This past spring our wonderful volunteers and Manitoba IBA staff conducted International Shorebird Surveys (ISS) within the province. Started by Manomet, the goal of these surveys is to track long-term global shorebird trends. Spring International Shorebird Surveys are conducted annually between April 1^st and June 15^th, with the peak of the season occurring between April 24^th and May 16^th.

In Manitoba, four of our IBAs are surveyed using the ISS protocol: Whitewater Lake; North, East, and West Shoal Lakes; Oak Lake/Plum Lakes; and Oak Hammock Marsh. Within each site, there are pre-set routes. Whitewater Lake has four routes on the east side of the lake, three on the west side and one stationary route. Oak Lake/Plum Lakes has five routes, two of which are stationary. Oak Hammock Marsh has three routes, although one was not accessible this year due to high water levels. Finally, North, East and West Shoal Lakes IBA has four routes around the lakes. We try to survey each route three times in the spring and three times in the fall. While all species observed can be recorded, only shorebird observations are included in this roundup.  

Last year, many areas were flooded and water levels were higher than the norm. This year however, much of the usual preferred habitat was drier than usual, while some areas were inaccessible due to flooding. These conditions in addition to a late spring created an interesting survey period. Below is a summary of the results from the spring survey period.

Whitewater Lake

2023 Spring Whitewater Lake Shorebird Counts
Species	Total # of Individuals	Proportion of Individuals (%)
American Avocet	45	4
American Golden Plover	16	1
Baird’s Sandpiper	24	2
Black-bellied Plover	65	6
Dunlin	17	1
Killdeer	17	1
Least Sandpiper	316	27
Lesser Yellowlegs	180	16
Marbled Godwit	9	1
Pectoral Sandpiper	3	0
Red-necked Phalarope	17	1
Ruddy Turnstone	7	1
Sanderling	10	1
Semipalmated Plover	1	0
Semipalmated Sandpiper	304	26
Short-billed Dowitcher	3	0
Spotted Sandpiper	1	0
Stilt Sandpiper	26	2
Upland Sandpiper	3	0
White-rumped Sandpiper	4	0
Willet	11	1
Wilson’s Phalarope	78	7
Total	1157	100
Total Number of species	22

Whitewater Lake was visited four times during the spring ISS period. Route E1 was surveyed once. Routes E2, E3, W1 were each surveyed twice. Lastly, routes W2, W3, and Sexton (the stationary spot) were each surveyed three times. Large numbers of Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers were observed during the spring migration, as well as numerous Lesser Yellowlegs, Wilson’s Phalarope, and Black-bellied Plovers.

A big thank you to Carson Kearns, Colin Blyth, Duane Diehl, Gillian Richards, Jackie Dixon, Kathryn Hyndman, Tim Poole, Veronica White, Cam Tramley, Baylana Hiebert, and the Westman Naturalists for monitoring Whitewater Lake!

Oak Lake/Plum Lakes

2023 Spring OPL Shorebird Counts
Species	Total # of Individuals	Proportion of Individuals (%)
American Avocet	2	4
Killdeer	10	19
Least Sandpiper	2	4
Marbled Godwit	1	2
Shorebird sp.	6	11
Spotted Sandpiper	4	7
Willet	2	4
Wilson’s Phalarope	27	50
Total	54	100
Total Species	8

Oak Lake/Plum Lakes was visited once this season. Routes 1, 2, 3 and 4 were all surveyed. Route 5 was not surveyed due to the roads being flooded. The most numerous species seen at Oak Lake/Plum Lakes was Wilson’s Phalarope and Killdeer, with one Marbled Godwit sighting.

A big thank you to Amanda Shave and Shannon Landels for making it out to this site!

North, East, and West Shoal Lakes

2023 Spring North, East and West Shoal Lakes Shorebird Counts
Species	Total # of Individuals	Proportion of Individuals (%)
Greater Yellowlegs	2	3
Hudsonian Godwit	5	8
Killdeer	18	29
Lesser Yellowlegs	11	17
Marbled Godwit	6	10
Solitary Sandpiper	1	2
Spotted Sandpiper	15	24
Willet	2	3
Wilson’s Phalarope	1	2
Wilson’s Snipe	11	17
Total	72	114
Total Species	10

North, East and West Shoal Lakes was surveyed on four occasions this spring season. Routes 1, 2 and the campground stationary route were each surveyed once. Routes 3 and 2 were surveyed 4 times each. The most numerous shorebirds seen were Lesser Yellowlegs and Spotted Sandpipers, with some sightings of Hudsonian and Marbled Godwits.  

A big thank you to Bonnie Chartier, Mike Karakas, Tami Reynolds, Jo Swartz, Betsy Thorsteinson, Tim Poole, Veronica White and Cam Tramley for monitoring the North, East and West Shoal Lakes!

Oak Hammock Marsh

2023 Spring OHM Shorebird Counts
Species	Total # of Individuals	Proportion of Individuals (%)
Hudsonian Godwit	6	14
Killdeer	20	45
Marbled Godwit	5	11
Peep sp.	2	5
Semipalmated Sandpiper	2	5
Short-billed Dowitcher	1	2
Spotted Sandpiper	3	7
Willet	3	7
Wilson’s Snipe	2	5
Total	44	100
Total Species	9

Oak Hammock Marsh was visited a total of four times, with all routes being surveyed each visit. The most numerous shorebird seen was Killdeer. There was one sighting of a Semipalmated Sandpiper, as well as other peeps.

A big thank you to Amanda Shave, Tami Reynolds, Mike Karakas, Tim Poole, Veronica White, and Aynsley Woods for monitoring Oak Hammock Marsh.

Based on the above summaries, it is clear the drier weather and late spring in Manitoba affected the spring ISS monitoring season. All four of the IBAs monitored showed low numbers similar to the last few years, as the past few years have also had weather influences. Like last year, Whitewater Lake had the greatest number of individuals and species, compared to the other IBAs.

Summaries like this one are possible due to the time and effort put in by our volunteers, so a very big thank you goes out again to all who went out and monitored this spring! If you are interested in volunteering for our fall International Shorebird Surveys, we are looking for volunteers. Our fall ISS period runs from July 11^th – October 25^th, 2023. Email iba@naturemanitoba.ca for more information.

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On Saturday June 17^th, the Manitoba IBA program led a bird walk at the Oak Hammock Marsh IBA. Our group of 8 met in the parking lot of the Harry J. Enns Interpretive Centre at 10am. Marissa, our coordinator, led our voyage! I (Aynsley) was also there to assist. Before embarking on our journey, we spoke with Paula, Oak Hammock Marsh’s Resident Naturalist and IBA Steering Committee Member. She informed us that the trails were in good condition, and that there is a variety of birds around due to the late migratory season. Our group consisted of a mix of intermediate and beginner birders! With the sun shining and the birds chirping, we set off on our adventure.

The walk began along the Killdeer Trail, where we stopped near the dock to look out at the nesting island. Here we saw a few duck species including Blue-winged Teal and Mallard. We also saw a few shorebirds including Spotted Sandpipers and a Killdeer. We continued our walk turning down the Duck Pond Trail. Along this trail we made a few stops pointing out some Clay-coloured Sparrows, a Yellow-headed Blackbird, a Western Meadowlark, some Red-winged Blackbirds, and more!

We continued our walk stopping at the scrape. Here we saw some Canada Geese with dozens of fluffy yellow goslings, some nesting Barn Swallows, a pair of Trumpeter Swans, some Lesser Yellowlegs, a Green-winged Teal, and more! The Shorebird Scrape at Oak Hammock Marsh is an important area for shorebirds as well as other birds. It is a shallow depression where water collects and slowly dries over the summer creating prime muddy and shallow water habitat for foraging shorebirds. By having the scrape in the marsh, it allows the area to stay wetter and muddier longer throughout the summer. These areas do require some yearly maintenance to keep down tall vegetation, which is less attractive to shorebirds.

We turned around and headed down the Harrier Trail. We didn’t see too much down this trail, but we spotted a Clay-coloured Sparrow. Our group continued and decided to take a short break at the benches near the cabin. While sitting and enjoying the beautiful morning, we spent some time observing a very photogenic Tree Swallow.

At this point in the morning, it was beginning to get quite warm out. A few members of our group headed inside to cool off, while the remainder of our group decided to take a walk down the Boardwalk. Along the Boardwalk we heard a Sedge Wren, a Common Yellowthroat, and saw some more Red-winged Blackbirds. We turned around and finished our walk back at the parking lot near the Harry J. Enns Interpretive Centre.

Overall, the weather and trails were awesome and there was a great variety of birds to be seen! A big thank you to everyone who came out! The full checklist of species can be found below:

Species	Count
Alder Flycatcher	1
American White Pelican	8
Bank Swallow	5
Barn Swallow	15
Blue-winged Teal	4
Canada Goose	150
Clay-colored Sparrow	2
Common Grackle	2
Common Yellowthroat	4
Eastern Kingbird	3
Gadwall	2
Green-winged Teal	1
Killdeer	3
Lesser Yellowlegs	3
Mallard	1
Marsh Wren
Northern Shoveler	4
Purple Martin	3
Redhead	1
Red-winged Blackbird	15
Sedge Wren	1
Spotted Sandpiper	2
Tree Swallow	2
Trumpeter Swan	2
Western Meadowlark	1
Yellow-headed Blackbird	3
Yellow Warbler	2

-Aynsley

The Manitoba IBA program has been coordinating annual spring and fall International Shorebird Surveys (ISS) in 4 of our IBAs: Whitewater Lake IBA, Oak/Plum Lakes IBA, Oak Hammock Marsh IBA, and Shoal Lakes IBA. The goal of these surveys is to track trends of global shorebirds long-term. Thanks our incredibly dedicated volunteers and staff, 2022 was another great season surveying for shorebirds across Manitoba! Each year presents its own challenges and unique weather patterns, and 2022 was no different. The high spring water levels carried into the fall, which resulted in flooded fields, ditches, and other areas similar to the spring season. Results of the 2022 ISS Spring roundup can be found here.

We try to visit each route 3 times in the spring season and 3 times in the fall season to count shorebirds in migration. The fall ISS period encompasses July 11^th to October 25^th, with August 10^th – September 10^th considered the peak of the survey period. Below you will find the results for the Fall 2022 season. Please note, multiple species are observed during the ISS, but only shorebirds are included in this data.

Whitewater Lake

2022 Fall Whitewater Lake Shorebird Counts
Species	Total # of Individuals	Proportion of Individuals (%)
American Avocet	62	6
Baird’s Sandpiper	43	4
Greater Yellowlegs	82	8
Killdeer	40	4
Least Sandpiper	28	3
Lesser Yellowlegs	132	12
Long-billed Dowitcher	287	27
Marbled Godwit	39	4
Pectoral Sandpiper	26	2
Peep sp./ Shorebird sp.	32	3
Ruddy Turnstone	1	0
Semipalmated Plover	2	0
Semipalmated Sandpiper	4	0
Short-Billed Dowitcher	35	3
Short/Long-billed Dowitcher	99	9
Upland Sandpiper	9	1
Willet	104	10
Wilson’s Phalarope	33	3
Wilson’s Snipe	10	1
Total	1068	100
Total # of Species	19

Whitewater Lake was surveyed a total of 21 times over the season. On the east side of the lake, routes E1, E2, and E3 were each visited once. Sexton’s point is the only stationary route, and was surveyed 5 times. Switching to the west side of the lake, W1 was surveyed 3 times, W2 surveyed 7 times, and W3 surveyed 4 times. W2 had the highest number of shorebirds observed compared to all other Manitoba ISS routes. A large number (over 100 individuals) of Lesser Yellowlegs, Long-billed Dowitcher, and Willets were each observed at Whitewater Lake during the fall migration.

A big thank you to Gillian Richards, Glennis Lewis, Kathryn Hyndman, Tim Poole and Aynsley Woods for surveying Whitewater Lake!

Oak Lake/Plum Lakes

2022 Fall Oak Lake Shorebird Counts
Species	Total # of Individuals	Proportion of Individuals (%)
American Avocet	3	2
Greater Yellowlegs	25	16
Killdeer	24	15
Least Sandpiper	7	5
Lesser Yellowlegs	21	14
Long-billed Dowitcher	35	23
Pectoral Sandpiper	8	5
Semipalmated Plover	1	1
Solitary Sandpiper	1	1
Spotted Sandpiper	5	3
Upland Sandpiper	2	1
Willet	2	1
Wilson’s Phalarope	16	10
Wilson’s Snipe	5	3
Total	155	100
Total # of Species	14

Over the fall season, Oak/Plum Lakes IBA was surveyed a total of 9 times. Routes 3 and 5, both of which are stationary routes, were not surveyed due to flooding and roads being inaccessible. Route 1 was surveyed the most out of all Oak/Plum Lakes routes for a total of 4 times. Route 2 was surveyed twice. Finally, route 4 was surveyed 3 times. One interesting observation was the one Semipalmated Plover individual.

A huge thank you to Glennis Lewis, Ward Christianson, Marlene Christianson, and Gillian Richards for surveying these routes!

Shoal Lakes

2022 Fall Shoal Lakes Shorebird Counts
Species	Total # of Individuals	Proportion of Individuals (%)
Baird’s Sandpiper	3	3
Greater Yellowlegs	9	10
Killdeer	9	10
Lesser Yellowlegs	17	19
Marbled Godwit	1	1
Peep sp./ Shorebird sp.	7	8
Semipalmated Sandpiper	14	16
Spotted Sandpiper	6	7
Willet	2	2
Wilson’s Snipe	22	24
Total	90	100
Total # of Species	10

The North, East, West Shoal Lakes IBA was surveyed a total of 15 times over the fall season. Route 1 and the campground (stationary route) were each surveyed 3 times. Routes 2 and 3 were surveyed twice. Route 4 was surveyed 5 times. Shoal Lakes had the lowest number of observed shorebirds compared to the other Manitoba ISS sites.

An enormous thank you to Bonnie Chartier, Tami Reynolds, Cam Nikkel and Tim Poole for surveying these routes!

Oak Hammock Marsh

2022 Fall OHM Shorebird Counts
Species	Total # of Individuals	Proportion of Individuals (%)
Black-Bellied Plover	1	0
Greater Yellowlegs	87	38
Killdeer	80	35
Least Sandpiper	1	0
Lesser Yellowlegs	4	2
Pectoral Sandpiper	1	0
Peep sp./Shorebird sp.	6	3
Semipalmated Sandpiper	1	0
Solitary Sandpiper	4	2
Spotted Sandpiper	1	0
Wilson’s Snipe	41	18
Total	227	100
Total # of Species	11

Over the fall season, Oak Hammock Marsh was surveyed a total of 14 times. Route 3 was surveyed once due to the high-water levels and road conditions from the spring. Route 1 was surveyed 6 times. Route 2 was surveyed 7 times. The most numerous species found here were Greater Yellowlegs and Killdeer.

A huge thank you to Bonnie Chartier, Tami Reynolds, Mike Karakas, Peter Douglas, and Tim Poole for surveying Oak Hammock Marsh!

Round Up

As mentioned in the summaries above, the Manitoba 2022 International Shorebird Surveys were affected by weather conditions. High water levels and road blockages affected accessibility as well as the quality of habitat for the shorebirds. Compared to 2021, the fall 2022 monitoring data shows a decrease in observed individuals at Whitewater Lake.

Once again, a big thank you to all our volunteers this year! This important data could not be gathered without your help.  

If you are interested in volunteering for our 2023 International Shorebird Surveys, we are always looking for volunteers! Email iba@naturemanitoba.ca for more information.

-Aynsley Woods

March 8^th marks International Women’s Day, and what a perfect time to introduce and celebrate Aynsley Woods! Aynsley has been working as the Manitoba IBA program assistant over the winter months. Aynsley put together a little introduction post – keep reading to learn more about her.

Hi! My name is Aynsley Woods (she/her). I am the new program assistant for MB IBA. I am currently in my final year of my bachelor’s degree in Evolution and Biodiversity at the University of Manitoba. My focus is on the behaviour of migratory species. I would like to focus on shorebirds, as they tug at my heart strings, but I am also open to all other species and organisms including insects and fungi! My family owns a cottage in Nopiming Park, where I try to spend my free time when I’m not studying or working. I was very fortunate this past summer to work with the Fish and Wildlife Branch of the province, and survey many species including Western Grebes, Spotted Sandpipers, Trumpeter Swans, and Red-headed Woodpeckers. I worked closely with Tim Poole on Chimney Swift monitoring and was also involved in goose banding.  

I have been working very closely with the Program Coordinator, Marissa. I am very excited to be part of the MB IBA program, and to learn more about birds and conservation outreach programs regarding birds! This is a wonderful opportunity as I have a great love of birds and wildlife in general. I’ve always loved the idea of getting more people involved in conservation and being aware of the fascinating world around us!

Hello! My name is Marissa Berard (she/her), and I am the new coordinator for the Manitoba Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program. These are certainly big shoes to fill – Amanda contributed so much to this program and will certainly be missed! I love birds a lot, and feel very lucky to have the opportunity to be a part of this program and work alongside so many incredible volunteers. I am excited to not only keep learning about birds (truly a lifelong learning journey), but also to contribute to conserving important bird habitat through stewardship activities and outreach. 

I have been involved in the bird world for a while, both in terms of monitoring and public outreach. While working on my honours thesis (which focused on Atlantic cod) with Dr. Gail Davoren at the University of Manitoba, I was fortunate to spend two summers in Newfoundland and help out with a variety of seabird research, including with puffins, razorbills and common murres.

After graduating, I worked at an environmental consulting company doing a variety of species at risk and avian monitoring including golden-winged warbler and grassland bird surveys. I then moved to Riding Mountain National Park to work with Parks Canada, first as an interpreter and then in the Resource Conservation department where I worked primarily with species at risk including Chimney Swifts and Red-headed Woodpeckers. Living near Riding Mountain has allowed me to spend a lot of time around the Proven Lake IBA, exploring the area both on foot and from a canoe.

While I absolutely love field work, I am also passionate about the outreach side of things. I love to give bird identification workshops and have done some volunteering with the FortWhyte Alive Birding & Breakfast program. One of the things I love about birding is that in many ways, it is a very accessible activity. Whether you are in downtown Winnipeg or out in the forest, there are birds around. I would love to create more opportunities for a variety of folks to get involved with the IBA program, and birding in general.  

As I recently shared on the MCSI website, my favourite bird of all-time (though my family and friends would argue that I have several of these), remains the black-capped chickadee. Though a common occurrence, I love the chickadee’s lively heartiness and deeply appreciate their perpetual presence on my cross-country ski outings during our long Manitoba winters, even on the coldest of days. 

A few other non-bird related things about me… In my spare time I love to hike and cross-country ski, do beadwork, play instruments and watch live music. My first language is French, and I am a proud Red River Métis with family ties to Saint-Boniface, Saint-Vital, and several other communities surrounding what is now Winnipeg.

I am very excited to be in this role and cannot wait to meet all of you!

Marissa

On July 23rd, Manitoba IBA held a second Red-headed Woodpecker blitz for the month of July. Using predetermined birding areas and routes with past sightings marked, four groups headed down to the Oak Lake/ Plum Lakes IBA on what turned out to be a sunny and not too hot Saturday.

This was our first blitz down in Oak Lake for Red-headed Woodpeckers this year. Luckily we were able to do a blitz last summer in August, which provided us with a guide to areas in the IBA that may have the Woodpecker. We had eight people split into pairs to make up 4 groups, which meant we could cover a larger area of the IBA. Below is the overview of the routes explored during the blitz. The protocol for exploratory Red-headed Woodpecker surveys allows for responsible use of playback of their call, as long as the birder has a permit.

Not shown on the map is Group 4, made up of Amanda and Duane, who birded North of the No. 1 HWY which is an area that we have only briefly previously explored.

Group 1 was made up of Glennis and Sandy. During the blitz, they did not observe any Red-headed Woodpeckers. Once the event was over, they continued to bird and eventually came across one individual, so every group that day saw at least one at some point in the day. Exciting sightings for Group 1 included three Turkey Vultures, one Bobolink (a threatened species), and five Lark Sparrows.

Group 2 was made up of Gillian and Kathryn. Throughout the course of the event, they observed five Red-headed Woodpeckers. In addition to the woodpeckers, they identified a number of other species including some that were not identified by any other group. This includes a Wild Turkey and a White-faced Ibis. They also identified species such as an Eastern Wood Pee-wee, two Vesper Sparrows and Americans Goldfinches.

Group 3 was Wally and I (Ariel). We birded north of the Lake, starting on PR. 254. During our surveys, we saw a lot of suitable habitat for Red-headed Woodpeckers (fields with sparse standing dead trees) that turned up no sightings, including an area that had sightings the previous year. In the first hour or so, we were pleased to see a variety of waterfowl and some birds of prey. Eventually we managed to identify a Red-headed Woodpecker by its call after using our speaker to playback their sound. After that we managed to identify a few more for a total of seven for the day. Other Interesting birds we spotted that morning were a group of about 100 Franklins Gulls, Pied-billed Grebes, two Baltimore Orioles, and various birds of prey including, Red-tailed Hawks, Swainson’s Hawk and a Northern Harrier. We were also we fortunate enough to actually see a Sora, strutting across the road (most often Sora are identified by their distinctive “whinny” call, rather than seen).

Group 4 was made up of Duane and Amanda. While birding a less visited area of the IBA, they observed a wide variety of birds. Last year Glennis explored this area during out 2021 Red-headed Woodpecker Blitz. She noted some good habitat, but had no luck seeing individuals. Duane and Amanda came across several of the good habitat areas pointed out by Glennis this year. It was only going down a two-track dirt and grass road (thanks to Duane’s truck!) that we were able to get a Red-headed Woodpecker sighting! This is a first for our IBA blitzes in this area, and we will have to keep searching in this area for upcoming blitzes as well. Some of their other interesting sightings include Cedar Waxwings, one Common Merganser, many Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers including recently fledged young (which they thought would be their only woodpecker species of the day for most of the survey time), an Orchard Oriole, and a Brown Thrasher.

Around noon, the groups met up at the Oak Lake marina for a snack and to share our sightings for the day. We had a total of 13 Redheaded Woodpeckers seen during the blitz. Around 1:00 pm, we set off back to Winnipeg while Groups 1 and 2 continued to bird for fun (and to try and find more Red-headed Woodpeckers). A summary of all the species identified can be found below. We saw a total of 82 species (plus woodpecker sp. and sparrow sp.) and a total of 1,023 individuals. Thank you to our Duane Diehl, Gillian Richards, Kathryn Hyndman, Glennis Lewis, Sandy Hominick and Wally Jansen for making the drive down and blitzing with Amanda and I!

Species	Number of Individuals
American Coot	4
American Crow	16
American Goldfinch	25
American Kestrel	10
American Robin	17
American White Pelican	24
Baltimore Oriole	4
Barn Swallow	29
Black Tern	55
Black-billed Magpie	15
Black-capped Chickadee	4
Blue Jay	6
Blue-winged Teal	7
Bobolink	13
Brewer’s Blackbird	10
Brown Thrasher	2
Brown-headed Cowbird	2
Canada Goose	1
Canvasback	2
Cedar Waxwing	18
Chipping Sparrow	1
Clay-colored Sparrow	11
Cliff Swallow	1
Common Grackle	20
Common Merganser	1
Common Raven	10
Common Yellowthroat	6
Eastern Bluebird	1
Eastern Kingbird	32
Eastern Wood-Pewee	1
European Starling	1
Forster’s Tern	2
Franklin’s Gull	115
Gadwall	9
Gray Catbird	4
Great Blue Heron	1
Horned Lark	1
House Sparrow	10
House Wren	31
Killdeer	4
Lark Sparrow	13
Least Flycatcher	14
Lesser Scaup	7
Mallard	63
Marbled Godwit	2
Marsh Wren	1
Merlin	1
Mourning Dove	37
Nelson’s Sparrow	1
Northern Flicker	11
Northern Harrier	2
Northern Shoveler	1
Northern Waterthrush	1
Orchard Oriole	1
Pied-billed Grebe	6
Purple Martin	1
Red-eyed Vireo	2
Redhead	1
Red-headed Woodpecker	13
Red-necked Grebe	2
Red-tailed Hawk	6
Red-winged Blackbird	94
Ring-billed Gull	2
Ring-necked Duck	1
Rock Pigeon	4
Ruddy Duck	3
Savannah Sparrow	12
Sedge Wren	3
Song Sparrow	21
Sora	10
Sparrow sp.	34
Swainson’s Hawk	2
Tree Swallow	27
Turkey Vulture	26
Vesper Sparrow	3
Western Kingbird	5
Western Meadowlark	29
White-faced Ibis	1
Wild Turkey	2
Wilson’s Snipe	9
Woodpecker sp.	1
Yellow Warbler	9
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	10
Yellow-headed Blackbird	5
Total Number of Individuals	1,023

This spring, volunteers and the staff of Manitoba IBA headed out to once again conduct International Shorebird Surveys at four IBAs: Oak Hammock Marsh; the North, East and West Shoal Lakes; Oak/Plum Lakes; and Whitewater Lake. Last year, dry weather altered the preferred habitat of shorebirds and this year was the same, although instead of dried up wetlands and ditches, flooded fields and higher water levels were the norm, creating an interesting survey period.

The Spring International Shorebird Surveys (ISS) are conducted between April 1st and June 15th with the peak of the season occurring between April 24th and May 16th. Using our protocol (adapted from the ISS Protocol from Manomet), four IBAs are surveyed, with a number of routes to cover. Whitewater Lake has 4 routes on the east side of the lake, 3 on the west side and one stationary route. Oak Lake has 5 routes, 2 of which are stationary. Oak Hammock Marsh has 3 routes, although one was not assessable this year due to high water levels. Finally, the North, East and West Shoal Lakes has 4 routes. Each route at each location is normally monitored three times in the spring. While all species observed should be recorded under ISS protocol lists, only shorebirds are included in the data. Some surveys that were completed for ISS did not contain any shorebird sightings, so while a site may have been monitored a number of times, the surveys with actual shorebird sightings may be less. All four locations are summarized below:

Oak Hammock Marsh

Species	Total # of Individuals	Proportion (%) of Individuals
Killdeer	2	3
Marbled Godwit	6	10
Willet	8	12.90
Wilson’s Phalarope	46	74.19
Total	62	100
Total # of Species	4

The results from Oak hammock Marsh show us the contrast between this spring and last spring. This year, only four species were identified during the ISS period. The number of individuals amongst those species is also much lower than spring 2021.

Route 1 and Route 2 were surveyed once during this period and the shorebird scrape was monitored twice. Route 3, the Teal Dike, became flooded and collapsed so it was not assessable to monitor. Overall the high water levels would most likely have affected the habitat for shorebirds, thus the lower numbers.

West, East and North Shoal Lakes

Species	Total # of Individuals	Proportion (%) of Individuals
American Avocet	12	22
Greater Yellowlegs	2	4
Killdeer	13	24
Shorebird sp.	4	7
Lesser Yellowlegs	1	2
Marbled Godwit	5	9
Spotted Sandpiper	1	1.82
Whimbrel	6	10.91
Willet	7	12.73
Wilson’s Phalarope	4	7.27
Total	55	100
Total # of Species	10

Shoal Lakes was surveyed 14 times over the spring ISS period. It is important to note that multiple routes can be surveyed on one day. Route 1 was surveyed five times, route 2 was surveyed twice, route 3 was surveyed once, route 4 was surveyed five times and the stationary “Campground” point was surveyed three times.

Oak/Plum Lakes

Species	Total # of Individuals	Proportion (%) of Individuals
American Avocet	2	3
Killdeer	17	23
Least Sandpiper	1	1
Marbled Godwit	4	5
Pectoral Sandpiper	1	1
Spotted Sandpiper	10	13.33
Willet	9	12
Wilson’s Phalarope	30	40
Wilson’s Snipe	1	1.33
Total	75	100
Total # of Species	9

Oak Lake has rive shorebird routes, including two that are stationary (route 3 and 5). Of these routes, route 1 was surveyed twice, route 2 was surveyed twice, route 3 and route 4 were surveyed once. Flooding over a low spot in the access road meant that Route 5 (a small wetland), was not able to be surveyed. In total, volunteers visited the IBA to surveyed six times.

Whitewater Lake

Species	Total # of Individuals	Proportion (%) of Individuals
American Avocet	33	3
Baird’s Sandpiper	37	4
Dunlin	6	1
Greater Yellowlegs	1	0
Hudsonian Godwit	15	2
Killdeer	14	1.47
Least Sandpiper	3	0.31
Lesser Yellowlegs	23	2.41
Marbled Godwit	5	0.52
Pectoral Sandpiper	15	1.57
Peep sp.	66	6.92
Red Necked Phalarope	315	33.02
Ruddy Turnstone	3	0.31
Sanderling	4	0.42
Semipalmated Sandpiper	166	17.40
Shorebird sp.	10	1.05
Short-billed Dowitcher	1	0.10
Spotted Sandpiper	3	0.31
White-rumped Sandpiper	176	18.45
Stilt Sandpiper	7	0.73
Willet	15	1.57
Wilson’s Phalarope	35	3.67
Wilson’s Snipe	1	0.10
Total	954	100
Total # of Species	23

Whitewater Lake was visited by volunteers to survey 14 times in total. Sexton’s point, the only stationary route, was surveyed three times. On the west side of the Lake, route W1 was surveyed three times, route W2 was surveyed six times and route W3 was surveyed twice. On the east side of the lake, each route was monitored once due to wet conditions and dirt roads.

Based on these summaries, it is clear that the wet weather Manitoba has experienced this spring affected the ISS monitoring season. All four IBAs showed numbers inconsistent with previous years and there was much less variety in the shorebird species observed. Like last year, Whitewater Lake had the highest counts for shorebirds of the four IBAs but the number was greatly reduced. We have several hypothesis as to why this might be, but of course we do not know for certain. Perhaps it is possible that migratory shorebirds were simply staying in areas where it was less wet, possibly areas across the border in Saskatchewan, as the IBAs all had much higher water levels that the previous year. Or if the shorebirds were in Manitoba, perhaps they were spread over the higher-than-normal number of ephemeral (temporary) wetlands spread across the landscape this year, instead of clustering at our usual shorebird “hotspots”. If weather is indeed influencing numbers of shorebirds, It will be interesting to see what the Fall ISS period brings, and then next spring.

Another thing to consider is volunteer “effort”. Of course our volunteers put in a lot of effort to go out and count shorebirds, but effort also has a meaning scientifically as well. Ideally when comparing between years we want to amount of effort to be standardized as much as possible. For example, going out to survey for 5 hours on three different mornings (15 hours of “effort”) will likely net you more birds than surveying for five hours on one morning (5 hours of “effort”). Our big disruptor of effort this year was the residual snow late into the spring, wet road conditions (on dirt roads), and/or collapsed dikes. While trying to survey each route three times in the spring is important, volunteer safety and safe route access is more important.

Once again, summaries like this are possible because of the time and effort of volunteers, so thank you to everyone who went out and monitored this spring! A big thank you to Glennis Lewis, Tim Poole and Ansley Woods for surveying at Oak Lake; Gillian Richards for surveying at Oak Lake and Whitewater Lake, Duane Diehl and Tom and Renee Will for surveying at Whitewater Lake; Bonnie Chartier, Mike Karakas, Tami Reynolds for surveying at Oak Hammock Marsh and the Shoal Lakes; and Jo Swartz and Jan Bradley for surveying at the Shoal Lakes.

If you are interested in volunteering for our fall International Shorebird Surveys, we are looking for volunteers! Believe it or not, we are already in the fall ISS survey period, which runs until October 25th, 2022. Email iba@naturemanitoba.ca for more information.

-Ariel

On July 9th we headed out to the North, East and West Shoal Lakes to blitz for the Red-headed Woodpecker. Red-headed Woodpeckers were seen by all and a great lunch was eaten afterwards with friends – couldn’t ask for a better day!

We last ran a blitz for Red-headed Woodpeckers in the North, East and West Shoal Lakes IBA in 2020, which was coincidently the first blitz we ran after COVID-19 had started. In 2021 we established Red-headed Woodpecker survey routes, but were unable to run an event to trial them due to COVID once again! The routes were instead trialed by volunteers who went out birding singly or with people from their “bubbles”. This year we finally were able to run the survey routes as intended at Shoal Lakes and they seemed to work quite well. Of course, when we run a bird blitz we record all species that we see, so in addition to photos of the very charismatic Red-headed Woodpecker we also have many other beautiful birds to document in this blog.

As some of you already know the Red-headed Woodpecker is an Endangered species under the federal Species at Risk Act and a Threatened species under our provincial act – which is why we were out to try and gather populations numbers within this IBA. Since the same survey routes were run last year (following the same methods), the intention is to be able to compare numbers between years to see if there is an increase, a decrease, or if they stay the same in this local area.

With the Red-headed Woodpecker survey, volunteers drove along a pre-set 20 km route, stopping in areas of good habitat for this species. Good Red-headed Woodpecker habitat includes open areas with little understory vegetation, with standing dead trees (called snags). Common places for habitat in the Shoal Lakes IBA tends to be woodlots or cattle pastures with a mix of living aspen, and snags. Cattle grazing and/or mowing keeps the understory short. Once beside good habitat volunteers first looked and listened for Red-headed Woodpeckers for two minutes. If nothing was seen they then conducted playback (playing the territorial “querr” or “tchur” call to attract the woodpeckers) for 30 seconds before looking and listening for another two minutes. The coordinates of all Red-headed Woodpeckers seen or heard were recorded. To ensure we were not double counting individuals, we stopped every 300m in good habitat.

Group 1 consisted of our fantastic husband and wife duo of Katharine and John Schulz, as well as Al Mickey. Al was one of our Red-headed Woodpecker survey route testers in 2021, so he knew all about our methods. They covered the western side of the Shoal Lakes. Unfortunately, this group was the least successful with the Red-headed Woodpeckers, with one individual spotted. That being said, they still saw a total of 50 species, so the west side of Shoal Lakes was still hopping with birds! Of particular note was a group of eight Great Egrets that were spotted roosting in a tree. While we often see egrets and herons foraging in wetlands and waterbodies, they actually nest and roost in trees. So next time you are on the lookout for this group of birds, perhaps look up! They also recorded two Barn Swallows, another Species at Risk.

Group 2 consisted of Nelson, Jody and Paul and they covered the Red-headed Woodpecker route at the south end of the Shoal Lakes IBA. This group observed two pairs of Red-headed Woodpeckers (four individuals total) during their survey. For other Species at Risk, this group also counted four Barn Swallows. Not to be left behind on Group 1’s Great Egret sightings, Group 2 had 17 Great Egrets – the North, East and West Shoal Lakes is a “great” place to spot them! Group 2 also recorded a Great-crested Flycatcher, a couple of Brown Thrashers and an Orchard Oriole, all species less commonly reported birds for this IBA. This was also the first IBA blitz for all three group members, so a big welcome to all three and I am glad they had such a great variety of sightings.

Group 3 consisted of Garry Budyk and Rudolf Koes. They had specifically asked to be in the northwest corner of the IBA – their traditional Shoal Lakes blitz area! Garry and Rudolf saw five Red-headed Woodpeckers on their official survey route and three woodpeckers outside of their survey route (but still in their assigned blitz area). Two of the woodpeckers were drumming (usually a territorial behaviour) one woodpecker was carrying food – mostly likely to bring back to the nest for the next generation of Red-headed Woodpeckers, and another two were seen using a cavity.

Garry and Rudolf saw a number of other bird species of course including a variety of waterfowl (Green-wing Teal, Redhead, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser and Ruddy Duck). They also saw several species of grebes including the Pie-billed Grebe, Red-necked Grebe and Western Grebe. Grebes were not our focus on this blitz, but we have conducted blitzes for Western Grebes at the Shoal Lakes IBA in the past. A few other Species at Risk were also noted including 11 Barn Swallows, two Bobolink, and a Least Bittern. Other notable species included one Brown Thrasher, one Chestnut-sided Warbler, two Nelson’s Sparrows, three Great-Crested Flycatchers and 48 Black Terns.

Finally we have Group 4, which birded along the east side of the Shoal Lakes. This group consisted of myself (Amanda) and three new birders to the IBA Program, Amrita, Sukh and Karen. It was their first time out for an IBA event, so a big welcome to Amrita, Sukh and Karen as well! During out Red-headed Woodpecker survey we had two sets of pairs seen. One pair was tracked down heading into a nest cavity. With the frequency of entries and exits it seemed like the pair was feeding young.

While transiting from one area of good woodpecker habitat to the next, we passed between the Shoal Lakes on Provincial Road 415. Here we came across several species of marsh birds including a cluster of approximately 56 Forster’s Terns all foraging in the same wetland pond area, three Great Egrets, and a variety of waterfowl such as Blue-winged Teal, Green-Winged Teal, Ruddy Ducks, Red-necked Grebes, Western Grebes and more. Nearby a wet meadow our driving also alerted a pair of Marbled Godwit and Killdeer who were probably nesting in the area based on their behaviour. In the same area we also recorded a male Bobolink sitting on the powerlines.

After finishing our Red-headed Woodpecker route, we had a bit of time before we needed to meet up for lunch, and we were able to get two more pairs of Red-headed Woodpeckers outside of our formal survey area. Group 4 had a total of nine Red-headed Woodpeckers.

At noon we all met in Inwood for lunch at Rosie’s Cafe and a debrief! It was a busy morning with a total of 23 Red-headed Woodpeckers seen! This exceeds the IBA threshold of 14 Red-headed Woodpeckers (1% of the Canada-wide population for this species) once again this year. The high concentration of Red-headed Woodpeckers in this IBA continues to indicate the important habitat that exists in this area of the province for this Endangered Species. In total we saw 2552 individual birds, made of of 103 species. Thank you to all of the volunteers who came out to blitz the North, East and West Shoal Lakes!

Species	Count
American Bittern	4
American Coot	14
American Crow	30
American Goldfinch	26
American Kestrel	22
American Redstart	4
American Robin	19
American White Pelican	10
American Wigeon	2
Bald Eagle	5
Baltimore Oriole	11
Barn Swallow	9
Barn Swallow	11
Black Tern	109
Black-and-white Warbler	1
Black-billed Magpie	19
Black-capped Chickadee	3
Black-crowned Night-Heron	1
Blue Jay	2
Blue-winged Teal	22
Bobolink	6
Brewer’s Blackbird	15
Broad-winged Hawk	1
Brown Thrasher	4
Brown-headed Cowbird	46
Bufflehead	1
Canada Goose	5
Canvasback	2
Cedar Waxwing	8
Chestnut-sided Warbler	1
Chipping Sparrow	3
Clay-colored Sparrow	89
Common Goldeneye	1
Common Grackle	76
Common Raven	19
Common Yellowthroat	107
Cooper’s Hawk	1
Double-crested Cormorant	1
Downey Woodpecker	1
Eastern Kingbird	30
European Starling	40
Forster’s Tern	67
Franklin’s Gull	51
Gadwall	11
Gray Catbird	17
Great Blue Heron	5
Great Crested Flycatcher	4
Great Egret	44
Greater Yellowlegs	2
Green-winged Teal	64
Hooded Merganser	2
House Sparrow	5
House Wren	61
Killdeer	16
Least Bittern	2
Least Flycatcher	52
LeConte’s Sparrow	1
Lesser Scaup	1
Lesser Yellowlegs	1
Mallard	38
Marbled Godwit	4
Marsh Wren	44
Merlin	3
Mourning Dove	41
Nelson’s Sparrow	2
Northern Flicker	13
Northern Harrier	4
Northern Pintail	10
Northern Shoveler	62
Orchard Oriole	2
Pied-billed Grebe	11
Pileated Woodpecker	1
Purple Martin	1
Red-eyed Vireo	26
Redhead	23
Red-headed Woodpecker	23
Red-necked Grebe	3
Red-tailed Hawk	7
Red-winged Blackbird	327
Ring-billed Gull	8
Ring-necked Duck	15
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	1
Ruddy Duck	5
Sandhill Crane	10
Savannah Sparrow	54
Sedge Wren	29
Sharp-tailed Grouse	5
Song Sparrow	64
Sora	65
Swamp Sparrow	10
Tree Swallow	24
Turkey Vulture	4
Veery	14
Warbling Vireo	33
Western Grebe	8
Western Meadowlark	106
White-throated Sparrow	1
Wilson’s Snipe	52
Woodpecker sp.	1
Yellow Warbler	80
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	3
Yellow-headed Blackbird	134
Yellow-throated Vireo	3
Total Individuals	2552
Total Species Identified	103

-Amanda

For our second event southwestern Manitoba, we set out with a small group of volunteers on the morning of Sunday, June 19th for our first grassland bird blitz in 3 years. We birded the Southwestern Manitoba Mixed Grass Prairie IBA from dawn to high noon in search of grassland Species at Risk.

For the Grassland Survey, we were 4 groups covering 4 different areas of the IBA. All groups were on the road by 5:30 am, the earlier the better for grassland birds. Below is a map of the areas in which each group was assigned.

Group 2, which was comprised of Jackie and I, covered the region just southeast of Melita. The songbirds on our route were loud in the morning and easily identifiable by both sight and ear. The only target species we were able to identify was the Bobolink, but we saw a number of other interesting birds including a Say’s Phoebe, which Jackie was surprised to see. I was pleased to see my first Horned Lark. In addition to the bird species, we also came upon a group of six jackrabbits, which I initially misidentified as a small gathering of Canada Geese from afar.

Amanda was alone as Group 4 and covered the Poverty Plains area. She identified Grasshopper Sparrows and Baird’s Sparrows from our target species. While on route, she encountered a large stick nest up in a tree. Initially she could not identify the two young raptors in the nest due to the distance. After looking closely at the photo afterwards realized they were Ferruginous Hawks, which is very exciting as they are only found in the southwest and are uncommon.

It didn’t take long for the prairie to heat up and by 9:00 am, the land had become relatively quiet. My partner headed home early and I later joined with Amanda for the second half of the morning, and we were pleased to identify more of our target species, including Grasshopper Sparrows, Bobolinks, and a Loggerhead Shrike! Seeing the Loggerhead Shrike was a first for both of us. We had heard one the day before on our community grassland bird walk near Melita, but had not seen it. Amanda had another interesting find for us was an unknown male and female songbird perched on a fence. After flipping through our bird guide, we identified the pair as Orchard Orioles. By the end of the morning, it had become very hot and the only birds we were seeing and hearing were Brown-headed Cowbirds, so we decided to wrap up and head back to Melita.

Group 3 was comprised of Melanie and Katharine. They birded the area southwest of Melita and along the Saskatchewan border. From our target species, they were able to identify Grasshopper Sparrows, Bobolinks, a Loggerhead Shrike and Sprague’s Pipit. Origianlly they also had a photo of a mystery bird on a wire – but a photo came through once again – it was a female Chestnut-collared Longspur. Much trickier to identify than the flashy males! Besides those, some of the other interesting species to note were Horned Larks, a Red-tailed Hawk and Sandhill Cranes.

Group 1, Ken and Colleen, birded closer to Melita itself and including in the Broomhill and Blind Souris areas. For our target species, they observed Bobolinks, Grasshopper Sparrows and the Sprague’s Pipit. They also identified two Ferruginous Hawks. Other interesting species that they identified was a White-faced Ibis, Green-winged Teal and a Broad-winged Hawk.

After around 6 hours of birding, we met up at the Melita Chicken Chef for lunch and discussed what we had seen over much needed glasses of water and cups of coffee (and air conditioning). After lunch we were on our way home, just in time to avoid some wild weather and tornado warnings!

We want to thank our volunteers Katharine, Colleen, Ken, Melanie and Jackie for joining us in the southwest for our Grassland Bird Blitz! A complete table with all the species observed by each group and some additional images can be found below.

For our target grassland species at risk we had 1 Chestnut-collared Longspurs, 4 Ferruginous Hawks, 2 Baird’s Sparrows, 4 Loggerhead Shrikes, 14 Bobolinks, at 3 Sprague’s Pipits. We also had 11 Grasshopper Sparrows, which are not currently a Species at Risk, but whose numbers are declining. In total we counted 80 species and 1472 individuals.

Species	Count
American Bittern	2
American Coot	2
American Crow	6
American Goldfinch	3
American Robin	6
American Wigeon	X
Baird’s Sparrow	2
Baltimore Oriole	1
Barn Swallow	19
Black Tern	5
Black-billed Magpie	4
Blue-winged Teal	32
Bobolink	14
Brewer’s Blackbird	12
Brown Thrasher	4
Brown-headed Cowbird	133
Buteo sp.	1
Cedar Waxwing	6
Chestnut-colored Longspur	1
Clay-colored Sparrow	67
Cliff Swallow	26
Common Grackle	4
Common Yellowthroat	19
Double-crested Cormorant	X
Eastern Kingbird	71
Ferruginous Hawk	4
Franklin’s Gull	9
Gadwall	6
Grasshopper Sparrow	11
Gray Catbird	2
Green-winged Teal	1
Great Blue Heron	1
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Horned Lark	10
House Sparrow	18
House Wren	27
Killdeer	14
Least Flycatcher	16
Lesser Yellowlegs	1
Loggerhead Shrike	4
Mallard	31
Marbled Godwit	8
Marsh Wren	1
Mourning Dove	44
Northern Flicker	1
Northern Harrier	2
Northern Pintail	18
Northern Shoveler	20
Orchard Oriole	2
Redhead	6
Red-tailed Hawk	4
Red-wing Blackbird	369
Ring-billed Gull	1
Ring-necked Pheasant	1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)	3
Ruddy Duck	1
Sandhill Crane	6
Say’s Phoebe	1
Sedge Wren	10
Sharp-tailed Grouse	2
Shorebird sp.	2
Snow Goose	X
Sprague’s Pipit	3
Song Sparrow	4
Sora	13
Swainson’s Hawk	2
Tree Swallow	1
Upland Sandpiper	24
Vesper Sparrow	27
Warbling Vireo	5
Western Kingbird	7
Western Meadowlark	104
White-faced Ibis	X
Willet	11
Wilson’s Phalarope	8
Wilson’s Snipe	24
Yellow Warbler	17
Yellow-headed Blackbird	76
Savannah Sparrow	46
Grand total	1472