Humane Society Hastings Prince Edward (HSHPE) is hosting an unveiling event for the bird-friendly initiatives newly put in place at their shelter on Friday, October 30th at 2:00 p.m..
The initiative comes from the efforts of the Bay of Quinte Bird Team, who secured grant funding from Nature Canada through their Bird Friendly Cities Small Grants program.
This funding is designed to support municipalities in implementing bird-friendly infrastructure, which can include increasing habitat and reducing threats to wild bird species.
Belleville was officially certified in May 2026 by Nature Canada as a “Bird Friendly City”, and projects like this partnership with HSHPE is a key component of honouring and maintaining that certification.
As part of the initiative, the Bay of Quinte Bird Team, along with Kawartha Bird Control and volunteers from Quinte Field Naturalists, installed window-strike mitigation markers on the highest-risk windows at HSHPE, and increased the number of native trees, shrubs and pollinator-friendly plants in the outdoor space.
Additional support for the project was provided by Natural Themes Native Plant Nursery and Connon Nurseries.
The property’s proximity to the Bay and Potter’s Creek Conservation Area make it a prime location for bird habitat for both resident and migrating birds, and these additions to the grounds will make the property safer and more welcoming to feathered visitors, and will also provide additional shade and greenery for the enjoyment of people and pets at HSHPE.
“The Bay of Quinte Bird Team was so excited to receive our second round of this small grant from Nature Canada. Every little bit counts for making our local communities more bird friendly. The partnership here with the Humane Society of Hastings & Prince Edward was a perfect opportunity to highlight some key bird conservation issues and help provide tangible solutions that can keep the conversation going.” Stacey Kerr, Chair of the Bay of Quinte Bird Team
“We were so excited to be selected by the Bay of Quinte Bird Team for this project, and are so excited that going forward, we can proudly say that our shelter is a safe place not just to companion animals, but to wildlife too.” Claire Dulude, Programs & Events Coordinator at HSHPE
