The Red-headed Woodpecker was designated as Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) in 2018. These birds are cavity nesters, and, in Manitoba, they are most often found in stands of aspen and oak with standing dead trees (snags) and low understory density (e.g., cattle-grazed woodlots). Despite its namesake lake habitat and surrounding marshland, the Oak Lake/Plum Lakes Area IBA, located in southwestern Manitoba, is a hotspot for Red-headed Woodpeckers in the province due to being chock-full of suitable nesting habitat. On Saturday, July 4^th, the Manitoba Important Bird Areas team gathered with a group of volunteers at this IBA to carry out our first Red-headed Woodpecker blitz of 2026!

Our group of 16 participants split into six groups and followed suggested routes during targeted surveys of suitable Red-headed Woodpecker habitat. Each group followed the same protocol during their survey; upon encountering ideal habitat, participants would stop for two minutes to look and listen for Red-headed Woodpeckers and then move at least 300 m away before repeating this process. The Manitoba IBA Program also has a permit that allowed participants to use call playback in the field to draw out Red-headed Woodpeckers during our survey.

Participants recorded a total of 99 different species and 36 Red-headed Woodpeckers. That’s our second-highest count of this species in the six years that we’ve been conducting this annual blitz! Within the boundaries of the Oak Lake/Plum Lakes Area IBA exist multiple Wildlife Management Areas as well as the Oak Lake Game Bird Refuge – for more information on bird habitat conservation in this region, read this CBC News article (featuring Steering Committee Chair Tim Poole!) from 2016. In addition to the 36 RHWOs, a number of other exciting sightings and species at risk were recorded by our volunteers. We regrouped at Oak Lake Beach in the early afternoon to share our sightings and enjoy a picnic lunch provided by the Manitoba IBA Program.

Read on for a breakdown of what each group saw along with some great pictures taken by the IBA team and volunteers!

Group 1

Renee, Tom, Simon, and Parker counted seven Red-headed Woodpeckers during their survey directly north and west of Oak Lake. The group covered serious ground, surveying 50.6 km within their area of the IBA and, in return, recorded the most birds of the day and the most unique species of any group (65 species)!

Group 1 also spotted one member of another woodpecker species, a Downy Woodpecker, and species at risk including Barn Swallows, Bobolinks, and an Eastern Wood-Pewee. Non-listed species of interest seen by the group included an Eastern Phoebe, Northern Harrier, Ovenbird, two Red-tailed Hawks, and five White-faced Ibises! Other species only seen in this group’s survey area included the Chestnut-sided Warbler, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Sora, and Spotted Sandpiper.

Group 2

Louanne and Duane travelled 47.3 km during their survey in the northwesternmost corner of the IBA. Searching near the Assiniboine River and the Lower Assiniboine Wildlife Management Area (WMA), unfortunately, the group saw no Red-headed Woodpeckers. However, they did spot other woodpeckers – one Hairy Woodpecker and one Pileated Woodpecker (the only one of the day) – and other exciting species including three Ovenbirds and one Red-tailed Hawk.

Among the 46 species sighted by Group 2, birds seen only in this area today – perhaps as a consolation for the lack of Red-headed Woodpeckers – included the American Bittern, American Redstart, Broad-winged Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, and Forster’s Tern!

Group 3

Group 3’s survey area, the IBA’s northeast corner, included the Upper Assiniboine WMA and the town of Oak Lake. Here, Colette and Winnie counted ten Red-headed Woodpeckers and other species at risk including one Bobolink and two Eastern Wood-Pewees along 34.5 km.

Colette and Winnie saw the least unique species of the six groups along their route (26 species) but were rewarded for their efforts with an exciting encounter: a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers chatting away at a nesting site! Lucky for us, they were able to record these birds vocalizing and gave us permission to share that audio here. Turn up your volume and click the button below to play an excerpt from this recording:

Group 4

The IBA Program team (Mackenzie, Brooke, and Gibson) tackled 28.8 km in the area directly east of Oak Lake Beach and extending south to the Oak Lake Game Bird Refuge. Interestingly, high numbers of Red-headed Woodpeckers recorded in this area during previous years appear to have moved elsewhere as the group recorded only a single Red-headed Woodpecker in their survey area. However, the team still had an exciting morning with 52 species recorded, including two other species at risk: Barn Swallows and a Loggerhead Shrike!

Group 4 saw two other woodpeckers during their survey, one Hairy Woodpecker and another that was both too distant and too briefly seen to confidently identify (either a Downy or Hairy Woodpecker). Other non-listed species of interest included the Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk, and White-faced Ibis. Unique sightings in this survey area included one Bufflehead, Caspian Tern, and Merlin.

Group 4 also spotted a leucistic blackbird! Identification was tricky as this bird’s mutation masked typical markers used to differentiate Common Grackles and Brewer’s Blackbirds, and other birds of the same species were absent at the time of observation, but Brooke took advantage of the rare opportunity and snapped some great pictures (see below)! After consulting with other birders, the group reached a consensus and identified this anomalous bird as a Common Grackle.

Group 5

Gillian, Gwyn, and Carson spotted the most Red-headed Woodpeckers of the day, recording 12 along 37.6 km in their survey area which began just south of the Plum Lakes and extended east to Deleau! They also saw one Hairy Woodpecker and a number of species at risk among their 59 species sighted. These included Bank Swallows, Barn Swallows, Bobolinks, Eastern Wood-Pewees, and one Sprague’s Pipit!

Other non-listed but exciting species seen by Group 5 include the Black-billed Cuckoo, Dickcissel (the only sighting of the day!), Eastern Phoebe, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk, and White-faced Ibis.

Group 6

Katharine and Lee Ann recorded six Red-headed Woodpeckers in the southernmost area of the IBA and captured some great pictures of these birds, including one well-timed photo of a woodpecker exiting its nest cavity (see above)! While driving 25.3 km around and through the Lauder Sandhills WMA, the group also spotted one Hairy Woodpecker and a raccoon walking down the road.

Other species at risk seen in this area included Barn Swallows, Eastern Wood-Pewees, and Sprague’s Pipits. Group 6 recorded 52 species during their survey, including the only sightings of a Black-and-white Warbler and yellow-shafted Northern Flicker of the day! They also saw the only game birds from the family Phasianidae of the day, a single Sharp-tailed Grouse and Wild Turkey.

Conclusion

Survey participants counted over 2000 birds (listed in the table below) and a total of 36 Red-headed Woodpeckers – thanks to all of our wonderful volunteers for making this feat possible! If you’re feeling a bit of FOMO after reading about this outing and wish you got to see Red-headed Woodpeckers (along with all the other exciting sightings), you’re in luck! Our next IBA Event on July 18^th is another Red-headed Woodpecker Blitz in the Interlake Region. For more information and to sign up for this or other events, visit our Upcoming Events page.

-Gibson, IBA Program Assistant

Species (* denotes species at risk)	Group No.						Total
	1	2	3	4	5	6
American Bittern		1					1
American Coot	4			3			7
American Crow		8		9	1	2	20
American Goldfinch	4	3	2	3	14	13	39
American Kestrel	7	1			1	5	14
American Redstart		1					1
American Robin	6	12	1	11	7	5	42
Bald Eagle				1			1
Baltimore Oriole	3		2	3	4	2	14
* Bank Swallow					2		2
* Barn Swallow	4			5	4	3	16
Black Tern	29	2		2			33
Black-and-white Warbler						1	1
Black-billed Cuckoo					1	1	2
Black-billed Magpie		1		2	2	1	6
Black-capped Chickadee		1	2			4	7
Blue Jay	1						1
Blue-winged Teal	2	1					3
* Bobolink	2		1		2		5
Brewer’s Blackbird	25	2		7	31	30	95
Broad-winged Hawk		1					1
Brown Thrasher		1		1	1		3
Brown-headed Cowbird		5	2	14	6	1	28
Bufflehead				1			1
Canada Goose	41			11			52
Caspian Tern				1			1
Cedar Waxwing	6	4	3	4	7	6	30
Chestnut-sided Warbler	1						1
Chipping Sparrow	1	3			1	1	6
Clay-colored Sparrow	16	3	1	1	11	12	44
Common Grackle	2	7	1	36		1	47
Common Raven	1	3		4	2	2	12
Common Yellowthroat	3	5	2		1	1	12
Cooper’s Hawk		1					1
Dickcissel					2		2
Double-crested Cormorant	5			3			8
Downy Woodpecker	1						1
Eastern Bluebird	5		4	8	3	2	22
Eastern Kingbird	15	18	1	19	20	8	81
Eastern Phoebe	1				1		2
Eastern Warbling Vireo	14	6			4	17	41
* Eastern Wood-Pewee	1		2		3	3	9
Forster’s Tern		1					1
Franklin’s Gull	169	48	1	170	77	43	508
Grasshopper Sparrow					4	1	5
Gray Catbird	5	6	2	1	11	4	29
Great Crested Flycatcher	1	1			2	1	5
Hairy Woodpecker		1		1	1	1	4
Killdeer	9			3	2	3	17
Lark Sparrow	4	1	1	4	18		28
Least Flycatcher	26	6	1	3	9	16	61
* Loggerhead Shrike				1			1
Mallard	1			5	9	2	17
Marsh Wren	5						5
Merlin				1			1
Mourning Dove	22	18		28	21	32	121
new world sparrow sp.				2			2
Northern Flicker	2	1		4	5		12
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)						1	1
Northern Harrier	1				1	2	4
Northern House Wren	8	8	2		3	11	32
Northern Yellow Warbler	19	7		5	15	17	63
Ovenbird	1	3					4
Pileated Woodpecker		1					1
Red-eyed Vireo		8	1		1	4	14
Redhead	2			2			4
* Red-headed Woodpecker	7		10	1	12	6	39
Red-tailed Hawk	2	1		1	3		7
Red-winged Blackbird	46	22		76	11	11	166
Ring-billed Gull	1						1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)	11						11
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	1	1		1	1	2	6
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	1						1
Ruddy Duck	1						1
Savannah Sparrow	14			5	1	6	26
Sedge Wren	4		1		1		6
Sharp-tailed Grouse						1	1
Song Sparrow	2	2	1	1	2	2	10
Sora	1						1
Spotted Sandpiper	1						1
* Sprague’s Pipit					1	2	3
Swainson’s Hawk				1	1		2
Swamp Sparrow				1			1
Tree Swallow	6	48		27	4	30	115
Turkey Vulture	1				1	8	10
Veery	2		2		3	1	8
Vesper Sparrow	4	7	3		4	2	20
Western Kingbird	8			3	9	2	22
Western Meadowlark	29	19	3	12	11	17	91
White-breasted Nuthatch						2	2
White-faced Ibis	5			1	1		7
White-throated Sparrow		1					1
Wild Turkey						1	1
Wilson’s Snipe	1	1		1	2		5
woodpecker sp.				1			1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	1			1	3		5
Yellow-headed Blackbird	4			4	10		18
Yellow-throated Vireo	1		2		2	1	6
Grand Total	629	302	57	516	393	353	2250

We had yet another successful IBA event on June 24^th – our birding walk at Assiniboine Park! Here, we’ll recap the highlights and share some photographs captured by those who joined.  

A birding hotspot in Winnipeg, Assiniboine Park is home to a vast array of songbirds and waterfowl species – it’s also common to see corvids, shorebirds, raptors, and more. We knew we’d be in for a treat but were just hoping that Mother Nature would cooperate! Luckily, and after days of rain, the dreary weather held out (for the most part) and we were able to enjoy a lovely morning at the park. We had a fantastic turnout of 16 participants and three IBA staff, and saw a total of 22 avian species!  

We first began by following a forest path that ran perpendicular to the English Gardens. Lush with trees and shrubbery, our group laid eyes on songbird species like the American Redstart, Northern Yellow Warbler, and Eastern Phoebe. A pair of Hairy Woodpeckers were also seen! 

After exploring the forest path, we made our way to the Assiniboine Park Footbridge, which has provided gorgeous views of the Assiniboine River to parkgoers for nearly 100 years. The birds certainly did not disappoint here! We saw a large group of Cliff Swallows performing their characteristic aerial acrobatics. As well, we came across a busy Wood Duck mother, who had nearly 20 ducklings trailing behind her. Wood Ducks can lay upwards of 15 eggs per clutch – so all these little ones may be her biological offspring, but she more than likely is also acting as a foster parent to ducklings she’s collected along the way. Either way, she’s doing a wonderful job of caring for these babies! 

We also were treated to an exciting encounter with a juvenile Bald Eagle who soared right above us, offering an unobstructed view of their mottled pattern (which makes them easily confused with Golden Eagles!). What a surprise to see how different they look as subadults, compared to when they’re full-grown! They won’t develop that signature white head until around five years of age. Lastly, a single Spotted Sandpiper was also seen hanging out on the banks of the river.  

Our penultimate leg of the walk brought us through the fields of the Assiniboine Park, past the Lyric Theatre and Pavilion to the duck pond. Along the way, we saw Purple Martins (our largest swallow species in Manitoba!), Chipping Sparrows, and a lot of Canada Geese. Goslings were different ages, which provided a neat comparison of their stages of development as they continue to grow. 

At the duck pond, we saw that many taxa were enjoying the water. A Song Sparrow stopped by for a drink, and a Western Painted Turtle found a comfortable rock to sun themselves on. We also finally laid eyes on the Great Crested Flycatcher we’d been hearing all morning! 

Our final portion of the walk took us to the Chimney Swift Tower, constructed by the Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative. Just before we arrived at the tower, a Red-eyed Vireo was practically posing for our cameras. These birds are notoriously difficult to spot, since they spend most of their time in the tree canopy. We didn’t see any swifts entering or exiting once we arrived at the tower – but cameras inside the tower confirm that it’s being used. A nest was built, and incubation of the eggs laid is currently underway! Participants then departed from this spot – the morning truly sped by! 

… And with that, another IBA event is in the books! We have more exciting events planned over the summer and would love it if you’d join us. Birding is for everybody, and we encourage all birders – regardless of skill level – to attend! Head to the “Upcoming Events” tab on our website or follow us on social media for all the details ☺ 

Instagram: @manitobaiba | Facebook: Manitoba Important Bird Areas Program 

Catch you on the next recap! 

– Brooke (Program Assistant) 

On Sunday, June 7^th, we embarked on our first bird blitz of the season. The IBA team and our group of fantastic volunteers headed to the Southwestern Manitoba Mixed-Grass Prairie IBA. This post will recap our intentions and results of the event, and is jam-packed with amazing photographs captured during our morning of birding!  

As suggested by its name, the Southwestern Manitoba Mixed-Grass Prairie IBA is situated in the southwestern-most corner of the province. The area borders Saskatchewan to the west and North Dakota to the south. It is largely considered to be the last remaining stronghold of native mixed-grass prairie in Manitoba, as most of this habitat has now been converted to other land use types.  

Although we identified and counted numerous bird species present in the IBA while blitzing, our primary goal was to find our eight grassland Target Species. On this list were the Baird’s Sparrow, Bobolink, Burrowing Owl, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Ferruginous Hawk, Grasshopper Sparrow, Loggerhead Shrike, and Sprague’s Pipit. These birds depend on native grassland habitat for their survival – with its disappearance has come a steep decline in their population numbers, and they are all now of conservation concern both provincially and federally.  

On the evening prior to the blitz, participants spent the night in Melita and other surrounding areas. In fact, we came to realize that Melita has a keen awareness of its reputation for being the “Grassland Bird Capital of Manitoba”. The beloved banana statue also proudly displays a Blue Jay named Breezy who represents the town’s IBA status! 

Birding began at 5:30 AM on Sunday morning (… you know what they say about the early bird getting the worm!). The event had the most participants in recent history, with 21 volunteers and three program staff braving the weather for the sake of the birds. And on the note of weather: our morning began stormy. Caution was encouraged as the safety of volunteers was paramount – but as the morning progressed, conditions improved significantly. Participants were divided into seven groups, with each assigned to a designated area within the IBA to cover.  

Group 1 

Group 1 consisted of Colette, Katharine S., Lewis and Ken. Their area covered the northeast section of the IBA containing the town of Melita, the Broomhill WMA, and the Gerald W. Malaher WMA. The team had a successful morning of birding, having seen three Target Species! This included Bobolinks, Grasshopper Sparrows, and a Loggerhead Shrike. As well, they documented and photographed some other standout species (see photos below), including the only Pie-billed Grebe seen throughout the entire morning! 

Group 2 

Jackie and Devon teamed up to form Group 2. They covered the central eastern portion of the IBA, south of Melita. The Pierson WMA fell within the boundaries of their section. The pair checked off an impressive six Target Species: a Baird’s Sparrow, Bobolinks, a Chestnut-collared Longspur, Ferruginous Hawks, a Grasshopper Sparrow, and a Sprague’s Pipit. Out of all the groups, they observed the highest number of Ferruginous Hawks (two)! Jackie and Devon also had a very exciting observation of three Lark Buntings – a species rarely seen up until recently, but that has historically been known to breed in southwestern Manitoba. While not a Target Species for this blitz, the Lark Bunting is listed as Threatened under Canada’s Species at Risk Act.   

Group 3 

Mackenzie, Brooke and Gibson made up Group 3. Their designated area spanned across the southeastern edge of the IBA, which included the town of Lyleton. Along their route, the group was treated to a beautiful farmland landscape – and even made a couple bovine friends along the way! In terms of Target Species, they found a Grasshopper Sparrow and Bobolinks. Amongst their other highlights, one species stands out: the Dickcissel! It was the only individual of this species observed during the blitz. Their sporadic occurrence in Manitoba made the sighting all the more special.

Group 4 

Group 4 was made up of Colin, Carter, Lucas, and Jaxx. Their zone was the southwest corner of the IBA, which also contained the Frank W. Boyd WMA. They had the highest counts of two Target Species – a remarkable 26 Bobolinks and three Loggerhead Shrikes – and saw many Grasshopper Sparrows, as well. The group was also treated to a Great Horned Owl observation, which was the only owl species documented during the entire blitz! Other highlights include Bank Swallows, a Great Blue Heron, and a Red-headed Woodpecker. Although not a Target Species for this specific blitz, Red-headed Woodpeckers are Threatened in Manitoba, and Endangered across Canada. 

Group 5 

This group comprised Luc, Carson, Marvin, and Duane. Their area covered the western edge of the IBA. Of the Target Species, Group 5 had sightings of Baird’s Sparrows, Bobolinks, Grasshopper Sparrows, and Sprague’s Pipits. This group also had the only Eastern Bluebird, Eastern Phoebe and Great Crested Flycatcher observations of the blitz. Overall, they recorded an impressive array of species (see photos below)! 

Group 6 

Emily, Matthew, and Gillian formed Group 6. They were assigned to the northwest corner of the IBA and had the Mixed-grass Prairie Preserve within it – a protected area of critical habitat for our Target Species. Group 6 counted the second-highest number of individual birds during the blitz and observed the most Target Species! They found Baird’s Sparrows, Bobolinks, Chestnut-collared Longspurs, a Ferruginous Hawk, Grasshopper Sparrows, Loggerhead Shrikes, and a Sprague’s Pipit. Group 6 tied with Group 5 for the highest number of Baird’s Sparrows observed (two). They also counted the most Chestnut-collared Longspurs (18) and Grasshopper Sparrows (25) out of all the groups. The group encountered many other songbirds, waterfowl, and shorebird species, as well! 

Group 7 

Last, but certainly not least: Group 7 consisted of Kris, Kathryn H., and David. Group 7 covered the centermost portion of the IBA, which included the town of Pierson. Overall, they counted the highest number of individual birds: a whopping 1231! They just narrowly had the highest overall count – Group 6 was only one bird shy of making it a tie, with a total of 1230 birds counted. They also had the most observations of Sprague’s Pipit (four) out of all the groups and checked the Grasshopper Sparrow and Bobolink off the Target Species list, as well. Among their many sightings, others of note included the only Eastern Towhee of the blitz, a Great Blue Heron, a lone Snow Goose, and a Lesser Yellowlegs.  

Once birding concluded around noon and the sun began to shine, groups all met up in Melita. Everybody was treated to a delicious lunch at Chicken Chef, courtesy of the IBA Program. We spent time exchanging stories, sightings, and photos before heading to our respective destinations – Winnipeg for some, Brandon for others, and many other towns in between.  

Our grand total of birds observed was 6517 individuals across 114 species – wow! We want to sincerely thank everyone who participated in and contributed to this event. As an organization rooted in citizen science, we are powered by the dedication and care you bring to this work. 

Are you interested in joining us for our next blitz? Head to the “Upcoming Events” tab on our website for more information or email Mackenzie at iba@naturemanitoba.ca. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more bird content! We hope to see you at our next event. 

– Brooke (IBA Program Assistant)

Species (*denotes a target species)	Sum of Count
American Avocet	4
American Bittern	4
American Coot	2
American Crow	4
American Goldfinch	74
American Kestrel	5
American Robin	105
American White Pelican	1
American Wigeon	3
Baird’s Sparrow*	5
Baltimore Oriole	16
Bank Swallow	6
Barn Swallow	102
Black Tern	63
Black-billed Magpie	13
Blackbird sp.	24
Blue-winged Teal	75
Bobolink *	64
Brewer’s Blackbird	83
Brown Thrasher	15
Brown-headed Cowbird	593
Cackling/Canada Goose	1
Canada Goose	494
Canvasback	18
Cedar Waxwing	12
Chestnut-collared Longspur *	20
Chipping Sparrow	3
Clay-colored Sparrow	120
Cliff Swallow	116
Common Grackle	202
Common Nighthawk	2
Common Raven	20
Common Yellowthroat	40
Cooper’s Hawk	2
Dickcissel	1
Double-crested Cormorant	11
Eastern Bluebird	1
Eastern Kingbird	327
Eastern Phoebe	1
Eastern Towhee	1
Eastern Warbling Vireo	24
Eurasian Collared-Dove	1
European Starling	33
Ferruginous Hawk *	3
Franklin’s Gull	138
Gadwall	52
Grasshopper Sparrow *	70
Gray Catbird	15
Gray Partridge	27
Great Blue Heron	2
Great Crested Flycatcher	1
Great Horned Owl	1
Green-winged Teal	22
Green-winged Teal (American)	3
Hairy Woodpecker	1
Hooded Merganser	1
Horned Lark	50
House Sparrow	60
Killdeer	84
Lark Bunting	3
Lark Sparrow	3
Least Flycatcher	66
LeConte’s Sparrow	14
Lesser Yellowlegs	4
Loggerhead Shrike *	6
Mallard	85
Marbled Godwit	15
Marsh Wren	2
Merlin	3
Mourning Dove	308
Nelson’s Sparrow	1
new world sparrow sp.	1
Northern Flicker	7
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)	1
Northern Harrier	10
Northern House Wren	55
Northern Pintail	14
Northern Shoveler	32
Northern Yellow Warbler	87
Orchard Oriole	9
Pied-billed Grebe	1
Purple Martin	6
Red-eyed Vireo	2
Redhead	16
Red-headed Woodpecker	2
Red-tailed Hawk	24
Red-winged Blackbird	1357
Ring-necked Duck	1
Ring-necked Pheasant	44
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)	104
Sandhill Crane	1
Savannah Sparrow	61
Say’s Phoebe	4
Sedge Wren	14
Semipalmated Sandpiper	2
Sharp-tailed Grouse	24
Snow Goose	3
Song Sparrow	28
Sora	6
Spotted Sandpiper	2
Spotted Towhee	1
Sprague’s Pipit *	8
Swainson’s Hawk	22
Tree Swallow	70
Turkey Vulture	9
Upland Sandpiper	34
Vesper Sparrow	79
Western Kingbird	62
Western Meadowlark	328
Wild Turkey	1
Willet	31
Willow Flycatcher	2
Wilson’s Phalarope	34
Wilson’s Snipe	18
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	1
Yellow-headed Blackbird	148
Grand Total	6517
Total Species	114

On May 23^rd, the IBA team held our first outing of the year, an exciting morning of birding at the Whitewater Lake IBA! Gillian Richards of the Westman Naturalists led the group through the IBA, showing us all the best spots to see a variety of bird species.  

Whitewater Lake is a famed destination for birders hoping to see a variety of shorebirds and waterbirds in Manitoba. In fact, while there we crossed paths with another group of birders, one of whom was embarking on a big year! Water levels at Whitewater Lake can fluctuate greatly between years; in “wet” years, the lake provides important nesting habitat for gulls, wading birds, and waterfowl, while the surrounding farmland allows geese to graze and raptors to hunt. 

In total, 12 people participated in the Whitewater Lake survey. We met some of the volunteers in Brandon at 7 am and carpooled to the IBA, where the rest of the group joined us around 8 am. Travelling together through the IBA by car and stopping at several points along the way to set up spotting scopes and survey the birds present, we covered approximately 25 km along the north side of the lake that morning. At each stop, Sandy scanned for a count of all the birds present and the group worked together to identify species and come up with species-specific counts. Here, I will break down what we saw at each stop and provide a full summary table listing the total species counts at the end.

We made it less than 3 km from our meet-up point before our first stop of the day where, along road 448 N, we spotted a number of shorebird and waterfowl species in a muddy pond surrounded by farmers’ fields. Species sighted here included the American Avocet, American Golden-plover (identified as an Orange Alert Tipping Point species in the North American Bird Conservation Initiative’s 2025 State of the Birds report), Double-crested Cormorant, Gadwall, Killdeer, Redhead, and Willet. 

Stop two was brief and yielded mainly grassland birds such as the Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-winged Blackbird, Savannah Sparrow, and Western Kingbird.

At stop three we walked along a treed stretch of gravel road with the goal of spotting sparrows and warblers. We succeeded, recording one each of the Clay-coloured Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Vesper Sparrow, and Northern Yellow Warbler. Additional sightings included an American Kestrel, a pair of Cedar Waxwings, and three Western Meadowlarks.

Our fourth stop gave us our first direct view of Whitewater Lake. Here we had the incredible opportunity to view Dunlins, Baird’s Sandpipers, Stilt Sandpipers (Orange Alert species), White-rumped Sandpipers, and hundreds of Least Sandpipers and Semipalmated Sandpipers (Orange Alert species) in close proximity as they probed a nearby narrow stream and the lakeshore. Other birds sighted further off in the lake included American Avocets, Eared Grebes, Red-necked Phalaropes, and Ruddy Ducks. In the adjacent fields we spotted two Northern Harriers and one Sora, Marsh Wren, Nelson’s Sparrow, and Sedge Wren. 

The fun continued at our fifth stop where new shorebirds sighted included the Sanderling (Orange Alert species) and Upland Sandpiper. Waterfowl spotted included the Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Ross’s Goose, and Snow Goose, and we also spotted two Black Terns! 

Finally, we saw two Marbled Godwits and one Swainson’s Hawk on the drive from stop five and, at our sixth and final stop of the morning, we had the pleasure of viewing a large group of Black-bellied Plovers (Orange Alert species). Mixed in with the approximately 100 Plovers, a few eagle-eyed volunteers spotted 2 Red Knots (Orange Alert species and listed as Endangered under SARA), 3 Ruddy Turnstones (Orange Alert species), and a handful of Wilson’s Phalaropes. 

We had lunch and snacks in the field after our final stop around 1 pm. In all, we sighted 1,190 birds from 66 species. A big thank you to Gillian and the Westman Naturalists for guiding our outing and to the volunteers that joined us at Whitewater Lake (Gina, Joy, Kristopher, Renee, Ron, Sandy, Tom, and Zara)! Thanks as well to Brooke and Mackenzie for sharing photos from the day. 

For news about our upcoming events, keep an eye on our website, follow us on Instagram or Facebook, or email Mackenzie at iba@naturemanitoba.ca to join our email list. We have an exciting summer ahead of us! 

-Gibson, IBA Program Assistant 

Species	Sum of Count
American Avocet	14
American Golden-Plover	5
American Goldfinch	1
American Kestrel	1
American Robin	9
Baird’s Sandpiper	11
Bald Eagle	1
Barn Swallow	7
Black Tern	2
Black-bellied Plover	100
Blue-winged Teal	6
Brewer’s Blackbird	2
Brown-headed Cowbird	14
Canada Goose	7
Cedar Waxwing	2
Clay-colored Sparrow	1
Common Grackle	30
Common Raven	1
Common Yellowthroat	1
Double-crested Cormorant	1
Dunlin	18
Eared Grebe	12
Eastern Kingbird	2
Franklin’s Gull	58
Gadwall	8
Gray Catbird	1
Green-winged Teal	4
Horned Lark	1
Killdeer	5
Least Flycatcher	1
Least Sandpiper	146
Mallard	11
Marbled Godwit	2
Marsh Wren	4
Mourning Dove	9
Nelson’s Sparrow	1
Northern Harrier	2
Northern Shoveler	3
Northern Yellow Warbler	3
Red Knot	2
Redhead	13
Red-necked Phalarope	39
Red-winged Blackbird	17
Ring-billed Gull	5
Ross’s Goose	3
Ruddy Duck	99
Ruddy Turnstone	3
Sanderling	13
Savannah Sparrow	12
Sedge Wren	1
Semipalmated Sandpiper	250
Snow Goose	55
Song Sparrow	2
Sora	2
Spotted Sandpiper	1
Stilt Sandpiper	50
Swainson’s Hawk	1
Tree Swallow	2
Upland Sandpiper	5
Vesper Sparrow	1
Western Kingbird	4
Western Meadowlark	5
White-rumped Sandpiper	79
Willet	13
Wilson’s Phalarope	5
Yellow-headed Blackbird	1
Grand Total	1,190
Species total	66

In addition to hosting bird blitzes in IBA’s throughout the province, we also conduct habitat stewardship activities at various sites. In 2025, these events included a Weed Pull at the Riverton Sandy Bar IBA, and a shoreline clean-up along a section of the Red River in Lockport.

First up was the Riverton Sandy Bar Weed Pull on August 20. This is an event that we’ve hosted for a number of years, where we ask volunteers to help us remove invasive plants from the sand spit, which historically has been a nesting site for the Endangered Piping Plover.

14 volunteers braved the wind and the drizzling rain to help us remove weeds from the beach, and by the end of the day, the crew had filled 9 yard waste bags! Incredible work!

It wouldn’t be an IBA event without some birding! We saw 2 Bald Eagles flying overhead, one of which still had mottled white feathers on it’s wings, marking it as a juvenile eagle. Some other species that were spotted including 11 Common Terns, a Great Blue Heron, 5 American White Pelicans and a Merlin. Thanks to Dayle and Joanne for sharing your eBird list with us!

Our last event of the season was a shoreline clean-up along the Red River in Lockport on September 10. The targeted area was just downstream of the Lock and Dam, at the Lockport Heritage Park. Despite it being a very hot and sunny day, we had 17 volunteers come out and help us remove discarded fishing gear and other garbage from the Red River shoreline.

The low water levels in the river allowed volunteers to venture out onto the exposed rocks, where they had some close encounters with foraging shorebirds. Groups of American White Pelicans flew overhead, and a Common Raven came to see what all the action was. Thank you to our incredible team who braved the heat to help improve this section of shoreline habitat along the Red River.

With that, we have finished recapping our summer 2025 events. A huge thank you to everyone who volunteered for our events this summer, you make our work possible! These events were also made possible through funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program.

Keep a close eye on our Upcoming Events page, our social media, and your email inboxes for our 2026 events, coming soon! If you would like to be added to our mailing list, send me an email at iba@naturemanitoba.ca! We’re always looking for new volunteers, and all experience levels are welcome.

-Mackenzie

Hi folks! I’m back with our last blitz recap of the summer 2025 season! Almost time to start planning for this year’s events and I can’t wait! Our last Blitz of the season was on August 28^th at the Oak Hammock Marsh IBA. Oak Hammock likely needs no introduction, being a site that has long been popular with birders for its proximity to the City of Winnipeg and its many accessible walking trails, but I’m going to give one anyway. I have my master’s in ecological restoration, so I can’t resist a good restoration success story. 

When settlers first arrived in southern Manitoba, they came upon a vast marsh that stretched from what is now the north Perimeter Highway all the way to present-day Teulon. Over time, all this water was drained, and the land was converted to agriculture, leaving almost no trace of the wetland that once defined the area. That was until the 1960’s and 70’s, when the Provincial government began buying private lands to restore a small section of the original marsh. Though only a fraction of its original size (from approx. 47,000 hectares to its current size of 3600 hectares), the marsh restoration has been a huge success. Oak Hammock Marsh was designated as a provincial Wildlife Management Area in 1973 and received designation as a Ramsar wetland of international importance in 1987. Due to its importance for migrating shorebirds and waterfowl, Oak Hammock was also designated as an Important Bird Area in 1999. Today, Oak Hammock is home to the national headquarters of Ducks Unlimited Canada, and the newly renovated Harry J. Enns Wetland Discovery Centre, and remains an important stopover site for migrating birds. 

On a personal note, my first visit to Oak Hammock Marsh was in 2022, when I was working as a Conservation Technician with Native Plant Solutions. On my first visit to the site, I was armed with a flaming drip torch, helping with a prescribed burn to rejuvenate the tallgrass prairie plants right next to the Wetland Discovery Centre entrance. It was a visit I won’t soon forget, and I’m very much looking forward to returning to conduct blitzes this summer. 

How’s that for a segue! The August 28 blitz at Oak Hammock Marsh was another general bird blitz, and we asked volunteers to record any and all birds that they spotted while out on their routes. For this blitz, we had four groups of volunteers that split up throughout the IBA according to the map below. Each group started birding at 7:30 am and wrapped up by 11:30 to meet for lunch at the Wetland Discovery Centre Café. 

It was a beautiful, misty morning on the marsh. Once the sun broke through the mist, it revealed dew-covered fields sparkling with many, many spider webs. A perfect start to a morning of birding! Thank you to Katharine for the gorgeous photos capturing the mood of the morning! 

A misty start to the morning. Photo by Katharine. 

Dew sparkling on a field of spider webs. Photo by Katharine. 

Our first group was made up of Marissa, Amaia and Kiefer. They started by traveling north up Road 13 E. The most notable observation on the first leg of this journey was a total of 150 Sandhill Cranes seen flying overhead and standing in the roadside fields. A total of 80 Mallards were spotted along this route, and several species of sparrow including Chipping Sparrow (1), Swamp Sparrow (1), and Savannah Sparrow (11). Next, the group ambled along the Perimeter Dyke Trail to reach the North Observation Mound. On this short section of trail, the group observed 22 different species, including 17 Barn Swallows and 6 Bobolinks, both species at risk.  

Sandhill Cranes flying overhead. Photo by Marissa. 

Our next group consisted of Jo, Jan, Betsy and Katharine. They began birding on Road 13 E, south of group 1, near the Artesian Spring. Along this route, group 2 also recorded 150 Sandhill Cranes with the note that they were heard to the northwest. Given that group 1 also observed 150 cranes, I’m going to assume that these were likely the same birds, as the sound of the Sandhill Crane’s unique call can carry very long distances. This group also observed 2 Wilson’s Snipes and 8 Savannah Sparrows on this route.  

Sandhill Cranes taking off from a field. Photo by Marissa. 

Group 2 then spent some time walking through the tallgrass prairie area near the intersection of Road 13 E and Road 79 N. They were rewarded with several prairie species including 3 Sharp-tailed Grouse, 3 Bobolinks, and a Western Meadowlark. To finish their morning, group 2 traveled south on Route 220, passing the Lure Crop, where they saw an additional 14 Sandhill Cranes. Along this route they also observed 8 Barn Swallows, another Bobolink, another Wilson’s Snipe and a Downy Woodpecker. A diverse crowd for such a small area! 

A grumpy-looking Barn Swallow. Photo by Marissa. 

Next up was group 3, consisting of Emily, Matthew, Graham and Joanne. This group hit the trails, covering the area to the northeast of the Wetland Discovery Centre. While our first two groups tended to have a mix of wetland and grassland habitats, as they drove along the edge of the marsh with crops to their west, groups 3 and 4 were firmly in the marsh, which shows in the species assemblages they observed.  

A Northern Harrier finding its next meal in the wetland vegetation. Photo by Marissa. 

Group 3 started around the Wetland Discovery Centre, birding along the Killdeer and Jackrabbit Trails. On this first leg, the group observed 37 species, including a large flock of geese made up of 600 Canada Geese and 100 Snow Geese; five different species of shorebird (Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher, Lesser Yellowlegs, Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper and Pectoral Sandpiper); Barn Swallows (25) and Cliff Swallows (3), and a total of 350 Red-winged Blackbirds.  

Greater Yellowlegs spied through the cattails. Photo by Marissa. 

The group then made their way along the aptly named Wren Trail, where they observed 7 Sedge Wrens. The waterfowl was abundant on this section of their route, with 125 Mallards, as well as more Canada Geese (43), Northern Shovelers (2), a Gadwall (1), and Northern Pintails (10). They also added Wilson’s Snipe (9) and White-rumped Sandpiper (4) to their shorebird list and saw 13 Bobolinks.  

Wilson’s Snipe. Photo by Marissa. 

Next, the group walked along the (again aptly named) Teal Trail, where they observed both the Green-winged and Blue-winged Teal. From the lookout, the group spied five Trumpeter Swans, an Endangered species under the provincial Endangered Species and Ecosystems Act. Group 3 finished their assigned routes by following the Coot and Cattail Trails, where they observed many of the same species already identified, with the addition of four species of gulls including Bonaparte’s (2), Franklin’s (53), Ring-billed (21) and the American Herring Gull (2). 

Pectoral Sandpiper. Photo by Marissa. 

Our fourth and final group was made up of Bonnie, Gwen, and Paul, covering the trails to the southwest of the Wetland Discovery Centre. Bonnie, one of our seasoned shorebird surveyors, led the way along the International Shorebird Survey (ISS) Routes. They started along the ISS Route 1, which covers the Duck Pond Trail, and the Observation Blind, then north along the Lagoon Trail. On this first route, the shorebirds were out and about, with 12 Killdeer, 36 Wilson’s Snipe, 13 Lesser Yellowlegs, 3 Greater Yellowlegs, and 1 Least Sandpiper spotted. This was in addition to another Trumpeter Swan, 46 Mallards, and many other species of waterfowl. Despite all that, the highlight of this route had to have been the approximately 15,000 Red-winged Blackbirds spotted in migration. Wow!  

A cloud of Red-winged Blackbirds over the marsh. Photo by Marissa. 

Red-winged Blackbirds. Photo by Marissa. 

The final route for this group was ISS Route 2, taking the birders along Toad Road and the Blackbird Trail, before doubling back and following the Willow Trail back to the Wetland Discovery Centre. On this route the group observed 4 more Trumpeter Swans, 11 American White Pelicans, a Sharp-shinned Hawk, 24 Barn Swallows, and a Bobolink.  

American White Pelicans. Photo by Marissa. 

A Merlin posing in the willows. Photo by Marissa. 

A Common Grackle showing off his iridescent blue head while perching on a fence post. Photo by Marissa.

Overall, it was a successful morning of birding, with 17,649 individual birds from 83 different species observed. A full table of observations is included below. As always, a huge thank you to everyone who joined us for this blitz, we truly couldn’t run without our volunteers. You’re awesome! This event was also made possible through funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Program. Thank you! 

And with that, I am done recapping our 2025 IBA Bird Blitzes. Thank you for following along! I’ll be back with one more recap of our habitat stewardship events that took place in August and September, and then it’ll be into full-time planning mode for the summer. Make sure to follow along to stay informed on our upcoming events. If you’d like to join our mailing list to stay up to date, send me an email at iba@naturemanitoba.ca! 

-Mackenzie 

Species	Sum of Count
American Bittern	1
American Crow	1
American Goldfinch	32
American Herring Gull	3
American Kestrel	2
American Redstart	5
American Robin	1
American White Pelican	19
Bald Eagle	2
Barn Swallow	86
Blackpoll Warbler	1
Blue Jay	2
Blue-winged Teal	38
Bobolink	24
Bonaparte’s Gull	2
Brewer’s Blackbird	2
Brown-headed Cowbird	8
Buteo sp.	1
Canada Goose	745
Cedar Waxwing	1
Chipping Sparrow	2
Clay-colored Sparrow	9
Cliff Swallow	3
Common Goldeneye	3
Common Grackle	5
Common Raven	12
Common Yellowthroat	46
Cooper’s Hawk	1
Double-crested Cormorant	11
Downy Woodpecker	2
Eastern Kingbird	9
Franklin’s Gull	58
Gadwall	4
Gray Catbird	10
Great Blue Heron	1
Greater Yellowlegs	5
Green-winged Teal	5
Killdeer	12
Least Flycatcher	1
Least Sandpiper	2
Lesser Scaup	11
Lesser Yellowlegs	16
Lincoln’s Sparrow	2
Mallard	302
Marsh Wren	5
Merlin	10
Mourning Dove	14
Nelson’s Sparrow	1
Northern Harrier	7
Northern House Wren	1
Northern Pintail	12
Northern Shoveler	9
Northern Yellow Warbler	11
Palm Warbler	2
Pectoral Sandpiper	4
Pied-billed Grebe	8
Red-breasted Nuthatch	3
Red-eyed Vireo	2
Red-tailed Hawk	2
Red-winged Blackbird	15424
Ring-billed Gull	28
Ring-necked Duck	1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	1
Ruddy Duck	1
Sandhill Crane	330
Savannah Sparrow	39
Sedge Wren	11
Sharp-shinned Hawk	1
Sharp-tailed Grouse	3
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher	5
Snow Goose	100
Song Sparrow	6
Sora	3
Swainson’s Thrush	1
Swamp Sparrow	22
Tennessee Warbler	1
Tree Swallow	3
Trumpeter Swan	10
Vesper Sparrow	1
Western Meadowlark	4
White-rumped Sandpiper	4
White-throated Sparrow	2
Wilson’s Snipe	49
Grand Total	17649
Total Species	83

Hello! We’re back with another 2025 summer event recap, this time at the Delta Marsh IBA! Unlike our previous 2025 events, which focused on certain target species, this was a general blitz to help us determine what birds were using the IBA on the day of the blitz. The goal was to ID as many birds as we could to get a full picture of what was going on in the area! 

Delta Marsh is an interesting site, providing many different habitat types depending on where you are in the IBA. The beaches on Lake Manitoba provide habitat for shorebirds; the wetlands are hotspots for waterfowl, and the upland deciduous forests provide habitat for forest species such as warblers, sparrows and woodpeckers. The wetlands also provide areas for insects to breed, providing a food source for aerial insectivores such as Barn Swallows, Bank Swallows, Cliff Swallows, Tree Swallows and Purple Martins.  

The Delta Marsh Blitz took place on August 6, and as usual, we split our participants into groups to cover the whole IBA. For this blitz, we had five groups of volunteers. Each group’s assigned area is highlighted in the map below. Due to some last-minute group shuffling, you’ll notice that Group 2 is missing on the map. To keep things consistent, I’ll refer to each group by their area as listed on the map. Each group began birding between 7-8:30 am and wrapped up by 12:30 pm to meet up for a group lunch at the Delta Beach Campground.  

Our first group consisted of Marissa, Amy, and Connie, and they covered the westernmost portion of the IBA. They began by travelling north on Road 44W from Route 227, where they saw a large variety of birds, including several species of shorebirds (Killdeer, Wilson’s Phalarope, Greater Yellowlegs and peeps), 6 Red-tailed Hawks, 50 swallows (a mix of Bank Swallows and Barn Swallows, both listed as Threatened under the federal Species at Risk Act) and lots of blackbirds. This group saw 60 Yellow-headed Blackbirds, 17 Red-winged Blackbirds, 80 Brewer’s Blackbirds, and 20 Common Grackles. Next, the group travelled north along Route 242 until they reached Lynch’s Point Campground. On this leg they saw an Eastern Wood-Pewee, a SARA species of Special Concern.  While zigzagging south down Road 45 W to Road 43 W, Group 1 saw their largest numbers of birds of the morning, with 400 Franklin’s Gulls, and large groups of four swallow species. They saw 50 Bank Swallows, 100 Tree Swallows, 50 Barn Swallows, and 200 Cliff Swallows. Group 1 finished the morning travelling down Route 227, where they saw an additional 25 Barn Swallows, and 17 Mourning Doves, bringing their total MODO’s to 49 for the day.  

 Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Photo by Marissa.

A perfect spot to enjoy a meal. Merlin photo by Marissa. 

Moving eastward, our next group was Group 3, consisting of Jo, Bonnie, and Gwen. Group 3 covered the area east of the Portage Diversion to Route 240. This trio started the morning by heading north on Route 240 to Delta Beach, crossing through agricultural land and wetlands before arriving at the beach on the south shore of Lake Manitoba. The variety of habitat types presented a large variety of birds, including gulls, hawks, flycatchers, swallows, and blackbirds. Once they arrived at Delta Beach, this group put their shorebird identification skills to the test, observing 15 different species! The highlight was a group of 52 Hudsonian Godwits, likely stopping over on their long fall migration to South America. Group 3’s final route was along the Portage Diversion dike, again passing through a variety of habitats like agricultural land, wetlands, and shrubby riparian areas. Along this route, the group observed waterfowl like Wood Ducks and Mallards, a Great Blue Heron, 7 Red-tailed Hawks, an Eastern Wood-Pewee, Barn and Cliff Swallows, and 161 Yellow-headed Blackbirds.  

Moody skies over Lake Manitoba. Photo by Marissa. 

Carol, Eliza, Gary, and Katharine were in Group 4, covering the middle of the IBA from Route 240 to Road 32 W. The group started the day by traveling up and down Road 32 W, where they encountered 65 Barn Swallows, 11 Purple Martins, and 4 Northern Harriers. The birding continued down Roads 76 N and 33 W, where the group saw flycatchers (Eastern Wood-Pewee, Least Flycatcher, Great Crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird), four species of swallows perched on the wires next the road with some sparrows joining in, the ever-present blackbirds, and a coyote stalking through the grass! For the rest of the morning, Group 4 travelled along Roads 33 W, 35 W and Route 227, continuing to see a similar species assemblage at each of their stops. 

Northern Harrier on the lookout for breakfast. Photo by Carol.

An unexpected visitor to the IBA Blitz! Photo by Carol.

Alain, Pranav and Eda made up Group 5, covering the southeastern portion of the IBA. They started their day heading west on Road 77 N, where they encountered a few shorebirds, an American Bittern, an Eastern Bluebird, and several species of Sparrow. The trio continued along Road 78 N, where they saw the majority of their reported species for the day, including 40 Barn Swallows, 3 buffy nondescript birds with big black eyes that they deduced to be Sprague’s Pipits, and 45 Bobolink. Wow! This group finished off their morning at the Portage la Prairie Regional Landfill, observing 500 Ring-billed Gulls enjoying the food that the dump had to offer.  

Swallows perched on roadside wires. Photo by Marissa. 

Last but not least were Rudolf and Garry in Group 6, covering the northeast section of the IBA. Rudolf and Garry started the day on Route 240, winding through the marshes north of St. Ambroise. They observed several species of shorebirds, including 48 Least Sandpiper, as well as 52 Pelicans, and a family of 5 Northern Harriers. Over 250 swallows were spotted in this area, including Bank Swallows, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, and Purple Martins. Heading slightly south through St. Ambroise, the group began seeing woodpeckers galore, with 3 Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, a Downy, a Hairy, 7 Northern Flickers and 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers!! In the same region they spotted flycatchers, vireos, swallows, sparrows and blackbirds, among others. From there, the group traveled along Road 83 North towards Clandeboye Bay, where they saw 4 Bobolink and promptly got stuck in the mud! They were able to get out, but it was a close call. Thankfully, Rudolf and Garry were able to carry on towards Waterhen Bay, where they recorded many species of waterfowl including 40 Mallards, 28 Western Grebes, and 123 Pelicans. The final route of the Blitz for these two took them down Road 82 N and route 430, where they encountered 23 Cedar Waxwings, and 38 Barn Swallows.  

Large groups of swooping swallows were a common sight for most groups on this blitz. Photo by Marissa. 

Overall, it was a great morning of birding, with a total of 122 species identified and 6155 individuals. A full species list is included below. A huge thank you to all our volunteers who made it out for this event; it wouldn’t have been possible without you! This event was also made possible by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Fund. As always, if you’re interested in participating in similar events in the future, send me an email at iba@naturemanitoba.ca! 

-Mackenzie 

Our incredible Delta Marsh volunteers! Photo by Marissa.

Species	Sum of Count
Alder Flycatcher	1
American Bittern	2
American Crow	35
American Goldfinch	53
American Herring Gull	18
American Kestrel	25
American Robin	39
American White Pelican	207
Baird’s Sandpiper	7
Bald Eagle	13
Baltimore Oriole	3
Bank Swallow	77
Barn Swallow	239
Barn Swallow (American)	83
Black Tern	21
Black-and-white Warbler	1
Black-billed Magpie	20
Black-capped Chickadee	4
Blue Jay	7
Blue-winged Teal	1
Bobolink	49
Bonaparte’s Gull	4
Brewer’s Blackbird	205
Broad-winged Hawk	1
Brown Thrasher	1
Brown-headed Cowbird	29
Canada Goose	120
Canvasback	1
Cedar Waxwing	77
Chipping Sparrow	7
Clay-colored Sparrow	40
Cliff Swallow	220
Common Grackle	157
Common Raven	9
Common Tern	1
Common Yellowthroat	3
Double-crested Cormorant	4
Downy Woodpecker	1
Eastern Bluebird	6
Eastern Kingbird	290
Eastern Phoebe	5
Eastern Wood-Pewee	4
European Starling	72
Forster’s Tern	58
Franklin’s Gull	489
Gadwall	5
Gray Catbird	15
Great Blue Heron	3
Great Crested Flycatcher	3
Greater Yellowlegs	14
Hairy Woodpecker	3
Hooded Merganser	5
Horned Lark	1
House Sparrow	4
Hudsonian Godwit	53
Killdeer	25
Lark Sparrow	2
Least Flycatcher	11
Least Sandpiper	164
LeConte’s Sparrow	1
Lesser Yellowlegs	30
Long-billed Dowitcher	1
Mallard	71
Marbled Godwit	27
Marsh Wren	1
Merlin	6
Merlin (Prairie)	1
Mourning Dove	217
Nelson’s Sparrow	1
new world sparrow sp.	60
Northern Flicker	1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)	8
Northern Harrier	21
Northern House Wren	5
Orchard Oriole	2
Pectoral Sandpiper	7
peep sp.	40
Pied-billed Grebe	4
Pine Siskin	1
Purple Finch	2
Purple Martin	87
Red-eyed Vireo	6
Redhead	1
Red-headed Woodpecker	2
Red-necked Phalarope	9
Red-tailed Hawk	52
Red-winged Blackbird	365
Ring-billed Gull	693
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)	15
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird	1
Ruddy Turnstone	1
Sanderling	4
Savannah Sparrow	42
Sedge Wren	3
Semipalmated Plover	51
Semipalmated Sandpiper	22
Short-billed Dowitcher	6
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher	1
Song Sparrow	26
Spotted Sandpiper	6
Sprague’s Pipit	3
Stilt Sandpiper	5
swallow sp.	240
Tree Swallow	172
Turkey Vulture	3
Veery	1
Vesper Sparrow	13
Warbling Vireo	10
Western Grebe	29
Western Kingbird	20
Western Meadowlark	23
White-breasted Nuthatch	1
White-throated Sparrow	3
Willet	1
Wilson’s Phalarope	4
Wilson’s Snipe	2
Wood Duck	3
Yellow Warbler	21
Yellow Warbler (Northern)	32
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker	3
Yellow-headed Blackbird	645
Grand Total	6155
Species Total	122

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!