 1-800-667-7561 or #5555 from a Sasktel cellphone (phone calls only, no text messages).

Or report online at saskatchewan.ca/tipp.

Calls are taken 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000 if your information leads to a conviction.