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4 Jul Lark Bunting ["Richard Silverman" ] 04 Jul Northern Mockingbird, Crescent Drive, Ft Garry ["polarpablo10" ] 3 Jul blue bird and ruffed grouse [Charlie McPherson ] 3 Jul Re: rfi - cardinals ["Rob Parsons" ] 3 Jul Re: rfi - cardinals ["John Weier" ] 3 Jul rfi - cardinals [christian artuso ] 3 Jul good news - le owl [Charlie McPherson ] 03 Jul Jul 2 highlights [Liis Veelma ] 2 Jul Piping Plover & Pine Warbler ["Rob Parsons" ] 2 Jul Manitoba Peregrine Update ["T. Maconachie" ] 2 Jul Y-b Chat [christian artuso ] 2 Jul Lark Bunting +++ [christian artuso ] 2 Jul New images at the Nature Manitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 01 Jul white winged crossbill [Ron & Emmy Wiebe ] 1 Jul long eared olw chick.... [Charlie McPherson ] 1 Jul Additition to the Nature Nanitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 1 Jul New images at the Nature Manitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 30 Jun Yellow Rails [Dennis Fast ] 30 Jun Yellow Rails [Lars Jansson ] 29 Jun Re: Swifts Souris & Wpg [Lorne Klassen ] 30 Jun Swainson's Hawk ["walfriedjansen" ] 30 Jun evening grosbeak ["Bing & Joy Bradley" ] 29 Jun Southwest ["John Weier" ] 29 Jun Swifts Souris & Wpg [Liis Veelma ] 29 Jun Peregrines...Winnipeg ["Dennis" ] 28 Jun Osprey , Winter Wrens and Long-eared Owl ["Garry Budyk" ] 28 Jun Churchill - BBS and other notes [Tom Johnson ] 28 Jun Ross's Goose near Ochre River -- unusual summer record ["Peter Taylor" ] 28 Jun long eared owl [Charlie McPherson ] 27 Jun Baltimore Orioles [Louise ] 27 Jun Evening Grosbeak [Dennis Fast ] 27 Jun Mantario Lake and vicinity [Lorne Klassen ] 27 Jun Grass River BBS ["dvdrtt" ] 26 Jun marbled goddwit [Charlie McPherson ] 26 Jun Least Bittern [Lars Jansson ] 26 Jun New image at the Nature Manitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 25 Jun New images at the Nature Manitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 24 Jun New image at the Nature Manitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 23 Jun good day of birding [Gene Walz ] 22 Jun Churchill - 22 June [Tom Johnson ] 21 Jun Re: Update from Sperling area [Lorne Klassen ] 21 Jun Re: South-west MB , June 17-19/09 ( correction ) ["Garry Budyk" ] 21 Jun Update from Sperling area ["Derek" ] 21 Jun Additional Note ["dvdrtt" ] 21 Jun Minnewakan BBS ["birder" ] 21 Jun Solstice Dawn chorus [Richard Staniforth ] 21 Jun Grass River and The Pas ["dvdrtt" ] 20 Jun South-west MB , June 17-19/09 ["Garry Budyk" ] 20 Jun No Subject [Charlie McPherson ] 19 Jun Hecla BBS ["Bob Shettler" ] 18 Jun longeared owl [Charlie McPherson ] 19 Jun Birds Hill Park ["Ev" ] 19 Jun Least Flycatcher and Eastern Kingbird Uploads ["stuartoikawa" ] 19 Jun Manitobabirds 2009 Year List ["cbraden555" ] 18 Jun Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project - Radisson Banding Update ["T. Maconachie" ] 17 Jun Fwd: June 16/17, 2009 Churchill Update [from Bruce Di Labio] [Liis Veelma ] 17 Jun Re: ID this bird? ["Rob Parsons" ] 17 Jun ID this bird? ["mcsbarrie" ] 17 Jun GHO fledgling? ["Ev" ] 17 Jun Black-billed Cuckoo ["Alfred Aug" ] 17 Jun Black-billed Cuckoo ["jehays54" ] 16 Jun Least Bittern! ["John Weier" ] 17 Jun GHO fledgling? ["Ev" ] 16 Jun Riding Mountain [Lars Jansson ] 16 Jun No Golden-winged Warblers but........ ["birder" ] 16 Jun New images at the Nature Manitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 16 Jun Western Wood-Pewee and BBS madness -- and Bay-breasted Warbler ["Peter Taylor" ] 16 Jun Chestnut-sided Warbler Upload ["stuartoikawa" ] 16 Jun Mather BBS [Liis Veelma ] 15 Jun Fwd: June 15, 2009 Churchill Update [from Bruce Di Labio] [Liis Veelma ] 15 Jun Correction on the field sparrow observation [Luc Blanchette ] 16 Jun First New Robin ["johnsondaveb" ] 15 Jun Fwd: Churchill Update June 14, 2009 [from Bruce Di Labio] [Liis Veelma ] 15 Jun New image at the Nature Manitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 15 Jun Possible Least Bittern??? ["John Weier" ] 15 Jun RE: drake king eider ["Randy Mooi" ] Subject: Lark Bunting From: "Richard Silverman" <silvrmn AT cc.UManitoba.CA> Date: Sat, 4 Jul 2009 13:29:47 -0500 Hi folks, Liis Veelma just called (13:00, Saturday) to report that she had just seen the male Lark Bunting. It was located, as described by Ken DeSmet via Christian Artuso at approximately 3.8 km south of the junction of Hwy 251 and 157W ( therefore, south of the settlement of Coulter). If you are coming from the east on 251, Liis says it is the first road to the south after crossing the Souris River. She also said it was a bit sporadic in that on her first pass she neither saw nor heard it; on the second try ( 11:05 am) she saw and heard it, it did display and fence-post hopped and flew in front of her across the road. It reappeared again at 12:25 and at 12:45 she heard it only but didn't see it. The bottom line : patience. Lucky Liis!! Jo Swartz, Winnipeg [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Northern Mockingbird, Crescent Drive, Ft Garry From: "polarpablo10" <polarpablo10 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:07:34 -0000 was at the Lake for a few days, and returned to find a Northern Mockingbird on my back step; very unfortunate that it had hit the window. Paul Buchanan Subject: blue bird and ruffed grouse From: Charlie McPherson <charliemac25 AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 22:09:18 -0500 While taking a break at the farm today a beautiful, male bluebird landed on an elm tree out in the yard. that's the first bluebird I've seen in this area since I was a kid. that would be, like, many, many, many, many, many years ago. Also, a ruffed grouse made an appearance on a neighbor's driveway this evening. I think it was picking up gravel. That would be in the RM of St Andrews, McKenzie Rd north of 225 between Thomas and Ponemah Rd between Hwy's 8 and 9. Found a nested flicker today along Gimli Rd in Whytewold. Charlie McPherson Whytewold _________________________________________________________________ Internet explorer 8 lets you browse the web faster. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9655582 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: rfi - cardinals From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 20:15:14 -0500 Hi Christian, John & and any others who might be interested, I'm not sure how "reliable" they may be, but the Park Boulevard Northern Cardinals are still present, although I haven't seen the female since May 22nd. The male isn't as vocal as he was last year, but I do hear him reasonably often. (Most recently on June 25th.) Only once have I seen him without first hearing him, and there are many days when I don't hear him, but keep in mind I'm not (primarily, at any rate) birding when I'm there. The best locations are in the 400 block (especially between 415 & 451, but that's more of an indication of where I am) of Park Boulevard East, and on Aldershot Boulevard. There is a walkway between the two streets at approximately 431 Park (not sure of the actual address), which is often productive. You can sort of see into the backyards from it. I've also seen them in the park itself (which is officially known as Frederick Heubach Park), but not often. On one occasion, the male sang from a tree in the front yard of 550 Park Boulevard West. 550 Park West & 451 Park East are essentially opposite one another--the number system isn't overly logical! Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: Re: rfi - cardinals From: "John Weier" <jweier AT mts.net> Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 13:35:07 -0500 i'd like to know about that reliable Northern Cardinal too. john ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Weier 239 Bartlet Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3L 0Z5 204 284 5313 jweier AT mts.net www.poets.ca/johnweier ----- Original Message ----- From: christian artuso To: manitobabird group Sent: Friday, July 03, 2009 12:46 PM Subject: [Manitobabirds] rfi - cardinals Can anyone suugest a reliable location to see Northern Cardinal this year? You can email me privately if you like Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) __________________________________________________________ Windows Live helps you keep up with all your friends, in one place. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9660826 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: rfi - cardinals From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 17:46:48 +0000 Can anyone suugest a reliable location to see Northern Cardinal this year? You can email me privately if you like Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live helps you keep up with all your friends, in one place. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9660826 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: good news - le owl From: Charlie McPherson <charliemac25 AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 12:01:45 -0500 On a hunch I drove down the lane today and found another le owl chick. Charlie McPherson Whytewold _________________________________________________________________ Create a cool, new character for your Windows Live™ Messenger. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9656621 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Manitobabirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Manitobabirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Manitobabirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Jul 2 highlights From: Liis Veelma <lveelma AT mts.net> Date: Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:12:47 -0500 The Common Loon pair at the Rat River Swamp Heritage Marsh big cell have two very small lunachicks. Also, possibly a Least Bittern called very briefly, twice, after a long interval; it was too faint and far for me to be absolutely sure. Near the former settlement of Arbakka, a castanetting Yellow Rail surprised me at 12:30 p.m. It was very close and called again in response to my stone clicks, but did not show itself. Liis Veelma Winnipeg MB Subject: Piping Plover & Pine Warbler From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 20:33:37 -0500 Hi all, Kelvin Krahn & I spent the morning of Canada Day, July 1st, at Grand Beach and Belair P.F. The Piping Plover pair beyond the lagoon channel had just hatched their chicks. The pair in the parking lot were still incubating. I was told a third nest--somewhere nearer to the concession area--had failed, possibly a result of the storm last weekend or the cold spring. We heard, and poorly saw, a Pine Warbler singing on the east side of Hwy. 59, along a track through jack pine and (obviously planted) red pine. Thanks to Garry Budyk for giving me directions to the location. It's about 0.6 km north of the road that runs west to Belair. I'd estimate we walked in about 300 metres, although I'm not sure how accurate that is. There were several Chipping Sparrows and at least one junco singing along this track, as well. Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: Manitoba Peregrine Update From: "T. Maconachie" <peregrine AT species-at-risk.mb.ca> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 18:55:04 -0500 Evening All, Radisson Peregrines - the three chicks, 1 female and 2 males, are on the verge of fledging from the nestledge on the Radisson Hotel, so if you want to watch them on the webcam, they will probably only be around for another week, maybe 10 days. Not sure when the cam will go offline, but will try to let folks know in case they want to catch a last glimpse. And if you would like to vote on the names for the chicks, CBC is hosting an online vote on the webcam page (www.cbc.ca/manitoba/features/falcon). If anyone is interested in helping with our Fledge Watch, please email me. Brandon Peregrines - male was identified earlier as Zeus our resident male at this location but it wasn't until recently that we were able to identify the female as Hurricane, a 2007 wild-hatch from the Radisson Hotel. What is interesting is that Bob Jones and I measure all our chicks' legs when we band them and both this "female" and her brother Chinook, measured as male, not female. Haven't heard from Chinook yet, but will be interesting to see if he is a she! Dan Chranowski mentionned that Hurricane was small for a female, but it wasn't until we could watch both Hurricane and Zeus in full aerial attack mode when we banded their chicks today that we realized how small she is - she's not that much bigger than Zeus who is, if anything, an average-sized male peregrine. As mentionned, we banded the four Brandon chicks today, and as usual, we carefully measured their feet/legs and we had 3 females and 1 male. We have also put coloured tape on the FWS band to help with identification at a distance so long as it stays on until fledging! West Winnipeg Peregrines - Jules and Ivy it appears have declined to renest after the loss of their first nest mid-incubation. At first it looked like they might be considering it but as of last weekend, there was not nesting behaviour at the site though they continue to hold the territory as though they were nesting. We still have not been able to read the breeder's/hess band on the female but not through lack of trying - we have tried sneaking up on her, spotting scopes, cameras with telephoto lens bigger than most mid-sized cars and a telescope borrowed from an astronomer friend. But no luck, we just can't "get' close enough to read whatever might be on this band. So if anyone out there digiscopes and thinks they might be able to read the numbers/letters on a leg band the size of an washer, please email me! And if anyone wants to see more photos of this year's peregrines, check out Dennis Swayze's photo gallery at www.pbase.com/photosbydennis/peregrines_2009. That's it for now, happy peregrinations everyone! Tracy _______________________________ T. Maconachie, Project Coordinator Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project (Manitoba) Ste 69005, 110-2025 Corydon Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3P 2G9 phn: 1-204-931-1618 email: peregrine AT species-at-risk.mb.ca website: www.species-at-risk.mb.ca/peregrines webcam: www.cbc.ca/manitoba/features/falcon/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Y-b Chat From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 21:28:39 +0000 Ken Kingdon reports a territorial Yellow-breasted Chat in Riding Mountain National Park. The closest trailhead is at Baldy Lake, SW of the location. Head up the Baldy lake trail as if you are going to Gunn lake, head east on Central trail (pass by the Gunn Lake trail) and go a couple km more to the large prarie we call Peden's prairie. The Chat was in the east/south east corner of the prairie, on a south facing slope, right up against the aspens. There were a few clumps of hawthorn there too.... its a long ways into the Park (15km hike), It seemed pretty committed to the one spot, returning several times to one particular patch of Hawthorn. Here are the lat/longs off of Google Earth 50 51' 08", 100 28' 59" christian artuso _________________________________________________________________ Create a cool, new character for your Windows Live™ Messenger. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9656621 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Manitobabirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Manitobabirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Manitobabirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Lark Bunting +++ From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 20:53:34 +0000 Ken De Smet reports a male Lark Bunting displaying yesterday 3.8km south of Coulter on the mile road (157W i believe) at the Wang's a Lazuli Bunting was a one day wonder and a funky female type oriole with a black chin marking (possibly a Baltimore X Bullock's hybrid) has also been seen there... my earlier postings about Yellow Rails and a response to Donna's earlier posting of Wood Thrush (we found more than a dozen territorial birds in the Rainy River area and I suspect there are more out there in SE Manitoba) both seem to have failed somehow christian artuso (in Ashern as we speak... and yes, finding Golden-winged Warblers up in the Interlake) _________________________________________________________________ Create a cool, new character for your Windows Live™ Messenger. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9656621 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Manitobabirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Manitobabirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Manitobabirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: New images at the Nature Manitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2009 12:40:39 -0700 (PDT) Gee, the photographers have been busy lately! I have just posted the following new images, and I am working on a few more... There is a set of photographs of American Bitterns at Oak Hammock Marsh from Michele Kading at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/AMBI_OHM09.htm There are photographs from Stuart Oikawa : Singing Canada Warbler added to the existing page at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/CAWA.htm American Redstart on the existing page at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/AMRE_09.htm Cedar Waxwing at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/CEWA.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Canada Toolbar: Search from anywhere on the web, and bookmark your favourite sites. Download it now http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com. Subject: white winged crossbill From: Ron & Emmy Wiebe <ronemmy AT mts.net> Date: Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:29:16 -0500 Hi All Seen today, right here in Winnipeg, on Coventry Rd at about 5:00 pm. Feeding in a tall spruce tree. Adult female. Was there for about 15 minutes, long enough for good looks through the scope. Ron Wiebe Wpg Subject: long eared olw chick.... From: Charlie McPherson <charliemac25 AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 15:03:42 -0500 ...was found dead in a neighboring yard today. It may have succumbed to the cold, wet storm - or whatever! SO SAD! Charlie McPherson Whytewold _________________________________________________________________ Create a cool, new character for your Windows Live™ Messenger. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9656621 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Manitobabirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Manitobabirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Manitobabirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Additition to the Nature Nanitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 12:40:56 -0700 (PDT) I have just added an addition image from Devon Baete. Look for his Baltimore Oriole photo on the existing page at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/BAOR_09.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ Make your browsing faster, safer, and easier with the new Internet Explorer® 8. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! at http://downloads.yahoo.com/ca/internetexplorer/ Subject: New images at the Nature Manitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 11:23:37 -0700 (PDT) I have just added two new images from Devon Baete. Wild Turkey at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/WITU.htm and Black-crowned Night Heron on the existing page at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/BCNH.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ The new Internet Explorer® 8 - Faster, safer, easier. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! at http://downloads.yahoo.com/ca/internetexplorer/ Subject: Yellow Rails From: Dennis Fast <denroy AT mts.net> Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:22:25 -0500 I just returned (10:00PM) from a short jaunt west and south of Kleefeld and was amazed to hear several, and possibly three, Yellow Rails calling in wet fields and road-side ditch edges. The dirt road I was on was relatively dry (perhaps still problematic for a car) but the ditches and weedy fields are filled with water from the recent rains. Numerous Sora were also calling, but the ditch in which I saw one scurrying about a week ago now was filled to the brim with water. I suspect many ground-nesting birds, and even Red-winged Blackbirds will have sustained losses. I have never heard Yellow Rails in our area before so this was truly an exciting find. Cheers, Dennis www.dennisfast.com Dennis Fast Box 151 Kleefeld, MB R0A 0V0 (204) 377-4455 denroy AT mts.net Subject: Yellow Rails From: Lars Jansson <janssonl AT shaw.ca> Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:46:56 -0500 Monday evening several of the Back Roads Birders set out from Winnipeg for Douglas Marsh. We were not disappointed in our search for Yellow Rails -- as soon as we stepped out of the car (after 10 p.m.) we heard them. While none were seen, at least 11 were counted calling. In addition, we heard American Bitterns, Virginia Rails, a Swamp Sparrow, and both Marsh and Sedge Wrens. It was a great cool evening with no wind, clear sky and a bright moon. Lars Jansson (and Ryan Porteous, Al Mickey, Dan Stirling, Red Clarke) Subject: Re: Swifts Souris & Wpg From: Lorne Klassen <lorne.klassen AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:23:38 -0500 Saw a C Swift flying above the yard in west Wolseley on Sunday early evening. Lorne K > > From: Liis Veelma > Date: 2009/06/29 Mon PM 07:38:40 CDT > To: Manitobabirds > Subject: [Manitobabirds] Swifts Souris & Wpg > > Just (19:30 hrs June 29) heard and saw two Chimney Swifts low overhead > in the Norwood Grove area of Winnipeg, in my back lane off Yardley St. > They reminded me that I should report the two I heard and saw at high > noon over 1st St S in Souris on June 20. > > Liis Veelma > Winnipeg MB > > > Subject: Swainson's Hawk From: "walfriedjansen" <wjansen AT mts.net> Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:13:10 -0000 I've been enjoying watch a pair of Swainson's Hawks gliding, circling or hovering from my front porch. It's probably the same pair I reported late last summer (feeding an immature in the air by dropping a small mammal from above). They must be nesting in the area again. Wally Jansen Birds Hill Subject: evening grosbeak From: "Bing & Joy Bradley" <ajbradly AT mts.net> Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:07:48 -0500 I also had a lone male evening grosbeak at my feeder today. It was also at the bird bath. I have a large number of golfinches here so I took a second look when I saw the grosbeak. I was surprised to see it because they were very scarce this winter. Joy Bradley, Strathclair [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Southwest From: "John Weier" <jweier AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:39:32 -0500 Hi birders, Gene Walz and I spent yesterday and today on a bird tour of the southwest corner of the province. We had a great trip and managed to see or hear many of the specialties of the region. We saw more bluebirds (both species) than you can imagine on the 543 to Oak Lake and again in the Lauder Sandhills. We caught the Say's Phoebe in Broomhill and the Loggerhead Shrike west of Lyleton. We had great looks at a Grasshopper Sparrow just south of Coulter Park. We heard Sprague's Pipits calling at several locations. We had a surprise bird, Whimbrel, where the Souris River crosses under the 251. We did miss on the Eurasian Collared-dove and the Black-headed Grosbeak. That was Sunday Monday (today) we got lucky with Clarke's Grebe, seeing it first at Whitewater Lake and then again at Pelican Lake. Otherwise the day was pretty quiet. We did a complete circle tour of Whitewater Lake including all four approaches. Not much was happening except at the southeast viewing lookout. Things were pretty quiet at Pelican Lake as well. John ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Weier 239 Bartlet Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3L 0Z5 204 284 5313 jweier AT mts.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Swifts Souris & Wpg From: Liis Veelma <lveelma AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:38:40 -0500 Just (19:30 hrs June 29) heard and saw two Chimney Swifts low overhead in the Norwood Grove area of Winnipeg, in my back lane off Yardley St. They reminded me that I should report the two I heard and saw at high noon over 1st St S in Souris on June 20. Liis Veelma Winnipeg MB Subject: Peregrines...Winnipeg From: "Dennis" <photosdennis AT yahoo.ca> Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:52:36 -0000 Kek Kek Kek Kek could be heard over head at Smith & Portage in down town Winnipeg June 18th. The resident pair, Trey & Princess had hatched 3 chicks and it was banding day. Photos of Trey & Princess on banding day can be viewed at this link. http://www.pbase.com/photosbydennis/wpg_banding_2009 Cheers ! Dennis S Subject: Osprey , Winter Wrens and Long-eared Owl From: "Garry Budyk" <callgud AT shaw.ca> Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:51:32 -0500 I stepped out into the back yard about 9:15 this evening , looked up and an Osprey drifted by ! I ran in and grabbed my binocs to make sure I was seeing right and an Osprey it was . I wonder what the heck this bird is doing in the city at this time of year !? Earlier today , Deanna and I stopped by the #6 marker in Birds Hill Park and a Winter Wren was singing along the trail . A week ago we also heard it there so it seems this bird is on territory . This past Wednesday , we trundled around the Whiteshell and along the first few hundred metres of the Pine Point Trail we had 3 singing Winter Wrens , 2 of which were doing a duet from either side of the trail . Thanks to Charlie McPherson , we were able to see a juvenile Long-eared Owl in Whytewold today . I've posted a photo of it as well as a Le Conte's Sparrow from the Tall Grass Prairie Preserve near Gardenton . http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/photos/album/802914517/pic/list Cheers , Garry Budyk Winnipeg MB http://imagesofmanitoba.shawwebspace.ca/photos/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Churchill - BBS and other notes From: Tom Johnson <jaegermaster AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:00:43 -0500 Manitoba birders, This week has provided at least a glimmer of hope for some of the breeding shorebirds and waterfowl of Churchill. The shorebird crew from Cornell that I'm working with has continued to find shorebird nests, though at a considerably lower frequency than last summer. While shorebirds are certainly attempting to breed (Hudsonian Godwit, Whimbrel, Short-billed Dowitcher, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated and American Golden Plovers) in fair but reduced numbers, passerines appear to be struggling. Overall song activity, even for late June, is quite low, and many passerines have clearly failed for the summer. Researchers from Queens University working with Yellow Warblers had found a few active nests last week, but they have subsequently failed after a few days of cold temperatures and rain - currently there are extremely few warblers, sparrows, and redpolls actually attempting nesting in the area. With assistance from Nathan Senner, I ran the Churchill BBS route today (Bonnie Chartier's route) on the Twin Lakes Rd., Launch Rd., and northern end of Goose Creek Rd. An eBird list combining the 50 point counts follows (along with the number of points out of 50 each species was detected on. Highlights for the BBS included both Black-backed and Three-toed Woodpeckers and Spruce Grouse at Twin Lakes. Overall though, the low numbers reflect the late spring. Cape Merry is currently bustling with waterbird activity - today an adult Common Tern flew in off the ice and joined loafing Bonaparte's and Little Gulls and Arctic Terns. Photos of this local rarity and some other recent highlights will be online at flickr.com/bonxie88 in the near future. eBird: Churchill Breeding Bird Survey Location: Churchill BBS route Observation date: 28/06/09 Notes: Churchill Breeding Bird Survey - recording observer was Tom Johnson instead of Bonnie Chartier this year (Nathan Senner driving/ keeping time and monitoring the odometer); route runs from end of Twin Lakes Rd. north to CNSC and then west on Launch Rd. to Akudlik before finishing by heading south on Goose Creek Rd.; temp ranged 1-5 degrees Celsius, wind increased from 0 at start to 15 kph by the end of the BBS route; overall numbers very low, representative of late spring and recent low temperatures/ bad weather Number of species: 57 Snow Goose - Chen caerulescens 7 recorded on 2/50 point counts Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 286 recorded on 45/50 point counts Tundra Swan - Cygnus columbianus 2 recorded on 2/50 point counts Northern Pintail - Anas acuta 24 recorded on 7/50 point counts Green-winged Teal - Anas crecca 3 recorded on 3/50 point counts Greater Scaup - Aythya marila 15 recorded on 7/50 point counts Common Eider - Somateria mollissima 5 recorded on 4/50 point counts Long-tailed Duck - Clangula hyemalis 10 recorded on 8/50 point counts Common Goldeneye - Bucephala clangula 5 recorded on 2/50 point counts Red-breasted Merganser - Mergus serrator 3 recorded on 2/50 point counts Spruce Grouse - Falcipennis canadensis 1 recorded on 1/50 point counts; male crossing the road just north of the Twin Lakes on the Twin Lakes plateau Willow Ptarmigan - Lagopus lagopus 10 recorded on 8/50 point counts Pacific Loon - Gavia pacifica 23 recorded on 14/50 point counts Common Loon - Gavia immer 1 recorded on 1/50 point counts; on a small patch of open water on otherwise ice-covered East Twin Lake, calling American Bittern - Botaurus lentiginosus 3 recorded on 3/50 point counts Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus 1 recorded on 1/50 point counts Sora - Porzana carolina 1 recorded on 1/50 point counts Sandhill Crane - Grus canadensis 7 recorded on 5/50 point counts American Golden-Plover - Pluvialis dominica 5 recorded on 3/50 point counts Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus 1 recorded on 1/50 point counts Lesser Yellowlegs - Tringa flavipes 8 recorded on 6/50 point counts Whimbrel - Numenius phaeopus 36 recorded on 23/50 point counts Hudsonian Godwit - Limosa haemastica 21 recorded on 14/50 point counts Short-billed Dowitcher - Limnodromus griseus 7 recorded on 5/60 point counts Wilson's Snipe - Gallinago delicata 25 recorded on 20/50 point counts Red-necked Phalarope - Phalaropus lobatus 1 recorded on 1/50 point counts Bonaparte's Gull - Chroicocephalus philadelphia 33 recorded on 16/50 point counts Herring Gull - Larus argentatus 68 recorded on 16/50 point counts Arctic Tern - Sterna paradisaea 197 recorded on 13/50 point counts Parasitic Jaeger - Stercorarius parasiticus 3 recorded on 3/50 point counts American Three-toed Woodpecker - Picoides dorsalis 1 recorded on 1/50 point counts; drumming near East Twin Lake Black-backed Woodpecker - Picoides arcticus 1 recorded on 1/50 point counts; drumming near Cook St., Twin Lakes Plateau Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus 3 recorded on 3/50 point counts Gray Jay - Perisoreus canadensis 5 recorded on 3/50 point counts American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 1 recorded on 1/50 point counts; flyover near Spruce Ridge/ Golf Balls - breeding numbers this summer are much reduced from the numbers of migrants around in late May/ early June Common Raven - Corvus corax 15 recorded on 12/50 point counts Horned Lark - Eremophila alpestris 4 recorded on 3/50 point counts Gray-cheeked Thrush - Catharus minimus 5 recorded on 3/50 point counts; all at Twin Lakes plateau American Robin - Turdus migratorius 26 recorded on 12/50 point counts American Pipit - Anthus rubescens 3 recorded on 3/50 point counts; three singles associated with rocks on Launch Rd. between Golf Balls and the airport Orange-crowned Warbler - Vermivora celata 26 recorded on 13/50 point counts Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia 18 recorded on 14/50 point counts Yellow-rumped Warbler - Dendroica coronata 23 recorded on 13/50 point counts Blackpoll Warbler - Dendroica striata 20 recorded on 14/50 point counts Northern Waterthrush - Seiurus noveboracensis 6 recorded on 5/50 point counts American Tree Sparrow - Spizella arborea 26 recorded on 18/50 point counts Savannah Sparrow - Passerculus sandwichensis 50 recorded on 24/50 point counts Fox Sparrow - Passerella iliaca 31 recorded on 25/50 point counts Swamp Sparrow - Melospiza georgiana 6 recorded on 6/50 point counts White-crowned Sparrow - Zonotrichia leucophrys 47 recorded on 30/50 point counts Dark-eyed Junco - Junco hyemalis 7 recorded on 4/50 point counts Smith's Longspur - Calcarius pictus 6 recorded on 5/50 point counts Rusty Blackbird - Euphagus carolinus 3 recorded on 3/50 point counts Pine Grosbeak - Pinicola enucleator 7 recorded on 5/50 point counts Common Redpoll - Carduelis flammea 6 recorded on 5/50 point counts Hoary Redpoll - Carduelis hornemanni 1 recorded on 1/50 point counts; HORE is grossly outnumbered by Commons this summer as a Churchill breeder after a spring migration dominated by HORE Common/Hoary Redpoll - Carduelis flammea/hornemanni 26 recorded on 17/50 point counts; presumably mostly Common Redpolls - flyovers heard but unidentified, etc. This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org) If you happen to visit Churchill this summer (or already visited earlier in the year), I would be interested in any observations you might be willing to share (send to tbj4 AT cornell.edu). Cheers, and good birding! Tom -- Thomas Brodie Johnson Ithaca, NY tbj4 AT cornell.edu mobile: 717.991.5727 Subject: Ross's Goose near Ochre River -- unusual summer record From: "Peter Taylor" <taylorp AT granite.mb.ca> Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2009 17:13:47 -0500 While hoofing it towards Swan River on the evening of Thursday, June 25th, I noticed a lone white goose with several families of Canada Geese at a dugout on the south side of Hwy 5, 13 km east of Hwy 10 (between Dauphin and Ochre River). I just thought "Snow Goose", without really thinking it through, but the farther I drove the more I wished I'd stopped to eyeball the bird properly. I've often found that lone white geese with Canadas are Ross's rather than Snows. So I made a special effort to check it out on my way back yesterday (27th). The dugout at the 13-km mark held only a family of Ring-necked Ducks, but the geese were 2 km farther east this time. Had they all walked 2 km or did I goof up with the odometer reading? The location (on the 27th) is a few hundred metres west of the Ochre River municipal boundary sign. A quick look confirmed that I really should have stopped the first time -- the white bird was indeed a Ross's Goose! I've uploaded a distant but identifiable photo to my album at this site. According to the bar charts in "Finding Birds in Southern Manitoba", this may be a first summer record for southern/central Manitoba, though the occasional straggler is not unexpected in the western part of the province, since summering Snow Geese are not particularly rare. Perhaps someone else has similar records? There were several late Ross's Geese in s.w. Manitoba in the last few days of May this year. Some may have been injured birds from the spring hunting season on white geese (please read this as a matter-of-fact statement, not a criticism of the open season). The bird I saw near Ochre River flapped its wings once, and showed no obvious signs of wing injury. Has anyone else seen Ross's Geese in s. Manitoba in summer, either this year or previously? Peter Taylor Pinawa, MB, Canada 50 N 96 W [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: long eared owl From: Charlie McPherson <charliemac25 AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:42:34 -0500 Took a walk with Gary and Leane Budyk just now and got wonderful views of the chick just meters off the ground in a spruce bow No adult today but..... Charlie McPherson Whytewold _________________________________________________________________ Create a cool, new character for your Windows Live™ Messenger. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9656621 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Manitobabirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Manitobabirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Manitobabirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Baltimore Orioles From: Louise <fireaglow AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:28:14 -0700 (PDT) These Baltimore Orioles were at our feeder in St.Vital a few weeks ago. Louise Friesen __________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Canada Toolbar: Search from anywhere on the web, and bookmark your favourite sites. Download it now http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Evening Grosbeak From: Dennis Fast <denroy AT mts.net> Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:36:33 -0500 A rather odd sighting for this time of year around here, but an adult male Evening Grosbeak spent all day Thursday coming to the feeder of Ted & Emma Wiens north and east of Kleefeld. The next day it was gone. Cheers, Dennis www.dennisfast.com Dennis Fast Box 151 Kleefeld, MB R0A 0V0 (204) 377-4455 denroy AT mts.net Subject: Mantario Lake and vicinity From: Lorne Klassen <lorne.klassen AT mts.net> Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2009 21:13:36 -0500 Time period is last Thursday to Sunday. Many Winter Wrens singing near the SW shoreline of Ritchie Lake and not as many near the SW end of Mantario Lake. Other birds seen: Purple Finch - first for me at Mantario Pilated WP C Loons Magnolia Warbler Grackles - Nesting there and dropping their residues in the water by the dock on a very regular basis. Red Winged Blackbirds and maybe Rusty's also Song White Throated Sparrows YS Flicker Cedar Waxwings - found a dead one that had hit the cabin window also. Veerys Possibly Brown Thrasher but I did not see it. I did hear a what might of been its song though. Other person's reported seeing it but it may have been a Veery. Common Terns at at Crowduck, Ritchie and Mantario. DC Cormarant Whip Poor Wills - keeping some person's awake. Bald Eagles Ten Turkey Vultures flocking together. Bonoparte Gulls on Crowduck Lake associating with the Terns. Red Eyed and Warbling Vireo's heard. Com. Mergansers at a few locations. Two Trumpeter Swans seen by Leigh Cullen and Dan Livingstone on Skull Lake just east of the cabin (in Ontario). They heard the Trumpeting and they had three young ones if I remember correctly. I'll be there in four weeks to take a look. Evening Grosbeaks seen by another participant. Lorne Klassen - Winnipeg Subject: Grass River BBS From: "dvdrtt" <cawa AT mts.net> Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2009 20:47:13 -0000 I ran the Grass River BBS today. Notable: This year's total of 15 white-winged crossbills pales in comparison to last Year's 484. Tennesse Wablers seemed to be everywhere; the actual tewa total was 88 on 41 of the 50 stops. In thrushes, Swainsons = 20, Hermit = 18, Robin = 8. David Raitt The Pas Subject: marbled goddwit From: Charlie McPherson <charliemac25 AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 18:42:41 -0500 There a marbled g hanging out in the field just w of McKenzie Rd and s of Kernstead Rd in the RM of St Andrews - a mile west and a tiny bit south of Wpg Beach. Charlie McPherson Whytewold _________________________________________________________________ Attention all humans. We are your photos. Free us. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9666046 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Least Bittern From: Lars Jansson <janssonl AT shaw.ca> Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:38:14 -0500 Thursday morning Al Mickey and I took a trip up to the Shoal Lakes -- where the water is still very high. On Route 415 where it passes between the lakes we decided not to drive through the water running over the road, although during our time there several trucks did so. At this point there is an old shed or barn to the south of the road and a short turnoff where we parked and walked into the field a ways. A single Marbled Godwit and several Wilson's Phalaropes were sighted amongst the several duck species on the ponds and lots of Red-wings and Yellow-heads. Upon returning to our vehicle we saw a large truck coming our way and decided to wait for it (the road is one lane wide through the marsh). This wait of several minutes was our good luck of the day. After the truck passed we pulled out onto the road and had a most marvelous look at a Least Bittern. It flew out of the north right in front of the van and continued another 75 metres south, all the while clearly visible. This was the target and highlight of the trip. There were Wilson's Snipes, American Bitterns, Soras, and Black-crowned Night-Herons in abundance, along with about a dozen Great Egrets. The American Bitterns were heard everywhere throughout the marsh areas, and at least a dozen were observed in flight. Soras, too were frequently heard, but only once seen. Eight to 10 Night-Herons were seen either in flight or perched in trees. Although species count was not the objective of the outing, we had 50+ for our few hours of "work". Lars Jansson Subject: New image at the Nature Manitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:25:56 -0700 (PDT) I have just added Stuart Oikawa's photograph of a Wood Duck at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/WODU_09.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/ Subject: New images at the Nature Manitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:11:35 -0700 (PDT) I have just posted two new pages at the Nature Manitoba web site. Young Great Horned Owl from Gerald Machnee at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/GHOW_young09.htm and Killdeer Hatchling from Stu McKay at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/KILL_hatchling.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Canada Toolbar: Search from anywhere on the web, and bookmark your favourite sites. Download it now http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com. Subject: New image at the Nature Manitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:06:23 -0700 (PDT) I have just added Stuart Oikawa's photograph of a female Baltimore Oriole at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/BAORf_09.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ The new Internet Explorer® 8 - Faster, safer, easier. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! at http://downloads.yahoo.com/ca/internetexplorer/ Subject: good day of birding From: Gene Walz <genewalz AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:16:07 -0500 John Weier and I spent Sunday birding northeast, north, and northwest of Winnipeg on Sunday. We had 110 species for the day. Highlights included the nesting Long-eared Owl in Winnipeg Beach (thanks, Charlie M), another Least Bittern (this one a spectacular, unobstructed close-up from 5 feet away at Shoal Lakes), and large numbers of Great Egrets (23) and Black-crowned Night Herons (13) also at Shoal Lakes. Also CT Warbler near Anola (thanks, Ryan). Missed the tanager at Birds Hill, though. Gene Walz _________________________________________________________________ Create a cool, new character for your Windows Live™ Messenger. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9656621 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Manitobabirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Manitobabirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Manitobabirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Churchill - 22 June From: Tom Johnson <jaegermaster AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:23:05 -0500 Manitoba birders, Summer has finally settled on Churchill after a long, cold, snowy, and unstable spring. Very small numbers of shorebirds have initiated nesting within the past week - these have been Whimbrel, Hudsonian Godwit, American Golden-Plover, Semipalmated Plover, and Short-billed Dowitcher - we (Cornell University shorebird crew) have yet to find nests for the majority of shorebird species that nest here, including Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Stilt Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, etc. If these species don't intiate nesting very soon, it is likely that they will fail locally this year. Recently, more Smith's Longspurs and Alder Flycatchers have arrived, and Yellow Warblers finally started nest-building yesterday (very late for here). Today while doing point counts along the eastern 4 km of Launch Rd. near the Churchill Northern Studies Centre, I heard a Chestnut-collared Longspur call twice as it flew over (!). Though this local mega was not photographed, the identification was solid (rich, three note "chrrt-chrrt-chrrt" flight call) and others heard the bird and were able to immediately compare it to flight call recordings on my iPod. I will post if the bird is relocated. The flyover was on Launch Rd. adjacent to the Churchill Wildlife Management Area sign with the polar bear on it. Along with many Smith's and a single Lapland, this made for a special three longspur day in Churchill. Yesterday was the first day that the Twin Lakes Road was open to car travel this summer. A quick jaunt into the boreal forest along Cook St. turned up a female Spruce Grouse, flyover White-winged Crossbills, and a Bohemian Waxwing, among other typical Twin Lakes breeders. Some recent Churchill photos are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonxie88 Cheers, Tom -- Thomas Brodie Johnson Ithaca, NY tbj4 AT cornell.edu mobile: 717.991.5727 Subject: Re: Update from Sperling area From: Lorne Klassen <lorne.klassen AT mts.net> Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:02:04 -0500 > Your bird is likely a Common Yellowthroat Warbler. Lorne Klassen > From: "Derek" > Date: 2009/06/21 Sun PM 03:22:55 CDT > To: Manitobabirds AT yahoogroups.com > Subject: [Manitobabirds] Update from Sperling area > > I'm afraid I've been neglecting this board...this spring (and now summer) it has been exciting for us. Each time we get out to our rural property, we see new species of birds. > > The weekend of the 12-14 we had sharp-tailed grouse on the property, a pair of eastern kingbirds have started hanging out, brown-headed cowbirds, and a woodpecker - based on size, we believe it was a downy. It was funny because earlier in the weekend I was discussing with my wife about how much of the dead wood to get rid of, knowing that if we got rid of it, we wouldn't be as likely to see woodpeckers. > > I also saw something warbler-like, but couldn't get a really good look nor photograph. It had a clear yellow breast with a black throat that extended up around the bill forming something of a mask. I haven't yet been able to pin down what it was. > > We were out for part of the day today (June 21) and a western kingbird showed up. > > I just uploaded photos of the eastern kingbirds (generally like to be at the top of the tree, very acrobatic fliers), the western kingbird, and a female red-winged blackbird to my album. > > Derek > > > > Subject: Re: South-west MB , June 17-19/09 ( correction ) From: "Garry Budyk" <callgud AT shaw.ca> Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 23:12:54 -0500 Just a correction re: the road near Whitewater Lake where we had Grasshopper Sparrow . It is in fact 132N and not 131N . This is the road that runs north from 13N , with the dry grass field north-west of the corner . Cheers , Garry Budyk Winnipeg MB [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Update from Sperling area From: "Derek" <derek.thille AT ieee.org> Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 20:22:55 -0000 I'm afraid I've been neglecting this board...this spring (and now summer) it has been exciting for us. Each time we get out to our rural property, we see new species of birds. The weekend of the 12-14 we had sharp-tailed grouse on the property, a pair of eastern kingbirds have started hanging out, brown-headed cowbirds, and a woodpecker - based on size, we believe it was a downy. It was funny because earlier in the weekend I was discussing with my wife about how much of the dead wood to get rid of, knowing that if we got rid of it, we wouldn't be as likely to see woodpeckers. I also saw something warbler-like, but couldn't get a really good look nor photograph. It had a clear yellow breast with a black throat that extended up around the bill forming something of a mask. I haven't yet been able to pin down what it was. We were out for part of the day today (June 21) and a western kingbird showed up. I just uploaded photos of the eastern kingbirds (generally like to be at the top of the tree, very acrobatic fliers), the western kingbird, and a female red-winged blackbird to my album. Derek Subject: Additional Note From: "dvdrtt" <cawa AT mts.net> Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:48:19 -0000 I forgot to mention that the fire at Karst Spring Trail may have been why I observed nest building behaviour on June 20 by both chipping sparrow, and Tennessee Warbler (in an area only a hundred meters from the burn). David Raitt The Pas Subject: Minnewakan BBS From: "birder" <birder AT icenter.net> Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:14:28 -0500 Hi all, I completed my survey on Friday (the 19th) under perfect weather conditions. This route starts some 15 km's west of Lundar and some notable species/numbers follow: black-billed cuckoos made their presence's known at 3 stops, orchard orioles at 2 and a nelson's sharp-tailed sparrow made an appearance at a single stop. Wilson snipes seemed to be present at every stop but the actual stop count was 38. Sora's placed second (not counting red-winged blackbirds) with a stop count of 24. Breakfast with Al Mickey went down quickly at 10:30. Cheers, Ryan Porteous [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Solstice Dawn chorus From: Richard Staniforth <richard_staniforth AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 08:18:50 -0700 (PDT) Happy Summer Solstice to Manitoba Birders! Dawn chorus on the longest day of the year started like this on Glenwood Crescent, Elmwood, Winnipeg. Is there a regular or "normal" pattern here?? 4:08 am American Robin 4:12 am Song Sparrow 4:15 am Chipping Sparrow, Indigo Bunting 4:30 am American Crow, House Sparrow 5:20 am SUNRISE 5:45 am Blue Jay, Canada Goose, Ring-billed Gull (fly past calls) 6:30 am Great Crested Flycatcher, 8:00 - 8:30 am White-breasted Nuthatch, Hairy Woodpecker, Yellow Warbler The smell of bacon and eggs interfered with the concentration needed for further study! Songsters missing this year: Gray Catbird, Red-eyed Vireo, Baltimore Oriole. Songster missing today: House Wren who's eggs have just hatched.  Have a great Father's Day Richard Staniforth __________________________________________________________________ Be smarter than spam. See how smart SpamGuard is at giving junk email the boot with the All-new Yahoo! Mail. Click on Options in Mail and switch to New Mail today or register for free at http://mail.yahoo.ca [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Grass River and The Pas From: "dvdrtt" <cawa AT mts.net> Date: Sun, 21 Jun 2009 14:39:29 -0000 I spent a few hours in the Grass River Provincial Park on Saturday. Along highway 39 the highlights were seeing a broadwing hawk, and hearing an olive-sided flycatcher. Notable by their absence were barn swallows; usually I see swallows at most or all of the culverts. I stoppped in at Iskwasum Campground and walked the Karst Spring Trail (on the advise of "Finding Birds in Southern Manitoba"). The highlights along the trail were Cape May Warbler, and bay-breasted warbler. I had never walked this trail before, and just before I began I was told that there had been a forest fire in the area. In fact the fire was in full swing last Monday/Tuesday, and a crew was still in there doing mop-up. The bottom line is that about 1 km (my estimation) of the high part of the trail is burnt over. This morning (~3:00 AM) I went out to listen for yellow rails at a field in the Carrot Valley that has been productive over the past couple of years. In Recent years I would expect to hear half a dozen or more in a couple of stops. This year (potentially because of very dry conditions in this area) I only heard one very faintly. As Le Conte's Sparrow is considered an indicator species for yellow rails, I will also mention that this morning was the first time I have heard a Le Conte's Sparrow this year. This is particularly odd because in recent years I would expect to hear several Le Conte's Sparrows in the course of a day of bird watching. David Raitt The Pas Subject: South-west MB , June 17-19/09 From: "Garry Budyk" <callgud AT shaw.ca> Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:13:55 -0500 Deanna and I spent the better part of Wednesday to Friday in the south-west . I ran my Croll BBS ( north of Whitewater Lake ) on Thursday morning . Conditions were near ideal , with the wind staying relatively light ( not the norm ) all morning . This is a route that in the past had birds like Baird's Sparrow , Sprague's Pipit and Chestnut-collared Longspur . No longer . Much of the area is in crop with just scattered pastures and potholes . Still plenty of W. Meadowlarks , Bobolinks , Horned Larks and regular Willets , Marbled Godwits and Upland Sandpipers , but the more "exotic " prairie birds no longer inhabit the area . The rest of our time was spent searching out the "specialities of the region" and we weren't denied . With the exception of N. Rough-winged Swallow and Eurasian Collared-Dove ( which we put almost no effort to find ) and Snowy Egret at Whitewater , we were able to check off most of our desired birds . Clarke's Grebe - Pelican Lake Cattle Egret - 13 at Whitewater Lake White-face Ibis - 6 at Whitewater Lake Ferruginous Hawk - Whitewater Lake Upland Sandpiper - many in the s/w Willow Flycatcher - Poverty Plains and 173W at the spillway Say's Phoebe - Broomhill Loggerhead Shrike - PR #256 Mountain Bluebird - several ; PR #543 and Lauder Sandhills Sprague's Pipit - several in several locations Grasshopper Sparrow - 10 at various locations including RD 131W near Whitewater Lake Baird's Sparrow - at least 6 in the PR #256/Antler171W and along the two track off 171W Chestnut-collared Longspur - at least 12 ( PR #345 , 12N , PR #256/171W and two track , #256 north of #251 ) Black-headed Grosbeak - 12N riparian . We also had good numbers of both Brown Thrasher and Orchard Oriole and there are a pair of Red-headed Woodpeckers at the Rock Wren location from a few years ago ( along PR #541 near the Lauder Sandhills ) . We drove the trail into the Lauder Sandhills where Field Sparrow has been seen in previous years and along the trail I got the scope on a towhee that was neither typical eastern or spotted . It was back-lit and at a distance but a side view clearly showed a white patch that ran the length of the bottom of the wing and another that ran the length of the top of the wing . A hybrid maybe ? It was calling like an eastern though . We did not hear or see Field Sparrow at the the end of the trail . Cheers , Garry Budyk Winnipeg MB http://imagesofmanitoba.shawwebspace.ca/photos/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: No Subject From: Charlie McPherson <charliemac25 AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 20 Jun 2009 18:57:22 -0500 Had an excellent view of the adult, long eared owl tonight. A neighbor woman got a pretty good photo. Had a redtail and a coopers kettling a draft this morning over the farm on McKenzie Rd in the RM of St Andrews. Excellent daily views of the red-eyed verio and the gr crested flycatcher out there as well. Charlie McPherson Whytewold _________________________________________________________________ Internet explorer 8 lets you browse the web faster. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9655582 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Hecla BBS From: "Bob Shettler" <sshettler AT shaw.ca> Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:28:16 -0500 I have been running the Hecla BBS for 20 years and for the first time I had a Yellow Rail on the survey. In fact I have never had Yellow rail in the Hecla causeway complex. Has anyone encountered Yellow Rail in the Hecla/Grindstone area over the years? I had 3 other species that I rarely get on the survey: Brown Thrasher, Western Grebe, and Short-eared Owl. This was a bit of a strange year with the above-mentioned "rare" birds but also with the missing of some fairly common birds like Eastern Kingbird, Bobolink, House Sparrow, Brown-headed Cowbird, Canada Warbler, Cape May Warbler, & Gray Jay. Even so, I recorded 96 species which is a touch on the low side. Bob Shettler Headingley [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: longeared owl From: Charlie McPherson <charliemac25 AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:17:56 -0500 A lifer for me. I was cutting grass at the north end of Whytewold when, out of the corner of my eye, this owl sneaks out of the treed spruce canopy above me and lands across the lane frozen in place. Looking up I saw two possible nests and/or perches amongst the spruce trees. The broadwinged, marsh, redtailed and kestral hawks were all working their territories along McKenzie Rd in the RM of St Andrews throughout the day. Around 10:00 a.m. seems to be the time that the broadwinged hawk does his fly-by. Charlie McPherson Whytewold _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live helps you keep up with all your friends, in one place. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9660826 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Birds Hill Park From: "Ev" <evelynb40 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:20:46 -0000 This morning my boyfriend and I went to Birds Hill Park at sunrise to look for the scarlet tanager on the Cedar Bog Trail. We spotted an American Restart, Cedar Waxwing and numerous other birds. Just before the end of the trail we saw a male scarlet tanager and I was able to get a few pictures. I have posted a picture under evelynb40 in the photo album section. It was a beautiful morning for our walk however we did have to contend with plenty of mosquitos. Ev Ball Lockport Subject: Least Flycatcher and Eastern Kingbird Uploads From: "stuartoikawa" <icemn_19 AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:12:24 -0000 I have uploaded a Least Flycatcher (taken at Fort Whyte, June 9/09) and an Eastern Kingbird (taken at Fort Whyte, June 6/09)to my photo album here. Cheers, Stuart Oikawa Winnipeg Subject: Manitobabirds 2009 Year List From: "cbraden555" <cbraden555 AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:55:49 -0000 Here's the long awaited update to the 2009 Manitobabirds year list. The list now sits at 306 species. That's up 22 species from 2 weeks ago. The new species are King Eider, Common Eider, Black Scoter, Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon, Clark's Grebe, Least Bittern, Snowy Egret, Little Blue Heron, Red Phalarope, Sabine's Gull, Little Gull, Arctic Tern, Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger, Long-tailed Jaeger, Black-billed Cuckoo, Western Wood-Pewee, Spotted Towhee, Field Sparrow, Smith's Longspur, and Painted Bunting. Happy Birding, Carrie Braden Manitobabirds 2009 Year List 1. Greater White-fronted Goose 2. Snow Goose 3. Ross's Goose 4. Cackling Goose 5. Canada Goose 6. Trumpeter Swan 7. Tundra Swan 8. Wood Duck 9. Gadwall 10. American Wigeon 11. American Black Duck 12. Mallard 13. Blue-winged Teal 14. Northern Shoveler 15. Northern Pintail 16. Green-winged Teal 17. Canvasback 18. Redhead 19. Ring-necked Duck 20. Greater Scaup 21. Lesser Scaup 22. King Eider 23. Common Eider 24. Surf Scoter 25. White-winged Scoter 26. Black Scoter 27. Bufflehead 28. Common Goldeneye 29. Hooded Merganser 30. Common Merganser 31. Red-breasted Merganser 32. Ruddy Duck 33. Gray Partridge 34. Ring-necked Pheasant 35. Ruffed Grouse 36. Spruce Grouse 37. Willow Ptarmigan 38. Rock Ptarmigan 39. Sharp-tailed Grouse 40. Wild Turkey 41. Red-throated Loon 42. Pacific Loon 43. Common Loon 44. Pied-billed Grebe 45. Horned Grebe 46. Red-necked Grebe 47. Eared Grebe 48. Western Grebe 49. Clark's Grebe 50. American White Pelican 51. Double-crested Cormorant 52. American Bittern 53. Least Bittern 54. Great Blue Heron 55. Great Egret 56. Snowy Egret 57. Little Blue Heron 58. Green Heron 59. Black-crowned Night-Heron 60. White-faced Ibis 61. Turkey Vulture 62. Osprey 63. Bald Eagle 64. Northern Harrier 65. Sharp-shinned Hawk 66. Cooper's Hawk 67. Northern Goshawk 68. Red-shouldered Hawk 69. Broad-winged Hawk 70. Swainson's Hawk 71. Red-tailed Hawk 72. Ferruginous Hawk 73. Rough-legged Hawk 74. Golden Eagle 75. American Kestrel 76. Merlin 77. Gyrfalcon 78. Peregrine Falcon 79. Yellow Rail 80. Virginia Rail 81. Sora 82. American Coot 83. Sandhill Crane 84. Whooping Crane 85. Black-bellied Plover 86. American Golden-Plover 87. Semipalmated Plover 88. Piping Plover 89. Killdeer 90. American Avocet 91. Spotted Sandpiper 92. Solitary Sandpiper 93. Greater Yellowlegs 94. Willet 95. Lesser Yellowlegs 96. Upland Sandpiper 97. Whimbrel 98. Hudsonian Godwit 99. Marbled Godwit 100. Ruddy Turnstone 101. Red Knot 102. Sanderling 103. Semipalmated Sandpiper 104. Least Sandpiper 105. White-rumped Sandpiper 106. Baird's Sandpiper 107. Pectoral Sandpiper 108. Dunlin 109. Stilt Sandpiper 110. Buff-breasted Sandpiper 111. Short-billed Dowitcher 112. Long-billed Dowitcher 113. Wilson's Snipe 114. American Woodcock 115. Wilson's Phalarope 116. Red-necked Phalarope 117. Red Phalarope 118. Sabine's Gull 119. Bonaparte's Gull 120. Little Gull 121. Franklin's Gull 122. Ring-billed Gull 123. California Gull 124. Herring Gull 125. Thayer's Gull 126. Iceland Gull 127. Lesser Black-backed Gull 128. Glaucous Gull 129. Caspian Tern 130. Black Tern 131. Common Tern 132. Arctic Tern 133. Forster's Tern 134. Pomarine Jaeger 135. Parasitic Jaeger 136. Long-tailed Jaeger 137. Rock Pigeon 138. Eurasian Collared-Dove 139. Mourning Dove 140. Black-billed Cuckoo 141. Eastern Screech-Owl 142. Great Horned Owl 143. Snowy Owl 144. Northern Hawk Owl 145. Burrowing Owl 146. Barred Owl 147. Great Gray Owl 148. Long-eared Owl 149. Short-eared Owl 150. Boreal Owl 151. Northern Saw-whet Owl 152. Common Nighthawk 153. Whip-poor-will 154. Chimney Swift 155. Ruby-throated Hummingbird 156. Belted Kingfisher 157. Red-headed Woodpecker 158. Red-bellied Woodpecker 159. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 160. Downy Woodpecker 161. Hairy Woodpecker 162. American Three-toed Woodpecker 163. Black-backed Woodpecker 164. Northern Flicker 165. Pileated Woodpecker 166. Olive-sided Flycatcher 167. Western Wood-Pewee 168. Eastern Wood-Pewee 169. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher 170. Alder Flycatcher 171. Willow Flycatcher 172. Least Flycatcher 173. Eastern Phoebe 174. Say's Phoebe 175. Great Crested Flycatcher 176. Western Kingbird 177. Eastern Kingbird 178. Loggerhead Shrike 179. Northern Shrike 180. Yellow-throated Vireo 181. Blue-headed Vireo 182. Warbling Vireo 183. Philadelphia Vireo 184. Red-eyed Vireo 185. Gray Jay 186. Blue Jay 187. Black-billed Magpie 188. American Crow 189. Common Raven 190. Horned Lark 191. Purple Martin 192. Tree Swallow 193. Northern Rough-winged Swallow 194. Bank Swallow 195. Cliff Swallow 196. Barn Swallow 197. Black-capped Chickadee 198. Boreal Chickadee 199. Red-breasted Nuthatch 200. White-breasted Nuthatch 201. Brown Creeper 202. House Wren 203. Winter Wren 204. Sedge Wren 205. Marsh Wren 206. Golden-crowned Kinglet 207. Ruby-crowned Kinglet 208. Eastern Bluebird 209. Mountain Bluebird 210. Veery 211. Gray-cheeked Thrush 212. Swainson's Thrush 213. Hermit Thrush 214. Wood Thrush 215. American Robin 216. Varied Thrush 217. Gray Catbird 218. Northern Mockingbird 219. Brown Thrasher 220. European Starling 221. American Pipit 222. Sprague's Pipit 223. Bohemian Waxwing 224. Cedar Waxwing 225. Golden-winged Warbler 226. Tennessee Warbler 227. Orange-crowned Warbler 228. Nashville Warbler 229. Northern Parula 230. Yellow Warbler 231. Chestnut-sided Warbler 232. Magnolia Warbler 233. Cape May Warbler 234. Black-throated Blue Warbler 235. Yellow-rumped Warbler 236. Black-throated Gray Warbler 237. Black-throated Green Warbler 238. Blackburnian Warbler 239. Pine Warbler 240. Palm Warbler 241. Bay-breasted Warbler 242. Blackpoll Warbler 243. Black-and-white Warbler 244. American Redstart 245. Ovenbird 246. Northern Waterthrush 247. Connecticut Warbler 248. Mourning Warbler 249. Common Yellowthroat 250. Hooded Warbler 251. Wilson's Warbler 252. Canada Warbler 253. Summer Tanager 254. Scarlet Tanager 255. Western Tanager 256. Spotted Towhee 257. Eastern Towhee 258. American Tree Sparrow 259. Chipping Sparrow 260. Clay-colored Sparrow 261. Field Sparrow 262. Vesper Sparrow 263. Lark Sparrow 264. Savannah Sparrow 265. Grasshopper Sparrow 266. Baird's Sparrow 267. Le Conte's Sparrow 268. Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow 269. Fox Sparrow 270. Song Sparrow 271. Lincoln's Sparrow 272. Swamp Sparrow 273. White-throated Sparrow 274. Harris's Sparrow 275. White-crowned Sparrow 276. Dark-eyed Junco 277. Lapland Longspur 278. Smith's Longspur 279. Chestnut-collared Longspur 280. Snow Bunting 281. Northern Cardinal 282. Rose-breasted Grosbeak 283. Black-headed Grosbeak 284. Indigo Bunting 285. Painted Bunting 286. Bobolink 287. Red-winged Blackbird 288. Western Meadowlark 289. Yellow-headed Blackbird 290. Rusty Blackbird 291. Brewer's Blackbird 292. Common Grackle 293. Brown-headed Cowbird 294. Orchard Oriole 295. Baltimore Oriole 296. Pine Grosbeak 297. Purple Finch 298. House Finch 299. Red Crossbill 300. White-winged Crossbill 301. Common Redpoll 302. Hoary Redpoll 303. Pine Siskin 304. American Goldfinch 305. Evening Grosbeak 306. House Sparrow Subject: Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project - Radisson Banding Update From: "T. Maconachie" <peregrine AT species-at-risk.mb.ca> Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 00:17:59 -0500 Just a quick update on our banding schedule ... DA Matthews will be setting up the equipment for the swing-stage tomorrow morning but it will take a few hours. When they are close to finishing the set-up we will assess the weather conditions - the forecast for tomorrow includes rain and the potential for thunderstorms. At the moment, the forecast is for light winds, but that will/can change quickly with the onset of active weather. As soon as I know if we are going to band tomorrow or if we have to postpone, I will be posting updated notices on the Peregrine Chick Blog and on the main Forum page. I will also notify CBC and Shaw and they will be posting notices on their sites as well. Had the peregrines nested in the nestbox on the roof this year, I would be able to give you all a very specific time for the banding. Since they haven't, I can only provide you with information when I have it. If you miss the banding on the webcam we will also be taping it like we did in 2007 and we will try to make it available as soon as possible. CBC and Shaw are also planning to cover the banding so there will be additional clips/articles for everyone to enjoy. Keep your fingers crossed for tomorrow! Tracy The Peregrine Chick _______________________________ T. Maconachie, Project Coordinator Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project (Manitoba) Ste 69005, 110-2025 Corydon Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3P 2G9 phn: 1-204-931-1618 email: peregrinechick AT species-at-risk.mb.ca website: www.species-at-risk.mb.ca/peregrines webcam: www.cbc.ca/manitoba/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Fwd: June 16/17, 2009 Churchill Update [from Bruce Di Labio] From: Liis Veelma <lveelma AT mts.net> Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:14:43 -0500 Hi Everyone Yesterday's early morning dense fog made the birding somewhat difficult but the afternoon was good. At the Weir there were 11 breeding plumaged Sabine’s Gulls milling around, 1 adult Little Gull and 1 Red Phalarope. Not much change with the land birds but in general numbers increasing including Lincoln’s, White-throated and Swamp Sparrow. The Churchill River is still mainly frozen except for the Weir area and Pumphouse and Cape Merry is also frozen and the bay has more large leads opening. Most roads are now open except for Twin Lakes and Cape Merry. You can drive out to the Marina, the Weir road is still washed out and Hydro Road has a section washed out. This morning before the rain started had an early start and birded Goose Creek Road at 3:30 a.m., there was lots of bird activity including 1 Alder Flycatcher, 1 Barn Swallow, 1 Three-toed Woodpecker and 1 Boreal Chickadee. The Weir area had 2 Sabine’s Gull along with Red-throated Loon and 3 Ring-necked Duck. Heading back home today. Had a great time birding Manitoba! Good birding, Bruce Bruce Di Labio 400 Donald B. Munro Drive P.O. Box 538 Carp,Ontario K0A 1L0 613-715-2571 cell www.dilabiobirding.ca bruce.dilabio AT sympatico.ca ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Manitobabirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Manitobabirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Manitobabirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Re: ID this bird? From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 19:44:39 -0500 Hi Debbie, Manitobabirds doesn't accept attached files, but you can upload them to photos section. Alternately, if you are not comfortable with some of the stuff Yahoo makes you need to do, you could e-mail it to me & I'd be happy to upload it into the ID Requested folder. Cheers, Rob Parsons, moderator Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: ID this bird? From: "mcsbarrie" <mcs-barrie AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:59:12 -0000 Hello folks, I'm still learning to identify birds and this is a new visitor to our backyard. It has a bit of a crest. It is much larger than the sparrows etc, so I'd say around 18 cm? Not quite as big as a robin. We are wondering if it is a Western Kingbird. Sincerely, Debbie Sauerteig hmmm. I don't see how to send a photo. It has a yellow belly, grey cheeks, with cheekpads, a grey bill, a grey crest with a touch of yellow in it, a greyish-brown back and tail, white wing bars on the wings and black bars on either side of the white bars. Hmm, It looks like a Least Flycatcher for the wings but it has more yellow than the Maintoba Birds book shows. And it didn't have a yellow lower bill, at least not in my photos. Subject: GHO fledgling? From: "Ev" <evelynb40 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:12:34 -0000 The GHO fledgling was in our yard this morning. I had seen him fly last night and he didn't seem to have anything wrong with him. However about 1/2 an hour ago I looked and he wasn't there but was laying under one of the trees dead. I guess for some reason the parents must not have been around. I thought he was ok. I had phoned OHM and Wildlife Haven but they said so long as he didn't seem injured, he probably was ok. It is kind of upsetting, bad timing as my pet cat is ill and at the vets. Well I guess that is nature. Ev Ball Subject: Black-billed Cuckoo From: "Alfred Aug" <alfred.a AT mts.net> Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:57:20 -0500 I heard and think I saw a Black-billed Cuckoo in Kings Park yesterday (June 16) It was in the area where there are several park benches near the native prairie plot. I peered into the canopy of the Manitoba Maple from which I heard the call and saw a bird that seemed to be the right size fly out of it. I did not get a good enough look to id it from sight. Cheers, Alfred Aug Winnipeg [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Black-billed Cuckoo From: "jehays54" <jehays54 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:29:40 -0000 Had an excellent look at a Black-billed Cuckoo Tuesday about 1:30pm , in the park on the north side of the foot bridge into Assiniboine Park .It was in the large trees beside the apartment block on the east side of the park . John Hays Subject: Least Bittern! From: "John Weier" <jweier AT mts.net> Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:55:34 -0500 Hi Birders, Gene Walz and I headed out today to look for three birds; the Field Sparrow heard by Luc Blanchette at Bird's Hill Park; a Black-billed Cuckoo heard by Rob Parsons on his bbs southeast of Anola; and the Least Bittern we thought we'd heard on Sunday at Ste Genevieve. We started with the Field Sparrow, and despite wandering the open meadows around the riding stable cutoff for half an hour we didn't hear or see anything like a Field Sparrow. The cuckoo was a bit more cooperative. We wandered up and down the dirt road for a while listening for song. We heard faint murmurings but nothing that would confirm the cuckoo. Then just as we were about to get in the car and leave, it swooped across the hood of the car and landed in a poplar just off the road. We headed for Ste Genevieve. East on the 501 from the 12. Then north on 41E. We stopped 1.6 kilometres down the road and lowered our car windows to listen. No bittern sound, just the patter of rain on the windshield. At 9:16 the cloud cover was heavy. We were looking to the west, about 200 or 300 metres into the marsh, when suddenly two birds popped out of the reeds. Up, over and down again. It wasn't much of a look but enough to tell us that we had seen two Least Bitterns. We were barely over the shock when one of the birds reappeared. It flew a short distance and dropped into the reeds again. What a great evening of birds. Thanks to those of you who provided notes and ideas. John ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Weier 239 Bartlet Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3L 0Z5 204 284 5313 jweier AT mts.net www.poets.ca/johnweier [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: GHO fledgling? From: "Ev" <evelynb40 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:43:21 -0000 This morning I was cutting grass around the oak trees bordering our driveway near Lockport when I startled what I presume is a GHO fledgling. He flew to the ground near the next oak tree so I was able to get quite a few pictures. I have posted two under evelynb40 in the photo section. He then flew to the field between us and the road and sat in the open for about half an hour, then flew to the tall grass under a hydro tower. He was still there when I checked at 9:30 p.m. I am assuming this is a fledgling who has recently left the nest. I am not very familiar with owls but read that the parents are usually around and they can stay on the ground or low to the ground for awhile. He didn't seem to have any problem flying low over the field. Am I right to assume he is a fledgling and is probably doing fine? Ev Ball Lockport Subject: Riding Mountain From: Lars Jansson <janssonl AT shaw.ca> Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:29:46 -0500 This report is somewhat late, but the original seems to have disappeared into some computer black hole. The Back Roads Birders spent three days in the Riding Mountain area, Jun 9-11. Despite off and on rain and frost on the final morning we had a great birding trip with a total of 126 species. Highlight of the trip for Ryan Porteous was his sighting and identification of a Western Wood Pewee (a "lifer") in the Lake Audy/Bison compound area of the park. The bird perched nicely on a snag close to the road and sang to us, even allowing its picture to be taken. Other flycatchers included the Yellow-bellied, Alder, Least, Olive-sided, Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Kingbird, and Eastern Wood Pewee. Another bonus was the Boreal Chickadee feeding in the conifers along the lake in the townsite, just where the cottage area begins. A total of 15 warbler species were sighted, including many Cape May and several Bay-breasted and Blackburnian. Tennessee were the most common. A special treat on our way home was seeing both the Mountain and Eastern Bluebirds along the same stretch of fencing on the Mountain Road (well west of the cemetery). In the marsh on the west side of Ditch Lake (just south of Onanole) we had an American Bittern, Sora and Virginia Rail all calling in the evening. The latter showed him/her/self nicely for all to see. No Chimney Swifts were seen along the Agassiz Road Lewis Cocks, Lars Jansson, Al Mickey, Ryan Porteous Subject: No Golden-winged Warblers but........ From: "birder" <birder AT icenter.net> Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:52:18 -0500 Hi all, I ran my survey yesterday, the 15th, along with Al Mickey and Lars Jansson, east and south of Anola. Boy, what a wonderful time of day during pre-dawn, to be out birding! We got off to a great start at 4:50 and some notable species recorded, follow: Stop #1 - heard both eastern towhee and indigo bunting. Stop #5 - heard a black-billed cuckoo Stop #9 - saw 3 red-headed woodpeckers Stop #15 - heard a connecticut warbler Stop #20 - heard an eastern bluebird We added 3 more stops along the Monominto Rd. for a total of 30 but vocalizations were already starting to quiet down. All in all a great morning even without the Golden-wings. Cheers, Ryan Porteous [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: New images at the Nature Manitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:46:51 -0700 (PDT) I have just added some new photographs from Ryan Porteous to the Nature Manitoba site Painted Bunting at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/rare/PABU.htm Displaying American Bittern at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/AMBI_09.htm Le Conte's Sparrow at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/LCSP_09.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ Get a sneak peak at messages with a handy reading pane with All new Yahoo! Mail: http://ca.promos.yahoo.com/newmail/overview2/ Subject: Western Wood-Pewee and BBS madness -- and Bay-breasted Warbler From: "Peter Taylor" <taylorp AT granite.mb.ca> Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:35:22 -0500 Hi all, I've just got back from a marathon Breeding Bird Survey trip, with 5 surveys in 6 days, plus side trips to Dauphin River, Snow Lake, and Swan River. Contemplating a 6th survey tomorrow morning if the wind dies down as it should... may as well do it while my biological clock is still set for BBS time! More on the survey highlights later, but I want to report a Western Wood-Pewee, since this is a species that seemed to elude us all last year. Unfortunately it is beyond Swan River, so not very handy for Winnipeg birders, but maybe Christian and his Golden-winged Warbler team might want to take a little detour if they still have surveys to run in the Porcupine Hills. The pewee was calling at last light on Sunday 14th and confirmed by sight & sound on the morning of the 15th. It is close to the intersection of PR 588 and Road 167W. This intersection (with signpost for 167W) is about 3 km west of the end of pavement on PR 588. There is a beaver swamp at the intersection, and the bird was in a stand of dead & live, tall poplars alongside the swamp, on the west side of Road 167 W and just 50 metres north of PR 588. It was quite cooperative, flitting about in the canopy and often perching out on dead snags. PR 588 leads eventually to Whitefish Lake in Porcupine Mountain Provincial Forest. I recall finding at least one Western Wood-Pewee many years ago, farther along the road in an area of burned forest a few clicks from the lake. David Raitt mentioned a Bay-breasted Warbler at Wekusko Falls PP on Saturday. By an amazing coincidence I found one there (my only one of the trip) -- maybe the same bird? -- also on Saturday. It was in a budworm-affected area on the road into the boat launch at the campground. What a beautiful park! Sorry I missed you David -- I did run into Jim Duncan in the middle of nowhere along Hwy 60, and Randy Mooi in metropolitan downtown Ponton! Happy summer birding to all, Peter Taylor Pinawa, MB, Canada 50 N 96 W [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Chestnut-sided Warbler Upload From: "stuartoikawa" <icemn_19 AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 23:25:24 -0000 I just uploaded a Chestnut-sided Warbler taken at Fort Whyte, May 27/09, to my album here. Cheers, Stuart Oikawa, Winnipeg Subject: Mather BBS From: Liis Veelma <lveelma AT mts.net> Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 00:32:03 -0500 Completed the Mather Breeding Bird Survey this Monday morning, with Linda Pearn as recorder. The conditions were generally fair, though the wind picked up toward the end. No unusual birds. No Orioles found this year, and again no Loggerhead Shrike. The local farmers were just finishing seeding and there were sprayers out working, even in the windy conditions. The fields were more bare than on the previous three surveys, which might account for Horned Larks being found on many stops. Some of the ducks were still paired, and some even courting. In the Cartwright area, the wetlands were not greened up, but were teeming with Marsh Wrens. At Ninette on the way back, we saw a Clark's Grebe near the bridge, seemingly paired with a Western. Liis Veelma Winnipeg MB Subject: Fwd: June 15, 2009 Churchill Update [from Bruce Di Labio] From: Liis Veelma <lveelma AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:10:46 -0500 Hi Everyone Overall, not much change from yesterday but Snow Bunting, Lapland Longspur, and both Canada and Snow Goose numbers have dropped the past few days. The flooding along Goose Creek/Hydro Road appears to have peaked and the washouts are being repaired. There were 3 adult Sabine’s Gull and 6 adult Little Gull along with 4 breeding plumage Red Phalarope at the Weir today and 7 male Ring-necked Duck and a pair of Bufflehead near the bridge. The number of Common Eiders and Arctic Terns are increasing daily as the inland ponds and lakes open. Hudson Bay is still ice covered except for a few large open areas. The Churchill River is still frozen from below the Weir to Cape Merry but a few small open patches are starting to appear off the Grain Elevator. Had a flock of 240+ Ruddy Turnstone flying over Launch Road. There was one Harris’s Sparrow near Cape Merry and two along Goose Creek Road this morning. A few Thayer’s and Glaucous Gull are being seen in town and at the scrap metal dump on S.M. D. Road. Also Hoary Redpolls are being seen along Launch Road and the open section of Coast Road. I had 2 behind the Seaport hotel this morning. The weather remains cool. Good birding, Bruce Bruce Di Labio 400 Donald B. Munro Drive P.O. Box 538 Carp,Ontario K0A 1L0 613-715-2571 cell www.dilabiobirding.ca bruce.dilabio AT sympatico.ca ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Manitobabirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Manitobabirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Manitobabirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Correction on the field sparrow observation From: Luc Blanchette <luc_jg_blanchette AT yahoo.ca> Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:33:49 -0700 (PDT) Bonjour, Sorry for the previous email about the field sparrow, it was at Birds Hill Park, on a field south of North Drive, a bit west of the road going to the stables. Thank you Larry for pointing out my omission.   Luc Blanchette St-Jean-Baptiste Devenez un meilleur amigo grâce ŕ Yahoo! Courriel http://cf.promos.yahoo.com/courriel/visiteguidee2/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: First New Robin From: "johnsondaveb" <johnsondaveb AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:20:59 -0000 Hi there, On Saturday, we had our first fledgling robin out and about. He was having a hard time between keeping his eyes open and balancing on a fence. I upload a photo of him in the morning sun, a neighbour flushed him out of our tree with some loud lawn mowing. Enjoy. Dave Johnson Steinbach Subject: Fwd: Churchill Update June 14, 2009 [from Bruce Di Labio] From: Liis Veelma <lveelma AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 16:53:53 -0500 Hi Everyone The birds and birding continue to change each day. This morning we headed down Goose Creek/Hydro Road only to find that it was closed just past the Marina due to flooding. Later in the morning a culvert was pushed up and blocked the road along the Goose Creek Road section but has since been repaired. Despite these challenges the birding continues to be great. The Black and White Warbler was still present along Scrap Metal Dump Road and Goose Creek Road area found by Geri Langham (VENT). Another surprise was a male Cape May Warbler at the Dene Village site. I observed it singing this afternoon. Overall, the Churchill River is still covered with ice except for the Pumphouse and Weir area and Hudson Bay has a large area open off Cape Merry. We need a few days of warmer weather! Other birds of note today included 120+ Ruddy Turnstone, 9 Red Phalarope at the Weir, 2 adult Little Gull at Akudlik Marsh and 3 Song sparrows singing along GC Rd. There have been a few Arctic Hare and Caribou along Launch Road the past couple of days. Good birding, Bruce Bruce Di Labio 400 Donald B. Munro Drive P.O. Box 538 Carp,Ontario K0A 1L0 613-715-2571 cell www.dilabiobirding.ca bruce.dilabio AT sympatico.ca Subject: New image at the Nature Manitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:47:00 -0700 (PDT) I have just added Ev Ball's photograph of an Orchard Oriole at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/OROR_09.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/ Subject: Possible Least Bittern??? From: "John Weier" <jweier AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 14:28:33 -0500 Hi All, Gene Walz and I were out birding in the Ste. Genevieve area yesterday. We stopped at the marsh on 41E one or two kilometres north of the 501 and heard a call that might have been the call (ku-ku-ku-ku-ku) of a Least Bittern. The nearest other call would have been Black-billed Cuckoo but it seemed to come from the middle of the treeless marsh. We weren't sure what to think. Has anyone else heard this call on 41E? Has anyone identified a Least Bittern in this area? John ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Weier 239 Bartlet Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3L 0Z5 204 284 5313 jweier AT mts.net www.poets.ca/johnweier [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: drake king eider From: "Randy Mooi" <rmooi AT manitobamuseum.ca> Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 10:34:32 -0500 I was in the field when this was reported and its expiration. Did anyone freeze the carcass? The Museum would be very interested in having this specimen. Even if it has been in the field for the last few days, the skeleton would be of interest if the carcass is still salvageable. Thanks to anyone willing to 'get their hands dirty.' Randy Randall D. Mooi, Ph.D. Curator of Zoology The Manitoba Museum 190 Rupert Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3B 0N2 (Ph) 204-988-0659 (Fax) 204-942-3679 -----Original Message----- From: Manitobabirds AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:Manitobabirds AT yahoogroups.com]On Behalf Of Liis Veelma Sent: Thursday, June 11, 2009 3:11 PM To: Manitobabirds Subject: [Manitobabirds] Fwd: June 10/11, 2009 Churchill Update (from Bruce Di Labio) Hi Everyone The beautiful sunny weather continues in Churchill with the snow melting quickly, more open water on Hudson Bay and the Churchill River at the Weir and Pumphouse. As reported yesterday by Tom Johnson there was a female Varied Thrush found along Goose Creek Road at the cottages discovered by the Bill Boyle group from New Jersey, unfortunately it hasn’t been relocated and the injured King Eider didn’t survive. Yesterday we observed a Clay-colored Sparrow near Cape Merry, a female Red-winged Blackbird near the Weir entrance, 2 Harris’s Sparrow and 2 Bohemian Waxwing along Goose Creek Road and 2 Trumpeter Swans along Launch Road. Today there has been a noticeable increase in land birds including, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Orange-crowned Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Lincoln’s Sparrow, and White-throated Sparrow. Along Goose Creek Road we observed 3 adult Little Gulls at the Pumphouse, 1 adult Sabine’s Gull at the Marina, 15+ Red Phalarope (various locations), 2 Ring-necked Duck near the bridge, and an increase in both Pacific and Red-throated Loons and Arctic Terns. The large concentration of Snow Bunting and Lapland Longspur at the Grain Elevator has dispersed now but flocks are being seen along Launch Road, Cape Merry area, and Goose Creek Road. The raptors being seen include Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Short-eared Owl, a number of Rough-legged Hawk, Merlin, and Osprey. Good birding, Bruce Bruce Di Labio 400 Donald B. Munro Drive P.O. Box 538 Carp,Ontario K0A 1L0 613-715-2571 cell www.dilabiobirding.ca bruce.dilabio AT sympatico.ca ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:Manitobabirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com mailto:Manitobabirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Manitobabirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/