Hi everyone! Our next summer 2025 event recap is another Red-headed Woodpecker Blitz, this time at the Shoal Lakes IBA in the Interlake region! This event took place on July 19, and we had 15 participants helping us search for this charismatic species at risk. Check out our post on the Oak Lake RHWO Blitz for more information about the identification and habitat requirements for the Red-headed Woodpecker.  

Participants split into five groups, each assigned to a section of the IBA. Within their sections, groups followed mapped-out routes, getting out of their vehicles to search more thoroughly in areas of suitable RHWO habitat. We also had an option for groups to follow a playback protocol, with the necessary permits from the provincial government. Each group kept a record of all the birds they saw along their routes, paying close attention to the RHWO. In total, 40 Red-headed Woodpeckers were counted, which I believe is a new blitz record!!  At the end of the blitz, all groups met up to share their findings at Fry-Days in Teulon. 

A map of our survey areas is below, as you can see, we extended beyond the IBA boundaries where there was potential habitat suitable for RHWO. 

Jo, Betsy and Jan were in Group 1, searching the western section of the IBA. This group had an excellent morning of birding, spotting a whopping 61 different species, including 14 individual Red-headed Woodpeckers! The diversity of habitats in and around this IBA allows for some very diverse bird sightings in a short distance, as demonstrated by this group’s observations. They saw raptors, waterfowl, woodpeckers, flycatchers, sparrows, swallows and more! Other highlights from this group included 12 Barn Swallows and 4 Sandhill Cranes. 

Katharine, Carol and Gary were in Group 2, covering the southwest section of the IBA, east of Highway 6 and along the west shore of East Shoal Lake, collectively sighting 5 RHWO. This trio also saw 3 Great Egrets, a Double-Crested Cormorant, and 2 Bobolinks! 

Eda, Graham, Amy, Marissa made up Group 3, surveying the area between the east shore of East Shoal Lake and Highway 322. Although this group didn’t observe any Red-headed Woodpeckers, they were treated to a close encounter with a pair of Sandhill Cranes.  

Bonnie and Gwyn were in Group 4, and they travelled south on Highway 416 along the east shore of North Shoal Lake, then surveyed between North and East Shoal Lakes on Highway 415. They spotted 3 RHWO during their survey, as well as a total of 29 Great Egrets! 

Group 5 put up our largest RHWO count, sighting 14 within the IBA, an additional 3 seen on the way to lunch, and a final one spotted later that afternoon for a total of 18. Great work Garry, Rudolf and Gene! This group also saw the most species of the day with a total of 73! Like Group 1, Group 5 had many different habitat types within their survey area in the northern end of the IBA, giving them opportunities to see many different types of birds. 

The final count of the 2025 Shoal Lakes Red-headed Woodpecker Blitz came to 40 RHWO, as I said above, a new potential program record! In total, our excellent group of birders observed 1753 individuals of 102 different species. A table summarizing all the observations is included below. Thank you again to our volunteers for an incredible event! This event was made possible by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Fund. 

Although we are still very much in winter mode, writing up these event summaries is getting me excited for the seasons to come. I’ll be starting to plan our 2026 Summer Events shortly, so if you’re interested in receiving updates about future events, send me an email at iba@naturemanitoba.ca! 

– Mackenzie 

Species	Count
Alder Flycatcher	3
American Bittern	4
American Coot	24
American Crow	11
American Goldfinch	63
American Kestrel	41
American Robin	74
American White Pelican	44
Bald Eagle	3
Baltimore Oriole	12
Barn Swallow	27
Barn Swallow (American)	27
Black Tern	2
Black-and-white Warbler	1
Black-billed Magpie	13
Black-capped Chickadee	7
Blue Jay	12
Blue-winged Teal	8
Bobolink	4
Brewer’s Blackbird	9
Broad-winged Hawk	1
Brown Thrasher	5
Brown-headed Cowbird	8
Canada Goose	53
Canvasback	5
Cedar Waxwing	39
Chipping Sparrow	1
Clay-colored Sparrow	46
Common Goldeneye	1
Common Grackle	15
Common Raven	31
Common Yellowthroat	45
Cooper’s Hawk	1
Double-crested Cormorant	9
Downy Woodpecker	1
Eastern Bluebird	9
Eastern Kingbird	73
Eastern Phoebe	8
Eastern Towhee	2
Eastern Wood-Pewee	7
European Starling	26
Forster’s Tern	11
Franklin’s Gull	94
Gadwall	6
Gray Catbird	11
Great Blue Heron	5
Great Crested Flycatcher	4
Great Egret	32
Greater Yellowlegs	16
Green-winged Teal	8
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Hooded Merganser	1
Horned Lark	1
House Sparrow	9
Killdeer	5
Least Flycatcher	53
LeConte’s Sparrow	2
Lesser Yellowlegs	3
Mallard	47
Marsh Wren	31
Merlin	4
Mourning Dove	58
Northern Flicker	16
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)	16
Northern Harrier	7
Northern House Wren	19
Northern Pintail	2
Northern Shoveler	4
Osprey	1
Pied-billed Grebe	6
Pileated Woodpecker	1
Purple Finch	1
Purple Martin	1
Red-eyed Vireo	25
Red-headed Woodpecker	40
Red-tailed Hawk	15
Red-winged Blackbird	72
Ring-billed Gull	7
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	2
Sandhill Crane	29
Savannah Sparrow	14
Sedge Wren	25
Song Sparrow	66
Sora	1
Spotted Sandpiper	1
Swamp Sparrow	19
Tree Swallow	15
Turkey Vulture	12
Veery	8
Vesper Sparrow	1
Warbling Vireo	25
Western Grebe	30
Western Kingbird	2
Western Meadowlark	45
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-throated Sparrow	1
Wilson’s Snipe	4
Wood Duck	1
Yellow Warbler	22
Yellow Warbler (Northern)	5
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	9
Yellow-headed Blackbird	5
Species Total	102
Grand Total	1753

Those of you who have been following us for a while will notice that this year’s Shorebird Data looks a little different than usual. For the past several years, we’ve asked volunteers to follow the International Shorebird Survey (ISS) protocol, which involves travelling along pre-determined routes at four target IBA’s to look for shorebirds. This method has been challenging for us, mostly due to the large fluctuations in water levels from year to year. Sometimes the routes become inaccessible due to high water; sometimes the areas of suitable shorebird habitat have dried up. An area with high quality shorebird habitat one year might look completely different the next year, and the ISS protocol doesn’t take that kind of variability into account. 

So, this year we decided to take a different approach, asking volunteers to share shorebird observations with us outside the constraints of the ISS routes, and even outside of IBA boundaries. This data will help us determine where the important shorebird areas are in the province, and will be used to help us figure out our next steps for shorebird surveys. 

With that preamble over, let’s get to the data! I’ve still split the data into two seasons, spring (April 1 – June 15, 2025) and fall (July 11 – October 25, 2025), and we’ll look at the same four IBA’s as in previous years: Whitewater Lake, Shoal Lakes, Oak Lake/Plum Lakes and Oak Hammock Marsh. At the end of the post, I’ll include a short discussion of the other areas that had high numbers of shorebirds outside of those four IBA’s. 

Whitewater Lake 

Whitewater Lake had the highest numbers of shorebirds reported, as well as the highest species richness. In the spring, the most abundant species was the Semipalmated Sandpiper, while in the fall there were large numbers of Long-billed Dowitchers and American Avocets. These numbers are based on 39 eBird checklists in the spring, and 35 checklists in the fall, for a total of 74 checklists. Huge thank you to all who shared their Whitewater Lake eBird checklists with us, including Gillian, Colin, Sandy, Emily, Matthew, Carson, Glennis, Gene, John, Bonnie, Greg, Gwen, Amy, Kristopher, Renee, Megan, Pranav, Garry, Rudolf, Anita, Bill, Jackie, Mike, Cameron, and Tim. 

Species	Fall Count	Spring Count	Total
American Avocet	885	164	1049
American Golden-Plover	198	0	198
Baird’s Sandpiper	38	66	104
Black-bellied Plover	212	5	217
Dunlin	0	75	75
Greater Yellowlegs	81	6	87
Hudsonian Godwit	1	16	17
Hudsonian Whimbrel	0	4	4
Killdeer	276	52	328
Least Sandpiper	151	167	318
Lesser Yellowlegs	80	90	170
Lesser/Greater Yellowlegs	25	0	25
Long-billed Dowitcher	1080	0	1080
Marbled Godwit	29	43	72
Pectoral Sandpiper	22	25	47
peep sp.	225	7	232
Red-necked Phalarope	246	250	496
Ruddy Turnstone	0	92	92
Sanderling	11	40	51
Semipalmated Plover	86	4	90
Semipalmated Sandpiper	203	498	701
shorebird sp.	500	0	500
Short-billed Dowitcher	58	1	59
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher	205	0	205
Solitary Sandpiper	5	0	5
Spotted Sandpiper	8	2	10
Stilt Sandpiper	44	43	87
Upland Sandpiper	13	12	25
White-rumped Sandpiper	28	71	99
Willet	23	65	88
Wilson’s Phalarope	135	80	215
Wilson’s Snipe	0	1	1
Number of Species	28	26	32
Grand Total	4868	1879	6747

Shoal Lakes 

The North, West and East Shoal Lakes hosted 13 species of shorebirds over the spring and fall seasons, with 10 in the spring and 9 in the fall. Dominant species at the Shoal Lakes included Wilson’s Phalarope and Willets in the spring, and Greater Yellowlegs in the fall. These counts were based on 11 spring checklists, and 13 fall checklists, for a total of 24 checklists. Thanks to John, Tim, Walfried, Cam, Chris, Bonnie, Gwen, Peter, Paul, Betsy, Jan, Jo, Garry, Gene, Rudolf, and Robert for sharing your eBird checklists with us! 

Species	Fall Count	Spring Count	Total
American Avocet	0	1	1
Greater Yellowlegs	71	1	72
Killdeer	5	8	13
Least Sandpiper	0	4	4
Lesser Yellowlegs	7	0	7
Long-billed Dowitcher	30	0	30
Marbled Godwit	1	6	7
peep sp.	0	4	4
Spotted Sandpiper	1	2	3
Stilt Sandpiper	1	0	1
Willet	0	11	11
Wilson’s Phalarope	1	18	19
Wilson’s Snipe	11	2	13
Number of Species	9	10	13
Grand Total	128	57	185

Oak Lake/Plum Lakes 

The Oak Lake/Plum Lakes IBA had the lowest species richness of the four target sites, and relatively low species counts in both the spring and fall. The one outlier was the large numbers of Wilson’s Phalaropes observed in the spring. These numbers are based on 9 spring checklists, and 5 fall checklists, for a total of 14 checklists. Thank you to Matthew, Bonnie, Greg, Gwen, Glennis, Sandy, Gene, John, Simone, Anita, Bill, Gillian, Jackie, and Mike for sharing your observations with us! 

Species	Fall Count	Spring Count	Total
Baird’s Sandpiper	0	1	1
Greater Yellowlegs	1	1	2
Killdeer	6	5	11
Least Sandpiper	0	1	1
Lesser Yellowlegs	1	0	1
shorebird sp.	14	0	14
Upland Sandpiper	4	4	8
Willet	0	2	2
Wilson’s Phalarope	0	104	104
Wilson’s Snipe	15	4	19
Number of Species	6	8	10
Grand Total	41	122	163

Oak Hammock Marsh 

Our final target site was Oak Hammock Marsh, which had a higher overall species richness than Oak Lake/Plum Lakes and the Shoal Lakes, although not as high as Whitewater Lake. The most abundant spring species were Killdeer and Marbled Godwit, and the most abundant fall species was Wilson’s Snipe. These numbers are based on 10 surveys in each of the spring and fall seasons. Thank you to Bonnie, Gwen, Garry, Aynsley, John, Tami, Emily, Graham, Matthew, Joanne, Paul, Betsy, Jan, Jo, Katharine, Tim and Linnea for sharing your checklists with us! 

Species	Fall Count	Spring Count	Total
American Avocet	0	1	1
Baird’s Sandpiper	0	1	1
Greater Yellowlegs	26	5	31
Hudsonian Godwit	0	1	1
Killdeer	21	19	40
Least Sandpiper	10	3	13
Lesser Yellowlegs	16	4	20
Long-billed Dowitcher	5	0	5
Marbled Godwit	0	11	11
Pectoral Sandpiper	7	6	13
Sanderling	5	0	5
Semipalmated Plover	1	0	1
Short-billed Dowitcher	9	0	9
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher	6	0	6
Spotted Sandpiper	2	0	2
White-rumped Sandpiper	5	2	7
Willet	0	5	5
Wilson’s Phalarope	1	0	1
Wilson’s Snipe	52	2	54
Number of Species	14	12	19
Grand Total	166	60	226

Other Important Sites 

This is where we’re going to stray a little bit from the usual format of these roundup posts. This year we asked for all of your shorebird observations, outside of the ISS routes, and even outside of IBA boundaries. Similar to the data above, I only used the observations from April 1 – June 15 for spring observations and July 11 – October 25 for fall. There were shorebird observations in the period between these two ranges, but to stay consistent with the figures above, we’re going to exclude that data for now. 

The figures below take into account all of the shorebird observations that were shared with us on eBird for the fall and spring seasons. Areas outside of IBA’s that were obvious groups, such as the Chain Lakes, Elton Road Wetland, and the Alexander-Griswold Marsh complex, were grouped together. Other observations were grouped by geographic areas into “Other Southwest”, “Other South Central”, and “Other Southeast”.  

In terms of species richness, the site with the highest number of species overall was Whitewater Lake, followed closely by Delta Marsh. Interestingly, the next three highest values were not found in IBA’s, but in the “Other South Central” category (which includes the Pilot Mound area, and the southern Interlake), the Chain Lakes, and the Elton Road Wetland.  

We see similar results looking at the overall shorebird counts for 2025. The site with the highest count by far was Whitewater Lake, followed again by Delta Marsh. The next highest were the Chain Lakes and the Alexander-Griswold Marsh areas.  

The map below takes this data one step further, showing the density of observations as a heat map. Yellow and red areas are those with high numbers of observations, while the lighter blue areas only have a few observations. We can see from the map that the Southwest had the highest density of points, concentrated around the Whitewater Lake IBA, the Southwestern Manitoba Mixed-Grass Prairie IBA and the wetlands surrounding Brandon. The other region that stands out on the map is Delta Marsh IBA.  

Overall, we can say that southern Manitoba has many different areas that host shorebirds throughout their spring and fall migrations, both within and outside of IBA boundaries. Once again, a huge thank you to everyone who shared their eBird checklists with us, we wouldn’t be able to do this work without our incredibly talented network of volunteer citizen scientists!! If you’re interested in participating in our shorebird surveys, send us an email at iba@naturemanitoba.ca! 

-Mackenzie

Our final 2025 Conservation Champion Spotlight is Sean Smith!

Sean is a third-generation dairy producer in the Clanwilliam area. He and his father Steven own and operate Clanman Jerseys Ltd. 

Sean and his dad are passionate about working with the land, and coming up with creative ways to run their operations while keeping sustainability at the forefront. In a phone conversation last summer, Sean put part of their ethos simply: “Don’t push bush or drain wetlands”. Soil health and biodiversity are important considerations that go into how they manage their grazing livestock and other operations.  

The property hosts a diverse array of habitats, from wetland complexes to fields to forested riverbeds. A survey of the property turned up many Bobolinks, a grassland bird species listed as Threatened in Canada. Near the wetlands, groups of Black Terns can be seen foraging along the water’s surface.  The property is also home to several Red-headed Woodpeckers, a species at risk which has very specific habitat requirements – forested areas with little to no understory vegetation and with dead or dying trees in which to excavate their nesting cavities. The property has also been the site of a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek for over 40 years.  

Innovative producers like Sean Smith and co. provide essential habitat for many species and inspiration for other conservation-minded landowners. 

Thanks Sean for being a Conservation Champion!  

To find out more about our Conservation Champions program and how you can get involved, check out the “Grassland Conservation Champions Program” tab on our website, or email Mackenzie at iba@naturemanitoba.ca. If you are a landowner with grassland bird habitat on your property, we’d love to hear from you!

Hi everyone! The next event we’d like to highlight from summer 2025 is the Red-headed Woodpecker (RHWO) Blitz that took place in the Oak Lake/Plum Lakes IBA on July 5.  

This was our 5^th annual RHWO Blitz in this IBA, and we had 6 groups of volunteers split up to gather important data on this Threatened species. The Red-headed Woodpecker is one that’s hard to miss while out birding, with its vibrant red head and black and white body. This bird nests in cavities in dead or dying aspen or oak trees, and prefers sparse forests with little to no understory vegetation. Due to habitat loss, the Red-headed Woodpecker is facing steep population declines, and is listed as Threatened under both the provincial Endangered Species Act and the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA).  If you’re curious to learn more about this Threatened bird species, you can read the write-up we put together at the following link: https://www.naturemanitoba.ca/red-headed-woodpecker 

Volunteers drove along designated survey routes to look for Red-headed Woodpeckers, stopping in areas with suitable habitat: stands of aspen, oak, or cottonwood, with standing dead trees and sparse understories. There was an option to follow a playback protocol (under a provincial government permit), at these areas of suitable habitat. All groups began birding around 8:30 am and finished up in time for a picnic lunch at Oak Lake Provincial Park at 12:30. Although the focus was on RHWO, all species of birds observed were recorded and are listed in the table at the bottom of this post. A map showing each group’s survey area is below. 

Group 1 consisted of Gillian and Gwyn, who covered the area north of Highway 1 and northeast of Highway 254. They spotted a total of 6 Red-headed Woodpeckers, including a group of 3 that were seen together. In addition to the RHWO, Gillian and Gwyn also spotted an Eastern Wood-Pewee, a COSEWIC and SARA species of Special Concern.  

Group 2 was made up of Linda and Colette who surveyed the area south of Highway 1, west of Highway 254 and along the north end of Oak Lake. They saw a total of 3 Red-headed Woodpeckers, an Eastern Wood-Pewee, and a White-faced Ibis. 

Tom and Renee were in group 3, and they monitored the east side of Oak Lake. The two of them saw 6 Red-headed Woodpeckers, 3 along Road 48 North. They also saw a pair of Northern Shovelers with 7 ducklings in tow.  

Katharine and Alanna were in group 4, covering the south end of Oak Lake; Highway 543 between Road 134W and Road 138W; Road 138W and Road 137W. They had a very exciting morning, spotting 10 adult Red-headed Woodpeckers, in addition to hearing juveniles calling, a huge success! Katharine and Alanna also saw two Bobolink and a colony of 35 Bank Swallows. The Swallows were seen flying through the air and entering/exiting holes in piles of sandy soil. Both Bank Swallows and Bobolink are federally listed as Threatened species, so these were also great finds!  

Group 5 was made up Leah, Kristopher and Glennis. The three of them covered the southeastern portion of the IBA, spotting 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers. They also spotted two large groups of Franklin’s Gulls, one group with a minimum estimate of 342 individuals, and another with 72 individuals, AND another large group of 34 Bank Swallows.  

Marissa flew solo in group 6 covering the south-west portion of the IBA. She was unable to spot any Red-headed Woodpeckers, although she did she a Grasshopper Sparrow, an Eastern Wood-Pewee, and another large group of 200 Franklin’s Gulls. 

Our final count of the 2025 Oak Lake Blitz came to 24 RHWO. To compare to previous years, this wasn’t as high as last year’s program record of 45 individuals, but it was comparable with 2023 (25 RHWO), and higher than both 2022 (13 RWHO) and 2021 (16 RHWO). Although our focus was on RHWO, we saw a total of 84 different species, and 2,218 individual birds. Once again, a huge thank you to everyone who joined us for this blitz, your dedication and commitment to helping us survey Species at Risk is unmatched! 

This event was made possible by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Fund. 

If you are interested in volunteering for future blitz events, please email iba@naturemanitoba.ca for more information. 

Species	Count
American Coot	33
American Crow	16
American Goldfinch	48
American Kestrel	12
American Redstart	1
American Robin	44
Baltimore Oriole	5
Bank Swallow	34
Barn Swallow	13
Black Tern	43
Black-and-white Warbler	1
Black-billed Magpie	18
Black-capped Chickadee	3
Blue Jay	1
Blue-winged Teal	6
Bobolink	6
Brewer’s Blackbird	38
Brown Thrasher	1
Brown-headed Cowbird	23
Canada Goose	26
Cedar Waxwing	15
Chipping Sparrow	2
Clay-colored Sparrow	28
Common Grackle	18
Common Nighthawk	1
Common Raven	7
Common Yellowthroat	24
Cooper’s Hawk	1
Downy Woodpecker	1
Eastern Bluebird	12
Eastern Kingbird	36
Eastern Phoebe	6
Eastern Wood-Pewee	5
European Starling	10
Franklin’s Gull	816
Gadwall	3
Grasshopper Sparrow	3
Gray Catbird	11
Great Crested Flycatcher	6
Horned Lark	2
House Finch	2
House Sparrow	2
Killdeer	9
Lark Sparrow	23
Least Flycatcher	55
Mallard	5
Marsh Wren	9
Merlin	1
Mourning Dove	59
Nelson’s Sparrow	1
Northern Flicker	17
Northern Harrier	2
Northern House Wren	32
Northern Shoveler	5
Purple Martin	7
Red-eyed Vireo	9
Red-headed Woodpecker	24
Red-tailed Hawk	12
Red-winged Blackbird	206
Ring-billed Gull	7
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)	7
Savannah Sparrow	38
Sedge Wren	11
Song Sparrow	24
Sora	3
Swainson’s Hawk	5
Swamp Sparrow	1
Tree Swallow	72
Turkey Vulture	4
Upland Sandpiper	7
Vesper Sparrow	22
Virginia Rail	2
Warbling Vireo	23
Western Kingbird	11
Western Meadowlark	71
White-faced Ibis	3
Wild Turkey	1
Wilson’s Snipe	3
Yellow Warbler	28
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	4
Yellow-headed Blackbird	6
Lesser Yellowlegs	3
Stilt Sandpiper	1
Willow Flycatcher	2
Total species	84
Total individuals	2218

Our next 2025 Conservation Champion that we’d like to highlight is Jacques Saquet!

Jacques is an avid naturalist and farmer who manages a herd of 60 bison near Laurier, Manitoba. In 2019, Jacques and his spouse Claudette bought a quarter section of land with the intention of moving bison there in the future. Nestled to the east of the Riding Mountain escarpment, this quarter section includes around 130 acres of grassland that had not been cultivated for more than 50 years, as well as areas of mature hardwood forest and young aspen forest.  

Since acquiring the quarter section, Jacques has been working hard to prepare the land for the arrival of the bison. Jacques is currently working on building fencing to create over ten different paddocks. These paddocks will allow him to manage where the bison graze, which will help maximize plant diversity and soil health.  

Each spring, 20-40 sharp-tailed grouse gather on this grassland for their annual courtship displays (a “lek” site). To protect these important grouse dancing grounds, Jacques plans to keep the paddock with the lek free of bison until after the courtship displays are over.  

When Jacques accompanied Marissa for a bird survey on the property in June 2024, their start was delayed due to a cow elk and calf in the area! Knowing that this area is important for elk, Jacques plans to make sure the fence he is building will be low enough for adult elk to jump over, and the bottom high enough for the young to crawl under.  

The forested sections of the property provide habitat for a variety of birds, including Red-headed Woodpeckers (a species at risk). In the open areas of the property, an array of species including Savannah Sparrows, LeConte’s Sparrows, and Bobolinks can be seen flying around and perching atop shrubs. Once the bison are added to the landscape, their grazing will play an important role in helping to restore and maintain this grassland habitat. 

Thanks Jacques, for being a wonderful steward of bird habitat!    

Throughout the winter I’m planning to post recaps from our 2025 events, to help us dream of warmer days and get excited for what’s to come in 2026!

The first of these recaps will cover the Grassland Bird Blitz, which took place on June 7th in the Southwestern Manitoba Mixed-Grass Prairie IBA. The IBA was split into 6 sections, with each section monitored by a group of birders. The map below shows the boundaries of each section. Each group started between 5:00 and 6:30 am, with all groups wrapping up by noon. Each group recorded all the birds they saw, and paid special attention to the eight target species below: 

• Sprague’s Pipit 
• Chestnut-collared Longspur
• Baird’s Sparrow
• Ferruginous Hawk
• Loggerhead Shrike
• Grasshopper Sparrow
• Burrowing Owl
• Bobolink

Marissa and Liam were in Group 1, and they covered the northeast portion of the IBA. They saw five of the eight target species, including Sprague’s Pipit, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Grasshopper Sparrow, Bobolink, and Loggerhead Shrike. 

Group 2 consisted of Gillian, Jianping and Luc, and they covered the northwest portion of the IBA. This group had the most observations of Species at Risk, with 35 individuals of six different species including Sprague’s Pipit, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Grasshopper Sparrow, Loggerhead Shrike, Ferruginous Hawk, and Baird’s Sparrow. 

Jackie and Leanne were in Group 3 and covered the southwest portion of the IBA. They observed five of our target species including Loggerhead Shrike, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Grasshopper Sparrow (10 individuals!), Baird’s Sparrow and Bobolink. They also observed a Sharp-tailed Grouse lek. 

Carson and Marvin covered the central portion of the IBA in Group 4, and they observed two of our target species, including Bobolink and Grasshopper Sparrow. In addition to this, Carson and Marvin also observed a Red-headed Woodpecker. Not one of our target species for this blitz, but still a Species at Risk in Manitoba! 

Katharine, Carol and Brian were in Group 5, and they covered the southeast portion of the IBA. This group observed Ferruginous Hawks, Baird’s Sparrow, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Sprague’s Pipit, Bobolink, and Grasshopper Sparrow. Notably, the Ferruginous Hawk was observed sitting on a large stick nest in the top of a tree. 

Our final group was Colin and his son, and they covered the east-central portion of the IBA. This group saw two of our target species at risk, the Chestnut-collared Longspur and the Bobolink. 

Once all groups were finished for the day, everyone met up at the Chicken Chef in Melita for a group lunch and to share their adventures from the morning. Huge thank you to our volunteers, Colin, Katharine, Carol, Brian, Carson, Marvin, Jackie, Leanne, Gillian, Jianping, Luc and Liam for joining our Grassland Blitz, and thank you to Carol, Gillian and Marissa for sharing your photos! A full list of the species observed can be found in the table below.  

Species	Count
American Coot	2
American Crow	8
American Goldfinch	31
American Kestrel	4
American Redstart	2
American Robin	40
American Wigeon	2
Baird’s Sparrow	7
Bald Eagle	2
Baltimore Oriole	12
Bank Swallow	4
Barn Swallow	54
Barn Swallow (American)	15
Belted Kingfisher	2
Black Tern	72
Black-billed Magpie	17
Black-capped Chickadee	2
Blue-winged Teal	22
Bobolink	45
Brewer’s Blackbird	58
Brown Thrasher	8
Brown-headed Cowbird	397
Canada Goose	421
Canvasback	4
Cedar Waxwing	9
Chestnut-collared Longspur	26
Chipping Sparrow	3
Clay-colored Sparrow	69
Cliff Swallow	433
Common Grackle	69
Common Raven	32
Common Yellowthroat	24
Double-crested Cormorant	5
Eared Grebe	2
Eastern Kingbird	291
Eastern Wood-Pewee	1
European Starling	17
Ferruginous Hawk	4
Franklin’s Gull	531
Gadwall	12
Grasshopper Sparrow	42
Gray Catbird	9
Gray Partridge	10
Great Blue Heron	3
Great Crested Flycatcher	3
Green-winged Teal	2
Green-winged Teal (American)	12
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Horned Lark	27
House Sparrow	5
Killdeer	35
Lark Sparrow	6
Least Flycatcher	44
LeConte’s Sparrow	2
Loggerhead Shrike	4
Mallard	97
Marbled Godwit	14
Marsh Wren	3
Merlin	2
Mourning Dove	193
Northern Flicker	5
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)	2
Northern Harrier	11
Northern House Wren	24
Northern Pintail	9
Northern Shoveler	6
Orchard Oriole	11
Pied-billed Grebe	3
Red-eyed Vireo	3
Redhead	4
Red-headed Woodpecker	1
Red-tailed Hawk	25
Red-winged Blackbird	768
Ring-billed Gull	2
Ring-necked Pheasant	22
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)	50
Ruddy Duck	1
Savannah Sparrow	69
Say’s Phoebe	1
Sedge Wren	3
Semipalmated Plover	1
Semipalmated Sandpiper	15
Sharp-tailed Grouse	27
Song Sparrow	17
Sora	3
Spotted Sandpiper	1
Sprague’s Pipit	19
Swainson’s Hawk	21
Tree Swallow	48
Turkey Vulture	3
Upland Sandpiper	40
Vesper Sparrow	80
Warbling Vireo	22
Western Kingbird	75
Western Meadowlark	265
Willet	24
Wilson’s Phalarope	19
Wilson’s Snipe	13
Wood Duck	3
Yellow Warbler	51
Yellow Warbler (Northern)	6
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	1
Yellow-headed Blackbird	56
Yellow-throated Vireo	3
Grand Total	5106
Total Species	104

Throughout the winter we’ll be highlighting the folks who took part in our Grassland Conservation Champions Program in 2025. First up is Arron Nerbas!

Arron is a beef producer in Shellmouth, MB. He owns and operates Nerbas Bros Angus, alongside his brother and his parents. Located along the Manitoba escarpment by the Assiniboine River, their property includes a patchwork of different landscapes and elevations.  

The dry, flat pastures at the top of the escarpment provide important grassland habitat for the Sprague’s Pipit, a species at risk. Listed as a Threatened species both provincially and federally, the Sprague’s Pipit is a grassland specialist and requires very specific habitat like the native prairie provided by Arron’s property. Their lovely cascading flight song can be heard coming from the sky, as they perform their aerial display far above the grassland. These pastures also provide habitat for other grassland species such as the Grasshopper Sparrow and Short-eared Owl.  

As you move towards the river, the landscape shifts into rolling hills and aspen bluffs. In these areas, a variety of bird species can be found – Western Meadowlarks, Vesper Sparrows, Black-billed Cuckoos, and Northern Flickers just to name a few. Down in the river valley, the wetter terrain brings different species including Black Terns and Red-winged Blackbirds.  

Arron is enthusiastic about providing diverse habitat and managing his livestock in a way that supports the health of the land and promotes biodiversity. Arron hosts a podcast with Amy Hughes called Think Outside The Fence, which aims to inspire positive change in agriculture. 

Thank you to Arron for being a Conservation Champion!

Hi everyone! My name is Mackenzie Glover (she/her) and I’m very excited to start as the new coordinator for the Manitoba Important Bird Area (IBA) Program and the Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative (MCSI). I’m grateful to have had some overlap with Marissa before her last day as coordinator, she’s done so much for this program and I’m looking forward to picking up where she left off! I recently moved back home to Winnipeg, and I’m excited to continue to learn about Manitoba’s birds and make new connections with fellow nature lovers through this role. 

I first fell in love with the outdoors as a kid, spending summers at my family’s cabin in the Whiteshell. That love inspired me to pursue my BSc degree in Environmental Sciences with a focus on Forest Ecology at North Carolina State University, where I was also a varsity student-athlete. After graduating, I moved home to Winnipeg for a year and worked as a Conservation Technician with Native Plant Solutions, before moving out west to continue my education. I pursued an MSc in Ecological Restoration from Simon Fraser University and the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and completed my thesis in partnership with Native Plant Solutions, focusing on the native bees using their sites in Winnipeg.  

I first started working with birds after my MSc, when I worked for a small consulting company called Inlailawatash, based in North Vancouver and owned by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. While there, I conducted nesting bird surveys and helped collect acoustic data for a research project on nocturnal birds and bats in the Indian River Watershed. My favourite days at Inlailawatash were the ones that started with an early morning bird survey! 

After 2 years with Inlailawatash, I decided it was time to move back home to Winnipeg to be closer to family. I’m very much looking forward to experiencing a real Winnipeg winter again, complete with cross country skiing, winter running, and skating on the Nestaweya River Trail. 

Although I’m relatively new to the world of birding, I’ve always had a deep appreciation for birds, with my favourite being the White-throated Sparrow. Their beautiful song is often heard on summer mornings at the lake, and I was delighted when I first heard it singing in the winter in North Carolina. As a homesick freshman, hearing their song instantly transported me back to summertime at my favourite place.

I’m excited to step into this role and I’m looking forward to meeting many of you at future IBA events!

Mackenzie

On May 24, the Manitoba IBA program led an outing at Whitewater Lake IBA with the Westman Naturalists. It was a lovely day, with great weather. Our group of 15 spent the morning on the north side of the lake, counting birds and practicing shorebird identification.

A big thank you goes out to Gillian Richards, for joining us and sharing her incredible wealth of shorebird knowledge with the group! Gillian has been conducting International Shorebird Surveys (ISS) routes at Whitewater Lake for several years now and knows a lot about the area and its bird life.

We weren’t sure if we were going to find a lot of shorebirds, because their presence depends a lot on water levels. The location of suitable habitat (such as wet spots in agricultural fields) can change from day to day.  The water can’t be too deep, but it also can’t be too dry. Thankfully, the conditions were in our favour, and we spotted lots of shorebirds! A great opportunity to practice our shorebird ID skills.

We started off on the northeast side of the lake, birding for warblers in shelterbelts.  We gradually moved westward, checking out a few different spots including Road 123W and Sexton’s Point, before ending off with lunch on the west side of the lake on 15N.  

One of the highlights was a great view of a large group of about 50 Dunlin. The Dunlin is a shorebird species easily recognizable by its black belly patch (which is only there in spring plumage). We also got to see a few Black-bellied Plovers off in the distance, thanks to Amy’s eagle eyes!

Overall, we saw 13 shorebird species, including American Avocet, Black-bellied Plover, Marbled Godwit, Red-necked Phalarope, Wilsons’s Phalarope, Killdeer, Sanderling, Stilt Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper, Willet and 3 “peep” species of (Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper). The full species list can be found below at the end of this blog post.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated, and thank you again to the Westman Naturalists for joining us on this event.

This event was made possible by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Fund.

Cheers!

Marissa

Species	Count
American Avocet	10
American Goldfinch	5
American Redstart	2
American Robin	3
American White Pelican	3
Baird’s Sandpiper	2
Bald Eagle	1
Barn Swallow	3
Black Tern	3
Black-bellied Plover	5
Blue Jay	4
Blue-winged Teal	11
Brown-headed Cowbird	3
Chestnut-sided Warbler	1
Cliff Swallow	1
Common Yellowthroat	1
Double-crested Cormorant	1
Dunlin	50
Eastern Kingbird	1
European Starling	2
Franklin’s Gull	2
Gadwall	4
Gray Catbird	1
Hooded Merganser	1
Killdeer	7
Least Flycatcher	1
Least Sandpiper	3
LeConte’s Sparrow	1
Magnolia Warbler	1
Mallard	10
Marbled Godwit	6
Marsh Wren	5
Mourning Dove	2
Northern Harrier	2
Northern House Wren	1
Northern Pintail	4
Northern Shoveler	12
Red-necked Phalarope	23
Red-winged Blackbird	34
Ring-billed Gull	1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1
Sanderling	6
Sedge Wren	1
Semipalmated Sandpiper	7
Snow Goose	20
Song Sparrow	2
Sora	4
Stilt Sandpiper	40
Tennessee Warbler	1
Upland Sandpiper	2
Western Meadowlark	2
White-faced Ibis	2
White-rumped Sandpiper	44
Willet	5
Wilson’s Phalarope	20
Yellow Warbler	1
Yellow-headed Blackbird	3
Total species	57
Total individuals	394

Hello and happy September!

We are looking for volunteers to join us for a shoreline clean-up at Delta Beach on Sunday, September 22 from 1-3pm. Delta Beach (part of the Delta Marsh IBA) is a beautiful spot, as well as a popular birding destination. This area often attracts a diversity of migrating shorebird species. We will spend the afternoon removing fishing debris and other litter from the beach to improve this important habitat for shorebirds and other bird and wildlife species.

If you would like to participate or if you have any questions, please email iba@naturemanitoba.ca.

Thanks!

-Marissa