A group of small birds that naturalists spotted swooping over a Nova Scotia forest has helped convince the province to order a halt to further logging in the area.
The province’s minister of lands and forestry announced today that he’s ordering an investigation into a proposed harvest in about 80 scenic hectares of mixed forest between two lakes in Annapolis County.
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Iain Rankin says he’s basing his decision largely on the recent spotting of chimney swifts, listed as an endangered species in Nova Scotia, along with other community feedback opposing logging in the forest between Dalhousie and Corbett Lakes.
Naturalist Scott Leslie, the author of seven books on natural history, filmed images of the darting flight of the chimney swifts and provided the information to the department.
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In addition, Leslie had documented 13 species of neotropical songbirds and on Friday photographed the nest of a female magnolia warbler and located several bear dens in the mixed forest.
A spokesperson for the WestFor Management Inc., which had a licence to operate in the area, wasn’t immediately available for comment on the province’s decision.
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