Alan did the butterfly sightings for the trip as well, here's his report:
Everyone,
Brandon R. Holden, Mark W. Jennings and myself have just returned from an
expedition to Netitishi Point on James Bay, where we were present on the
dates of August 13-26 inclusive. A map showing the location of Netitishi
Point can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/3w379cj
NETITISHI POINT:
Although our trip was more-or-less within the transition period between
"summer" and "fall" butterflies were still numerous. In total we
recorded 13 species at Netitishi Point, as follows:
Western Checkered-White:
This was the 2nd most numerous species, after Cabbage White. Seen daily
with a maximum count of 40+ on August 21.
Cabbage White:
The most numerous species, but very scarce before a huge emergence on
August 21 when we saw 250+.
Mustard White:
A few individuals seen, always within the spruce forest rather than the
coastal meadows.
Common Sulphur:
A few individuals in the coastal meadows.
Orange Sulphur:
One on August 16.
Bronze Copper:
A high count of 30 on August 14, in the coastal meadows. Prior to a
couple of years ago this species was unknown for James Bay, so presumably
it is a recent colonizer via probable strays. The species was also
reported this summer by other researchers on James Bay, at North Point I
believe.
Spring Azure:
Singles on August 19 (photos), 22 and 24. All were worn. We puzzled
over these since it is extremely late for the species, but funny things
happen in the north. They definitely were not Summer Azures.
Atlantis Fritillary:
Seen daily in small numbers; always associated with the spruce forest,
rather than coastal meadows.
Arctic (Purple Lesser) Fritillary:
Seen almost daily in small numbers; always associated with the spruce
forest and associated clearings.
Orange (Northern) Crescent:
A few individuals, all worn.
Mourning Cloak:
One or two starting on August 24.
White Admiral:
One worn on August 13-19; a late occurrence.
Common Ringlet:
One on August 16 in coastal meadows.
No stray immigrants were seen, but we believe Netitishi Point would be an
optimum location to find them since we did see some stray dragonfly
species. The month of September would likely be the most productive,
perhaps June as well.
MOOSONEE:
We also had a few interesting observations at Moosonee.
August 12 sightings: AW, BRH, MWJ
August 27-29 sightings: AW and Karl R. Overman
European Skipper:
Three fresh on August 12 at the Moosonee dump; a late occurrence for a
species that is single-brooded throughout northern Ontario. None seen
there August 26-27.
Peck's Skipper:
One ragged female at Moosonee (south end of Quarry Road) on August 29;
likely a late record for this location.
Western Checkered-White:
Two at Moose Factory on August 27, and several around Moosonee August
28-29.
Great Spangled Fritillary:
Two worn males several miles south of Moosonee (Quarry Road) on August
28. The status of this species in the Hudson Bay Lowlands is unclear,
since the only prior record is apparently limited to a sighting I made of
an egg-laying female at Moose Factory on August 17, 1990. Together with
the recent sightings, it seems probable that the species is resident in
the lush (disturbed) areas of Moosonee and Moose Factory.
PHOTOS: (LINK TO ALANS PHOTOS HERE: http://groups.google.com/group/onbutterflies/browse_thread/thread/3bf76e0c23e8ab01
Western Checkered-White -- open -- Netitishi Point -- August 21
Western Checkered-White -- closed -- Moosonee -- August 28
Great Spangled Fritillary -- Moosonee -- August 28
Arctic (Purple Lesser) Fritillary -- Netitishi Point -- August 16
Alan Wormington
------------------------------------------------------------------\\
I will post my own butterfly pics to the blog sometime in the future! (When I edit them)
Showing posts with label Netitishi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Netitishi. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Alan's ontbirds posting - Aug 2011 Netitishi Point Trip
Grand blog material, thanks to Alan's great ontbirds posting about our trip.
Everyone,
Brandon R. Holden, Mark W. Jennings and myself have returned from another
expedition to Netitishi Point on James Bay, where we were present on the
dates of August 13-26 inclusive. A map showing the location of Netitishi
Point can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/3w379cj
Various photos, stories and day lists will be posted on Brandon's blog
site here:
http://www.blog.peregrineprints.com/
No major rarities to report, but there was an abundance of birds and
during our 13-day visit we recorded 132 species. On August 21 alone we
logged 84 species. At times it was coolish, other times warmish, with a
couple of uncomfortable hot days; but generally it was quite pleasant.
Some impressive storms, with torrential rain at times (mostly late in the
day or during the night). Not many biting insects, sometimes mosquitoes
were a minor nuisance; we often wore shorts. We had a great time!
Highlights are detailed as follows:
SNOW GOOSE -- first birds (family group of five) on August 15; seems
early for fledged birds to be already moving.
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER -- small numbers daily flying by, maximum of (8) on
August 25.
BLACK SCOTER -- small numbers daily flying by, maximum of (35) on August
18.
RUFFED GROUSE / SPRUCE GROUSE -- none
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN -- 40 on August 13; one on August 22; 28 on August
26; formerly unknown on James Bay, these birds are derived from the
breeding colony recently established at Akimiski Island to the north.
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT -- 1 or 2 seen most days; comments above for
pelican also apply to this species.
GREAT BLUE HERON -- we often saw singles or small groups arriving from
the east or northeast over James Bay, which would imply a breeding colony
somewhere in that direction.
NORTHERN GOSHAWK -- juvenile female seen on numerous dates; we debated if
it was one bird or several.
BROAD-WINGED HAWK -- one juvenile appeared overhead on a day with strong
south winds (August 24); very rare in the Hudson Bay Lowlands.
YELLOW RAIL -- none
WHIMBREL -- migrating birds (always flying east along the shore) were
seen daily; maximum count (45) on August 25.
HUDSONIAN GODWIT -- migrating flocks seen regularly; maximum count (840)
on August 21.
MARBLED GODWIT -- seen regularly; maximum count (23) on August 21.
RED KNOT -- small numbers mostly seen flying east; one adult still in
mostly alternate plumage on August 25.
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER -- abundant and hard to estimate numbers, with
7500+ on August 21; one adult still present on August 25.
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER -- abundant at times; maximum (500) on August 18.
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER -- much in evidence with a maximum count of (66) on
August 23.
STILT SANDPIPER -- small numbers
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER -- several singles.
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE -- several singles.
LITTLE GULL -- numerous singles; most were juveniles but we also saw
single second-winter and adult birds.
BONAPARTE'S GULL -- ALL adult birds still had complete black hoods, which
is unlike birds on Lake Erie at the same time which have already moulted
into winter plumage.
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL -- One adult flying east on August 25;
documentation (including photos) will be submitted to the OBRC.
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL -- singles on August 18 (second-summer) and
August 25 (adult).
"mystery" GULL -- we had poor views of a flying immature bird that might
have been a CALIFORNIA GULL (August 17); we have several photos that have
yet to be analyzed.
CASPIAN TERN -- numerous sightings in small numbers; ALL were adults and
almost all were flying east along the shore, suggesting an exit from
James Bay.
BLACK TERN -- several individuals.
COMMON TERN -- common with adults still feeding young; at least 70+ birds
were in the area.
ARCTIC TERN -- one juvenile on August 15 and one adult on August 25.
PARASITIC JAEGER -- one on August 25; one unidentified jaeger the same
day.
LONG-TAILED JAEGER -- one intermediate-morph juvenile on August 21; this
might be the first fall record ever for southern James Bay.
MOURNING DOVE -- one on August 25.
OWLS -- none.
HUMMINGBIRDS -- none, despite the fact that we set up two separate
hummingbird feeders.
EASTERN KINGBIRD -- 3 singles.
EUROPEAN STARLING -- multiple flocks; maximum (17) on August 14.
AMERICAN PIPIT -- one on August 26; first fall migrant.
WARBLERS -- 13 species; CAPE MAY was surprisingly regular.
LE CONTE'S SPARROW -- small numbers.
NELSON'S SPARROW -- numerous birds, as expected.
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK -- one immature on August 23-24; status in
southern James Bay is not clear.
PINE GROSBEAK -- one on August 24.
RED CROSSBILL -- (2) on August 16 and (4) on August 20; there are now
multiple records for southern James Bay, which is surprising as there are
no pine trees in the Hudson Bay Lowlands.
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL -- big numbers, including many flying juveniles.
COMMON REDPOLL -- small numbers.
PINE SISKIN -- small numbers.
HOUSE SPARROW -- one immature on coastal dunes on August 16; a very
peculiar record, especially since the species has been absent at Moosonee
for several years now. It must have originated from a considerable
distance.
LARGE MAMMALS:
Black Bear -- one yearling near our camp.
Gray Wolf -- one yearling near our camp; Brandon got one excellent photo
before his camera battery died!
Red Fox -- several in the area, including two near camp that acted quite
silly at times.
unidentified seals -- a couple seen offshore were likely Ringed Seal
A report detailing our BUTTERFLY sightings can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/3ler3gv
A report detailing our DRAGONFLY sightings can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/3qt229c
Alan Wormington
Leamington, Ontario
Everyone,
Brandon R. Holden, Mark W. Jennings and myself have returned from another
expedition to Netitishi Point on James Bay, where we were present on the
dates of August 13-26 inclusive. A map showing the location of Netitishi
Point can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/3w379cj
Various photos, stories and day lists will be posted on Brandon's blog
site here:
http://www.blog.peregrineprints.com/
No major rarities to report, but there was an abundance of birds and
during our 13-day visit we recorded 132 species. On August 21 alone we
logged 84 species. At times it was coolish, other times warmish, with a
couple of uncomfortable hot days; but generally it was quite pleasant.
Some impressive storms, with torrential rain at times (mostly late in the
day or during the night). Not many biting insects, sometimes mosquitoes
were a minor nuisance; we often wore shorts. We had a great time!
Highlights are detailed as follows:
SNOW GOOSE -- first birds (family group of five) on August 15; seems
early for fledged birds to be already moving.
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER -- small numbers daily flying by, maximum of (8) on
August 25.
BLACK SCOTER -- small numbers daily flying by, maximum of (35) on August
18.
RUFFED GROUSE / SPRUCE GROUSE -- none
AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN -- 40 on August 13; one on August 22; 28 on August
26; formerly unknown on James Bay, these birds are derived from the
breeding colony recently established at Akimiski Island to the north.
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT -- 1 or 2 seen most days; comments above for
pelican also apply to this species.
GREAT BLUE HERON -- we often saw singles or small groups arriving from
the east or northeast over James Bay, which would imply a breeding colony
somewhere in that direction.
NORTHERN GOSHAWK -- juvenile female seen on numerous dates; we debated if
it was one bird or several.
BROAD-WINGED HAWK -- one juvenile appeared overhead on a day with strong
south winds (August 24); very rare in the Hudson Bay Lowlands.
YELLOW RAIL -- none
WHIMBREL -- migrating birds (always flying east along the shore) were
seen daily; maximum count (45) on August 25.
HUDSONIAN GODWIT -- migrating flocks seen regularly; maximum count (840)
on August 21.
MARBLED GODWIT -- seen regularly; maximum count (23) on August 21.
RED KNOT -- small numbers mostly seen flying east; one adult still in
mostly alternate plumage on August 25.
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER -- abundant and hard to estimate numbers, with
7500+ on August 21; one adult still present on August 25.
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER -- abundant at times; maximum (500) on August 18.
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER -- much in evidence with a maximum count of (66) on
August 23.
STILT SANDPIPER -- small numbers
BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPER -- several singles.
RED-NECKED PHALAROPE -- several singles.
LITTLE GULL -- numerous singles; most were juveniles but we also saw
single second-winter and adult birds.
BONAPARTE'S GULL -- ALL adult birds still had complete black hoods, which
is unlike birds on Lake Erie at the same time which have already moulted
into winter plumage.
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL -- One adult flying east on August 25;
documentation (including photos) will be submitted to the OBRC.
GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULL -- singles on August 18 (second-summer) and
August 25 (adult).
"mystery" GULL -- we had poor views of a flying immature bird that might
have been a CALIFORNIA GULL (August 17); we have several photos that have
yet to be analyzed.
CASPIAN TERN -- numerous sightings in small numbers; ALL were adults and
almost all were flying east along the shore, suggesting an exit from
James Bay.
BLACK TERN -- several individuals.
COMMON TERN -- common with adults still feeding young; at least 70+ birds
were in the area.
ARCTIC TERN -- one juvenile on August 15 and one adult on August 25.
PARASITIC JAEGER -- one on August 25; one unidentified jaeger the same
day.
LONG-TAILED JAEGER -- one intermediate-morph juvenile on August 21; this
might be the first fall record ever for southern James Bay.
MOURNING DOVE -- one on August 25.
OWLS -- none.
HUMMINGBIRDS -- none, despite the fact that we set up two separate
hummingbird feeders.
EASTERN KINGBIRD -- 3 singles.
EUROPEAN STARLING -- multiple flocks; maximum (17) on August 14.
AMERICAN PIPIT -- one on August 26; first fall migrant.
WARBLERS -- 13 species; CAPE MAY was surprisingly regular.
LE CONTE'S SPARROW -- small numbers.
NELSON'S SPARROW -- numerous birds, as expected.
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK -- one immature on August 23-24; status in
southern James Bay is not clear.
PINE GROSBEAK -- one on August 24.
RED CROSSBILL -- (2) on August 16 and (4) on August 20; there are now
multiple records for southern James Bay, which is surprising as there are
no pine trees in the Hudson Bay Lowlands.
WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILL -- big numbers, including many flying juveniles.
COMMON REDPOLL -- small numbers.
PINE SISKIN -- small numbers.
HOUSE SPARROW -- one immature on coastal dunes on August 16; a very
peculiar record, especially since the species has been absent at Moosonee
for several years now. It must have originated from a considerable
distance.
LARGE MAMMALS:
Black Bear -- one yearling near our camp.
Gray Wolf -- one yearling near our camp; Brandon got one excellent photo
before his camera battery died!
Red Fox -- several in the area, including two near camp that acted quite
silly at times.
unidentified seals -- a couple seen offshore were likely Ringed Seal
A report detailing our BUTTERFLY sightings can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/3ler3gv
A report detailing our DRAGONFLY sightings can be found here:
http://tinyurl.com/3qt229c
Alan Wormington
Leamington, Ontario
Friday, September 2, 2011
Dragonflies of Netitishi Point, James Bay
Here's the rundown on the Dragonflies of Netitishi! August 13-25 roughly..... For now, just a checklist order, some notes, and some reference shots:
Northern/Common Spreadwing
Spotted Spreadwing
Canada Darner
Lake Darner
Variable Darner (multiple subspecies)
Sedge Darner
Zigzag Darner
Subarctic Darner
Common Green Darner
Delicate (Franklin's) Emerald
Four-spotted Skimmer
Wandering Glider
Spot-winged Glider
Saffron-bordered Meadowhawk
Black Meadowhawk
Cherry-faced Meadowhawk
White-faced Meadowhawk
Notes:
I didn't spend much time looking for the little guys, and ended up seeing very few. \
Darners were very interesting.....
--- Lake Darner was far and away the most common species, out numbering all of the other darners combined
--- Canada Darner was uncommon, but caught a few times
---- Subarctic and Sedge Darners were new for me, and I was usually able to capture a few per day. Often in feeding Darner swarms
--- Zigzag Darner was also a new species for me, but I was only able to catch a single male.
--- A single (very fresh) Common Green Darner ... The Ontario Odonata Atlas doesn't show any records anywhere near Netitishi Point...
Several Delicate Emeralds were caught and observed... I didn't try too hard for odes up there, but I thought I would have had more than 1 species
Wandering Glider was seen on one of our first days, which I thought was a pretty exciting record. Then a few hours later we saw a Spot-winged Glider --- which seemed REALLY unusual. Clearly Netitishi Points abilities as a vagrant trap were shown in the bugs as well as the birds... We ended up seeing MULTIPLE Spot-winged Gliders just about every single day it was warm or sunny. It seems that they must have made a colony earlier in the summer, and were now numerous. Totally unexpected --- but very cool !
4 species of Meadowhawks was fun, but not unexpected! Black Meadowhawks are a northern species, but very common up there.
----------------------------------
And some reference photos: the "quality" photos will be saved for future postings! (Whenever I get them properly edited)
Canada Darner - very similar to the much more common Lake Darner (at least, more common up there).. In Algonquin Park, Canada greatly outnumbers Lake:
Lake Darner (female) --- I don't think I had every seen a "Blue female" Lake Darner before this trip... All others (i can remember) were a bright/lime green like this one (bottom pic)
Funky "lineate" Variable Darner... Was nice to see a bunch of these (and other variations)
Lifer #1 - Sedge Darner female... A fun pastel green colour I had never seen on a Darner before...
Lifer #2: Male Subarctic Darner
Lifer #3 - a male Zigzag Darner... This was a very tiny species
Vagrant(?) #1 - Common Green Darner... Very fresh, and must have emerged somewhere nearby?
male Delicate Emerald
Four-spotted Skimmer... Getting late?
Crazy crazy Spot-winged Glider - with multiple individuals seen!? Much duller brown than the bright Orange Wandering Gliders... Which we saw, but didn't photograph up at Netitishi
Saffron-bordered Meadowhawk -- a big species, found patrolling Netitishi Creek
Female Black Meadowhawk... A species I rarely rarely see, but it sure is fun to go up north where they are mega-common...
-----------------------------
Shameless plug: Join the Ontario Odonata Group to learn more about Dragonflies!
Ask questions, post sightings, whatever! Things may be pretty slow until next spring though....
-----------------------------
Again, "quality" photos will arrive in the future!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Netitishi Point Bird Highlights by Day
Yes, I actually went to James Bay and not Florida... Just haven't got around to getting things online. Here's a quick rundown of my bird highlights by day during the trip:
August 13: Moosonee:
Northern Cardinal, Wood Ducks, Pine Grosbeak, Mourning Dove etc
August 13: Netitishi Point:
N. Goshawk (juv. female seen most days), A. Golden Plover, Little Gull, Olive-sided Flycatcher
August 14:
24 Whimbrel, 12 Hud-Godwits, 8 Marbled Godwits, 1 Baird's Sandpiper (numbers increased for next several days), 1 Red-necked Phalarope, 3 Olive-sided Flycatchers, 17 European Starlings (uncommon, highest count for trip), + first day of searching for LeConte's (15) and Nelson's (5) Sparrows
Aug 15:
5 Snow Geese (early?), 125 Hudsonian Godwits, 2 Marbled Godwits, 130 Red Knot, Little Gull,
Aug 16:
11 Snow Geese, 4 Red-necked Phalaropes, Little Gull, 2 Red Crossbills, 1 House Sparrow (1st record for James Bay coast?)
Aug 17:
2 Marbled Godwits, 1 Mystery Gull (pics later)
Aug 18:
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Little Gull, 3 Black Tern
Aug 19:
16 Whimbrel, 15 Red Knot, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Little Gull
Aug 20:
25 Hud and 3 Mud-wits, 15 Baird's Sandpipers (#'s still increasing), 2 Little Gull, 3 Black Tern, 4 Red Crossbills
Aug 21:
9 Whimbrel, 840 Hudsonian Godwits, 23 Marbled Godwits, 7500 Semi-Sands, 25 Baird's Sandpipers, Long-tailed Jaeger (dark/int Juv), 84 species on the day
Aug 22:
395 Hudsonian Godwits, 30 Red Knot, 2 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, 1 Red-necked Phalarope, 1 Red Phalarope, 1 Little Gull,
Aug 23:
55 Hud and 6 Marbled Godwits, 4 Stilt Sandpipers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Aug 24:
Broad-winged Hawk (juv. very rare on James Bay), 16 Whimbrel, Rose-breasted Grosbeak (same), Pine Grosbeak
Aug 25:
A. Golden Plover, 60 Hud-gods, 120 Ruddy Turnstone, 50 Red Knot, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 2 RN Phalaropes, 3 Little Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult), Arctic Tern (only one of the trip, seen under storm conditions), 2 Jaeger sp, 1 Mourning Dove
Nothing too shabby, even if we weren't swimming in tubenoses! Shimmer on the water was the bane of the entire trip, and we frequently could barely even see offshore......
Mammals, Butterflies, Dragonflies, Frogs, Weather etc. all provided some serious trip highlights --- and they really fleshed out some of the really boring days... Soon I hope to get the highlights/lists and photos on here!
A quick reminder where we were: (maps)
Eventually i'll post the total species lists by day on here!
(Netitishi Point!)
August 13: Moosonee:
Northern Cardinal, Wood Ducks, Pine Grosbeak, Mourning Dove etc
August 13: Netitishi Point:
N. Goshawk (juv. female seen most days), A. Golden Plover, Little Gull, Olive-sided Flycatcher
August 14:
24 Whimbrel, 12 Hud-Godwits, 8 Marbled Godwits, 1 Baird's Sandpiper (numbers increased for next several days), 1 Red-necked Phalarope, 3 Olive-sided Flycatchers, 17 European Starlings (uncommon, highest count for trip), + first day of searching for LeConte's (15) and Nelson's (5) Sparrows
Aug 15:
5 Snow Geese (early?), 125 Hudsonian Godwits, 2 Marbled Godwits, 130 Red Knot, Little Gull,
Aug 16:
11 Snow Geese, 4 Red-necked Phalaropes, Little Gull, 2 Red Crossbills, 1 House Sparrow (1st record for James Bay coast?)
Aug 17:
2 Marbled Godwits, 1 Mystery Gull (pics later)
Aug 18:
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Little Gull, 3 Black Tern
Aug 19:
16 Whimbrel, 15 Red Knot, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Little Gull
Aug 20:
25 Hud and 3 Mud-wits, 15 Baird's Sandpipers (#'s still increasing), 2 Little Gull, 3 Black Tern, 4 Red Crossbills
Aug 21:
9 Whimbrel, 840 Hudsonian Godwits, 23 Marbled Godwits, 7500 Semi-Sands, 25 Baird's Sandpipers, Long-tailed Jaeger (dark/int Juv), 84 species on the day
Aug 22:
395 Hudsonian Godwits, 30 Red Knot, 2 Buff-breasted Sandpipers, 1 Red-necked Phalarope, 1 Red Phalarope, 1 Little Gull,
Aug 23:
55 Hud and 6 Marbled Godwits, 4 Stilt Sandpipers, Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Aug 24:
Broad-winged Hawk (juv. very rare on James Bay), 16 Whimbrel, Rose-breasted Grosbeak (same), Pine Grosbeak
Aug 25:
A. Golden Plover, 60 Hud-gods, 120 Ruddy Turnstone, 50 Red Knot, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, 2 RN Phalaropes, 3 Little Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull (adult), Arctic Tern (only one of the trip, seen under storm conditions), 2 Jaeger sp, 1 Mourning Dove
Nothing too shabby, even if we weren't swimming in tubenoses! Shimmer on the water was the bane of the entire trip, and we frequently could barely even see offshore......
Mammals, Butterflies, Dragonflies, Frogs, Weather etc. all provided some serious trip highlights --- and they really fleshed out some of the really boring days... Soon I hope to get the highlights/lists and photos on here!
A quick reminder where we were: (maps)
Eventually i'll post the total species lists by day on here!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
5 reasons I'm heading back to Netitishi Point
5. Common Eider
4. Bar-tailed Godwit
3. Leach's Storm-Petrel
2. Common Ringed Plover
1. Great Shearwater
Yes, it's true. Alan and I are heading back to James Bay... Rough dates of August 13-25th... But this time, we have the razor-sharp eyes of Mark Jennings as well! Here's the maps:
4. Bar-tailed Godwit
3. Leach's Storm-Petrel
2. Common Ringed Plover
1. Great Shearwater
Yes, it's true. Alan and I are heading back to James Bay... Rough dates of August 13-25th... But this time, we have the razor-sharp eyes of Mark Jennings as well! Here's the maps:
Southern James Bay
and......
Location of Netitishi Point. Note Moosonee to the west, Hannah Bay to the East, and the Ontario/Quebec Border
We are primed to find vagrants galore. Since this location has a few things going for it:
Southern end of the bay: --- During fall migration, everything going south (waterbirds and lost vagrant shearwaters) can pass right in front of us.
Smaller mudflats: better odds of getting closer to shorebirds, and easier time keeping an eye on the water than elsewhere on James Bay (Ontario side)
Netitishi "Point" - is actually a bit of a point on the southern shore of the bay. If we get some south winds, we expect to see movements of birds along the shore and grouping up at our "point"
Island of big trees: -- lots of small tree's to the south, but the elevated beach ridges with large trees should act as a magnet for passerines that don't totally enjoy the soggy stunted spruce south of us.
Sandy/Rocky flats: the flats here are easier to walk on, and I truly expect to find some unique shorebird species that take advantage of the sandbars off Netitishi (eg./ we saw a LOT of Sanderling in November here... More than they're seeing now at other locations on the bay).
---------------------
I also have high hopes of trying to do more serious photography while up there. Hopefully I'll have lots of photos to post when I get back!
(looking for the other one up there)
(will want to improve on my shorebird photos up there!)
Hopefully see some of these guys up there as well!
By the time I get back, I actually think I can have my highest "year list" in Ontario ever... Not that I ever try to hit a high number (I'm still missing Sora)... But it's fun to keep track. But it DOES seem odd that I could break last years 286 by the end of August. How can I bird for 10+ years in Ontario, and suddenly see so many more birds?
------------
While I'm away, I've set up the blog to auto-post some old stuff from Florida (just to get it back online)... and to keep things running. I'll try and post the highlights from the trip as soon as I get back!
Of course, we'll try and figure out the seal situation again!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Heading to another ocean for a while
Now, I've rambled about Netitishi Point (James Bay) on here a few times over the past 5/6 months, but now there's even more to get excited about. I've been wondering (along with other birders) about birds "crossing" oceans in the arctic, due to melting sea ice in recent years (NW passage has been wide open each year for a few years now)...
I'd heard of some reports, and seen a few others confirmed, such as the following:
--- Tufted Puffin's in Britian and Greenland
--- Short-tailed Shearwater reports off Britain
--- Northern Gannet/Great Black-backed Gulls off Alaska.
All exciting stuff, but it really was just the beginning of some hopes and wishes. Thinking about finding a Tufted Puffin in Ontario seemed really insane, but it really could be possible if the melting ice allowed them to move. It was enough to get me up to James Bay last November and look for myself. And what happened?
Well we did find this thing:
I'd heard of some reports, and seen a few others confirmed, such as the following:
--- Tufted Puffin's in Britian and Greenland
--- Short-tailed Shearwater reports off Britain
--- Northern Gannet/Great Black-backed Gulls off Alaska.
All exciting stuff, but it really was just the beginning of some hopes and wishes. Thinking about finding a Tufted Puffin in Ontario seemed really insane, but it really could be possible if the melting ice allowed them to move. It was enough to get me up to James Bay last November and look for myself. And what happened?
Well we did find this thing:
The theories were good enough to slap this thing down as a Sooty/Short-tailed Shearwater after a lot of considerations. In some ways, it's crazy to think a Short-tailed Shearwater could have been ~3000km's away from it's normal range... But not really as crazy as I first thought.
Cue this insane news article, brought to you by my Dad:
Yes, you've read that right, a Gray Whale swam through the Northwest passage and ended up in the atlantic (actually, all the way to Israel).. Now I'd like to pull away from Israel for a moment, and focus on the route. Yes, a Gray Whale made it through. So if a Gray Whale can do it, how about birds? You know, the ones with wings?
Now I'm all excited again!
Here's an archived gif. of Ice conditions on Sep 3, 2008. One thing that's obvious is there's a lot of open water above mainland Canada, but you'll also notice that there really isn't a clear route from the Pacific into Hudson Bay. It's much easier for sea creatures/birds to get into the Atlantic (via Baffin Bay/Labrador Sea) than into Hudson/James Bay...
But, here's the part that keeps me excited:
The snow/ice map from the same year, but on Nov 1st. Note how all that water north of Nunavut has frozen up! Any Tufted Puffin/Short-tailed Shearwater/Short-tailed Albatross that's stuck in a dead-end inlet is faced with a dramatic choice: Fly or die... And considering the N or NW winds that typically occur post-cold front, it seems likely that Hudson Bay is the first place they would head when faced with the daunting task of an over-land flight.
Once on Hudson Bay, these mega-vagrants would hopefully continue to wander south in search of better climates, and the best place to look could very well be Netitishi Point - the prime sea-watching location in the whole area.
So, to sum up:
Gray Whales @ Netitishi - probably not
Mega Rare pacific seabirds @ Netitishi: possibly the best place south of the arctic circle to find them!
It's so deliciously exciting, I may just have to get back there and do some more looking.
Some extra articles on the subject:
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And a fun quote on Arctic Sea
A better candidate for the last previous opening was the period 6,000 - 8,500 years ago, when the Earth's orbital variations brought more sunlight to the Arctic in summer than at present. Funder and Kjaer (2007) found extensive systems of wave generated beach ridges along the North Greenland coast that suggested the Arctic Ocean was ice-free in the summer for over 1,000 years during that period.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Can I get a seal of approval on these things or what?
This is more of a post for my own sanity, not for a legible blog posting. We're heading back to my November 2010 trip to Netitishi Point, James Bay to look at Seals...
It turns out, seal identification is unbelievably confusing. It makes me want to study Empidonax Flycatchers for a living...
Ok maybe that's a bit much, but I've finally had the chance to go through all of my seal photos, and pulled out a collection of pictures to really nail down the ID (the first set were just random, not chosen properly for field marks etc)
Without further delay, on a seal by seal basis, I give you the collections:
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SEAL NUMBER ONE:
This was a small youngster that allowed for some great photos.. ALL of the next photos are of the SAME individual:
It turns out, seal identification is unbelievably confusing. It makes me want to study Empidonax Flycatchers for a living...
Ok maybe that's a bit much, but I've finally had the chance to go through all of my seal photos, and pulled out a collection of pictures to really nail down the ID (the first set were just random, not chosen properly for field marks etc)
Without further delay, on a seal by seal basis, I give you the collections:
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SEAL NUMBER ONE:
This was a small youngster that allowed for some great photos.. ALL of the next photos are of the SAME individual:
All of those photos are posted here in order, as I took them. Note how the fur dries out and changes colour!
I should also note, that the next several seals (until I say otherwise) were all taken on the same day!
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SEAL NUMBER TWO:
The day these photos were taken was VERY Nice for november. Warm, and virtually no wind. We saw LOTS of seals this day, whereas we only saw 1 or 2 a day on every other day of our visit, and not often up on rocks.
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Seal #3
One of the larger, (or largest) seals I got photos of this day. The larger animals seemed to drop into the water earlier, when it was still too deep for me to get closer for photos.
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Seal #4
Taken the same day! This was the ONE seal that just about everyone agreed was a RINGED SEAL... As I pulled out more and more photos (for this blog post), I started to think that all of the seals I photographed this day were maybe this species, but I'll re-send this stuff to the experts one last time! (and update)
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SEAL TEAM 5
(I almost added an extra Seal to make it Seal team 6, but never mind)
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Ok, so that's all the photos taken on that fateful day. Interestingly, I took photos of this ONE seal the day before, and was really happy to get it. I made the ID of Bearded Seal at the time, and was wrong.. But I do (kinda) think it's a different species than all of the above animals (which would leave Harbour Seal? Which wasn't a "regular" species on the Ontario checklist before our visit)... But I just don't know...
So there you have it.. I'll figure out some sort of way of updating if anything new happens. I'm going to try and get the photos to the people who commented on the limited first set!
I'll update new info here, if anything happens!
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