Lesser Yellowlegs heavily rely on the Gulf Coast for wintering habitat
Credit: Glen Tepke

We’ve posted a couple times on the likely effects the Gulf oil spill will have on migratory birds (here and here), who will soon be flooding the Gulf in large numbers for both wintering habitat and stopover habitat for those en route to destinations further south.

I wanted to share with you an amazing piece on this same subject written by David Gessner for On Earth - it’s a wonderfully written and highly detailed account of the many ways migratory birds could be affected when they return to the Gulf Coast region this fall, some of which are less obvious. David has been able to spend time in the region interviewing various locals and experts, which has resulted in this great personal account of what he’s learned so far.

Read the full article here >

You can also read some of his field notes from working in the region here, as well as check out a great photo gallery of some of the most threatened birds here.

If you haven’t heard of it, On Earth is a wonderful magazine about a variety of environmental issues and our relationship as humans with the earth. They also have a great website that includes many web-only specials and features. Take a few minutes to check out their web page if you haven’t had the chance yet.

http://www.onearth.org/

Green-winged Teal
Credit: Tye Gregg, Ducks Unlimited

You might recall we did a post a while back on the negative impacts the Gulf Coast oil spill could have on migratory birds. We recently submitted and published another piece on the Ducks Unlimited website highlighting these threats, which include direct contact with oil, contaminated habitat, and weakened food supply. Many of the birds that spend their winters or stop in the region during their longer migratory travels have already begun migration, meaning these impacts could be felt sooner rather than later.

You can read the full piece here >

As part of our efforts to help educate people on the effects of the oil spill on boreal-breeding birds, we created this infographic/map highlighting the connection between the birds of Canada’s Boreal Forest and the Gulf Coast region, which include some already-declining waterfowl and shorebirds. Feel free to use this on your webpage or in your blog (just make sure to give credit to the Boreal Songbird Initiative if you crop out the bottom section with the logo)!

Credit: Jeff Wells

My trip to the place the Innu call Mushuanipi on the George River in the Innu lands of northern Quebec was amazing! Flying for seven hours in a small Cessna float plane from near Quebec City all the way to the George River gave an incredible opportunity to see a vast transect of Quebec’s Boreal Forest though the bumpiness on the first leg of the trip gave me a bad case of nausea and my body shut down and went to sleep for a while.

We stopped to refuel at a float plane base on the giant reservoir Manic-5 and then at the community of Schefferville near the Labrador border, both times giving me a chance to regain my queasy stomach. The landscape of the final hour of flying reminded me of parts of the Northwest Territories that I have flown over. There was no sign of human activity as far as the eye could see and thousands of lakes, ponds, and rivers. In many places you could see the trails left by generations of migrating caribou through peat bogs and tundra meadows.

When we arrived at the George River and looked down to see the striking white tepees of the encampment on a high point overlooking the river it was like the plane had somehow also traveled backward in time.

I will write more about the birds, wildlife, plants and the stories we learned of Innu cultural ways but in the meantime I will post here some of the photos and video of the trip:

Credit: Jeff Wells

Credit: Jeff Wells

Credit: Jeff Wells

Credit: Jeff Wells

Credit: Jeff Wells

Credit: Jeff Wells

Black bear:

Preparing fish:

Great scenery:

Some of our friends at the Canadian Boreal Initiative (our Canadian partner and ally) recently embarked on a trip to Labrador’s Boreal Forest. Specifically, they were visiting the newly announced Mealy Mountains National Park and adjacent Eagle River proposed provincial waterway park.

Here’s a map of the two areas from the Globe and Mail:

CBI’s Larry Innes, Valerie Courtois, and Jon Feldgajer were able to visit the area to talk with locals about the parks and how they will be managed. They were also able to bring some various media folks along for the tour to help showcase this important region and how its protection is a great step forward in boreal protection in Eastern Canada. There had previously been a lack of protection in this unique type of boreal forest (which can be more rocky and open, especially in the Mealy Mountains), highlighting the importance of these parks and the biological uniqueness of the region.

Jon, Valerie, and Larry during their trip.
Credit: Valerie Courtois, Canadian Boreal Initiative

Part of their trip was staying at the Rifflin’ Hitch Lodge alongside Eagle River. Eagle River is home to one of the most intact and healthy Atlantic salmon runs in North America. Atlantic salmon have been almost entirely removed from their traditional habitat in the United States (mostly in the Northeast corner) from a combination of fishing and impacts to rivers (such as dams). Millions of dollars have been spent on restoring traditional habitat in the U.S. - something we hope will never be needed in this part of Labrador.

They were able to spend some time sport fishing for Atlantic Salmon (don’t worry, it was catch-and-release):

Jon casts out into Eagle River
Credit: Valerie Courtois, Canadian Boreal Initiative

The unique part about these parks is that traditional hunting and fishing will likely be able to continue – something that has alarmed some environmentalists. The Globe and Mail referred to it as an experimental type of park – to see if traditional hunting and fishing (seen as a right for local aboriginals) can be carefully managed enough so that local species can still thrive. This will obviously require some oversight, and we hope they can find the right balance between continuing traditional uses of land and protecting species if they become increasingly threatened.

The Globe and Mail was one of the media participants in the trip – Oliver Moore wrote an excellent article summarizing the trip and what he learned about the parks:

Read article >

Also, Valerie and Jon were able to sit down with CBC Radio to discuss the region, the parks, and more:

Listen to or download podcast >

Here are a couple more images from their trip – truly great scenery!

Credit: Valerie Courtois, Canadian Boreal Initiative

Credit: Larry Innes, Canadian Boreal Initiative

Credit: Valerie Courtois, Canadian Boreal Initiative

Credit: Larry Innes, Canadian Boreal Initiative

Credit: Valerie Courtois, Canadian Boreal Initiative

Credit: Larry Innes, Canadian Boreal Initiative

Credit: Larry Innes, Canadian Boreal Initiative

Credit: Larry Innes, Canadian Boreal Initiative

Credit: Larry Innes, Canadian Boreal Initiative

Hi all -

I thought I would provide you with a brief update from Jeff about his trip up to Northern Quebec this week (he tried to write something before heading up but packing and last-minute details got in the way!). This short update via phone messages he left:

Early Sunday morning Jeff began the long drive from his home in Maine to Quebec City in Quebec. The trip lasted about 5 hours but he mentioned the mostly wooded scenery throughout the northern parts of Maine is quite scenic, so hopefully this made the long drive more enjoyable!

He arrived Sunday evening in Quebec City where he met up with our friends and colleagues Mat Jacobson of the Pew Environment Group’s International Boreal Conservation Campaign and Chris Beck of the Canadian Boreal Initiative. The three then hopped on a small plane to head up to a very rural region of Northern Quebec on the George River – a long, pristine river that drains a good chunk of Northern Quebec into the Arctic Ocean.

George River in Northern Quebec
Credit: Atlas of Canada via WikiMedia Commons

The flight took around 7 hours and required several fueling stops. I recieved a brief message from him via satellite phone more recently saying they had arrived safely and had a gorgeous trip flying over the Boreal Forest in Quebec. Unfortunately it sounded like he got sick at some point in the travels so we’re hoping it doesn’t last too long and he can enjoy the remainder of the trip!

The area they flew into was beautiful, he mentioned. It’s very far north and mostly consists of tundra and small shrub-like plants (fewer trees). The part of the river they are staying is called Indian House Lake, a wide part of the river that is to date untouched by roads and development. They will be staying in a traditional Innu camp – for thousands of years the Innu have made temporary camps in this region during the summer for the great caribou hunting as well as amazing fishing. He said some of their traditional teepees were already set up by the time they landed!

In typical Jeff fashion, birds were already on his mind shortly after they landed. He mentioned he had already seen some Red Polls, White-crowned Sparrows, and Northern ________s (reception cut out at that point…feel free to take a guess as to what the last bird was in the comments section). I’m sure he’ll have plenty more bird sightings to report on upon his return home!

Jeff is up there for the remainder of the week to attend a week-long meeting/seminary about Quebec’s Northern Boreal region. Specifically, the group of government officials, aboriginal officials, industry representatives, scientists (like Jeff), and environmental leaders will be engaging in a week-long discussion about how best to protect half of Quebec’s Northern Boreal Forest – a comittment the Quebec government made in 2008. Successfully implementing such an ambitious conservation plan has proved to be challenging, but they remain devoted to this worthy cause and the meeting is expected to help bring all of the different parties and perspectives in one place to work on common goals.

Let’s hope the meetings go well and some good results come out of them – there is a lot at stake in Northern Quebec. Let’s also hope Jeff gets some nice weather and sees lots of birds!

David

A little over a week ago we posted an update from Ron Pittaway, who has been writing up the bird counts from Jean Iron up in in the James Bay region of Canada and posting them on the Ontario Birding listserv. Jean is part of a group that heads up to this remote part of Canada every year to conduct bird counts, providing critical information about bird trends and behavior in a region with little researching infrastructure.

The two have been communicating by satellite phone and Ron has been posting the updates on the Ontario Birding listserv.

James Bay region of Canada
Credit: Google Earth with highlighted box added by David Childs

Here is a link to the first update, which Ron was kind enough to let us share on the blog. Below are the second and third updates from Jean, written up by Ron. Hope you enjoy them – sounds like there has been a lot of activity!

__________________________________________________________

This is Jean Iron’s second report on 23 July 2010 by satellite phone for
the period 18-22 July from Longridge Point on the south coast of James
Bay. The Royal Ontario Museum study of Red Knots and shorebirds is a
cooperative effort with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
(OMNR), Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and Trent University.

SHOREBIRD OBSERVATIONS
The past several days have been mainly sunny with daytime high
temperatures below average with cool nights. High tides have been weak
so shorebirds were less concentrated for counting. Usually only high
count day numbers for each species are listed below in checklist order.

Black-bellied Plover: 2 adults on 20-21 July.

Semipalmated Plover: 26 probable adults in flight on 22 July.

Killdeer: 10 on 21 July. Late nest with 4 eggs hatched on 22 July.

Greater Yellowlegs: 137 mostly adults on 19 July.

Lesser Yellowlegs: 480 (1/3 juveniles) on 18 July.

Whimbrel: 78 adults on 20 July.

Hudsonian Godwit: 222 molting adults on 19 July. Adult Hudsonian Godwits
molt body feathers before migrating from James Bay usually going nonstop
to South America in late August and early September.

Marbled Godwit: None seen.

Ruddy Turnstone: 102 on 22 July appeared to be mostly females in worn
alternate plumage.

RED KNOT: Highest count to date of 638 molting adults on 20 July is half
the number for same period in 2009. 69 flagged individuals observed
include birds banded in the United States, Brazil, Argentina and Chile.
The above include 7 birds marked before 2005. One with a data logger
from Delaware Bay (USA) observed on 20-21 July. After breeding in the
Canadian Arctic, rufa Red Knots migrate to stopover areas such as
southern James Bay, where they fatten for the long flight to South
America. Another rufa population winters in Florida. Florida knots are
rare in James Bay. Longridge was chosen as the ROM’s survey site because
high numbers were recorded there in the past. A one-day estimate of 5000
at Longridge was made in the late 1970s before the decline.

The team has put special emphasis on counting and tracking Red Knots.
Credit: Tom Vezo

Sanderling: 22 fading and molting adults on 18 July.

Semipalmated Sandpiper: 1095 adults (no juveniles) on 22 July.

Least Sandpiper: first juvenile on 17 July. 80 (1/2 juveniles) on 20
July.

White-rumped Sandpiper: 109 molting adults on 22 July.

Pectoral Sandpiper: 540 adults (not molting) on 20 July.

Dunlin: 11 worn adults not yet in active molt on 22 July.

Stilt Sandpiper: 2 molting adults on 21-22 July.

Short-billed Dowitcher: 6 adults (not molting) on 19 July comprised 2
nominate subspecies griseus and 4 hendersoni. 8 on 21 July were mostly
hendersoni. 1 nominate griseus on 22 July.

Wilson’s Snipe: 4 still winnowing on 19 July.

WILSON’S PHALAROPE: One juvenile on 21 July found by Mark Peck and Lisa
Pollock. It likely hatched locally because this phalarope breeds
sparingly in the prairie-like marshes of James Bay.

OTHER SIGHTINGS
Birds: American White Pelican seen daily with high of 57 on 20 July.
Sandhill Crane. Yellow Rail numbers are much lower than last summer
possibly linked to drier marshes this year. Some Yellow Rails may have
short-stopped to breed in the areas such as southern Manitoba, which is
very wet this summer with many reports of singing Yellow Rails.
Short-eared Owl, pair with two young. Gray Jay, pair with a blackish
juvenile. Swainson’s Thrush singing. Orange-crowned Warbler singing. Le
Conte’s Sparrow nest with eggs on 22 July. Nelson’s Sparrow nest with
eggs on 19 July. Small numbers of White-winged Crossbills and Common
Redpolls seen most days.

Mammals: A dead Beluga, 3 metres in length, washed up on shore. Crew
hopes the carcass will attract scavengers such as Red Fox, Gray Wolf and
Lynx whose tracks have been seen during surveys. Two Black Bears seen on
19 July. A Caribou on 19 July. A Short-tailed Weasel (Mustela erminea)
is around camp.

Butterflies: Two additions since last report: Skipper sp. (genus
Polites) and Northern Crescent.

Map link below of southern James Bay. Yellow pointer shows location of
Longridge Point. Ontario borders the west coast of James Bay and Quebec
borders the east coast. Provincial boundaries extend to the low water
mark on James Bay. Offshore islands extending to the low water mark are
part of Nunavut Territory. The waters and seabed of James Bay are
internal parts of Canada under exclusive federal jurisdiction and not
part of Ontario, Quebec or Nunavut.
www.jeaniron.ca/2009/James-Bay-2009-REKN.jpg

Jean will call again in 4-6 days and I’ll post her third report.

Ron Pittaway
Minden, Ontario

__________________________________________________________

This is Jean Iron’s third report by satellite phone on 1 August 2010 for
the period 23 July to 1 August 2010 from Longridge Point on southern
James Bay. Jean is a volunteer surveying Red Knots and other shorebirds
under the direction of Mark Peck of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto.

On 31 July four more people arrived at camp and one there departed. Don
Sutherland of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR), Mike
McMurtry (OMNR), Doug McRae (ROM volunteer) and Ray Ford (writer)
arrived and Christian Friis (Canadian Wildlife Service) left. Mark Peck,
Lisa Pollock (Trent University/OMNR) and Jean Iron are staying until the
survey ends about 15 August. Seven people are in camp.

SHOREBIRD MIGRATION CHRONOLOGY: Most (not all) southbound shorebirds
migrate in three waves: females first, males second, juveniles last.
Females depart soon after the young hatch leaving the males to raise the
young. The males depart about 2-3 weeks later when the juveniles have
grown. Then juveniles migrate after the males.

SHOREBIRD OBSERVATIONS
About 7000 shorebirds are currently in the Longridge Point area. There
are no Peregrine Falcons to disrupt their feeding. Best day for high
counts was 29 July after a storm. For most species only the high count
day is given below in checklist order.

Black-bellied Plover: 21 molting adults on 29 July.

American Golden-Plover: 2 adults on 25 July.

Semipalmated Plover: 97 on 29 July.

Killdeer: 26 on 29 July.

Spotted Sandpiper: 9 on 31 July.

Greater Yellowlegs: 209 (1/2 juveniles) on 29 July.

Lesser Yellowlegs: 437 mostly juveniles on 28 July.

Whimbrel: 51 on 23 July.

Hudsonian Godwit: 392 molting adults on 29 July.

Hudsonian Godwits have been quite numerous in their counts.
Credit: Dale & Marian Zimmerman

Marbled Godwit: None.

Ruddy Turnstone: 415 adults on 29 July.

RED KNOT: The high count of 1143 molting adults was on 29 July. The
extensive tidal flats of southern James Bay are an important stopover
area for knots. 120 marked individuals have been observed with several
birds seen over a period of 12-14 days indicating a long stay. Mark Peck
and shorebird researcher Lisa Pollock are sampling the foods eaten by
the knots. They noted that the knots are plump and in excellent
condition. These knots will likely fly nonstop to South America.
Migrating knots that fail to gain adequate weight suffer reduced
survival.

Sanderling: 20 molting adults on 25 July.

Semipalmated Sandpiper: 4338 mostly adults on 31 July, first juveniles
(a few) on 30th.

WESTERN SANDPIPER: 2 on 29 July seen by Mark Peck.

Least Sandpiper: 126 mainly juveniles on 31 July.

White-rumped Sandpiper: 2450 molting adults on 31 July. A few are still
in almost full but heavily worn alternate plumage.

Pectoral Sandpiper: 520 adults (not molting) on 29 July.

Dunlin: 34 adults still in full worn alternate plumage on 26 July.

BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER: 1 on 25 July seen by Lisa Pollock.

Short-billed Dowitcher: 2 juveniles on 24 July, 5 juveniles on 29th.

Wilson’s Snipe: 4 on 28 July.

Wilson’s Phalarope: 1 juvenile previously reported on 21 July, 1 adult
(probable male with cinnamon on sides of neck) on 29th, 1 juvenile on
30th. A sparse population breeds at James Bay.

Red-necked Phalarope: 1 molting adult on 29 July.

SEA LEVEL RISE: Sea levels could rise one metre by 2100 and will
continue rising. Ontario’s low flat coastline of James Bay is extremely
vulnerable. Rising sea levels will inundate or change vital shorebird
habitats.

OTHER SIGHTINGS
Birds: Black Scoter, a few seen but not the big flocks of molting males
seen last summer. Red-throated Loon. 92 American White Pelicans on 1
August. Yellow Rail, 6 ticking on 1 August. Osprey. Northern Harrier.
Northern Goshawk on 1 August. Merlin. An adult Great Black-backed Gull
is regular. Little Gull, 1 adult of 23 and 29 July was in wing molt.
Bonaparte’s Gull, 356 on 30 July with some adults in wing molt, first
juveniles on 23 July. Bonaparte’s and Little Gulls in wing molt suggest
that some birds of these species undergo prebasic molt close to the
breeding grounds. Arctic Terns seen daily including a pair feeding 3
young on 27 July. Common Tern, 2 on 31 July. Adult light morph Parasitic
Jaeger on 29 July. Short-eared Owl observed doing a “food drop” to young
in the grass. Yellow-bellied Flycatcher on 1 August. Rusty Blackbird.
Philadelphia and Red-eyed Vireos. Tennessee, Orange-crowned, Cape May,
Bay-breasted, and Blackpoll Warblers. Le Conte’s and Nelson’s Sparrows
still singing, Nelson’s nest with 4 young. 1 Purple Finch. White-winged
Crossbills daily. Common Redpolls regular.

Mammals: Black Bears are seen daily including a female with two cubs and
a female with one cub. No problem bears around camp. A dead young Beluga
(White Whale) washed up on shore. It could be the calf of the adult that
washed up earlier. Young Snowshoe Hare around camp. Short-tailed Weasel
regular at camp. Striped Skunks 2.

Butterflies: New since the last report are Atlantis Fritillary and
American Lady.

FOREST FIRES: There are currently very few forest fires burning in
Ontario’s boreal forest and Hudson Bay Lowlands. Most fires north of the
commercial timber zone are allowed to burn unless they threaten
lives/property and First Nation (Cree) communities.
 
Southern James Bay map shows location of Longridge Point
www.jeaniron.ca/2010/longridgemap.jpg

Jean will call again in a week and I’ll post another update.

Ron Pittaway
Minden, Ontario

While this Canada Goose lives and migrates in the wild, certain sub-populations have sprung up in urban areas and have become quite the nuisance.
Credit: Ashley Hockenberry

While most Canada Geese spend the spring and fall migrating back and forth between their winter and summer habitat, some sub-populations of the Canada Goose have sprung up in many urban and suburban areas, living there year-round. In many cities they have become quite the pest - hanging around popular areas, hissing at children, and leaving their infamous waste seemingly everywhere.

Our Senior Scientist Dr. Jeff Wells spoke with host Marc Montgomery on Radio Canada International’s The Link, a daily show that covers a wide range of news stories. Dr. Wells explains how these, as he likes to call them, “pigeon geese” came to be and how they are different from wild migratory geese. He also weighs in on New York City’s plans to kill hundreds, if not thousands of them, and ways to make good out of unfortunate situations…

You can listen to the show by clicking the below link (it’s in .mp3 format):

Listen to broadcast

Enjoy!
David

Correction: We originally posted that the following report was written by Jean Iron. It was written by Ron Pittaway based on communications with Jean via satellite phone. The original post was featured on the Ontario Birds listserve.

As you may or may not know, the James Bay coastline (a southeastern extension of the Hudson Bay in Canada) and surrounding area provide some of the world’s most important summer and stopover habitat with Canada’s Boreal Forest region for a vast number of wetland-dependent birds, especially shorebirds and waterfowl – many of which migrate to or through the United States later in the year. Gathering information on birds is hard due to its remote location, but an ambitious crew, led by Mark Peck of the Royal Ontario Museum, sets off every year to the region to survey the populations of a number of birds and wildlife.

The James Bay region of Canada, where the team surveyed birds
Credit: Google Earth with highlighted box added by David Childs

Here is a recent update originally posted on the Ontario Birds listserve that was put together by Ron Pittaway based on updates from Jean Iron (one of the researchers at the site) via satellite phone:
________________________________________________________

This is today’s report (18 July 2010) from Jean Iron via satellite phone for the period 14-17 July from Longridge Point on the southern coast of James Bay. James Bay is the southeastern extension of Hudson Bay reaching deep into eastern Canada south to about 51 degrees north latitude. The unspoiled broad tidal flats, wide coastal marshes and islands of James Bay are of hemispheric importance to southbound shorebirds and waterfowl migrating from the Canadian Arctic. Longridge Point is about 850 km or 530 miles north of Toronto with about one hour more daylight today than Toronto.

Mark Peck of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) leads a crew of four surveying shorebirds with a particular focus on the endangered rufa subspecies of the Red Knot. Others crew members are Christian Friis (Canadian Wildlife Service), Lisa Pollock (Trent University/Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources), and Jean Iron (ROM volunteer). The ROM group is also surveying Yellow Rails and collecting data on frogs and toads. The crew arrived on 14 July and is staying until mid August so they will see adults and juveniles of many shorebirds, allowing rough estimates of breeding success.

This report comes from Longridge Point, right alongside the coast
Credit: Google Earth with locations added by Jean Iron

SHOREBIRD OBSERVATIONS
Usually only the high count day for each species is recorded below.
Recent weather has been wet and windy affecting observations.

Black-bellied Plover: 1 adult on 17th.

Greater Yellowlegs: 243 and 1 juvenile on 17th. Greaters nest nearby in the Hudson Bay Lowlands.

Lesser Yellowlegs: 375 adults on 16th, 3 juveniles on 17th. Lessers nest nearby in the Hudson Bay Lowlands.

375 adult Lesser Yellowlegs were spotted on July 16th
Credit: Tye Gregg, Ducks Unlimited

Whimbrel: 21 adults on 17th.

Hudsonian Godwit: 169 molting adults on 16th. These are migrants from farther north.

Marbled Godwit: 18 adults on 16th. There is a small isolated population breeding on southern James Bay in Ontario, Akimiski Island in Nunavut, and Quebec.

Ruddy Turnstone: 25 adults on 17th showing no signs of molt.

RED KNOT: 725 molting and fading adults on 17th. 10 knots on 17th with leg flags included 2 from Argentina, 6 from Delaware Bay (USA) and 1 from Virginia or Florida. About 10% of the rufa subspecies is marked.
Florida and South American wintering knots form two populations, which have different migration routes and breeding grounds. When the data on flagged birds are analyzed, we will know the approximate ages and ratio of males to females, which was determined at time of banding using molecular sexing techniques. Researchers in other locations of North and South America will re-sight some of these birds so we will learn more about the populations using James Bay and their migration routes.

Sanderling: 10 molting and fading adults on 16th.

Semipalmated Sandpiper: 600 slightly molting adults on 17th.

Least Sandpiper: 15 adults on 16th showing no signs of molt.

White-rumped Sandpiper: 7 molting adults on 17th. Adults should soon increase in numbers.

Pectoral Sandpiper: 246 adults on 16th showing no signs of molt.

Dunlin: 18 worn adults on 17th. Thousands of Dunlins stage in James Bay, where adults undergo a complete prebasic molt of body and flight feathers before resuming migration about mid September. Almost all juveniles undergo a partial molt of body feathers (not wings/tail) before migrating. This is why Dunlins are very rare south of the subarctic until much later than most shorebirds.

Longridge Point on the James Bay coast
Credit: Don Sutherland

Short-billed Dowitcher: 1 bright (extensive cinnamon below) adult of the hendersoni subspecies. This subspecies breeds mainly in muskegs and bogs/fens across the boreal forest from northern Manitoba to the southern Northwest Territories and northeastern British Columbia.

Wilson’s Snipe: 2 still winnowing.

Shorebird Foods: Shorebirds in Hudson and James Bays feed on the abundant larvae of the bivalve Macoma balthica (clam), and in southern James Bay, the gastropod Hydrobia minuta (snail), as well as a variety of crustaceans (shrimps/crabs & relatives), worms and dipteran (fly) larvae (Ontario Shorebird Conservation Plan 2003).

OTHER BIRD SIGHTINGS
Birds: Gadwall, 2 on 16th; American White Pelican, 30 on 16th and 22 on 17th; Yellow Rail, 1 singing (tick-tick) regularly, they were commoner in 2009; Merlin nesting on ridge behind camp; Short-eared Owl, 2, Arctic Tern, 2 on 17th; 2; Boreal Chickadee, 2 near camp; Gray Jay, 3 near camp; Pine Grosbeak, 1 on 16th; Northern Waterthrush; Tennessee Warbler with young; Clay-colored Sparrow, 2 singing males included 1 on 16th and
1 on 17th, a thin population breeds in open willow and birch scrub adjacent James and Hudson Bays; Le Conte’s Sparrow, 5 on 16th; Nelson’s Sparrow, 10 on 16th; Fox Sparrow, singing; White-winged Crossbill, 65 on 15th.

Mammals: 3 Belugas (White Whales) on 16th during high tide at Beluga Point east of camp. Polar Bears are not expected because they rare south of Akimiski Island. One close Black Bear was seen. Last year a Black Bear broke into the kitchen cabin, made a mess and ate a lot of food.
This required someone to guard the food so that person wasn’t available to survey shorebirds. This year a solar powered electric fence surrounds the food cabin. Vole and mouse numbers are low, which is similar to most other locations in the Hudson Bay Lowlands, except Akimiski Island where Meadow Voles are common.

Amphibians: American Toads of the colourful Hudson Bay subspecies copei are abundant; Boreal Chorus Frogs are still singing, and Wood Frogs.

Butterflies: Viceroy, Common Ringlet, White Admiral, Red Admiral, Fritillary sp. (Atlantis or Great Spangled), Sulphur sp., and Cabbage White. Recent wet weather hasn’t been good for butterflies. The 16th was the best day when most of the above were seen.

—————————

Literature Cited: ONTARIO SHOREBIRD CONSERVATION PLAN. 2003. Ross, K., and K. Abraham, R. Clay, B. Collins, J. Iron, R. James, D. McLachlin, R.
Weeber. 48 pages. Canadian Wildlife Service, Environment Canada. Link to pdf below.
www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/plans/pdf/plans-shorebird-e.pdf

Acknowledgements: I thank Ken Abraham (Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR)) and Don Sutherland (OMNR) for information.

Ron Pittaway
Minden, Ontario

Our friend and member of the International Boreal Conservation Science Panel Dr. John Jacobs, Professor of Geography at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, recently took a trip to some remote parts of Labrador. He was able to take some great photos of unique boreal ecosystems, which I’m sharing below:

Grand Lake at North West River – historic gateway to the Labrador interior
Credit: J. Jacobs

Churchill River (Mista-Shipu) – above Muskrat Falls – site of proposed Lower Churchill hydroelectric project
Credit: J. Jacobs

Muskrat Falls
Credit: J. Jacobs

Wetlands and forest on Lake Melville coastal plain – looking toward Mealy Mountains
Credit: J. Jacobs

Peatland and open forest near height of land, northcentral Labrador
Credit: J. Jacobs

Near the northern forest limit, northcentral Labrador
Credit: J. Jacobs

Take a quick guess – what is the most protected large forest landscape in the world?

Credit: Garth Lenz

Hint: It’s not the mighty Amazon, and it’s not the humid tropical forests painted across much of Southeast Asia.

If you guessed Canada’s Boreal Forest give yourself a pat on the back.

Last week at the 24th International Congress for Conservation Biology (held by the Society for Conservation Biology), our friend and colleague Steve Kallick of the Pew Environment Group’s International Boreal Conservation Campaign announced that Canada has, albeit quietly, become the global leader on forest conservation.

Canada’s Boreal Forest, which encompasses an astonishing 1.3 billion acres, is one of the most important bird breeding regions in the world. Its lush forests and open expanses of lakes, rivers, and wetlands provide ideal breeding habitat for a variety of migratory birds, including hundreds of species that winter or migrate through the United States. It’s also one of the world’s most efficient natural climate regulators, as it sequesters carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and stores 208 billion tons of carbon, equivalent to 26 years worth of the world’s industrial emissions.

The boreal forest is one of the most important breeding grounds in the world for migratory birds. Most of North America’s American Black Duck population breeds in the boreal forest.
Credit: Jeff Nadler

It’s also highly intact and many regions are free of industrial disturbance. However, over 30% of Canada’s Boreal has been slated for future development through a combination of logging, oil/gas extraction, mining, and hydropower. These two reasons prime Canada’s Boreal Forest as a perfect place for large-scale conservation efforts.

Starting about a decade ago this need for wide-scale protection was increasingly realized among both scientists and environmental groups alike. A more comprehensive and collaborative approach to protecting this vast natural resource commenced, and shortly after we saw the creation of the Canadian Boreal Forest Conservation Framework, a visionary path toward protecting at least half of Canada’s Boreal Forest and sustainably managing the remainder. Produced by our partner the Canadian Boreal Initiative, the Framework instantly received validation from environmental groups, indigenous groups, and even progressive industrial leaders.

This collaboration has proved largely successful. Increasing awareness of the boreal forest’s importance as well as increasing pressure on Canadian government and industry has led to a wide variety of protected areas.

The Framework was a major step forward in terms of creating a unified voice advocating for the protection of Canada’s Boreal Forest
Credit: Canadian Boreal Initiative

The momentum began with a series of large protected areas in the Northwest Territories, where local indigenous groups worked with the federal government to protect their traditional land before any major development reached the region. It continued with major victories in the publishing industry, where major publications like Victoria’s Secret catalogues and books like Harry Potter turned to sustainably-logged paper products (and in doing so pressured Canadian forestry companies to switch to sustainably-certified harvesting techniques). In 2008 two of Canada’s largest and most important provinces, Ontario and Quebec, announced that they would protect at least half of their northern boreal forests - two of the largest conservation announcements ever on earth – showing the power of the Framework and the momentum gained supporting it. During this time the federal government also stepped up on parks, both through expanding existing park boundaries and even creating new parks, such as the Mealy Mountains National Park in Labrador .

Most recently a group of nine environmental groups (including our partners the International Boreal Conservation Campaign and the Canadian Boreal Initiative) worked with the Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) to protect 70 million acres of vital caribou habitat and sustainably manage more than 100 million acres of tenured (meaning waiting to be logged) boreal forest.

Over the last decade Canada’s Boreal Forest has experienced a wide range of protected areas
Credit: Garth Lenz

These achievements have been truly remarkable, but it’s not time to bust out the champagne just yet. Several of these conservation announcements, most notably those of Ontario and Quebec, remain as promises – meaning that while we have no reason to believe these politicians will reverse their decisions, the on-paper guarantees for protection have yet to arise. It is likely we will see both brought up formally in legislation over the next year or so, but until then we must not get ahead of ourselves in our celebrations. The deal between the environmental groups and the forestry industry also ultimately rests with the approval by government and the local indigenous communities who live on the ground in these areas.

In addition, there is still room for more needed conservation. Provinces like Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the Yukon have yet to adopt the Framework and/or institute a policy toward protecting more of their boreal forests. These provinces can and should be looking at how they can better protect their boreal forests and the birds, wildlife, carbon, and indigenous ways of life that come with.

There were two great wire pieces that covered this story that were widely distributed across Canadian newspapers:
Canadian Press >
CanWest News Services >