This is Jean Iron's report via satellite phone today for the period
19-22 July 2009 from Longridge Point, which is 60 km north of
Moosonee on southern James Bay. Mark Peck of the Royal Ontario Museum
(ROM) heads a group six who are surveying shorebirds with a
particular focus on the endangered rufa subspecies of the Red Knot.
Longridge is an important site for knots with a one-day estimate of
5,000 in the late 1970s. Mark Peck (ROM) is a Canadian member of an
international team studying knots. The ROM group is also studying
Yellow Rails and they are helping other researchers collect data on
Northern Harriers, Whimbrels, Black Terns, Short-eared Owls, frogs
and toads. Funding for the ROM's Red Knot Surrey came from The
Species at Risk Research Fund in Ontario, which is a partnership
between the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and World Wildlife
Fund Canada.

CORRECTION to James Bay Report # 2. Under Red Knot and Curlew
Sandpiper change prealternate molt to prebasic molt. Thanks to all
who noticed my "senior moment".

SHOREBIRDS
The last several days have been sunny with temperatures well above
normal. Mosquitoes are bad around the camp which is at the base of
the point, but a sea breeze keeps them in check farther out on the
long open peninsula. Moose Flies (genus Hybomitra) also called Horse
Flies and Bulldogs are annoying at times. They peak in July.

Food Habits: Shorebirds in Hudson and James Bays feed on "an
abundance of the bivalve Macoma balthica, and in southern James Bay,
the gastropod Hydrobia minuta, as well as a variety of other
crustaceans, worms and dipteran larvae" (Ontario Shorebird
Conservation Plan 2003).

Adults and Juveniles: No juvenile shorebirds observed as of 22 July
2009 perhaps indicating a late start to nesting this year due to a
cold spring and late snow melt. All birds mentioned below are adults.
Some species are in various degrees of prebasic (postbreeding) molt
and other species are not molting.

Black-bellied Plover: Molting; 2 on 21 July.

American Golden-Plover: Molting; 1 on 21 July.

Semipalmated Plover: 5 on 19 July, 4/20, 17/21, 8/22.

Killdeer: 2 on 19 July, 1/22.

Greater Yellowlegs: Molting; 113 on 19 July, 177/20, 69/21, 314/22.

Lesser Yellowlegs: Molting; 271 on 19 July, 511/20, 391/21, 463/22.

Whimbrel: Not molting; 3 on 19 July, 78/20, 71/21, 136/22.

Hudsonian Godwit: Molting; 102 on 19 July, 261/20, 338/21, 355/22.

Marbled Godwit: 1 on 20 July, 1/21, 5/22.

Ruddy Turnstone: Not molting; 15 on July 19 July, 13/20, 14/21, 60/22.

Red Knot: Molting; 69 on 19 July, 742/20, 966/21, 975/22. Almost
1,000 knots were seen on two consecutive days. 90 birds had leg flags
with one observed by Mark Peck that he banded in 2005 on the breeding
grounds of Southampton Island, Nunavut. Yesterday (22 July) Guy
Morrison and Ken Ross of the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) surveyed
southern James Bay by helicopter. They reported good numbers of Red
Knots south of Longridge Point. See also related information under
the heading AERIAL SURVEYS below.

Sanderling: Molting and much faded; 65 on 19 July, 98/20, 22/21, 11/22.

Semipalmated Sandpiper: Recent increase in numbers; 4,835 on 19 July,
1,869/20, 1,490/21, 872/22. This species has declined very
significantly in recent years.

Least Sandpiper: Not molting; 13 on 19 July, 35/20, 40/21, 20/22.

White-rumped Sandpiper: Molting; 8 on 19 July, 19/20, 7/21, 7/22.

Baird's Sandpiper: 1 on 20 July, 1 on 22 July.

Pectoral Sandpiper: Not molting; 38 on 19 July, 34/20, 41/21, 151/22.

Dunlin: Bright birds in worn alternate plumage with no sign of
molting yet; 15 on 19 July, 2/20, 4/21, 2/22.

Short-billed Dowitcher: 3 on 19 July, 2 on 20 July, 4 on 22 July.
Many (most?) adult Short-billed Dowitchers in Eastern Canada fly
directly from the breeding grounds to the Atlantic Coast (Maritime
Provinces, New England States, New York and New Jersey, so only small
numbers are usually seen on James Bay.

Wilson's Snipe: 6 on 19 July, 2/18, 2/21, 4/22. Two tiny young 2-3 days old.

AERIAL SURVEYS: Guy Morrison and Ken Ross (CWS) are surveying the
west coast of James Bay this week for waterfowl (such as molting
flocks of male Black Scoters) and shorebirds. They also will be
surveying Akimiski Island, Nunavut this week. On 22 July (Tuesday)
they surveyed Longridge Point. The ROM crew at the same time was
"ground truthing" to compare results (species and numbers of
shorebirds seen) between the air and ground surveyors.

OTHER BIRDS: Trumpeter Swan (year-old bird with some brownish
feathers) on 20 July, Yellow Rails, Eastern Kingbird on 22 July, Le
Conte's Sparrows, Nelson's Sparrows, Tennessee Warbler (common), 1
Clay-colored Sparrow, Common Redpolls flying over every day.

BEARS: Longridge Point is the ideal location to study shorebird
migration because it is south of most summering Polar Bears, which
are rare south of Akimiski Island. However, Black Bears are frequent
at Longridge. This week a female with 3 cubs broke into camp while
the surveyors were out during daylight. The bears made a mess eating
camp food and left teeth marks in many things. The only item the
bears ignored was the cans of Tim Hortons coffee. Guy Morrison and
Ken Ross (CWS) brought in replacement food by helicopter, which was
lost to the bears. The ROM's camp is at the base of the peninsula and
it is 5.7 km to the tip. Now a person must watch the camp during the
day because the bears will not leave the area. Two people have
federal firearm licences to carry a rifle or shotgun, but no bears
would be killed unless to protect human life.

BUTTERFLIES: Recent warm sunny weather in the high 20s C brought out
Arctic Blue, Common Ringlet, Northern Crescent, Canadian Tiger
Swallowtail, Viceroy, and White Admiral (often on bear dung). Old
World Swallowtails were seen on 16 and 17 July in Moosonee.

GEOGRAPHY: James Bay is the southeastern extension of Hudson Bay
between Ontario and Quebec reaching very deep into eastern Canada
south to latitude 51 degrees, putting Moosonee slightly south of
Calgary, Alberta. James Bay is one of the largest inland seas in the
world. Ontario's approximately 560 km coastline of James Bay is
extremely flat and intersected by several large rivers and numerous
smaller streams. The southern coast is characterized by long narrow
promontories, such as Longridge Point which projects 6 km into James
Bay, wide sandy bays, extensive brackish marshes, wide intertidal
flats, and shoals. Tides range from 1 to 3 m with occasional very
high wind tides flooding the flat terrain. Inland from the coast is
the immense boreal Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL) comprising almost 25% of
the province. The HBL extend into the adjacent provinces of Quebec
and Manitoba making it one of the largest wetlands in the world.

Map showing location of Longridge Point.
http://www.jeaniron.ca/2009/James-Bay-2009-REKN.jpg

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.
http://www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/plans/pdf/plans-shorebird-e.pdf

Next update in a few days.

Ron Pittaway
Minden and Toronto
Ontario, Canada