Churchill and Southern Manitoba Jun 07—19, 2007
Posted by Jeri Langham
Jeri Langham
Jeri M. Langham has a Ph.D. in plant ecology from Washington State University, and after 38 years as a professor of biological sciences at California State University ...Related Trips
None of us will ever forget hearing Cal Cuthbert say, “Oh sweet Jesus, it’s a Ross’s Gull,” as we scanned through all the feeding gulls, terns, jaegers, and other birds on a beautiful Cape Merry afternoon. In the last five years, it has been very difficult to find this species, yet we all watched it fly up, down, and back and forth at Cape Merry for about 15 minutes on our last afternoon in Churchill. It never landed, but showed us the essential field marks. Because he lives in Manitoba, my co-leader Cal helped make this the most successful of my 22 tours to Churchill and Southern Manitoba. Owls were possibly the next top highlight. This must have been the peak of the 3?4 year lemming cycle since we managed to see an incredible nine species of owls. Three fledgling Northern Saw-whet and two fledgling Boreal owls were definitely a hit with all, and four different Northern Hawk Owls at Churchill doubled my previous high.
To lure you to join us next year, here are accounts of three days in three very different habitats, taken from the journal I keep and send to all participants after the tour.
June 9: Riding Mountain’s boreal forest. After 5 a.m. coffee, boiled eggs, muffins, bagels, toast, and cereal at McTavish’s, we headed to an area east of Onanole, but added Boreal Chickadee to our list before boarding the vans. We tried the Onanole road because it has been my best location to find Mourning and Connecticut warblers over the last five years. As we drove through the area, Elliot and I listened for any songs of birds that might be on territory so that we could stop and try to call them in. It was a very successful technique; we had excellent views of Northern Waterthrush, and Connecticut (in the scope), Mourning (in the scope), and Tennessee warblers. We then headed out on Highway 10 to the recent burn area. Here, Northern Three-toed Woodpecker was a nice surprise and we also added Purple Finch. Farther up the road, Chestnut-sided Warbler and Ovenbird finally cooperated, but the big treat was hearing Cal call in a Barred Owl?his imitation is better than my recording. Cape May Warbler at another stop only stayed for half the group to see it in the scope.
I decided to return early for lunch at the Wig Wam Restaurant. Some of us visited the small museum across the street while waiting for our meals to be made. After a short siesta, we headed out on Highway 19. It was a shame that this road was closed this year, but we did pick up some new warblers, and then had an unbelievable experience with a Black-backed Woodpecker that allowed us to almost walk up to it while it actively fed on a downed tree trunk. This capped a day of incredible birds for us. On the way back we managed to get our best looks at a male Blackburnian Warbler. We arrived in time to have a 5 p.m. dinner at the Country Club Golf Course restaurant. I was able to download to my laptop most of the photos we have taken so far and there are some really special ones. Our list revealed that we saw 16 warbler species today.
June 11: Southwest Manitoba’s shortgrass prairies and marshes. After a 5 a.m. departure for breakfast at Tim Horton’s, we headed for the southwest corner of the Province. It was quite foggy for part of the ride down, but cleared when we arrived in Melita. It would be one of my best days in this part of Manitoba, starting with 25 Sharp-tailed Grouse near the road and 2 Upland Sandpipers walking in the field with them. Once we arrived at my favorite shortgrass prairie, Grasshopper Sparrow cooperated immediately and Chestnut-collared Longspurs would give us many great performances over the next hour. A flying Short-eared Owl was a surprise, but some Willets and Marbled Godwits were not. Soon, we had our first Baird’s Sparrow teed up in the scopes?this is one of the rarest and most wanted of the shortgrass habitat species. I always enjoy watching and hearing Sprague’s Pipit, an ethereal species that I was able to call out of the sky several times, but only once did it land in short enough grasses for most of us to see it well. We had great views of a Ferruginous Hawk on a nest, as well as soaring above us. They have nested in this part of Manitoba for many years, but do not occur elsewhere. A marvelous Willow Flycatcher was incredibly cooperative, singing the entire time we watched it in our scopes.
On our way to Wren House for lunch, a male Mountain Bluebird displayed near its next box. I always enjoy this part of the trip because it gives me the chance to see the blending of eastern and western species such as the Eastern and Western kingbirds around us all day. After lunch, we saw our first Gray Partridge flying away, then in the tiny town of Lyleton, Say’s Phoebe, Collared Dove, and Eastern Screech-Owl. Unfortunately, Cal’s nesting Long-eared Owls had fledged so we worked our way east to Whitewater Lake. At our first stop, I found a blue phase Ross’s Goose with two regular and one blue phase Snow Goose for comparison. This phase is rare throughout the range of Ross’s Goose and only the third individual I have ever seen. Whitewater Lake Wildlife Management Area was super also, with Baird’s, White-rumped, Semipalmated, and Least sandpipers, as well as Wilson’s Phalaropes; Eared Grebes; White-faced Ibises; Cattle, Snowy, and Great egrets; Forster’s and Black terns; many Black-crowned Night-Herons; and an incredible variety of waterfowl. Too soon, we headed for Brandon, returning in time for dinner at a nice Chinese buffet restaurant. We did the day list by the pool at our hotel.
June 15: Churchill’s tundra and taiga ecosystems. We went out to check the docks at 6 a.m. on a cold, foggy morning, seeing the Glaucous Gull again, but also the adult Mew Gull found by Cal. Hundreds of Sanderlings and Ruddy Turnstones were still in the area. At Gypsy’s we ate a hot breakfast, but also ordered a sandwich for my last minute decision to visit Twin Lakes today while the weather was good. It turned out to be my best trip to that distant location. A hunting Short-eared Owl began the treat parade. Our first stop brought a magnificent nesting Pacific Loon, a displaying American Golden-Plover, and a mini-lecture on krummholz vegetation. Then it was a pair of Parasitic Jaegers displaying both on the ground and in the air. Before we reached the research center, we stopped for the first of six Willow Ptarmigans, and this one responded very nicely, even coming up onto the road. The long open tundra area provided a lifer male Smith’s Longspur that perched and sang for us on both sides of the road. A pit stop, once we reached the forest trees, surprised us with Orange-crowned Warbler, Fox Sparrow, a Pine Grosbeak on its nest, and many Bohemian Waxwings. Soon we were driving through the old burn area and stopped at the end of the road for our picnic lunch. Within minutes, a Northern Hawk Owl flew in to check us out while we ate, providing a wonderful opportunity for all the photographers. For me, the best treat of the day was a Boreal Owl nest hole with one young visible inside and another perched near the trunk in a nearby spruce.
Next it was on to Cook Road to walk through the spongy forest floor in an effort to locate a Spruce Grouse. A male was our reward and it strutted and displayed for all to photograph. With huge smiles we started the long trek back, but stopped to watch a caribou that was feeding near a perched Rough-legged Hawk. Beyond them was a soaring Golden Eagle being harassed by a Common Raven. Continuing on, we encountered our second red fox of the day and it allowed our photographers to get very close. One of the best presents, that only Cal and I could really appreciate, was the lack of mosquito swarms that usually join us at Twin Lakes. Gypsy’s ironically offered caribou steak tonight. Those who tried it said it was tasty and tender.
This tour visits several extensive marshes, shortgrass and tallgrass prairies, boreal and taiga forests, and ends with tundra along Hudson Bay. A great diversity of species and habitats during breeding season ensures a spectacular experience.