Day 1 / Thursday June 3 : Oak Hammock Marsh NWR

After a few hours kip, we were off to join the rest of the group. With everyone adhering to our strict itinerary, we all met up well ahead of our scheduled flight and hung about Philly airport waiting to board, sampling each coffee stall as they opened. Just before boarding our flight, we suffered through the trauma of searching through Erica’s bags and clothes for her boarding pass, while she backtracked to the ladies loo to make sure some person, who had unexpectedly found out that there was no toilet paper in their cubicle, had not used it. Much to Erica’s relief, Bert located it in her inside upper right hand pocket and with……… never mind.

The Continental, no I mean Northwest flight was on time and was basically uneventful with the exception of me breaking the seatback which forced the lady behind me to move; Frank keeping the whole plane awake talking about his birding experiences, and a breakfast consisting of luke warm coffee, a granola bar and 26 grams of carbs. A delay at Minneapolis airport was solved when a mechanic blew down a oxygen pipeline to free an obstruction and we were on our way a hour later, arriving in prairie land ‘Winnipeg’ about midday.

Picking up our brand spanking new van, we headed immediately for our first birding destination, Oak Hammock Marsh. While grabbing a quick lunch in the centre observation café overlooking the marsh, American Avocets, Willets and American Coot were joined by Cliff Swallows and Barn Swallows that were nesting in the window spaces of the canteen, as an abundance of Black Terns and Franklin’s Gulls made their way over the marsh, while a myriad of spectacular though noisy Yellow-headed Blackbirds lit up the National Wildlife Refugee. A dike walk beside the visitors’ center produced not just many Eared Grebe but also Pied-billed and 3 gorgeous Red-necked Grebes.

On the mudflats we found Dunlin, Stilt Sandpiper and a group of 4 White-rumped Sandpipers along with a Semipalmated Sandpiper. Several Marbled Godwits were also seen. Colin spotted a superb female Wilson’s Phalarope followed by a half dozen Red-necked Phalarope. 11 species of duck were noted including lots of Redhead, Blue-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, Lesser Scaup, Canvasback, a few Ruddy Ducks, a Pintail and a couple of Green-winged Teal, all is full breeding plumage. Over the marshes we picked up 3 American Bitterns in flight along with a Common Raven, which from an easterner's point of view was rather strange.

Richardson’s Ground Squirrels were eminently photogenic at the overlook where 3 Western Grebes and a pair of Buffleheads were seen. Retracing our steps to the van through the tiny willow grove, we came across Warbling Vireo, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Yellow Warbler, a female Canada Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, American Redstart, Orange-crowned Warbler and a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher – not a bad group of birds for such a small habitat. Other stops in the marsh produced Savannah and Clay-colored Sparrow, Northern Harriers, Bald Eagle, Bobolink, Western Meadowlark, Marsh Wren and great looks at a couple of Sedge Wrens.

On this overcast day we did have a few species of butterflies including large numbers of Clouded Sulphurs, a few Black Swallowtails and Mourning Cloaks. Small numbers of White-tailed Jackrabbits were also seen as we were leaving the marsh. After the palaver of Erica’s boarding pass, she again garnered attention by seemingly being irresistible to the copious dog ticks and freely distributing them amongst the other van participants. The evening was spend in Portage la Prairie, which roughly translated means, “where the #@*& are we?” downing ounces of cold ales and stuffing ourselves on what turned out to be an exceedingly good hotel meal.

Bird of the day: A three-way tie….a pair of Red-necked Grebe, Sedge Wren and Wilson’s Phalarope

Day 2 / Friday June 4 : Portage la Prairie Lake; St. Ambroise Provincial Park; Delta Marsh; Douglas Marsh

A leisurely stroll around the motel grounds before everyone gathered to leave produced a nice group of birds including a Black-capped Chickadee, Great-crested Flycatcher, a pair of Rose –breasted Grosbeaks, a flock of American Goldfinch as well as a Chestnut-sided Warbler. A short distance away,on the way to Tim Horton’s for breakfast, we added Gray Catbird, Goldeneye and a stunning Horned Grebe on the Lake in Portage la Prairie. A large group of Wild Turkeys were in a field besides the road with several toms displaying. The long, straight, gravelly road to St. Ambroise took us through a change of habitat with grazed meadows and copses of aspen, willow and oak. The first of many "Uppie’s" was spotted on a fence post, but by the time we turned around to look for it, Frank had lost it – well we already new he had lost it, but he took his eye off the bird, and we could not relocate it, but the spot was a big success with Chestnut-sided Warblers calling and Wilson’s Snipe drumming all around us.

Continuing on, a Sharp-tailed Grouse was beside the road and an Eastern Bluebird and Black-billed Magpie was at the last intersection before turning to St. Ambroise. Frank missed the American Robin on the go around and would have to wait to later that afternoon to get on one!

St. Ambroise is on the southern side of the Lake Manitoba and here the extensive flat fields give way to a narrow band of trees that circumnavigate the lake acting as a prefect migrant trap as well as providing the perfect habitat for breeders. Walking along the only track beside the lake, Yellow Warblers were all over the place and seeing a dozen at once was a common sight. We picked up a Blackpoll and Orange-crowned Warbler and were excited to locate the singing Tennessee. Least Flycatchers were calling non-stop and it seemed as though there was a bird on territory every 50 yards. 2 Alder Flycatchers were also found ,including one in the scope singing, and an Eastern Wood Pewee was also heard.

Both Baltimore and Orchard Oriole were present while good numbers of Cedar Waxwings moved through the trees with a female Scarlet Tanager. On a spit, several hundred yards into the lake, there was a nesting colony of Double-crested Cormorants along with 3 Great Blue Herons, good numbers of Forster’s Terns, Ring-billed Gulls and at least one juvenile Herring Gull, while squadrons of American White Pelicans flew passed. 2 female Common Mergansers swam in front of the spit and 10 minutes later 2 female Red-breasted Mergansers were seen being escorted off the spit by a DC Cormorant. Scanning the beach a large group of Sanderlings were working the edge of the water, occasionally splitting off into smaller groups while 3 Ruddy Turnstones kept to themselves near a rock outcropping. The maintenance workers were keen to show us young Great Horned Owls on a nest, so we followed along in the van, and could not believe that we had missed the nest which was just besides the sandy track – it held 2 young birds.

Leaving the park we stopped at the local landfill were the guard on duty gave us access to the whole facility. Large numbers of rose breasted Franklin’s Gulls sat on a bank, with small numbers of Ring-billed Gulls. We soon found our target, the California Gull, as Bill spotted one in flight and 3 were seen roosting amongst the other gulls. Flying over the small body of water that separated us from the gulls were numerous Bank Swallows that obviously were nesting in the bank.

Somehow, despite being given all the time in the world to pack and get ready this morning, Erica left her camera battery charger back in the room. I believe that last time something of this sort happened we told her that that would be the very last time……we had a change of heart, so we made a massive detour for her equipment and picked up lunch at the same time.

Just west of St. Ambroise lies Delta Marsh. Heading through the marsh we came across a Great Egret, a good bird for here, and began our birding in earnest near the campground where we had dozens of Least Flycatcher as well as good looks a couple of Yellow-bellied Flycatchers. Red-eyed Vireos were very common and a Blackpoll was cooperative as it worked it way along the branches of the still not fully leaved out trees. American Redstarts and Baltimore Orioles we about in small numbers and Bill picked out a female Wilson’s Warbler amongst the many Yellow’s while Colin picked up a ratty looking female Magnolia. Moving through the woods, Colin from the back seat in the van picked out a Common Nighthawk working its way just over the tree tops. We all got out and soon locate it – there were as many as 8 of them including some calling. Continuing a little further along, an American Bittern crossed the track in front of us and at the end of the track we got good scope views of two non-singing Philadelphia Vireo’s.

Dinner in Brandon at Remington’s was eventful with our rather buxom Russian born Natasha. Frank decided to skip dinner only to hear stories and have to conjure up images of a beauty all of Anna Kournakova and more …..he later said “Skipping dinner was the biggest mistake he had ever made”.

By 10:45PM we were in Douglas Marsh, and the heavy storm that rolled through during dinner was just ending. With the dark clouds moving south and the stars slowly appearing we walked several hundred yards into the marsh. Snipe were winnowing all around us and Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrows were dipping their hot pokers into water, some of which were very close to us. Soras were abundant with the occasional Virginia Rail calling and one American Bittern pumping joined in the chorus. Using pebbles, I tapped away for minutes at a time, and the highly sought after Yellow Rail eventually responded a long way away. We headed for it though slushy bogs and under electric fence cables only to find that access to the calling bird was impossible. Thus putting a slight damper to what was a great day.

Bird of the day: Wilson’s Snipe drumming overhead

Day 3 / Saturday June 5 : Douglas Marsh; Pelican Lake; Brandon Hills WMA; Prairie fields SE of Melita; Douglas Marsh

In the morning we returned to Douglas Marsh in the hope that we would hear a Yellow Rail calling or even be able to flush one and hopefully pick up Le Conte’s Sparrow. For all its hype, Douglas Marsh did not produce the two keys species on this trip but we had tremendous looks at Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow doing its mini-skylarking while singing. Another ammodramus sparrow was spotted in the marsh that lead most of us to think it was a Le Conte’s. We followed it about for a short while as it flew from one spot to another and perched briefly on flatten cattails, before skylarking and giving a Nelson’s song! Swamp, Savannah and Clay-colored rounded out the sparrows and both Sedge and Marsh Wrens showed well, calling repeatedly.

Three American Bitterns were seen flying over the pond and the Alder Flycatcher that was calling during the evening was seen well. Heading south to Pelican Lake, the ‘promised’ grebes displaying turned out to be far too distant, so we settle for birding around the lakes edge. Beginning at the Brownie Camp, and working our way through the many kids and adults, all in a wide assortment of flowery hats, we had a hard time locating a viewing area, so we move onto a hill top location were we picked up Black-and-White Warbler, Rough-winged Swallow, a Broad-wing Hawk and surprisingly Natasha’s sister, Olga from the Volga, lounging on a boat below us in a bright pink bikini.

After lunch we stopped at a large vernal pool which held several dozen Red-necked Phalarope, Least, White-rumped, Baird’s and Stilt Sandpiper as well as an American Wigeon and a single male Ring-necked Duck. For a moment our attention was turned to a couple of Pink-sided Sulphurs – the butterfly crowd was ecstatic, the noise was deafening......it was lifers all around. From here we continued to Brandon Hills WMA a wooded area with mixed deciduous woods just beginning to leaf out. Here there we numerous Red-eyed Vireo and American Redstarts as well as several Blue Jays. Pileated Woodpecker, Ovenbird and a drumming Ruffed Grouse were new for the trip.

Bill, Naomi and Frank debated the virtues of several blue “leps”, concluding that they were Rustic Arctic Blue, Silvery Blue and the common Spring Azure. We ended the day in the prairie fields were Chestnut-collared Longspurs were displaying and Vesper Sparrows were regularly seen on fence wires. A gorgeous male Mountain Bluebird picked out by Frank (yes Frank, you can actually see something out the right side of the van) was our final bird of the day.

Returning to the motel, we made a quick liquid stop, before getting ready to go dinner. Dinner was most enjoyable at Albert’s just behind the motel. After returning to our rooms Karl noticed his wallet was missing. To cut a long story short, Bert and he went dumpster diving at the beer outlet, where they had earlier emptied all the rubbish out of the van, then paid a visit to the restaurant, where it was located beneath his table!

Another return visit to Douglas Marsh, ended with as much success as Smarty Jones at Belmont. Such is the esteem in which we hold our vice-president, that we were in the van, half a mile down the road, before realizing that we were missing Chris!

Bird of the day: Nelson’s Sharp-tailed Sparrow displaying

Day 4 / Sunday June 6 : Prairie and agricultural fields west and south of Melita; Broomhill WMA; Coulter Park

Today was spent beating the grasslands for short grass specialties in the tiny southwestern corner of this huge province. Flirting just north of the North Dakota border and venturing briefly into Saskatchewan (when it rained in Manitoba) we had a very successful day picking up our target species. Beginning west of Melita, more Chestnut-collared Longspurs and Upland Sandpipers were seen well. The first of three Loggerhead Shrikes were spotted, and we spent 2 hours working a field in difficult windy conditions for Baird’s Sparrow, a life bird for several participants. Sprague’s Pipit was heard giving it continuous jangling descending call, before being located a short distance above us. We played a tape and it came in almost immediately, descending to the ground allowing good looks. On the other hand, Baird’s Sparrow proved to be a tad trickier. Spread out in a line we walked the field kicking up at least 5 birds. We did our best to surround those which we thought we had pinpointed, only to have them escape though the rather large gaps in our human circle. Despite having such a hard time seeing it on the ground, we did get numerous looks at it in flight as we chased it to our exhaustion.

We did well on raptors picking up a Sharp-shinned Hawk, many Red-tails; almost as many Swainson’s and one Broad-wing before coming across a rather large obvious nest in an isolated tree. A pair of Ferruginous Hawks was standing on top. One flew a short distance away before coming to land in a field. This was also our best day to date for Sharp-tailed Grouse with 16 birds seen as well as a fresh road kill, being mourned by family members.

The afternoon was spent looking for Say’s Phoebe, which proved elusive. On Antler Road we got Eastern Phoebe and Grasshopper Sparrow while over Gainsborough Creek adding to our impressive list of flycatchers, Bill picked out a calling Willow Flycatcher, an excellent bird for Manitoba. Our final stop was to the Dutch Elm ridden trees in Coulter Park. Here we had stunning looks at Yellow-throated Vireo, picked up Downy Woodpecker and an oporornis warbler that flew by several of us before adjourned to the delightful metropolis of Melita.

Bird of the day: Displaying Sprague’s Pipit

Day 5 / Monday June 7 : Broomhill WMA; Oak Lake Resort; Riding Mountain National Park – Clear Lake

Bert and Karl had a Pine Warbler, a great bird for this part of the province, in an evergreen tree on the hotel grounds as they were loading up their bags. Following a phenomenal $2.50 (Canadian) ‘birders’ breakfast special in Melita (the Birding Capital of Manitoba) we went straight to the grasslands to re-acquaint ourselves with the mythical Baird’s Sparrow. Grasshopper, Clay-colored and Savannah were in full song as were two Sprague’s Pipits but we could not hear a Baird’s despite having the group listening in a number of places. Frank, Karl, Bert and I walked the wet field kicking up several birds that turned out to be Savannahs, then one perched up in a couple of spots which we all agreed was a Baird’s, but it never put in another appearance. It was neat to watch a screaming Marbled Godwit flying right at us and over our heads. Colin, who was on his own at the time checking for the Baird’s, picked up a Black-billed Cuckoo along with Turkey Vulture, Vesper Sparrow and Bobolinks.

Moving northwards we stopped at Oak Lake Resort. Even in late morning it was alive with birdsong, with an abundance of Yellow Warblers, Least Flycatchers, Red-eyed Vireo and Baltimore Orioles along with a few Alder Flycatchers, Eastern Phoebe, Gray Catbird and Eastern Wood Pewee. Colin located a perched Common Nighthawk while we were looking at a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. On the water we had Western Grebes and a wide assortment of waterfowl. Wilson’s Phalaropes were a common sight along the wet ditches. After the inevitable stop at Tim Horton’s for soup, sandwich and a donut it was onto Riding Mountain Park. The habitat changed as we rose out of the prairie with Aspens and Spruces dominating the vegetation along with water filled potholes in the fields. White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco and a Blackburnian were seen next to the entrance, while a walk through the woods along Clear Lake produced Yellow-rumped Warbler, many American Redstarts, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Chestnut-sided and Blackburnian Warbler and a brief glimpse of a female Connecticut Warbler - little did we know that this would be our best and only look at one!

On the wind blown lake we got our first Common Loons along with Red-necked Grebes, Common Mergansers, Belted Kingfisher, Bufflehead and Common Goldeneye. After dinner we ventured east along Highway 10 looking for a reported Great Gray Owl - all we found was a late date peenting Woodcock.

Bird of the day: The calling Marbled Godwit right over our heads

Day 6 / Tuesday June 8 : Riding Mountain National Park – Rte 19 East,Lake Katherine turn off and picnic area, Whirpool River and Campground, Swanson Creek, North Shore Drive, Birches picnic area

Are Connecticut and Mourning Warblers in yet? We spent a good part of the morning searching the moist and wet woods for these species, but all we got to respond to the tape were Ovenbirds and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. Nashville, Black-throated Green and Cape May were new for the trip, but we only had one or two of each along with a few Red-breasted Nuthatches and Golden-crowned Kinglets. Near Whirpool River we came across 3 Purple Finches, a pair of Gray Jays and numerous Red-eyed Vireos with a few Alder Flycatchers repeatedly giving their fitz-bew call.

A little further along Rte 19 Bert spotted a group of about 35 finches flying besides the road. These turned out to be White-winged Crossbills, a few of which perched a distance away for us to scope. While scoping them, a Snipe perched on a dead snag some 60 feet up and an adult Bald Eagle flew by. At Swanson Creek a male Hooded Merganser graced the water and an Osprey was spotted a short distance away.

Our next stop was at Whirpool Campground. We stopped just short of the car park as Bob saw a Black Bear in the woods. We all got out of the van and had a quick look at this large mammal before it disappeared into the woods. A male Black-backed Woodpecker, a lifer for Naomi and Chris, was soon located and showed well. Bill picked out a Bay-breasted Warbler and a Philadelphia Vireo descended from the heights of a spruce tree to give the whole group eye level looks at a rarely seen species.

With one target bird under our belt, we headed to North Shore Drive for the Three-toed Woodpecker. It soon responded to the tape and we got hear to difference between the drumming of a Hairy, which was nearby, and the Three-toed. We walked about 150 yards before pinpointing it and most of us got a good look before it flew several hundred yards back to opposite where we had parked. We all followed and then it decided to return to its original tree! In the end we all got to see the bird well as it drummed away – it was a lifer for Bob. Heading to lunch, a raptor was spotted flying across a stream and into the woods. I quickly got out of the van hoping it would cross in front of us but the bird never crossed the road. Getting back in and continuing along the dirt track, the raptor was located perched on a broken stump about 25 yards into the woods in an open area – it was a juvenile Northern Goshawk actively looking for prey on the ground and seemingly oblivious to our presence. A little more excitement occurred when a Black Bear was spotted beside the road, and then preceded to magically vanish. Upon closer observation, it had entered a culvert and after a couple of minutes it reappeared and walked to the edge of the woods where it checked out the surroundings before heading into the woods.

While having lunch outside our bungalows, we witnessed a Merlin fly into a spruce with a small rodent. He then proceeded to copulate with his mate and give her the rodent before flying off into another spruce. The afternoon was spent working Rte 19 stopping at all the known Connecticut Warbler spots without any success. Osprey was seen again as were several Orange-crowned Warblers. On the butterfly side of things we managed 2 Hoary Elfins, a Dreamy Duskywing and seven Red-disked Alpines.

Continuing the trend of certain members of the group losing something……. after dinner we got a knock on the door. It was one of the ladies from the restaurant, notifying us that someone had left a hat (very dirty hat at this stage), binos, reading glasses, checklist, airline tickets etc…….we all looked at each other and said, Frank. They kept the restaurant open for him so he could pick it up!

Bird of the day: The perched and focused Northern Goshawk

Day 7 / Wednesday June 9 : Riding Mountain National Park – Rte 19 to Whirpool River, Road to Audy Lake, SW Corner of Clear Lake

We awoke to a gorgeous crisp calm morning returning to work our way along Rte 19 before breakfast. The dawn chorus was in full swing….. Ruffed Grouse, Hermit and Swainson’s Thrush were picked up at our first stop. A rather confiding and inquisitive Black Bear nearly had Erica running for cover as she photographed it with the double doors wide open as it approached to see if it could pick up an easy meal. Several Eastern Cottontails, this is about as far north as they are found, were added to the list, to go along with the Snowshoe Hares we saw yesterday. At the s-curves we stopped to listen to the dawn chorus. A female Three-toed Woodpecker was drumming loudly only a short distance away and gave great views while a Boreal Chickadee called and flirted around the edge of the spruce trees that lined the road.

Pulling into the resort to pick up the Murphy’s for breakfast, we found them pointing at a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker sitting at the top of a telegraph pole. Following another full breakfast at the White House we headed along Lake Audy road, stopping at numerous places. There was a wide assortment of ducks were on every body of water that we came across. Each dead snag in the bogs was checked for Olive-sided Flycatcher, but maybe they are not in yet. Bill picked out a Pine Marten descending a large dead tree on the edge of a bog, and a Rusty Blackbird was in a small flock of Cedar Waxwings that flew over. A Solitary Sandpiper called as it flew over and we picked up a Mourning Warbler that was chipping, though it did not show itself to everyone’s satisfaction.

At the Bison overlook, a bison was spotted lying down at a distance and two Evening Grosbeaks flew into a tree by the bathroom, just as we were getting into the van. Frank got out of the bathroom just in time to tick it. Driving through the prairie a small mammal was spotted lying down in a small burnt out island of shrubs. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be a baby Elk. Several kilometers away two Elks and their two calves ran across the grassland and road well in front of us. Pulling into the Audy Lake picnic area a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher was perched on a post right in front of the van besides the road. A check of the Manitoba records told us that there had been 23 previous records. A great find of a spectacular bird that we watched fly sorties between posts.

A picnic lunch was taken on this beautiful day besides the lake with Black and Forster’s Terns flying about, an Evening Grosbeak calling and loons and Red-necked Grebes on the water. We asked ourselves, “Where could one see southern, northern, western and eastern species all together in one place on a day?” Southern Manitoba….eh. We drove past two Bison before taking pictures of a close big boy that eventually stood up and began grazing.

Returning to do our laundry in town and report the Scissor-tailed Flycatcher to the visitor’s centre, Colin searched the spruces near the visitors center and found 6 White-winged Crossbills feeding on the abundant cones that had fallen around the base of the trees – we were able to get within 10 feet as they feed on the ground and every so often flew up onto a low branch. A Pine Siskin flew into view only 10 feet up the tree and then proceeded to work its way up the tree. Two Boreal Chickadee’s were very cooperative in another grove adjacent to the crossbills. Unpacking the van we found Karl’s wallet. He was totally unaware that it was missing until be was preparing to come out for dinner - it was his turn to pay! We were kind (after Naomi ratted on us) and returned it, without having to make him sweat too much, this time.

Bird of the day: Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Day 8 / Thursday June 10 : Rte 262; Drive to Winnipeg; Flight to Thompson; Burntwood River; Millennium Trail

This morning we began before breakfast in order to make it to back to Winnipeg for our early afternoon flight to Thompson. Working our way along Rte 262 our first stop besides a marsh had calling loons and Pied-billed Grebes, a fly over American Bittern and four very close Le Conte’s Sparrows calling. I made an attempt to make it through the marsh, but the depth of the water proved too much of a risk to take before hopping on a flight. Two pairs of Red-necked Grebes were seen on nests on the edge of reeds and a Mourning Warbler was heard calling in an aspen wood. Oddly it responded to the tape, but never came in, and yet when we played a Connecticut song it came right in! It was either looking for a Connecticut as a mate or did not want one in its territory.

On our drive in from Brandon to the airport a pebble put a good size mark in the windscreen that luckily did not expand before turning it in. At the airport the departure board had a scrolling message at the bottom….”There will be a service in the chapel at 1PM”…….our flight is scheduled for 1400 hours! After Bob assured us that our small twin-engine plane was safe, we decided to skip the service. Between us, the group from Field Guides and a few locals the plane was full, very warm and a rather uneventful hour and a half. Looking out the window the scenery turned from agricultural fields to vast expanses of spruce and an amazing amount of water in the form of streams, meandering rivers, ponds and lakes, some so large one could barely see any of the surrounding vegetation.

Thompson is a nickel-mining town dating back to the 50’s, that’s the 1950’s! We picked up our jalopy at the airport and headed the few kilometers into town. Today’s balmy mid 60 degree temperatures seemed to bring out a good number of the local residents, though most seemed to be in no hurry other than to self destruct. Our pre dinner birding consisting of scanning the Burntwood River where we had a Bonaparte’s Gull, several Ring-billed Gulls, a pair of Common Mergansers, American Wigeon, American Kestrel and Common Raven…… ticking off Great Horned, Hawk and Snowy Owl…..at the zoo, one of the top three in Manitoba no less.

A short walk along the Millennium Trail adjacent to the Burntwood River produced a number of singing Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Robins, two Gray Jays and good numbers of butterflies including Hoary Commas and Brown Elfins, as well as a single Freija Fritillary and Eastern Pine Elfin.

Bird of the day: A singing Mourning Warbler….finally!

Day 9 / Friday June 11 : Paint Lake Provincial Park; Pisew Falls Heritage Park; Train from Thompson to Churchill

Heading south out of Thompson, a Sandhill Crane was grazing besides a roadside pond and several raptors including a Kestrel and Red-tailed Hawk were seen. Pulling into Paint Lake a cunning Red Fox was trotting across the car park with a large fish in its mouth while a Bonaparte’s Gull was feeding along the shoreline and Common Tern’s flew around the dock occasionally diving into the water between boats. A Merlin, doing its best spotted sandpiper flight imitation, flew over our heads and into the spruce trees near where a pair of bonies had their nest. Walking through the mature spruce woods with an understory of juniper towards the end of a spit, we came across a mixed group of warblers including Tennessee, Blackburnian, Cape May and Bay-breasted, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Boreal Chickadee all singing their hearts out. Frank was so excited that he kept talking about each species, basically drowning out most of the song and then proceeded to ask us to keep quiet so that we could all hear them singing – classic Frank!

At the campground a small group of Pine Siskin’s chased each other about and we had eye level views of all the above-mentioned warblers. A Kingfisher called and was seen flying well over the top of the trees and a pair of Bald Eagles sat besides the lake. After lunch we headed 50km south to Pisew Falls Heritage Park, were construction along the main drive was going on at a feverish pace for some of the workers while the flagman and flag woman were having their daily siesta, although the woman who best resembled a manikin, did actually manage to gently raise her left arm in a mechanical fashion as she acknowledged our presence. The falls were very picturesque; the birds were very quiet while Hoary Commas and Frieja Fritillaries kept the leps busy and the botanists were happy to see the first orchids, calypsos, of the trip.

Our train pulled into the station some 90 minutes behind schedule but after loading our bags aboard and sorting out who had which rooms, the train pulled out only 40 minutes behind schedule. Our very able assistant Karey showed us how to somehow squeeze four maybe five of us into our 7 x 7 room and the party began…..a wee dram before dinner.

Along with the Field Guides group we were a total of 26 for dinner, which required just over 2 seatings. My first attempt was thwarted when an engineer ratted on me to the steward because I was not wearing any shoes, despite the fact that half our group was not! It must have been because I had size 12 feet. After dinner Karey graciously prepared our beds, which required her to be in all kinds of positions (you had to be there – actually a great many of us were there!) to convert our room into a luxurious two-bed cabin!

Day 10 / Saturday June 12 : Train into Churchill; Churchill – Akudlik Ponds, Coast Road, Dump, Granery Ponds, Goose Creek Road, Bilenduke’s Residence, CR30

Awaking to the sights of the stunted boreal forest, the smooth train journey continued on at a steady pace with the landscape changing between open carpets of moss, lichens and groundcover, bogs, 15’ spruce trees, patches of snow and both frozen and open bodies of water. The sky however was an even dark grey. From our compartment window, we spotted our first birds of the far north as American Pipits flew alongside the train; Least Sandpipers generally in pairs circled pools of water and Willow Ptarmigan in their white and brown plumage dotted the landscape. Two individual Short-eared Owls and a light phase Rough-legged Hawk put on a good show for those with a view out of the train.

After pulling into Churchill on time, we had to wait for our mini-bus, before making the two-block trip to the Tundra Inn. Leaving our bags, we headed out to Akudlik Ponds, where Ross’s Gull have nested in previous years but, to date, this year had yet to be seen. A male Northern Harrier was quartering the marsh besides the railroad track and a 1st year Glaucous Gull was feeding on a dead bird with 3 Herring Gulls. The first of many Arctic Terns flew over and during the course of the day we got great looks at them.

The ponds at Akudlik held Long-tailed Duck, Greater Scaup, numerous Red-necked Phalarope and the simply stunning Pacific Loon very close to the road. Following the coast road, we came across Ruddy Turnstones and Sanderlings, Semiplamated Plover, Semipalmated and Baird’s Sandpiper as well as a good sized flock of Snow Buntings. An Arctic Hare was a good find, though its white coat was rather obvious hunkered down out of the wind against a large grey boulder.

Continuing along the road we attempted to traverse a rather large, though not that deep, section of snow that crossed the road. We got stuck! It took the fine work of 7 gentlemen about 15 minutes to get us over it without ending up in the water. This was only the beginning, and we found out the road pretty much ended a short distance further on, so we turned around and faced the same snow bank once more. This time the magnificent seven were joined by Erica, warrior princess, and created a scraped path for the mini bus to go through.

The approach at top speed only meant that I could get about half way before getting stuck again. After rocking the bus back and forth a few times, the final push was enough to send us on our way! It was straight to the dump, and the challenge of picking out Thayer’s Gulls. Actually four were standing or sleeping, all beside Herring Gulls, giving us a good idea of size comparison and primary color. A second year Iceland Gull was then spotted coming over the dump and, eventually, over our heads, re-confirming the differences between the two species. A Hudsonian Godwit put in an appearance and an American Golden Plover in full breeding plumage stole the show. On the other side of the road, an adult Glaucous Gull was standing in another group of gulls and a sleeping Thayer’s showed the underside lighter grey color of the primaries.

Following lunch we made our way out to the Granery Ponds where we had an odd first year Common Goldeneye with a very steep forehead reminiscent of a Barrow’s, American Wigeon, Great Scaup and Red-necked Phalaropes. From here we headed down Goose Creek Road. An absolutely gorgeous male Harris’s Sparrow was found amongst the many White-crowned, happily feeding on the ground and posing for us a few feet off the ground in a spruce tree. A Lesser Yellowlegs moved about a rare section of mudflats and 4 Short-billed Dowitchers flew overhead. A walk along a loop road produced a territorial pair of Merlins shrieking and a rather quiet Orange-crowned Warbler that only managed a few chip notes. The feeders at the Bilenduke’s were very active with juncos, white-crowned, Harris and Fox Sparrow as well as two Common Redpolls and three Pine Grosbeaks; the later came in once the feeders were replenished with sunflower seed. At the end of the road is the CR30 building, were we could scan the Churchill River. Most of the ice had melted and was stacking up at the mouth of the river were it enters Hudson Bay. From our viewpoint, 2 Tundra Swans, Black, White-winged and Surf Scotors were seen.

Chris and Colin went to the Granery Ponds after dinner where they had copulating Red-necked Phalaropes and described an amazing pink sunset, which they highly recommended to everyone that went to bed early.

Bird of the day: American Golden Plover, with Harris’ Sparrow being a close second

Day 11 / Sunday June 13 : Churchill – Granery Ponds, Cape Merry, Akudlik Marsh, RX Road/Radio Tower, Coast Road to Twin Lakes, CR30, Akudulik Marsh

There was hardly a cloud in the sky when we made a pre- breakfast visit to the northern end of Churchill stopping at the Granery Ponds which continued to hold many Greater Scaup along with a few Common Goldeneye and Green-winged Teal. Besides the road we found our first Lapland Longspurs, a pair that was very cooperative feeding amongst the short grasses and weeds and, occasionally, walking up a small mound to be in full view. It was a short walk from the car park to the remains of an old artillery battery with canon, so that we could scan the mouth of the Churchill River were it enters the Hudson Bay. With the exception of a few small openings in the ice the river was frozen, so the numbers of birds that we had hoped for really were not there. A few Arctic Terns and Common Eiders moved through and the best bird was Colin’s sighting of a Parasitic Jaeger that was picked up as it flew behind the Prince of Wales’ Fort on the opposite side of the river. A Harbor Seal made several short appearances onto the ice and a pair of Red Fox appeared over the far side ridge and proceeded to head south.

After breakfast we headed to the RX Road to make an attempt, on this absolutely gorgeous day, to find Smith’s Longspur. We walked the semi-wet taiga some hundred yards before flushing a pair of Smith’s Longspurs. They flew some distance toward a small pool and we followed. As we neared the area where they landed we approached slowly and located the birds feeding. They flushed several times but each time we caught up to them and before long everyone had unbelievable looks at the stunning male, at times less than 10 yards away as they worked their way through the grasses, mosses and lichens between small elevations in the taiga.

Once the other side of Akudlik Marshes, Willow Ptarmigans became more numerous, with over a dozen seen. Most often they were in the middle of the road, occasionally one would fly away but more often than not they would wait for us to get close before moving aside. A female was in summer plumage and blended in perfectly with the bog vegetation as she crouched down as I approached to photographer her, while the males were in various stage of intermediate plumage. Their size and the amount of white on them made them stick out like sore thumbs in areas of no snow. Whimbrel and displaying Wilson’s Snipe were a common sight along Twin Lakes Road and our attempt to locate a Spruce Grouse at the southern end of the road proved fruitless - it was blamed on the midday hours! A stop besides the marsh just north of the lakes produced a very cooperative Hudsonian Godwit, Stilt Sandpiper and Short-billed Dowitcher, the last two species no doubt on nests as they suddenly appeared out of nowhere as I stalked the godwit.

We finished the day scanning for gulls at CR30 and at the Akudlik marshes but other than a few Herring and bonies we could not locate any of the big three, Ross’, Little or Sabine’s. Frank once again left all his valuables at the restaurant……..enough said!

Bird of the day: Smith’s Longspur

Day 12 / Monday June 14 : Churchill – Twin Lakes, CR30

We were on a mission this morning to get the Spruce Grouse before searching for the Ross’s Gull. It meant having to cover the further two points in Churchill, both which happened to be in different directions, some 45 kilometers apart. Along Launch and Twin Lakes Road Willow Ptarmigan in various plumages were besides the road or moved aside as the van approached. Approaching Twin Lakes Rusty Blackbirds flew over the van and a small group of half a dozen Bohemian Waxwings moved from the top of one Tamarack tree to another, but we all got to see them well in the scope.

Driving through the boreal forest at slow speed we were unable to locate a grouse, so we decided to spread out and walk through the forest. The walk was at times difficult as one negotiated fallen trees, mounds of trees surrounded by water, patches of Alpine Azalea and Lapland Rosebay while the soft open patches of mosses that covered the bog made for an easier time. Gray-cheeked Thrush, Fox Sparrow, Orange-crowned Warbler and Blackpolls were calling continuously while the latter often showed themselves as they worked the lichen covered lower branches of spruces and tamarack. After plowing through the bog for 40 minutes without success, Colin who was the furthest away from our starting point saw one on the road as he made his way back to the van. The radios were a big help as we made our way towards him, but unfortunately one flew across the road, and unbeknownst to him a second bird, the male no doubt, flushed from the ditch and followed the female in the forest. A search of the area followed, but they eluded us.

After picking up lunch we headed to CR30 where the previous evening several groups had a Ross’ Gull. As we approached the pump house a Little Gull flew over the road and out to the river. Over the course of the next 3 hours we got another three views of the gull, it may have been the same bird but more than likely at least two birds, as there have been reports of at least nine birds along the river. We scan up and down river, working our way through scores of Phalaropes, with all but one being Red-necked. The lone Red Phalarope was picked up by Bob, who got Bert on it before it flew down river never to be relocated!

A small all white gull was picked up as it took off from the near shore some 400 yards away from us and continued to head south away from us – what else could it have been, other than a Ross’? Colin had a Sabine’s Gull ‘fly’ into his scope as he was checking phalaropes, which we all followed as it flew past us down stream. He also picked up a female Moose on the far side of the river feeding amongst the marsh. Though the river was almost at maximum height, it is only about 8 feet deep in certain parts, with the majority of it less than 3 feet in depth. In a few weeks the levels will drop and most of the river bottom will be exposed.

After dinner a few went out for Short-eared Owl. One was soon located along the railroad track just west of Akudlik, showing well as it came near to the road.

Bird of the day: Little Gull

Day 13 / Tuesday June 15 : Churchill – Cape Merry, Dump, Landing Lake Road (behind airport), Goose Creek Road, Noell Road, Bilenduke Residence, Churchill River Boat Ride

Another pre-breakfast start to Cape Merry where there was a nice assortment of passerines including displaying Common Redpolls; a very cooperative Harris Sparrow; American Pipit, Horned Lark and two close male Lapland Longspur. The river, being tidal, certainly changes in a hurry and most of the ice that we noticed 24 hours ago was gone and the river had opened up. Large numbers of Arctic Terns were feeding behind the fort; both mergansers, Common Goldeneye’s and Common Eiders flew towards the Hudson Bay in good numbers, but the find of the morning was a Common Loon, bringing to three the number of loon species seen this morning.

We were going to try for the Spruce Grouse down at Twin Lakes, but meeting Field Guides along the coast road meant that they were unable to negotiate the water that had carved a fair sized trench across the road some 10 km further down the road, so it was off to the dump. Good numbers of Sandhill Cranes were hanging out with Canada Geese while the gull numbers had dropped significantly, with only Herring’s being see. We did get good looks at both Baird’s and Stilt Sandpiper.

Our last stop before lunch was along the airport fields were a Red-tailed Hawk, looking very much like a Rough-legged, was seen flying across the marsh and away from us. The marsh was full of water, it looked too deep for most nesting shorebirds and waders, and that probably explained why there were few around, though a Lesser Yellowlegs did put on a nice display for us, calling and swooping down. American Tree Sparrow’s were singing and chasing each other around and Chris picked up a odd song which we felt was a Lincoln’s, and sure enough he was right, as most of us got good scope views. Frank nailed me in the back of the head with a snowball. He claimed he did not mean to as he was aiming high. You don’t have 16 balls and roll 300 and not have a good aim……..I’ll get him back one day.

During the afternoon we joined Wapusk Adventures for a boat ride up the Churchill River on the “River Dog”. Being a small boat, actually a rock crusher, we split the group into 2 groups of 5. Chris, Bert, Frank, Colin and Karl went to the first boat where they soon had a group of bonies and picked out 2 adult Ross’ Gulls with stunning pink under parts before they flew away over the marsh. 3 Little Gulls including a copulating pair, which can’t be a sight seen by many in this part of the world, were also seen. There were Red-necked Phalaropes by the hundreds along the way along with numerous ducks that would take off in front of the approaching boat. 2 Bald Eagles were seen well crossing the river.

The rest of us went looking for a Northern Shrike, which I managed to get in the scope but alas it dropped out of sight by the time the others had a chance to locate it. Besides the road we had displaying Rusty Blackbirds, which was rather comical as one would lift its head up and spread its wings out making it look like a caped batman. By mild afternoon we swapped places and headed into the river. This time the numbers of birds had dramatically diminished, phalaropes were few and far in between and the ducks well ahead of us, more importantly there were only a few bonies, no Little Gulls and worse yet no Ross’! 18 miles up the river we dropped anchor opposite a marsh that Gerald feels strongly that the Ross’ have nested in the past 2 years. A very white small gull as spotted against the far spruce trees only to have it rise over the spruces and fly further south and away from us. It was more than likely a Ross’, especially as it returned only very briefly and a second one joined it, where for a split second we got to see a wedged tail. It was not only unfortunate that they were so far away, and provided very unsatisfactory looks, but the temperatures in an instant dropped about 20 degrees, the wind picked up, the clouds got darker, rain drops began to fall and the ride back was very choppy, which made for a less than pleasant experience for us, which was unfortunate because the scenery and tranquility of the river was surely a highlight of the trip. Meanwhile the other groups got to see the Northern Shrike as well as have a dark-phased Rough-legged Hawk fly over their heads, before they experienced the same weather conditions we did.

Bird of the day: Ross’ Gull, for half the group

Day 14 / Wednesday June 16 : Churchill – Nodwell Trail; Kennedy Park Road

An early start was needed on our last morning to try and get the Spruce Grouse before breakfast, packing, checking out and catching the 10:45AM plane to Winnipeg. By 5:45AM we were walking a very wet and occasionally snow covered path off the Norwell Trail through a black spruce and tamarack forest a short distance from Goose Creek Road, hearing Gray-cheeked Thrush both calling and singing. Leaving town, the weather was better than we were lead to believe the night before, and by the time we were walking several hundred yards down the trail the sun was beginning to hit the western side of the forest. Going over a rise a male Spruce Grouse was spotted in the middle of the trail some 50 yards in front of us. We approached cautiously and cut the distance in half. The bird began to fan its tail trying to attract a female and quickly retracted it. He would walk to one side then flew up into a spruce about 6 feet above ground level were we would check out the surroundings and feed on the needles. He only stayed in the tree a short while before flying down to the path. The flight was short, and as he came into land he would keep his wings spread out and lean back to slow him up as he made his landing. We watched for about three quarters of an hour and he proceeded to repeat this routine another three or four times, before he headed off into the forest to feed. Being so close it for so long was certainly a great way to end the trip and certainly the highlight of this amazing trip.

We finished the trip with a total of 244 species including 24 duck species, 27 shorebirds, 11 gulls, 7 woodpeckers, 23 warblers and 16 sparrows. Manitoba in spring is certainly one outstanding birding destination.

Bird of the day: Spruce Grouse displaying

~Adrian Binns