Over the past year we have been looking at revising a few of Manitoba’s IBA boundaries. Our purpose in this has been to:

1. Ensure that all the areas which currently provide habitat for significant concentrations of birds are included in the IBA
2. Redraw boundaries around the current extents of habitat in this high wet cycle that we are currently experiencing
3. Try to make boundaries more logical and easy to follow

Four IBA boundaries have recently been changed and another group are in the process of being changed (we will inform volunteers of this when it happens). The four IBAs are:

MB001 – Delta Marsh

The boundary has been altered following advice from Dr Bob Jones, who was responsible for nominating Delta Marsh as an IBA in 1998. The new boundary follows much of his original map, using PR227 as the southern boundary and bringing Lake Francis into the IBA. The new boundary also included additional woodland scrub habitat, important for species such as Sharp-tailed Grouse and extends further west.

Please note that the old boundary is always on top of the new boundary in the example pictures presented below.

MB008 – Nelson River Estuary and Marsh Point

Not one of the more accessible IBA’s but major changes have been made to this boundary due to new data being submitted showing extensive spring migration concentrations of Red Knot along the coast north and east of the estuary. Further large concentrations of Hudsonian Godwit during the Atlas sealed the deal for a new funky looking boundary. The presence of Arctic Tern colonies on islands south of the estuary have brought further areas into the IBA. Unfortunately in this case, the habitat map has yet to be changed on the website.

MB015 – Whitewater Lake IBA

To match large increases in lake size, the IBA boundary has been increased on all sides. We have also bought the boundaries out to road allowances and the railway to make it easier for anyone to know when they are inside the boundary or not. A large area of potholes to the northwest has been added as well as the grassland habitats on the southeast corner and some of the excellent shorebird habitats on the east. Thanks to Colin and Gillian for their advice on setting the new boundary.

MB038 – North, West and East Shoal Lakes IBA

Changing this boundary has long been an ambition following the first visit I made to the Shoal Lakes IBA with Donna Martin. Donna quite rightly pointed out that it was very hard in places to know when she was in the IBA and there were areas of good habitat outside the IBA following flooding of this area. The new boundary hopefully addresses these points, by including all the areas between the lakes in the IBA, adding the lake and wetland complexes to the north and the southwest and the wetlands southwest of North Shoal Lake.