This is Jean Iron’s second report via satellite phone for the period 20 - 26
July from North Point on the southwest coast of James Bay, Ontario. North
Point is a vagrant trap - three examples are (1) the first Little Stint
(adult male) for Ontario was collected there on 10 July 1979, (2) the only
Ontario record of Common Poorwill was collected there on 4 June 1982 and (3)
the only Ontario specimen of Western Wood-Pewee on 20 June 1984. This report
includes limited information from Longridge Point. Surveys are a cooperative
effort of the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS),
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) and Moose Cree First Nation.
The crew at North Point comprises Jean Iron, Doug McRae, Barbara Charlton
and Kevin Hannah. The Longridge Point crew comprises Mark Peck, Roy John,
Emily Rondel and Antonio Coral.
SHOREBIRDS OBSERVATIONS: 21 species to date. Birds are adults unless noted
otherwise. Counts done at high tide. Usually only the high count day for
each species is given. Reports below are from North Point unless noted
otherwise.
Black-bellied Plover: 1 adult on 21st.
American Golden-Plover: 1 adult on 22nd.
Semipalmated Plover: 31 on 22nd.
Killdeer: 1 on 21st.
Spotted Sandpiper: 1 juvenile on 22nd.
Greater Yellowlegs: 315 on 21st. Some eating sticklebacks (tiny fish). 250
at Longridge.
Lesser Yellowlegs: 682 on 26th. First juvenile on 26th. 400 at Longridge.
Whimbrel: 61 on 24th. 47 at Longridge.
Hudsonian Godwit: 345 molting adults on 26th. 130 at Longridge.
Marbled Godwit: 4 on 21st. Territorial nesting bird chases Common Ravens.
Ruddy Turnstone: 16 adults on 21st. 11 at Longridge.
RED KNOT: Longridge - 1100 adults on 23rd fide Mark Peck. North Point - 160
on 22nd including 33 flagged birds from the United States, Chile and
Argentina. An exciting find was seeing a Red Knot (TY on orange flag) on 26
July at North Point. TY spent 18 days at Longridge last summer 2010. It was
first banded in March 2006 in Argentina and photographed in August 2008 in
Trinidad. An aerial survey by CWS in 2009 found large numbers of knots about
midway between North Point and Longridge. Beginning on 30 July a third field
crew will spend two weeks in this area known as Little Piskwamish Point.
Sanderling: 87 molting and fading adults on 21st. 2 flagged birds on 23rd
from Delaware Bay in the United States.
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER: 14,147 adults on 21 July. This count was at high
tide combined with a strong northeast wind, which concentrated the birds.
Colour-marking in the 1970s by Guy Morrison (CWS) at North Point showed that
most Semipalmated Sandpipers using southern James Bay departed southeast to
the Atlantic Coast before heading over the ocean to South America.
Semipalmated Sandpipers passing through James Bay include many from the
central and western Arctic based on banding, colour-marking and
measurements.
Least Sandpiper: 37 on 21st.
White-rumped Sandpiper: 1117 molting adults on 26 July.
Pectoral Sandpiper: 102 adults on 26th. 500 at Longridge.
Dunlin: 127 on 26th.
Short-billed Dowitcher: 1 juvenile on 24th. 6 at Longridge fide Mark Peck.
Wilson's Snipe: 2 on 22nd still winnowing.
Red-necked Phalarope: 1 adult on 23rd.
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 and allies), worms and dipteran (fly) larvae (Ontario
Shorebird Conservation Plan 2003).
SHOREBIRD MIGRATION: Flocks of high flying migrating shorebirds, some in V
formations, were observed moving south in early evening presumably heading
for the Atlantic Coast.
YELLOW RAIL: Canada has about 90% of the Yellow Rail's breeding range. The
coastal brackish marshes of James Bay probably have the largest breeding
population of Yellow Rails in North America. They breed in marshes dominated
by Chaffy Sedge (Carex paleacea) fide Don Sutherland (OMNR). The big news
this summer is that crews have found no Yellows Rails at both North Point
and Longridge Point where they are usually common. In July Yellow Rails
"tick" incessantly and are easily detected. Marshes are very dry this summer
at both North Point and Longridge. Yellow Rails may have moved farther north
along James Bay and Hudson Bay where coastal conditions are more normal this
summer. Or possibly the rails shifted to large freshwater fens well inland
from the coast in the Hudson Bay Lowland fide Don Sutherland (OMNR). Also,
OMNR's Terrestrial Biodiversity crews found Yellow Rails this summer near
Big Trout Lake in northwestern Ontario fide Ken Abraham (OMNR) and Don
Sutherland.
OTHER BIRDS: In rough checklist order: Canada Goose - none at North Point,
however, Kevin Hannah on 26 July walked 7.5 km north along the coast and
found 2620 flightless Canadas including one with a white neck collar 3X57.
American White Pelican, 26 on 24th, it recently began breeding on islands in
James Bay. Sandhill Crane, 68 on 20th, the subspecies rowani breeds in the
boreal forest. Merlin, adult male on 21 July caught a Semipalmated
Sandpiper. Northern Harrier, adult male on 20th is the only report
reflecting very low vole abundance. Bonaparte's Gull, 62 on 22nd were mostly
year old nonbreeders plus some adults, 2 juveniles on 26th. Black Tern at
Longridge fide Mark Peck. Arctic Tern, 1 adult on 21st and 3 on 22nd.
Olive-sided Flycatcher, 1 on 19th was omitted from the previous report.
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, 1 on 23rd. Northern Shrike, a juvenile on 22 July
regurgitated a pellet composed mainly of beetle and insect exoskeletons.
Similarly, Loggerhead Shrikes on the Carden Alvar in southern Ontario eat
many beetles and other insects which form the bulk of their food during the
warmer months. Gray Jay, adult and juvenile around camp. Boreal Chickadee
feeding young on 24 and 25th. Brown Thrasher still there on 22nd. Northern
Waterthrush, 2 on 24th. Clay-colored Sparrow, 1 on 22nd. 2 Le Conte’s
Sparrow, 12 on 25th including one observed by Doug McRae doing an aerial
display. Nelson’s Sparrow, 16 on 26th. Le Conte's and Nelson's Sparrows are
singing and in the same general habitat. Both sparrows have moved more
inland to moist pockets because coastal sedge marshes are very dry this
summer. White-winged Crossbill: 20 on 24 July.
MAMMALS: Single Black Bears at both North Point and Longridge camps. Solar
powered electric fences surround food cabins at both sites. No Polar Bears -
they are very rare south of Akimiski Island. Two Belugas (White Whales) at
Longridge plus a dead one. An adult and 4 young Striped Skunks around North
Point camp.
BUTTERFLIES: Bronze Copper is new since last report. Correction to last
report - change Pink-sided Sulphur (typo) to Pink-edged Sulphur thanks to
Alan Wormington. He further said that "They might be Paleano Sulphurs, but
it's hard to tell unless you know them well. Pelidne Sulphur should be there
too, as well as Giant Sulphur - it's not large as the name implies."
ODONATES: List from Kevin Hannah (CWS). In no particular order: Kennedy’s
Emerald, Delicate Emerald, American Emerald , Four-spotted Skimmer, Emerald
Spreadwing, White-faced Meadowhawk, Cherry-faced Meadowhawk, Sedge Darner,
Subarctic Darner, Shadow Darner, Lake Darner, Canada Darner, Zigzag Darner,
Variable Darner (nominate subspecies interrupta), Variable Darner
(subspecies lineata). Kevin noted a large drop in numbers of odonates on
25-26 July which he attributed to the very dry conditions.
Aerial photo showing location of North Point in red on southern James Bay.
www.jeaniron.ca/2011/JamesBay2011/NorthPointmap.jpg
Acknowledgements: I thank Ken Abraham and Don Sutherland of the Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources for information.
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.
www.on.ec.gc.ca/wildlife/plans/pdf/plans-shorebird-e.pdf
I'll post next update in a week.
Ron Pittaway
Minden, Ontario
Canada
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