Welcome to the wild little ones.

Last week we welcomed the first group of conservation-bred eastern loggerhead shrikes to the release site in Carden, ON. These young birds will live in soft-release enclosures to acclimate them to the sights, sounds, and smells of their wild habitat, before they are released to rebuild the wild populations of this endangered songbird.

Some of these birds will be outfitted with radio-tag “backpacks” that allow us to track their migration this fall.

It is always an emotional milestone to release the first batch of birds each summer. They carry with them all the hopes for the survival of their species, built on all the hours of dedication our WPC’s team of biologists.

Take a look at the videos below to see our field teams observing the new arrivals from afar.