Spring migration is in full swing, and we’re in full preparation mode for the upcoming field season. Up first, we’ve got two exciting shorebird events to announce!
The first is a shorebird identification talk on Friday, May 17 at 7 pm, organized by Westman Naturalists. Gillian and Gwyn Richards, both incredible birders, will be giving a presentation on how to identify shorebird species commonly seen in southwestern MB! This is a hybrid event, so if you aren’t in the Brandon area you can still attend. The in-person presentation will be at Brandon University (Brodie Building Room 3-47). The virtual option will be on Zoom. To register and for more information, please visit the Westman Naturalists website: https://westman-naturalists.github.io/events.html
The second is a shorebird identification workshop on Saturday, May 25 at 9 am, outdoors in southwestern MB. As shorebirds migrate through, it can be hard to predict when and where they will be found in good numbers. We will determine the exact location closer to the date, but we hope to hold this event within 30 minutes of Brandon. To register, please email iba@naturemanitoba.ca.
We’ve got a summer full of exciting events and volunteer opportunities in store. We will be announcing more dates next week, so stay tuned.
In case you haven’t seen it yet, the Manitoba IBA program now has an Instagram page. Our username is @manitobaiba, give us a follow!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, for those keeping track of the annual COSEWIC status reports! COSEWIC (Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada) is an independent advisory panel that provides information to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change in Canada. This group of experts is responsible for identifying and assessing the conservation status of wildlife species across Canada.
Each year, these committees meet, assess, and determine the urgency rankings of wildlife species across Canada and rank them into different categories: not at risk, special concern, threatened, endangered, or extirpated. Species are also designated by priority categories of high, mid, and low, prior to COSEWIC assessment. Our last COSEWIC blog update was in 2020, so this post will include any changes in species found in Manitoba that occurred since then.
Short-eared Owl
As of 2021, the status of Short-eared Owls has been changed from Special Concern to Threatened by COSEWIC. This change in status is attributed to loss of nesting and wintering habitat, causing population declines. Observations of Short-eared Owls have been reported in the Oak Hammock Marsh and Saskatchewan River Delta IBAs. There have also been some observations at Delta Marsh and North, East, and West Shoal Lakes IBAs.
The Ferruginous Hawk was previously assessed as Threatened by COSEWIC, but was changed to Special Concern in 2021. Recent trends in this species indicate populations are slowly growing despite ongoing habitat loss. Ferruginous Hawks can be seen in grassland areas of Manitoba including the Southwestern Manitoba Mixed Grass Prairie and Whitewater Lake IBAs. A few observations have also been recorded around the Oak Lake/Plum Lakes IBA.
In 2021, this species was reassessed from Threatened to Endangered by COSEWIC, due to their small breeding population and low breeding success in Canada. Ross’s Gull can be seen around Whitewater Lake IBA during migration. Chances of seeing Ross’s Gull elsewhere in Manitoba are very limited due to their preference for arctic habitats.
In 2022, COSEWIC reassessed the status of the Bobolink to Special Concern, from Threatened. This change in assessment is due to a slower rate of population decline than previously believed. Bobolinks can be seen in many IBAs in Manitoba, including the Southwestern Manitoba Mixed Grass Prairie, Oak Hammock Marsh, Whitewater Lake, and Delta Marsh to name a few. Based on eBird, Bobolinks are frequently in many areas across Manitoba.
In 2022, the Eastern Whip-poor-will was reassessed as Special Concern from Threatened by COSEWIC. This change in designation is based on indications that their populations are stabilizing and possibly increasing. Chances of observing this bird are very low, as they are cryptic and nocturnal. However, you are much more likely to hear this bird and its distinctive, repetitive “Whip-poor-will” call. Eastern Whip-poor-wills have been noted around the Delta Marsh and North, East, and West Shoal Lakes IBAs in Manitoba.
The latest round of COSEWIC assessments took place in December 2023. During this round, both the Yellow Rail and Horned Grebe were re-evaluated, and both stayed in their original category of Special Concern.
The next round of assessments is scheduled for April 2024 and will include the Least Bittern (currently Threatened), the Short-billed Dowitcher (not yet assessed), and the Long-billed Curlew (currently Special Concern but considered extirpated in Manitoba). The full schedule can be found here: Status reports in preparation (cosewic.ca)
This fall was a gorgeous and warm one to get out in nature. Luckily, our dedicated volunteers and staff were able to get out before the weather turned, to conduct our annual fall International Shorebird Surveys (ISS) within the province. These ISS surveys allow us to obtain data and track long-term global trends of shorebird populations. The fall survey period goes from July 11 until October 25 each year.
Within the province of Manitoba, we survey 4 IBAs using the ISS protocol. They include Whitewater Lake; North, East, and West Shoal Lakes; Oak Lake/Plum Lakes; and Oak Hammock Marsh. Each IBA has pre-set routes. Whitewater Lake has a total of 8 routes including 4 on the east side of the lake, 3 on the west side of the lake, as well as a stationary route. North, East and West Shoal Lakes IBA has 4 routes around the lakes, and a stationary route. Oak Lake/Plum Lakes has 5 routes, 2 of which are stationary.
We try to survey each route 3 times in the spring and 3 times in the fall, though sometimes the weather and road conditions impact how many routes can be accessed. While all species observed during the surveys can be recorded, only shorebird observations are included in this roundup.
Whitewater Lake
Species
Total # of Individuals
American Avocet
156
American Golden Plover
150
Baird’s Sandpiper
9
Black-bellied Plover
23
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
4
Dunlin
3
Greater Yellowlegs
38
Hudsonian Godwit
1
Killdeer
103
Least Sandpiper
42
Lesser Yellowlegs
139
Long-billed Dowitcher
24
Marbled Godwit
81
Pectoral Sandpiper
15
Plover sp.
1
Semipalmated Sandpiper
1
Shorebird sp.
25
Short-billed Dowitcher
1
Short/Long-billed Dowitcher
207
Spotted Sandpiper
2
Stilt Sandpiper
41
Upland Sandpiper
6
White-rumped Sandpiper
10
Willet
31
Wilson’s Phalarope
71
Total
1184
Total # of species
25
Whitewater Lake was visited 8 times during the fall ISS period. Routes E1 and E3 were each visited only once. E2 was visited twice. Sexton’s Point was visited 3 times. W1 was visited 4 times. Lastly, W2 and W3 were visited 6 times each. The most abundant species seen at Whitewater Lake this fall were Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitchers. These species are grouped, as differences can be very difficult to distinguish. There were also abundant numbers of American Avocets, American Golden Plovers, and Lesser Yellowlegs.
A big thank you to Gillian Richards, Glennis Lewis, Carson Kearns, Bonnie Johnston, Joan Carritt, Tharina Uys, Darrell Robinson, Madelyn Robinson, Margret Robinson, Carson Kearns, Garry Budyk, John Weier, Marissa Berard and Aynsley Woods for monitoring Whitewater Lake!
North, East, and West Shoal Lakes
Species
Total # of Individuals
Dunlin
1
Greater Yellowlegs
19
Killdeer
2
Least Sandpiper
5
Lesser Yellowlegs
4
Long-billed Dowitcher
1
Pectoral Sandpiper
10
Peep sp.
1
Red-necked Phalarope
12
Semipalmated Plover
1
Short-billed Dowitcher
3
Short/Long-billed Dowitcher
6
Solitary Sandpiper
1
Spotted Sandpiper
5
Wilson’s Snipe
25
Total
96
Total # of species
15
North, East, and West Shoal Lakes were visited 4 times during the fall migration period. Each route was visited 3 times. The most numerous species seen at this IBA were Wilson’s Snipe and Greater Yellowlegs.
A big thank you to Cameron Tramley, Tim Poole, Bonnie Chartier, Gwen Armbruster, and Peter Douglas for monitoring this IBA!
Oak Lake/Plum Lakes
Species
Total # of Individuals
American Avocet
2
Baird’s Sandpiper
1
Greater Yellowlegs
11
Killdeer
10
Lesser Yellowlegs
12
Pectoral Sandpiper
19
Peep sp.
8
Semipalmated Plover
2
Semipalmated Sandpiper
1
Shorebird sp.
19
Solitary Sandpiper
2
Spotted Sandpiper
3
Willet
2
Wilson’s Snipe
3
Total
95
Total Number of species
14
Oak Lake/Plum Lakes was visited 3 times this fall. Routes 1 and 2 were visited 3 times each. Routes 3 and 4 were each visited once, while Route 5 was inaccessible due to water levels. A total of 95 shorebirds were observed here this fall, with the most frequent species observed being Pectoral Sandpipers.
A very big thank you to Gillian Richards, Matt Gasner, Aynsley Woods and Marissa Berard for surveying this IBA!
Oak Hammock Marsh
Species
Total # of Individuals
Greater Yellowlegs
16
Killdeer
71
Least Sandpiper
12
Lesser Yellowlegs
1
Pectoral Sandpiper
1
Semipalmated Sandpiper
5
Shorebird sp.
1
Solitary Sandpiper
5
Willet
1
Wilson’s Phalarope
1
Wilson’s Snipe
9
Total
123
Total # of species
11
Oak Hammock Marsh was visited 3 times over the fall migration. Routes 2 and 3 were both surveyed twice. Route 1 was surveyed 3 times. Killdeer were the most abundant species seen in the marsh.
A very big thank you to Cameron Tramley, Tim Poole, Bonnie Chartier, Peter Douglas, and Aynsley Woods!
Based on the summaries above, unsurprisingly Whitewater Lake had the most species and individuals observed, with 1184 individuals and 25 species. Oak Lake/Plum Lakes had the least number of individuals observed (n=95). Oak Hammock Marsh had the least number of species observed, with 11 species.
Once again, we would like to thank all our volunteers for their amazing generosity and commitment to helping us complete our work! Without them we would not be able to complete these surveys that contribute to accurately tracking shorebird populations. If you are interested in volunteering for our 2024 International Shorebird Surveys, we will be looking for volunteers. Email iba@naturemanitoba.ca for more information.
On September 9th, the Manitoba IBA program held a Red-headed Woodpecker (RHWO) Blitz in the North, East and West Shoal Lakes IBA. Back in July, IBA program staff conducted Red-headed Woodpecker surveys in this area and observed a total of 14 adult Red-headed Woodpeckers. We were not sure how many Red-headed Woodpeckers would still be around, especially as many species seem to be migrating a week or two earlier than usual this year.
Our blitz was divided into 3 groups of 3 people. Just like our Oak Lake blitz, each group was given an area within the IBA to cover with suggested survey routes to follow. Below is a map of our group areas:
Originally, we were going to have four groups but we ended up having three groups instead, so Group 1 covered both the ‘Group 1’ and ‘Group 2’ areas on the map, in the southern and western portion of the IBA. This group was made up of Marissa, Arianne and AJ. This group saw 2 juvenile Red-headed Woodpeckers in the ‘Group 2’ area.
Group 3 included Bonnie, Gwen, and Catherine. They saw a lot of activity from many birds including Mallards, Pine Siskins, Sandhill Cranes. They saw 1 juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker along their route.
Group 4 included Carson, Dries and Janice. They observed a total of 3 juvenile Red-headed Woodpeckers in addition to many other species.
After a full morning of blitzing and birding, our group met for lunch at Rosie’s Café in Inwood to fuel up and share about our mornings. The consensus was that while it seems that most of the Red-headed Woodpeckers had already left the area to migrate, it was a beautiful morning with lots of bird activity overall.
In total, we observed 6 juvenile Red-headed Woodpeckers during the blitz followed by 2 more (1 adult and 1 juvenile) on the way home after the blitz. In addition to 58 species, and 1,080 individuals. Below is a recap of all species observed. A big thank you to our volunteers Bonnie Chartier, Gwen Armbruster, Catherine Copp, Carson Kearns, Dries Desender, Janice Thordarson, Arianne Ruff, and AJ Bhuiyan for participating to count this important species at risk!
The Manitoba IBA program held a Red-headed Woodpecker blitz in the Oak Lake/Plum Lakes IBA on Saturday, July 15th. This is the third consecutive year that we blitz this IBA for Red-headed Woodpeckers (RHWO). Although windy, our 5 groups all managed to spot some Red-headed Woodpeckers.
Our blitzing group was comprised of 11 people, split up into 5 groups for maximum coverage of the IBA. Each group was assigned an area, two of which included a pre-determined survey route. Below is a map of the areas covered:
The wind was strong, as it seems to often be in the Oak Lake area. Thankfully, that didn’t stop us from finding Red-headed Woodpeckers.
Group 1 was comprised of Gillian, Kathryn and Leah. Their area was in the southeast portion of the IBA and included a survey route. They found two pairs of Red-headed Woodpeckers (4 RHWO total).
Group 2 covered the central portion of the IBA and was made up of Glennis, Sandy and Carson. Their area also included a survey route. During the blitz, they managed to count 14 Red-headed Woodpeckers!!!
Group 3 consisted of Katharine and Lee Ann. Their area did not include a survey route, so they focused their birding in areas of suitable habitat. They counted 4 Red-headed Woodpeckers. They also saw a Loggerhead Shrike, which is quite exciting.
Group 4 was made up of Tom and Renee, who covered the area north of Highway 1. They counted 1 Red-headed Woodpecker.
Group 5, comprised of me (Marissa), covered the southwest portion of the IBA. At my first stop, I saw a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers in a stand of dying aspen trees. I didn’t see any more during the rest of my blitz, so the total for group 5 amounted to 2 RHWO. Unfortunately, on the way back to Oak Lake Beach to meet with the rest of the groups, I found a dead RHWO on the road that must have been hit by a car. It was a good reminder to be aware of wildlife, including birds, while driving. On a more positive note, one of my personal highlights of the morning was spotting a beautiful Eastern Bluebird, on the way home after the blitz.
After the blitz, we all met up at the Oak Lake Marina for some snacks and to share with each other about our mornings. At this point, the wind had really picked up, and we could barely hear each other talk! Thankfully, Leah is from the Oak Lake area and was able to show us a better spot that was more sheltered from the wind. We moved locations to the park, and set up at a picnic table that was much more sheltered. As a bonus, an Eastern Wood-Pewee was singing away right by our picnic table! This bird was very photogenic and certainly not camera-shy. It remained on a branch singing loudly, perched right in perfect view!
In total, we saw 25 Red-headed Woodpeckers during the blitz. A summary of all the species identified can be found below. We saw a total of 84 species (plus blackbird sp. and small falcon sp.) and a total of 1,907 individuals. Thank you to Gillian Richards, Kathryn Hyndman, Glennis Lewis, Sandy Hominick, Renee Will, Tom Will, Carson Kearns, Katharine Schulz, Lee Ann, and Leah Lees for joining me to count this species at risk!
This past Saturday, August 12th, we ran our first weed pull at the Riverton Sandy Bar since 2021. Last year, the water levels on Lake Winnipeg were so high that the Sandy Bar was underwater – instead, we ended up doing a purple loosestrife pull at Oak Hammock Marsh, and shoreline clean-ups at Delta Beach and Lockport. This year, the water levels cooperated and we were able to do a weed pull once again. The purpose of our weed pulls is to restore habitat for Piping Plovers (an Endangered species) as well as other shorebirds, gulls and terns. The Riverton Sandy Bar was designated as a Special Conservation Area because Piping Plovers have nested here in the past. Piping Plovers prefer open sandy areas to nest, so by removing the vegetation, we hope that one day these birds will nest in this area once again.
Thank you to Joanne, Allan, Lynn, Judy, Lorraine, and Carson, for joining Aynsley and I to pull weeds for the Piping Plovers!
Our weed pull events are notorious for attracting interesting weather. On the drive there, many of us encountered pockets of pouring rain… Fortunately, though ominous rain clouds often surrounded us throughout the morning, the rain never reached us. The cool dry weather (around 15 degrees) ended up being perfect for pulling weeds.
We met in the parking lot bright and early, at 8 am. After chatting and fuelling up on snacks and coffee, we began the approximately 1 km trek to the weed pull area. We loaded up a wagon with the essentials (coffee!!!), which was quite easy to pull along the packed wet sand. Our group took turns teaming up to carry the wagon over a few more challenging sections of terrain.
Once arrived, we got to work. The main type of vegetation we were pulling was the invasive Sweet Clover, which is quite easy to pull and makes for a satisfying experience. From our starting point, volunteers spread out in different directions – some worked towards the southwest, while others worked towards the northeast. Throughout the morning, our group shared lots of stories, jokes and laughter. What a lovely way to connect, while contributing to conservation.
All in all, we managed to remove 20 full bags of weeds from the Sandy Bar! It was very satisfying to see the clear difference in the amount of vegetation after our hard work, compared to before. Though many of us felt like we could have continued to weed all day (it’s so hard to stop once you start), we wrapped up around noon.
While pulling weeds, we also had our eyes and ears open for birds. Highlights included a Bald Eagle flying around in the distance, pelicans, and Semipalmated Sandpipers. After the pull, Joanne went for a walk to the end of the spit for some extra birding. She compiled our bird sightings for the morning into an eBird checklist – thanks Joanne!!
Here is the full species list:
Species
Count
Canada Goose
42
Mallard
8
Green-winged Teal
12
Semipalmated Plover
1
Baird’s Sandpiper
4
Least Sandpiper
3
Semipalmated Sandpiper
24
Greater Yellowlegs
3
Lesser Yellowlegs
4
Bonaparte’s Gull
3
Ring-billed Gull
21
Herring Gull
2
Common Loon
1
Double-crested Cormorant
11
American White Pelican
24
Northern Harrier
2
Bald Eagle
6
Merlin
1
Eastern Kingbird
1
American Crow
2
Tree Swallow
1
Barn Swallow
1
Marsh Wren
2
Gray Catbird
1
Cedar Waxwing
4
Song Sparrow
2
Swamp Sparrow
1
Yellow Warbler
6
Total # of species
28
Total # of individuals
193
This event was funded by Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Fund.
Thanks again to our volunteers, we couldn’t do this without you! If you have any questions or if you would be interested in participating in events like this in the future, you can get on our mailing list by emailing iba@naturemanitoba.ca!
This past weekend, we ran our second ‘Purple Loosestrife Pull’ at Oak Hammock Marsh IBA. Our group of 15 met outside of the Harry J. Enns Wetland Discovery Centre at 10 am. Once we got organized, did some introductions, and handed out some outreach materials, we headed out to the stand which is about a 15-minute drive away, on the eastern edge of the WMA. The sun was hot, but thankfully there was a nice breeze once we got to our destination. Our group spent the next few hours building connections, beating the heat with some cool refreshments, and successfully removing a full truckload of Purple Loosestrife. A huge thank you to Judy, Lorraine, Jon, Amanda, Cindy, Alain, Josh, Salem, Hayden, Lifa, Kenzy, Mariam and Gus for coming out and helping Aynsley and I with this important work!
Purple Loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), recognizable by its bright pink-purple flowers and square, woody stem, is an invasive plant that is rapidly spreading throughout North America. First having arrived in the early 1800s, this plant is thought to have been transported here in the soil of ballast water on European ships, as well as by being deliberately planted by European settlers. Its dense root systems crowd out native plant species, resulting in lower biodiversity and degraded habitat for birds and other animals. Even though this plant has many negative effects on our natural ecosystems, it can still be found planted in gardens and sold in garden centres. More in-depth information on Purple Loosestrife can be found on the Invasive Species Centre website: https://www.invasivespeciescentre.ca/invasive-species/meet-the-species/invasive-plants/purple-loosestrife/
When a stand of purple loosestrife was first confirmed on the eastern edge of Oak Hammock Marsh in July 2022, the Manitoba IBA program decided to work to prevent the spread of this invasive species by organizing our first ‘Purple Loosestrife Pull’ in September 2022. Oak Hammock Marsh provides valuable habitat for a variety of wetland and grassland birds, so protecting it from the threat of purple loosestrife is important.
While completely removing this stand would be difficult and would require a lot of resources, our approach is one of “damage control” – to limit its spread as much as we can. In general, the best time to remove invasive plants is when they are flowering but before they have gone to seed, to avoid spreading more seed in the process of removing them. Because some of the Purple Loosestrife had started to go to seed, we did not fully pull the plants. Instead, working in small groups, we would place the top of the plants (with the flowers and seeds) in a garbage bag to trap all the seeds, and cut the plant at the base. By cutting the plants and putting them in garbage bags, we are preventing a massive number of seeds from being dispersed into the area and growing into full plants in the future. One plant can spread up to 2 million seeds per year, so removing them before they are able to spread them is key!
Below is a photo of our group along with the results of our day’s work – As I mentioned at the start of this blog post, we removed enough Purple Loosestrife to completely fill up the back of my pickup truck! Once again, a massive thank you goes to our incredible volunteers.
Interested in helping with our stewardship work? We will be at the Riverton Sandy Bar this coming Saturday, August 12th to protect Piping Plover habitat by pulling weeds. We will get started at 8 am. If you are interested in participating, send me an email at iba@naturemanitoba.ca!
The Manitoba IBA program is looking for volunteers for our upcoming events, including a purple loosestrife pull at Oak Hammock Marsh, a weed pull at Riverton Sandy Bar, and a bird blitz at Whitewater Lake. Keep reading for more details. The more the merrier!
Purple Loosestrife Pull – Saturday, August 5th
We organized our first Purple Loosestrife pull last September, after a stand of Purple Loosestrife (an invasive wetland plant) was discovered on the east side of Oak Hammock Marsh. Join us again this year to protect the wetland habitat at Oak Hammock Marsh on Saturday, August 5th from 10 am – 2 pm. Snacks and refreshments will be provided.
Sandy Bar Weed Pull – Saturday, August 12th
We will be meeting at the Riverton Sandy Bar on Saturday, August 12th from 8 am – 12 pm, to remove weeds and restore habitat for Piping Plovers and other shorebirds. Snacks and refreshments will be provided. We were unable to run our annual weed pulls last year because of the very high water levels on Lake Winnipeg, so it will be great to get out to this spot again!
Whitewater Lake Blitz – Sunday, August 27th
Join us for a bird blitz at Whitewater Lake on Sunday, August 27th, starting at 8:30 am. We will be focusing on counting shorebirds, but there will be many other birds to see as well! Snacks and refreshments will be provided at the end of the morning. Carpooling from Winnipeg or Brandon may be available.
To sign up for these events or for more information, you can email me at iba@naturemanitoba.ca
This past spring our wonderful volunteers and Manitoba IBA staff conducted International Shorebird Surveys (ISS) within the province. Started by Manomet, the goal of these surveys is to track long-term global shorebird trends. Spring International Shorebird Surveys are conducted annually between April 1st and June 15th, with the peak of the season occurring between April 24th and May 16th.
In Manitoba, four of our IBAs are surveyed using the ISS protocol: Whitewater Lake; North, East, and West Shoal Lakes; Oak Lake/Plum Lakes; and Oak Hammock Marsh. Within each site, there are pre-set routes. Whitewater Lake has four routes on the east side of the lake, three on the west side and one stationary route. Oak Lake/Plum Lakes has five routes, two of which are stationary. Oak Hammock Marsh has three routes, although one was not accessible this year due to high water levels. Finally, North, East and West Shoal Lakes IBA has four routes around the lakes. We try to survey each route three times in the spring and three times in the fall. While all species observed can be recorded, only shorebird observations are included in this roundup.
Last year, many areas were flooded and water levels were higher than the norm. This year however, much of the usual preferred habitat was drier than usual, while some areas were inaccessible due to flooding. These conditions in addition to a late spring created an interesting survey period. Below is a summary of the results from the spring survey period.
Whitewater Lake
2023 Spring Whitewater Lake Shorebird Counts
Species
Total # of Individuals
Proportion of Individuals (%)
American Avocet
45
4
American Golden Plover
16
1
Baird’s Sandpiper
24
2
Black-bellied Plover
65
6
Dunlin
17
1
Killdeer
17
1
Least Sandpiper
316
27
Lesser Yellowlegs
180
16
Marbled Godwit
9
1
Pectoral Sandpiper
3
0
Red-necked Phalarope
17
1
Ruddy Turnstone
7
1
Sanderling
10
1
Semipalmated Plover
1
0
Semipalmated Sandpiper
304
26
Short-billed Dowitcher
3
0
Spotted Sandpiper
1
0
Stilt Sandpiper
26
2
Upland Sandpiper
3
0
White-rumped Sandpiper
4
0
Willet
11
1
Wilson’s Phalarope
78
7
Total
1157
100
Total Number of species
22
Data based on 16 surveys.
Whitewater Lake was visited four times during the spring ISS period. Route E1 was surveyed once. Routes E2, E3, W1 were each surveyed twice. Lastly, routes W2, W3, and Sexton (the stationary spot) were each surveyed three times. Large numbers of Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers were observed during the spring migration, as well as numerous Lesser Yellowlegs, Wilson’s Phalarope, and Black-bellied Plovers.
A big thank you to Carson Kearns, Colin Blyth, Duane Diehl, Gillian Richards, Jackie Dixon, Kathryn Hyndman, Tim Poole, Veronica White, Cam Tramley, Baylana Hiebert, and the Westman Naturalists for monitoring Whitewater Lake!
Oak Lake/Plum Lakes
2023 Spring OPL Shorebird Counts
Species
Total # of Individuals
Proportion of Individuals (%)
American Avocet
2
4
Killdeer
10
19
Least Sandpiper
2
4
Marbled Godwit
1
2
Shorebird sp.
6
11
Spotted Sandpiper
4
7
Willet
2
4
Wilson’s Phalarope
27
50
Total
54
100
Total Species
8
Data based on 3 surveys.
Oak Lake/Plum Lakes was visited once this season. Routes 1, 2, 3 and 4 were all surveyed. Route 5 was not surveyed due to the roads being flooded. The most numerous species seen at Oak Lake/Plum Lakes was Wilson’s Phalarope and Killdeer, with one Marbled Godwit sighting.
A big thank you to Amanda Shave and Shannon Landels for making it out to this site!
North, East, and West Shoal Lakes
2023 Spring North, East and West Shoal Lakes Shorebird Counts
Species
Total # of Individuals
Proportion of Individuals (%)
Greater Yellowlegs
2
3
Hudsonian Godwit
5
8
Killdeer
18
29
Lesser Yellowlegs
11
17
Marbled Godwit
6
10
Solitary Sandpiper
1
2
Spotted Sandpiper
15
24
Willet
2
3
Wilson’s Phalarope
1
2
Wilson’s Snipe
11
17
Total
72
114
Total Species
10
Data based on 11 surveys.
North, East and West Shoal Lakes was surveyed on four occasions this spring season. Routes 1, 2 and the campground stationary route were each surveyed once. Routes 3 and 2 were surveyed 4 times each. The most numerous shorebirds seen were Lesser Yellowlegs and Spotted Sandpipers, with some sightings of Hudsonian and Marbled Godwits.
A big thank you to Bonnie Chartier, Mike Karakas, Tami Reynolds, Jo Swartz, Betsy Thorsteinson, Tim Poole, Veronica White and Cam Tramley for monitoring the North, East and West Shoal Lakes!
Oak Hammock Marsh
2023 Spring OHM Shorebird Counts
Species
Total # of Individuals
Proportion of Individuals (%)
Hudsonian Godwit
6
14
Killdeer
20
45
Marbled Godwit
5
11
Peep sp.
2
5
Semipalmated Sandpiper
2
5
Short-billed Dowitcher
1
2
Spotted Sandpiper
3
7
Willet
3
7
Wilson’s Snipe
2
5
Total
44
100
Total Species
9
Data based on 12 surveys.
Oak Hammock Marsh was visited a total of four times, with all routes being surveyed each visit. The most numerous shorebird seen was Killdeer. There was one sighting of a Semipalmated Sandpiper, as well as other peeps.
A big thank you to Amanda Shave, Tami Reynolds, Mike Karakas, Tim Poole, Veronica White, and Aynsley Woods for monitoring Oak Hammock Marsh.
Based on the above summaries, it is clear the drier weather and late spring in Manitoba affected the spring ISS monitoring season. All four of the IBAs monitored showed low numbers similar to the last few years, as the past few years have also had weather influences. Like last year, Whitewater Lake had the greatest number of individuals and species, compared to the other IBAs.
Summaries like this one are possible due to the time and effort put in by our volunteers, so a very big thank you goes out again to all who went out and monitored this spring!If you are interested in volunteering for our fall International Shorebird Surveys, we are looking for volunteers. Our fall ISS period runs from July 11th – October 25th, 2023. Email iba@naturemanitoba.ca for more information.
On Saturday June 17th, the Manitoba IBA program led a bird walk at the Oak Hammock Marsh IBA. Our group of 8 met in the parking lot of the Harry J. Enns Interpretive Centre at 10am. Marissa, our coordinator, led our voyage! I (Aynsley) was also there to assist. Before embarking on our journey, we spoke with Paula, Oak Hammock Marsh’s Resident Naturalist and IBA Steering Committee Member. She informed us that the trails were in good condition, and that there is a variety of birds around due to the late migratory season. Our group consisted of a mix of intermediate and beginner birders! With the sun shining and the birds chirping, we set off on our adventure.
The walk began along the Killdeer Trail, where we stopped near the dock to look out at the nesting island. Here we saw a few duck species including Blue-winged Teal and Mallard. We also saw a few shorebirds including Spotted Sandpipers and a Killdeer. We continued our walk turning down the Duck Pond Trail. Along this trail we made a few stops pointing out some Clay-coloured Sparrows, a Yellow-headed Blackbird, a Western Meadowlark, some Red-winged Blackbirds, and more!
We continued our walk stopping at the scrape. Here we saw some Canada Geese with dozens of fluffy yellow goslings, some nesting Barn Swallows, a pair of Trumpeter Swans, some Lesser Yellowlegs, a Green-winged Teal, and more! The Shorebird Scrape at Oak Hammock Marsh is an important area for shorebirds as well as other birds. It is a shallow depression where water collects and slowly dries over the summer creating prime muddy and shallow water habitat for foraging shorebirds. By having the scrape in the marsh, it allows the area to stay wetter and muddier longer throughout the summer. These areas do require some yearly maintenance to keep down tall vegetation, which is less attractive to shorebirds.
We turned around and headed down the Harrier Trail. We didn’t see too much down this trail, but we spotted a Clay-coloured Sparrow. Our group continued and decided to take a short break at the benches near the cabin. While sitting and enjoying the beautiful morning, we spent some time observing a very photogenic Tree Swallow.
At this point in the morning, it was beginning to get quite warm out. A few members of our group headed inside to cool off, while the remainder of our group decided to take a walk down the Boardwalk. Along the Boardwalk we heard a Sedge Wren, a Common Yellowthroat, and saw some more Red-winged Blackbirds. We turned around and finished our walk back at the parking lot near the Harry J. Enns Interpretive Centre.
Overall, the weather and trails were awesome and there was a great variety of birds to be seen! A big thank you to everyone who came out! The full checklist of species can be found below: