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

It’s hard to believe it’s already the last week of July! Time is flying by. Before we jump into the blitz recap, here’s a quick event announcement: Join us for a morning bird walk at Assiniboine Park (in Winnipeg) on Wednesday, July 31 from 8:30am-10am. We will meet at the entrance to the English Gardens at 8:30am. All skill levels welcome! For more info or to RSVP, please send us an email at iba@naturemanitoba.ca

Alright, let’s get into the blitz. On July 6th, 2024, the Manitoba IBA program conducted a blitz to search for Red-headed Woodpeckers (RHWO) in the Oak Lake/Plum Lakes IBA. This blitz marked our 4th year in a row doing a RHWO count in this area. It was a great success! We had 15 participants and counted a total of 45 Red-headed Woodpeckers, which is a new record for us! A big thank you goes out to Tom, Renee, Glennis, Kathryn, Gillian, Gwyn, Liam, Herb, Leah, Philippe, Carson, Katharine and Lee Ann for being a part of this event!

If you’ve ever seen a Red-headed Woodpecker, you’ve surely noticed how striking this species is. If you’re curious to learn more about this Threatened bird species, you’re in luck because the Red-headed Woodpecker happens to be Nature Manitoba’s Bird of the Month in July 2024. You can read the write-up we put together at the following link: https://www.naturemanitoba.ca/red-headed-woodpecker

Because we had so many incredible volunteers involved in the blitz this year, we were able to split up into 7 groups and cover a lot of ground and explore some areas that had not been covered in-depth in previous years. Each group was assigned an area to cover. which they searched by driving along the roads and stopping in areas of suitable habitat, following a playback protocol (with the necessary permits from the provincial government), and meticulously recording any RHWO sightings. It was a beautiful morning with almost no wind. We got started between 8:00-8:30am and birded in our areas until we met up for lunch in Oak Lake Beach.

Below is a map of the areas covered:

Group 1 was made up of Tom and Renee, who covered the area north of Highway 1. They saw 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers, about 1/2km apart from each other. Other highlights include an Indigo Bunting and a Pileated Woodpecker.

Group 2 was made up of Glennis and Kathryn, who covered the northwestern portion of the IBA (north of Oak Lake Beach and west of the 254). They saw a total of 7 Red-headed Woodpeckers, including 2 juveniles. They also saw 2 Brown Thrashers.Group 3 was made up of Gillian and Gwyn, who covered a northeastern portion of the IBA. They saw 12 Red-headed Woodpeckers! Other highlights include 6 Bobolink, 1 Black-billed Cuckoo, and 1 Bufflehead female with 9 adorable ducklings (photo below).

Group 4 was comprised of Marissa, Liam, and Herb, who covered an area in the eastern portion of the IBA, including PR 541 and the Deleau areas. They saw a total of 15 Red-headed Woodpeckers! Other highlights include a group of 3 badgers, and 3 Eastern Bluebirds. Katharine drove along PR 541 on her way home after the blitz and managed to snap a great photo of an Eastern Bluebird carrying some insect prey.

Group 5 was made up of Leah and Aynsley, who covered the southeastern portion of the IBA. They saw 6 Red-headed Woodpeckers.

Group 6 was made up of Carson and Philippe, who covered a southcentral portion of the IBA. They saw 3 Red-headed Woodpeckers. They also saw a Sprague’s Pipit.

Group 7 was made up of Katharine and Lee Ann, and they covered the southwest portion of the IBA. They did not find much suitable habitat in their area and did not see any Red-headed Woodpeckers. They did however find a lot of grassland habitat complete with some exciting grassland bird species, including 3 Sprague’s Pipits!

As we mentioned at the beginning, our final count came out to 45 RHWO. This is a new blitz record. In 2023, we counted 25 RHWO. In 2022, we counted 13 RHWO, and in 2021 we counted 16 RHWO. A summary of all the birds identified can be found below. We saw a total of 90 species and a total of 1,756 individuals. Once again, we express our deep gratitude to our amazing volunteers for their dedication and commitment to helping us survey species at risk.

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.

-Aynsley & Marissa

Species	Count
American Coot	3
American Crow	29
American Goldfinch	23
American Kestrel	7
American Redstart	3
American Robin	30
Bald Eagle	1
Baltimore Oriole	7
Barn Swallow	27
Black Tern	18
Black and White Warbler	1
Black-billed Cuckoo	1
Black-billed Magpie	9
Black-capped Chickadee	2
Black-crowned Night Heron	1
Blue-winged Teal	4
Bobolink	17
Brewer’s Blackbird	96
Broad-winged Hawk	1
Brown Thrasher	6
Brown-headed Cowbird	89
Bufflehead	1
Canada Goose	3
Cedar Waxwing	20
Chipping Sparrow	14
Clay-coloured Sparrow	49
Cliff Swallow	17
Common Grackle	3
Common Raven	6
Common Yellowthroat	13
Eastern Bluebird	2
Eastern Kingbird	78
Eastern Towhee	1
Eastern Wood-Pewee	1
European Starling	3
Forester’s Tern	1
Franklin’s Gull	324
Gadwall	17
Grasshopper Sparrow	1
Grey Catbird	8
Great Crested Flycatcher	1
Green-winged Teal	1
Hairy Woodpecker	1
House Sparrow	20
House Wren	38
Indigo Bunting	1
Killdeer	2
Lark Sparrow	4
Least Flycatcher	47
LeConte’s Sparrow	1
Mallard	21
Mourning Dove	83
Nelson’s Sparrow	1
Northern Flicker	7
Northern Harrier	3
Northern Shoveler	3
Orange-crowned Warbler	1
Ovenbird	3
Pileated Woodpecker	2
Purple Finch	1
Purple Martin	1
Red-eyed Vireo	11
Redhead	2
Red-headed Woodpecker	45
Red-tailed Hawk	7
Red-winged Blackbird	102
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)	3
Savannah Sparrow	26
Sedge Wren	6
Sharp-tailed Grouse	1
Song Sparrow	9
Sora	6
Spotted Sandpiper	1
Sprague’s Pipit	4
Swainson’s Hawk	6
swallow sp.	1
Tree Swallow	82
Turkey Vulture	6
Upland Sandpiper	9
Veery	2
Vesper Sparrow	26
Warbling Vireo	8
Western Kingbird	37
Western Meadowlark	91
White-breasted Nuthatch	3
White-faced Ibis	6
Willet	1
Wilson’s Snipe	8
Yellow Warbler	33
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	14
Yellow-headed Blackbird	21
Total species	90
Total individuals	1756

On Saturday June 22th, the Manitoba IBA program led a bird walk at the Oak Hammock Marsh IBA. Six people met and joined us in the parking lot of the Harry J. Enns Interpretive Centre at 10am. Both the coordinator Marissa, and I, the program assistant (Aynsley) were there to lead our group. The birders in our group had a range of birding experience.

Our first exciting sighting came while we were still in the parking lot. A large flock of American White Pelicans, joined by a single Double-crested Cormorant flew overhead in a loose V-shape.  

We began our journey on Beaver trail, leading into Blackbird trail. Here we were able to hear a very loud Alder Flycatcher who sat very nice while having its picture taken. We also observed some Purple Martins around their nest boxes.

We continued our adventure along Blackbird trail, hearing a Virginia Rail, observing many Red-winged Blackbirds, Barn Swallows, American Pelicans, a few Yellow-headed Blackbirds, a Ruddy Duck and some Blue-winged Teals.

We continued along Toad Road, observing an Eastern Kingbird, more Blue-winged Teal, some Clay-coloured Sparrows, a Yellow Warbler, a Song Sparrow, and more Ruddy Ducks. We also saw some Yellow Lady Slippers, heard many Common Yellowthroats, and a Sora.

This trail led us to Duck Pond trail, where we stopped at the shorebird scrape. The water was so high that most of the scrape was underwater. The high water levels allowed us to see some more waterfowl and other species, including some Gadwalls, Redheads, Black Terns, Killdeer, and some Tree and Barn Swallows.

The humidity and hot weather were picking up as we headed back towards the main parking lot. Along the way we saw some more sparrows, including a Savannah Sparrow and a Clay-coloured Sparrow that were both singing away on easily visible perches (which gave us a great opportunity to learn how to identify them by sight and by sound).

Clay-coloured Sparrow. Photo: A. Woods

We heard another Sora, and learned a little bit about the insect traps around the marsh from one of our knowledgeable group members.

Overall, the trails were awesome and some great birds were seen! A very big thank you to all who joined us! Below is a full species checklist:

Species	Count
Canada Goose	20
Blue-winged Teal	7
Gadwall	2
Mallard	5
Redhead	2
Ring-necked Duck	1
Ruddy Duck	4
Mourning Dove	2
Virginia Rail	1
Sora	2
Killdeer	3
Black Tern	2
Double-crested Cormorant	1
American White Pelican	60
Alder Flycatcher	2
Eastern Kingbird	3
Tree Swallow	10
Purple Martin	6
Barn Swallow	8
Sedge Wren	1
Marsh Wren	3
American Goldfinch	2
Clay-coloured Sparrow	5
Savannah Sparrow	2
Song Sparrow	4
Yellow-headed Blackbird	8
Red-winged Blackbird	30
Brown-headed Cowbird	5
Common Yellowthroat	6
Yellow Warbler	5

-Aynsley