Hi everyone! My name is Mackenzie Glover (she/her) and I’m very excited to start as the new coordinator for the Manitoba Important Bird Area (IBA) Program and the Manitoba Chimney Swift Initiative (MCSI). I’m grateful to have had some overlap with Marissa before her last day as coordinator, she’s done so much for this program and I’m looking forward to picking up where she left off! I recently moved back home to Winnipeg, and I’m excited to continue to learn about Manitoba’s birds and make new connections with fellow nature lovers through this role.
I first fell in love with the outdoors as a kid, spending summers at my family’s cabin in the Whiteshell. That love inspired me to pursue my BSc degree in Environmental Sciences with a focus on Forest Ecology at North Carolina State University, where I was also a varsity student-athlete. After graduating, I moved home to Winnipeg for a year and worked as a Conservation Technician with Native Plant Solutions, before moving out west to continue my education. I pursued an MSc in Ecological Restoration from Simon Fraser University and the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and completed my thesis in partnership with Native Plant Solutions, focusing on the native bees using their sites in Winnipeg.
I first started working with birds after my MSc, when I worked for a small consulting company called Inlailawatash, based in North Vancouver and owned by the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. While there, I conducted nesting bird surveys and helped collect acoustic data for a research project on nocturnal birds and bats in the Indian River Watershed. My favourite days at Inlailawatash were the ones that started with an early morning bird survey!
Autonomous Recording Units deployed next to the Indian River. Photo by Mackenzie Glover
After 2 years with Inlailawatash, I decided it was time to move back home to Winnipeg to be closer to family. I’m very much looking forward to experiencing a real Winnipeg winter again, complete with cross country skiing, winter running, and skating on the Nestaweya River Trail.
Although I’m relatively new to the world of birding, I’ve always had a deep appreciation for birds, with my favourite being the White-throated Sparrow. Their beautiful song is often heard on summer mornings at the lake, and I was delighted when I first heard it singing in the winter in North Carolina. As a homesick freshman, hearing their song instantly transported me back to summertime at my favourite place.
I’m excited to step into this role and I’m looking forward to meeting many of you at future IBA events!
On May 24, the Manitoba IBA program led an outing at Whitewater Lake IBA with the Westman Naturalists. It was a lovely day, with great weather. Our group of 15 spent the morning on the north side of the lake, counting birds and practicing shorebird identification.
On the search for birds at Whitewater Lake. Photo by Marissa Berard.
A big thank you goes out to Gillian Richards, for joining us and sharing her incredible wealth of shorebird knowledge with the group! Gillian has been conducting International Shorebird Surveys (ISS) routes at Whitewater Lake for several years now and knows a lot about the area and its bird life.
Gillian finding shorebirds in the scope. Photo by Marissa Berard.
We weren’t sure if we were going to find a lot of shorebirds, because their presence depends a lot on water levels. The location of suitable habitat (such as wet spots in agricultural fields) can change from day to day. The water can’t be too deep, but it also can’t be too dry. Thankfully, the conditions were in our favour, and we spotted lots of shorebirds! A great opportunity to practice our shorebird ID skills.
We started off on the northeast side of the lake, birding for warblers in shelterbelts. We gradually moved westward, checking out a few different spots including Road 123W and Sexton’s Point, before ending off with lunch on the west side of the lake on 15N.
Wilson’s Phalarope. Photo by Carson Kearns.
One of the highlights was a great view of a large group of about 50 Dunlin. The Dunlin is a shorebird species easily recognizable by its black belly patch (which is only there in spring plumage). We also got to see a few Black-bellied Plovers off in the distance, thanks to Amy’s eagle eyes!
Dunlin. Photo by Carson Kearns.Black-bellied Plovers. Photo by Marissa Berard.
Overall, we saw 13 shorebird species, including American Avocet, Black-bellied Plover, Marbled Godwit, Red-necked Phalarope, Wilsons’s Phalarope, Killdeer, Sanderling, Stilt Sandpiper, Upland Sandpiper, Willet and 3 “peep” species of (Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper). The full species list can be found below at the end of this blog post.
White-rumped Sandpiper. Photo by Carson Kearns.
Thank you so much to everyone who participated, and thank you again to the Westman Naturalists for joining us on this event.
This event was made possible by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Fund.
We are looking for volunteers to join us for a shoreline clean-up at Delta Beach on Sunday, September 22 from 1-3pm. Delta Beach (part of the Delta Marsh IBA) is a beautiful spot, as well as a popular birding destination. This area often attracts a diversity of migrating shorebird species. We will spend the afternoon removing fishing debris and other litter from the beach to improve this important habitat for shorebirds and other bird and wildlife species.
If you would like to participate or if you have any questions, please email iba@naturemanitoba.ca.
It’s hard to believe it’s already the last week of July! Time is flying by. Before we jump into the blitz recap, here’s a quick event announcement: Join us for a morning bird walk at Assiniboine Park (in Winnipeg) on Wednesday, July 31 from 8:30am-10am. We will meet at the entrance to the English Gardens at 8:30am. All skill levels welcome! For more info or to RSVP, please send us an email at iba@naturemanitoba.ca
Alright, let’s get into the blitz. On July 6th, 2024, the Manitoba IBA program conducted a blitz to search for Red-headed Woodpeckers (RHWO) in the Oak Lake/Plum Lakes IBA. This blitz marked our 4th year in a row doing a RHWO count in this area. It was a great success! We had 15 participants and counted a total of 45 Red-headed Woodpeckers, which is a new record for us! A big thank you goes out to Tom, Renee, Glennis, Kathryn, Gillian, Gwyn, Liam, Herb, Leah, Philippe, Carson, Katharine and Lee Ann for being a part of this event!
The Red-headed Woodpecker dream team!
If you’ve ever seen a Red-headed Woodpecker, you’ve surely noticed how striking this species is. If you’re curious to learn more about this Threatened bird species, you’re in luck because the Red-headed Woodpecker happens to be Nature Manitoba’s Bird of the Month in July 2024. You can read the write-up we put together at the following link: https://www.naturemanitoba.ca/red-headed-woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker. Photo by Gillian Richards.
Because we had so many incredible volunteers involved in the blitz this year, we were able to split up into 7 groups and cover a lot of ground and explore some areas that had not been covered in-depth in previous years. Each group was assigned an area to cover. which they searched by driving along the roads and stopping in areas of suitable habitat, following a playback protocol (with the necessary permits from the provincial government), and meticulously recording any RHWO sightings. It was a beautiful morning with almost no wind. We got started between 8:00-8:30am and birded in our areas until we met up for lunch in Oak Lake Beach.
Below is a map of the areas covered:
Group 1 was made up of Tom and Renee, who covered the area north of Highway 1. They saw 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers, about 1/2km apart from each other. Other highlights include an Indigo Bunting and a Pileated Woodpecker.
Cedar Waxwing. Photo by Tom Will.
Group 2 was made up of Glennis and Kathryn, who covered the northwestern portion of the IBA (north of Oak Lake Beach and west of the 254). They saw a total of 7 Red-headed Woodpeckers, including 2 juveniles. They also saw 2 Brown Thrashers.Group 3 was made up of Gillian and Gwyn, who covered a northeastern portion of the IBA. They saw 12 Red-headed Woodpeckers! Other highlights include 6 Bobolink, 1 Black-billed Cuckoo, and 1 Bufflehead female with 9 adorable ducklings (photo below).
Bufflehead family. Photo by Gillian Richards.
Group 4 was comprised of Marissa, Liam, and Herb, who covered an area in the eastern portion of the IBA, including PR 541 and the Deleau areas. They saw a total of 15 Red-headed Woodpeckers! Other highlights include a group of 3 badgers, and 3 Eastern Bluebirds. Katharine drove along PR 541 on her way home after the blitz and managed to snap a great photo of an Eastern Bluebird carrying some insect prey.
Eastern Bluebird. Photo by Katharine Schulz.
Group 5 was made up of Leah and Aynsley, who covered the southeastern portion of the IBA. They saw 6 Red-headed Woodpeckers.
Turkey Vultures. Photo by Aynsley Woods. Red-headed Woodpecker. Photo by Aynsley Woods.
Group 6 was made up of Carson and Philippe, who covered a southcentral portion of the IBA. They saw 3 Red-headed Woodpeckers. They also saw a Sprague’s Pipit.
Group 7 was made up of Katharine and Lee Ann, and they covered the southwest portion of the IBA. They did not find much suitable habitat in their area and did not see any Red-headed Woodpeckers. They did however find a lot of grassland habitat complete with some exciting grassland bird species, including 3 Sprague’s Pipits!
Upland Sandpiper. Photo by Katharine Schulz.
As we mentioned at the beginning, our final count came out to 45 RHWO. This is a new blitz record. In 2023, we counted 25 RHWO. In 2022, we counted 13 RHWO, and in 2021 we counted 16 RHWO. A summary of all the birds identified can be found below. We saw a total of 90 species and a total of 1,756 individuals. Once again, we express our deep gratitude to our amazing volunteers for their dedication and commitment to helping us survey species at risk.
This event was made possible by funding from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Habitat Stewardship Fund.
If you are interested in volunteering for future blitz events, please email iba@naturemanitoba.ca for more information.
On Saturday June 22th, the Manitoba IBA program led a bird walk at the Oak Hammock Marsh IBA. Six people met and joined us in the parking lot of the Harry J. Enns Interpretive Centre at 10am. Both the coordinator Marissa, and I, the program assistant (Aynsley) were there to lead our group. The birders in our group had a range of birding experience.
Our first exciting sighting came while we were still in the parking lot. A large flock of American White Pelicans, joined by a single Double-crested Cormorant flew overhead in a loose V-shape.
American White Pelicans. Photo: A. Woods
We began our journey on Beaver trail, leading into Blackbird trail. Here we were able to hear a very loud Alder Flycatcher who sat very nice while having its picture taken. We also observed some Purple Martins around their nest boxes.
We continued our adventure along Blackbird trail, hearing a Virginia Rail, observing many Red-winged Blackbirds, Barn Swallows, American Pelicans, a few Yellow-headed Blackbirds, a Ruddy Duck and some Blue-winged Teals.
Alder Flycatcher. Photo: A. Woods.Resting Ruddy Duck. Photo: A. Woods
We continued along Toad Road, observing an Eastern Kingbird, more Blue-winged Teal, some Clay-coloured Sparrows, a Yellow Warbler, a Song Sparrow, and more Ruddy Ducks. We also saw some Yellow Lady Slippers, heard many Common Yellowthroats, and a Sora.
This trail led us to Duck Pond trail, where we stopped at the shorebird scrape. The water was so high that most of the scrape was underwater. The high water levels allowed us to see some more waterfowl and other species, including some Gadwalls, Redheads, Black Terns, Killdeer, and some Tree and Barn Swallows.
Barn Swallow. Photo: A. Woods.Pair of Killdeer. Photo: A. Woods
The humidity and hot weather were picking up as we headed back towards the main parking lot. Along the way we saw some more sparrows, including a Savannah Sparrow and a Clay-coloured Sparrow that were both singing away on easily visible perches (which gave us a great opportunity to learn how to identify them by sight and by sound).
Clay-coloured Sparrow. Photo: A. Woods
We heard another Sora, and learned a little bit about the insect traps around the marsh from one of our knowledgeable group members.
Overall, the trails were awesome and some great birds were seen! A very big thank you to all who joined us! Below is a full species checklist:
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.
Eastern Whip-poor-will. Photo by Christian Artuso.
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!
Pectoral Sandpipers, taken in a previous year. Photo by Amanda Shave.
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.
AJ and Arianne on the look out for birds. Photo by Marissa Berard.
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:
Map of our blitz area.Our group, missing Tom, Renee, Glennis and Sandy. Photo by Marissa Berard.
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).
A pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers seen by Group 1. Photo by Gillian Richards.
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!!!
Red-headed Woodpecker seen by Group 2. Photo by Carson Kearns.
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.
Loggerhead Shrike sitting on a barbed wire fence. Photo by Katharine Schulz.
Group 4 was made up of Tom and Renee, who covered the area north of Highway 1. They counted 1 Red-headed Woodpecker.
Red-headed Woodpecker, seen by Group 4. Photo by Tom Will.
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.
Eastern Bluebird. Photo by Marissa Berard.
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!
The very photogenic Eastern Wood-Pewee. Photo by Carson KearnsEastern Wood-Pewee photoshoot at our post-blitz picnic spot! Photo by Marissa Berard.
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!
Manitoba Important Bird Areas Program 