Youngster's passion for birds prompts fundraiser

He hopes the money he raises goes to building birdhouses and improving nesting habitats

Luca Turcot lives on a farm in St. Charles, west of Sturgeon Falls, and has a keen interest in birds, sparked by a steep decline in their numbers a few years ago. Being an inquisitive student of École publique Camille-Perron in nearby Markstay, he wanted to know why and help. He blames diseases, hunting, and loss of habitat, so he convinced his family to plant a field of sunflower seeds.

"You could see them eating. It was adorable," Luca told BayToday. It worked pretty well, and they had a gigantic feast."

He's also started a fundraising project. His parents own the farm, and Luca has set up a donation table hoping customers who come to pick haskap berries will donate. He's done pretty well.

This year his goal is to raise $1,000. That's a big increase from last year when his goal was $200, but he ended up raising $320. All the money will go to Birds Canada.

The group is the country’s only national organization dedicated to bird conservation and so coincides with Luca's mission. It says its mission is to drive action to increase the understanding, appreciation, and conservation of birds. "Every day, our thousands of caring donors, more than 70 passionate staff, and 74,000 outstanding volunteers are taking action."

Luca is now one of those caring donors. He hopes the money he raises goes to building birdhouses and improving nesting habitats. His mom Tara, set up a fundraising page for him.

You can find it here. It's called "Luca's Save the Birds Fundraiser." For the past two summers, he has set up a table at his family's berry farm to greet customers, share his knowledge of birds, and ask for help raising funds to "save the birds".

"He chose Birds Canada as the charity that he raises money for because he wants to support their conservation efforts. He knows that birds do more than just eat some of the berries on the farm and that they are an important part of our natural world," says his webpage.