by Marshall Birch

Note: Cursed once again by the ol’ oops-we-had-the-camera-stuck-on-“video” problem, but this time we got a few of our own photos, so we’re only partially relying on Christian Artuso’s.

On May 18th, Tim and myself headed West towards Proven Lake IBA, where we would meet with a local landowner who was to help us explore the area. Whilst attempting to decide upon the most efficient route, we realized we were not far from Big Grass Marsh, a Game Bird Refuge that also happens to have been designated an Important Bird Area under the title Langruth – RM of Lakeview.

Big Grass Marsh location, with RMNP at top-left and Winnipeg at bottom-right.

Due to time constants, we were unable to do any hunting for special access points or any of that business, but lucky for us there happens to be a gravel road (Highway 265) that runs between the towns of Langruth and Plumas, and right through the marsh. This road provides easily accessible and rewarding birding right from the roadside, even just for a drive-through.

Red-tailed Hawk in Langruth, not far from the IBA. © Tim Poole

The side-trip began with a fine sign of things to come – a large Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a pole overlooking a field of Robins off the side of the road in Langruth. We followed Highway 265 towards Plumas until we were fairly certain we had entered the IBA and began counting. As expected, waterfowl were the main attraction here – Canada Geese, Blue-winged Teals, Northern Shovelers, Redheads, Gadwalls, Coots, and over 100 Mallards, to name a few.

Northern Shoveler having a swim. © Tim Poole

Other species of note included Sora, Red-necked and Pie-billed Grebes, an assortment of Sparrows, Marsh Wren, Baltimore Oriole, Killdeer, Virginia Rail, Wilson’s Snipe, Ring-billed Gull, American Goldfinch, and Yellow-headed, Brewer’s, and Red-winged Blackbirds (140 of the latter). Along the way there was also an old bridge swarmed by over 200 Cliff Swallows, along with a decent number of Bank Swallows.

A look out at part of the marsh. © Tim Poole

Big Grassy Marsh itself consists of various habitats – marsh, tall-grass prairie, woodlands, lakes, and scrub, surrounded by Southern Manitoba’s ubiquitous agricultural land. Even on a short drive through, the heterogeneity of the site was clear, giving a quick sampling of many of the province’s most valuable birding habitats. Manmade drainage ditches and dykes are evident, remnants of work thats been going on in the area over the past century – from draining for agricultural use in the early 1900’s, to restoration projects beginning in the late 1930’s (Ducks Unlimited’s first restoration project in Canada, as a matter of fact).

An American Coot, looking a tad somber. © Christian Artuso

Though it has in the past been called one of North America’s most important waterfowl staging areas, public awareness and attention to the site has waned in recent years. Little data exists regarding species populations over the past twenty years, though there is evidence that populations of some species, such as the Sandhill Crane and the Franklin’s Gull, have drastically fallen. It is likely that agricultural practices have had the largest impact on the area.

Killdeer often nest on the gravelly edges of roads just like Highway 265. © Christian Artuso

There is a bright future for the marsh, however. People are once again focusing on the natural importance of the area. New conservation agreements, signed in 2014, will give the marsh increased protection, and plans are being worked out to promote the area as an ecotourism destination, including hiking trails around Jackfish Lake, the largest of the area’s three lakes. For the average birder, the site provides an array of different habitats, all boasting high numbers of various species, and suitable for various abilities, from those who want a gentle drive through the country to those who want a more adventurous journey deeper into the marsh.

by Marshall Birch

NOTE: Being the tech-savvy wizards we are, the camera got set to “video” for this whole trip, so rather than photos of species sightings, we wound up with videos of reeds, with ourselves muttering in the background. I’ve included some of Christian Artuso’s great photos of some of the species we encountered, and we can all pretend they were from our trip, right?

My first birding trip of the season was to be an adventurous one. The site was Proven Lake, a fairly rarely visited Important Bird Area and Wildlife Management Area just South of Riding Mountain National Park in Western Manitoba. Tim had arranged to meet up with Gord Hammel, a landowner in the area who happened to have a canoe and a good knowledge of wetland birds. Gord had spent a fair amount of time on the lake in the past – unfortunately it had been 40 years since his last trip there, so this was to be a learning experience for us all.

Proven Lake location, in relation to Winnipeg, Brandon, RMNP, & Lake Manitoba.

Since the IBA is without a caretaker and hadn’t been visited by the Manitoba IBA Program recently, the primary goal was just to check it out, assess the state of the area, species, and site visit viability. We only had time to explore one entrance point on this trip, though it provided some valuable insight into the area.

Lesser Scaup getting the heck outta there. © Christian Artuso

We followed Gord to a drainage canal which runs under Highway 10, loaded our binoculars and lunches into the canoe and set off towards the lake. Immediately we were greeted with an assortment of waterfowl – Blue-winged Teal, Mallard, Lesser Scaup, Shoveler, Coot, and Red-necked Grebe were all present along the first stretch. From the marshy edges Tim was picking out the calls of Song, Swamp, Clay-coloured, and Savannah Sparrows, and even I was able to identify the characteristic whinny of the Soras.

A puffy Swamp Sparrow looking a little sleepy. © Christian Artuso

Our first obstacle was a dyke which had been set up some time ago by Ducks Unlimited, complete with pumping station to help control water levels on the lake. For the most part, what we were able to access was largely a man-made habitat of dykes and canals. Entirely natural or not, this is excellent wildlife habitat. We heaved the canoe over the dyke and continued on, with sightings getting more frequent.

Forster’s Tern going in for the dive. © Christian Artuso

Franklin’s, Ring-billed, and Herring Gulls soared overhead, alongside Black, Common, and Forster’s Terns. Sedge and Marsh Wrens, as well as Orange-crowned and Yellow Warblers, were heard or seen flitting through the reeds. Blackbirds were abundant, with Yellow-headed ones surprisingly outnumbering the Red-winged as we got closer to the lake. The aforementioned duck species were joined by Canvasbacks, Redheads, Buffleheads, Ring-necked Ducks, Hooded Merganser, Green-winged Teals, and Canada Geese.

Hooded Merganser, showing off his flashy plumage. © Christian Artuso

Gord, with eyes nearly as fresh as ours to the area, discussed how things have changed over the years. The flora of the area had been altered, primarily by a new invasive species of reed which had become pervasive in the area. Along with other pressures, such as agricultural runoff and irrigation needs, this has impacted species sightings in the area. Most notably was a complete lack of Black-crowned Night Herons – the original IBA trigger species for the area. In fact, no Heron of any kind was seen on our trip, a troubling development, as historically Proven Lake has been home to many Herons.

A pair fo Redheads being buddies. © Christian Artuso

We pushed through some loose reeds into a marshy area that bordered the lake, marking our entrance spot with Gord’s sweater. As we paddled through the marsh we noticed there were branches sticking up through the water. Clearly this area at some point was entirely above water, and had been some sort of a semi-wooded thicket – another sign of a dynamic and changing wetland.

American Bittern in flight, as we first spotted ours. © Christian Artuso

Despite our best efforts, we were unable to push our canoe through the reeds to the open lake, and had to settle for the occasional peak over, spotting a few Cormorants and Pelicans. No worries, the marsh provided plenty of top-notch bird watching for one afternoon – Ruddy Duck, American Bittern, Marbled Godwit, Wilson’s Snipe, and American Goldfinch were all added to the day’s list.

Turkey Vulture in flight – a common sight on the way up to Proven Lake. © Christian Artuso

After lunch in the marsh, it was time to head back. Overhead we caught sight of a couple of Turkey Vultures, a Northern Harrier, and a Broad-winged Hawk, as well as a few Sandhill Cranes, who landed in the marsh and proceeded to hunch down on what may have been a nest.

Sandhill Cranes, securing the premises. © Christian Artuso

One last surprise awaited us en route back to the car. Shortly before we reached the highway, we saw something swimming in the water ahead of us. Tim was able to get a good look at it before it barked at us and disappeared under the water – a river otter, the first I’d ever encountered in Manitoba! A fine send-off from Proven Lake. We thanked Gord for his valuable help and knowledge, and headed on our way. A successful trip, it had definitely been proven to us that Proven Lake was a valuable site for many species, and would provide an excellent day of birding for those willing to do a little paddling.

This information on the summer bird census was included in Oak Hammock Marshes latest email update:

Each year, the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre conducts a series of surveys to count some of the animals found at the Marsh. Some surveys are done daily, some weekly and others annually.

Surveys are a great way to explore the Marsh, learn more about wetlands and animals, and get involved in conservation efforts.

The annual Summer Bird Census helps determine which species of birds nest at the marsh and is a great way to improve bird observation skills.

Teams of volunteers, consisting of one expert and some novices, walk a section of the dike system, recording everything seen and heard. After the morning walk, a lunch will be served and prizes awarded.

There is a fee of $5 per participants plus admission.

Participants are asked to be at the Oak Hammock Marsh Interpretive Centre no later than 6:45 a.m.

Call us at (204) 467-3300 to register before June 20. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity!

The following message was posted on Manitoba Birds Yahoo Group this evening by Ken Porteous from the Manitoba Piping Plover Recovery Program. 2016 is the international census of this species which formerly bred in some of Manitoba’s IBAs. If anyone sees a Piping Plover this summer in Manitoba, please contact Ken on the details below.

Good day,

As many of you are aware the international census began in 1991 and is conducted every five years. This year will mark the sixth census. It will take place from June 4-17. Although piping plovers have not been reported across Manitoba the past three years I am holding out hope that as I survey historical territories I will come across a pair or two. To help me, I would very much appreciate receiving any reports from the birding community. Please feel free to contact me with a direct reply (kcporteous@me.com) or phone me at 204-898-2654. Thank you.

Good birding,

Ken Porteous

Coordinator, Manitoba Piping Plover Recovery Program

Piping Plover nesting in Manitoba. Photo copyright Christian Artuso

The IBA Program was featured in this weeks Weekly Express, a publication in the Interlake area of Manitoba. Our very own Donna Martin was featured in a visit to North, West and East Shoal Lakes IBA, plus Program Coordinator Tim Poole, albeit form the safety of his desk in Winnipeg! See page 21 on the link – Express Weekly or scanned from its sister paper, the Stony Mountain Gazette.

And of course for anyone wondering about Shoal Lakes IBA, here is a photo of one of the rarer species you might encounter there courtesy of Donna

Least Bittern copyright Donna Martin

It seems that birding in Manitoba’s IBAs is hotting up right now. This seems to be a good time to remind everyone out there who is entering data into eBird to make sure you enter it under the IBA Protocol. If you unsure whether the birds are in the IBA or not, no worries, still use the IBA Protocol as eBird will know whether the point at which you entered data is in the IBA or not.

One more thing, remember to enter on www.ebird.ca not .org. You cannot use the IBA Canada protocol under .org.  Unfortunately the eBird app connects to ebird.org and therefore any data entered on the app cannot be converted directly to the IBA Protocol. If you have any data which needs re-entering because it wasn’t entered under the protocol, we can do that for you – free of charge(:

Here is a link to the one pager created by the program on how to enter under the IBA Protocol – Using eBird for the Manitoba Important Bird Area program

On Friday, Tim Poole and Christian Artuso were interviewed by CBC ahead of International Migratory Bird Day on Saturday at Oak Hammock. CBC news piece. It was also mentioned in the newscast and according to our Steering Committee member Tim Sopuck, during some of the banter in the morning show with Terry McLeod (thanks Tim).

We had a good morning out at the marsh, 19 people attending our early morning birdwalk and a small crowd joining us for our talk. The bird walk encountered 72 species including Eared, Horned and Pied-billed Grebe, four species of swallow and the highlight, a calling Virginia Rail. Here is the total list for the morning:

A couple of weekends back (May 7th), Christian Artuso of the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas and Tim Poole, IBA Coordinator were invited to deliver a workshop on the IBA Program to local people in Winnipegosis. In this final blog, Tim describes the an evening trip to Red Deer Point near Winnipegosis and adjacent to the Sagemace and Coleman Bay Islands IBA.

Finally, after three blogs, the end is in sight! We finally managed to reach the point where we actually get to do what we came for, not just drop in on IBAs and look at birds! Firstly the background. Kate Basford, Chair of the RM of Mossey River contacted me some time ago to enquire about the local IBA. Following some thought, the local community were keen to increase development opportunities in the area and have been investigating  points of interest and activities such as bird watching, which would attract people to the area. A look at the internet an eventually connection with the IBA program. At this point the plan started to evolve as it became clear that the original IBA data had come from 1986. Sensing an opportunity to increase awareness of the important places for wildlife on their own doorstep and our program goal of recruiting local community caretakers, we decided to put on a workshop for the local community on the IBA Program and the birds of the area.

Winnipegosis itself has some great birds, including three besting platforms for Ospreys, Purple Martins, Barn Swallows and Buffleheads.

Osprey over the Mossey River in Winnipegosis. Photo copyright Tim Poole

10 people attended the indoor session in the Mossey River Inn. I gave a short 30 minute presentation on the IBA Program and the local IBAs and then following some discussions we left to look at some of the birds of Red Deer Point. Attendees included a couple of council members, a local fisherman with an interest in developing tourism tours in the area, a couple from near Dauphin and some local agricultural producers. This was a great mix and made for some lively discussions. In relation to future IBA involvement, a few points were:

• Land-based monitoring could occur on Red Deer Point even though it’s not in the IBA
• There is a possibility of including this in the local school curriculum
• A local IBA lead was needed, and has hopefully come forward
• It is possible to survey the IBA from boats and this would be the future plan
• Monitoring the Lake Winnipegosis Islands needs to begin by identifying where birds are nesting on local islands. Some sort of survey of fishermen and boat users could identify where these places were.
• It is critical if this program is to work to bring the local community with this concept

Many of the birds were still around on Red Deer Point but shorebird numbers were a little lower. New species for the area included Wilson’s Phalarope and pair of Common Loons. The highlight, and it was a wow moment, was the appearance of a Peregrine Falcon around the shorebirds. Swooping in, the Peregrine startled the flocks of shorebirds, all except the American Avocets who stayed alert but did not flush. The views afforded of the birds I think were very much appreciated and Christian was in his element, showing off the different species and the individual differences between species.

Attendees watching the shorebirds

Christian explaining something in the scope!

Lesser Yellowlegs and American Avocets on Red Deer Point. All photos copyright Tim Poole

Returning to the Inn, via seeing a pair of Horned Grebe on a small pool by the road, Christian showed everyone how to enter the data into eBird. A quick summary and that was that, but hopefully this will not be the end but the beginning of a new chapter with the Manitoba IBA Program. Thanks must go to Kate Basford for organising things in Winnipegosis and Christian for coming along to give his expert advice. Hopefully the community has enough to get started and we can help them along the way to becoming caretakers of the Sagemace and Coleman Islands Bay IBA.

Final trip list:

A couple of weekends back (May 7th), Christian Artuso of the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas and Tim Poole, IBA Coordinator were invited to deliver a workshop on the IBA Program to local people in Winnipegosis. In this third blog, Tim describes the an evening trip to Red Deer Point near Winnipegosis and adjacent to the Sagemace and Coleman Bay Islands IBA.

The greatest challenge with the IBA Program at times is actually being able to access the IBA. The Sagemace and Coleman Islands IBA is one such IBA. I suspect the original IBA boundary did not consider access for monitoring purposes for volunteer birders. The map below shows the location of the IBA in relation to the town of Winnipegosis, the Long Island and Long Island Bay IBA and Provincial Highways.

The only access to the actual IBA is by boat, not surprising as the original citation states that the IBA was designated for:

‘Sugar Island, in Sagemace Bay, supports nationally significant numbers of breeding Great Blue Herons. This Great Blue Heron colony has been existence for at least three decades. A 1986 survey found 300 nests on Sugar Island, which is almost 1% of this species Canadian population. This number also meets the general congregatory IBA criteria for wading birds at the national level (500 birds). Large numbers of Double-crested Cormorants also breed on the Sagemace and Coleman Bay islands. In 1986, 975 nests were found on two islands in Coleman Bay, and 20 nests were found on an island in Sagemace Bay. Sagemace Bay is also a traditional molting and staging area for diving ducks, especially Redheads and, to a lesser degree, Canvasbacks.’

This presents us with a conundrum. We are a community-based initiative, aiming to involve local champions in the stewardship of globally important sites for birds and biodiversity but in some cases without the means to access those sites.How do we encourage people to participate in the program in the absence of easy access? The remainder of this blog shows how we decided to approach this issue at Winnipegosis and will hopefully encourage others to approach IBA monitoring in such a way.

In preparation for our Saturday morning workshop, Christian and I headed up to Red Deer Point just to the east of the IBA boundary to find where the best places to introduce some of the local bird species to attendees would be. Our local contact, Kate Basford, chair of council for the Mossey River Rural Municipality, had tipped us off beforehand that there were shorebirds and waterbirds in the area.

We found a few good spots and some great highlights. An old Ducks Unlimited project in the south became a goldmine for ducks, believe it or not! Ruddy Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Pintails, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Redhead, Lesser Scaup and Buffleheads. Terrific spot.

Gadwall in flight over Red Deer Point. Photo by Tim Poole

Further north was definitely a highlight. The land opened up into some interesting areas of mudflat. With recent dry weather, the mudflats had hardened but in one single location, they opened up into a shallow pool. This area coincided with fantastic populations of shorebirds, including good numbers of American Avocet, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Willet, 116 Lesser Yellowlegs, Marbled Godwit, Least Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher and Long-billed Dowitcher. This was surprisingly early in Manitoba for this number and diversity of shorebird species, especially given how far north we were and the slow spring migration being encountered around Winnipeg.

Shorebirds on the Red Deer Point. Both photos copyright Christian Artuso

Continuing north, we continued to look for good birding spots

Until we eventually caused a wee bit of a commotion. Driving out of a wooded area into open wetland, something jumped up and began running away from us.

Raccoon on the run for cover. But from what? Photo by Tim Poole

This raccoon then startled something else which flew up to the edge of some dead cattails and stood stock still, neck extended and sharp beak pointing upwards as if it did not have a care in the world:

American Bittern, a species of heron in familiar ‘if I don’t move they won’t see me’ pose. Photo copyright Christian Artuso

So the end of a successful evening, 55 species recorded (listed below) and the forthcoming workshop to get our teeth into.

In relation to the start of this blog, the conclusion from our evening journey along a track within 1 or 2 kms of the IBA, was that this area had outstanding potential for people from the local community to monitor the local birdlife, whether breeding birds or migrants. Maybe in the future, if enough good data is forthcoming, we can even put forward a justification to extend the IBA boundary. The important thing to consider in any bird stewardship program is how we can take people close enough to the birds to appreciate them and to engage in citizen science.

Route here:

Species list for Red Deer Point