OFONEWS Newsletter of the Ontario Field Ornithologists

Volume 23 Number 3 October 2005

Atlas Data Collection Completed

Mike Cadman, Atlas Coordinator Ontario birders did a wonderful job in the fina l year of ers. It's a li ttle mi nd-boggling, but it ' true. Canoe any data collection for the Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas. The ri er in northern Ontario, and atl assers have been th ere final numbers aren't in yet, but at the time of writing before you, covering that I 00 km block. Fly in to any (early eptember) atlas participants have pushed the total remote community or drop from a heli copter onto any hours of fi eld work up over 142,000 hours for 5 years, tiny pond on the muskeg, and atlassers have been in that which is we ll ahead of the 124,000 hours contributed to I 00 km block, possibl y reporting those same birds and the fi rst atl as. Many th anks to everyone who contributed swatting at those same bugs! TI1e coverage we've to the project. achieved is a refl ection of the great spirit of birders will­ The emphasis in 2005 was on fini shing data coll ection. ing to devote their special skills to advance science and That involved targeted effort throughout the province, help ensure there are bird and intact narural area fo r ai mi ng to ensure all the atl as 's goal were reached. So fa r, future generation to enj oy and benefit from. it looks like we achieved those goals. Thanks to some last o, a huge thank you to everyone who took part in the minute heroics by atlassers, work ha been done in every atl as. I hope you are proud of what you've achi eved. I 0 km square in "southern Ontario" and in every I 00 km We'll certainly be working hard to ensure that the new block in '"northern Ontario' . We exceeded the number of Atlas book will be worthy of yo ur efforts and commit­ point cou nts needed to map the relati ve abundance of spe­ ment. One last reminder: please get any remaining data cies. And we're doing well in documenting the over 6000 into the project right away so we can fin alize the database rare specie records reported by atl as ers. and summarize the data for species account authors. orne of the remaining gaps in the remote north had to be fi lied by special trips such as the M uketei River trip on page 4, but much of the work was closer to home. Re­ Sabine's Gull Pronunciation gional Coordinators purred on their atla sers to find a few more species, confirm breeding for j ust one (or two) Ron Scovell more, and ensure that the last requi red point counts were done in each square. The fa ll of 2005 has seen a record number of a­ The atlassers responded beautifu ll y, scouring their old bine's Gulls migrating th rough southern Ontari o squares, visi ting new ones, learni ng more about the bi rds, with most birds recorded at Van Wagncrs Beach in their habits and habitats, and contributing new data, whi ch Hamilton. Ha e you been at a Gull Watch with oth er piece by piece expand our knowledge of the distribution bi rders when a stunning abine's Gull appeared? and status of Ontario's birds, and make it possi ble to com­ The call goes out as SAY-BfNS or AW-BINS or pare current data with Atlas data from 20 years ago. AY-BfNES or SA W-BfNES. What is correct? In ­ What we have accomplished together is amazing. Th i formation fro m Elliott Coues (pronounced CO W ) was a huge task. As you drive across the province, fro m in his 1882 update of The Coue. Checklist of orth Wi ndsor to Cornwall, fro m Fort Eri e to Sault Ste Mari e American Bird indicate that SA-BINS i the cor­ (by any route you choo e!), think to your elf how every rect pronunciati on for Sabine's Gull. single square you pa s though has been covered by atlas - 2005 Changes to the AOU Check-list of North American Birds Jim Rising

In the July 2005 issue of the ornithological journal The The only change proposed in the 46th Supplement that Auk, the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) Commit­ affects a Canadian species is the removal of the Crested tee of Classification and Nomenclature published the 46th Myna (A cridotheres cristatellus) from the list. This species Supplement to the AOU Check-list of North American is native to China and southeastern Asia, and was intro­ birds. These supplements are published annually. This sup­ duced and seemingly well established in southwestern Brit­ plement is an annotated list of changes to be made to the ish Columbia (Vancouver area) from the late 1800s. At one Check-list, which generally is accepted as the "official" list time, individuals from that population were seen on Van­ of birds from the AOU area (Canada, Mexico, United couver Island, where nesting was attempted, and in north­ States including Hawaii, and Central America). As such, western Washington, and possibly also Portland, Oregon the names, sequence of species, and classification of the (in 1922, but this might have been an escaped caged bird). Check-list generally are used in provincial and state lists, However, mynas became extirpated in February 2003 , so and many field guides, and are also followed by the ABA. the species is moved from the regular list to the appendix, The Check-list Committee meets once a year to discuss which is a list of species reported from the AOU area with­ changes in classification and nomenclature that have been out sufficient documentation, birds which have been seen proposed in the literature or that are necessitated by errors but may have been restrained by humans, and introduced in previous lists. In recent years, the members of the Com­ species that have failed to become established. Mynas re­ mittee have relied more and more on communicating their ported from Florida and Puerto Rico are probably based on views about proposed changes via email. This committee is escaped birds. chaired by Dr. Richard Banks of the U.S. Geological Sur­ The Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus), a vey and the National Museum ofNatural History in Wash­ Eurasian and African species, was added to the list on the ington. Other members of the committee are: Carla Cicero basis of a well substantiated record from the Caribbean (Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley), Jon Dunn island of Guadeloupe. (Bishop, California), Andrew Kratter (Florida Museum of Recent studies have supported earlier classifications Natural History), Pamela Rasmussen (Michigan State Uni­ that considered the Gray-headed Dove (Leptotila p/um­ versity Museum), J. V. Remsen, Jr. (Museum of Natural · beiceps), of southern Mexico, Central America, and north­ Science, Louisiana State University), myself (University of ern South America, and the Gray-fronted Dove (L. ntfax­ Toronto, and Royal Ontario Museum), and Douglas Stotz illa), of South America, to be different species. This has (Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago). the effect of adding the Gray-headed Dove to the List, re­ Jon Dunn is the only member of the committee who is placing the Gray-fronted Dove, which does not occur in the not an avian taxonomist, although he is quite knowledge­ AOU area. able about many taxonomic matters. His special and very Similarly, on the basis of differences in habitat, colora­ important role is to keep the committee informed about the tion, measurements (size and proportions) Humboldt's validity of extralimital records and to help track range ex­ Sapphire (Hylocharis humbo/dtii) and the Blue-headed tensions for the next edition of the Check-list. Other mem­ Sapphire (H. gray i) are now considered to be different spe­ bers of the committee are responsible for assessing pro­ cies. Humboldt's Sapphire is the only one found in the posed changes in the taxonomy of specific groups. For ex­ AOU area, occurring along the Pacific coast from extreme ample, I am responsible for making the initial assessments southeastern Panama to Ecuador. of proposed changes in the taxonomy of sparrows, cardi­ A Mangrove Swallow (Tachycineta a/bilinea), reported nals, finches, tanagers, and blackbirds. Thus, when papers from Brevard County, Florida, 18-25 November 2002, was are published on the affinities of any species in these the first record for the United States. groups, I summarize information in those papers and other An analysis of mtDNA sequence data shows that the relevant papers for the committee, and recommend changes Socorro Mockingbird (Mimodes graysoni), endemic to So­ to the Check-list. The committee members then discuss corro Island, off western Mexico, is clearly just a morpho­ these proposals and vote on the proposed changes. The logically distinct mockingbird, and is embedded within the committee is, and probably needs to be conservative, so genus Mimus. Thus, the Socorro Mockingbird becomes unless there is near unanimous sentiment for a change, the (Mimus graysoni) and Mimodes, as a monotypic genus, is status quo is maintained in the list. Below are some of the removed. proposed changes that were published in The Auk as the As a consequence of re-evaluation of evidence, the 46th Supplement to the Check-list that may be of interest White Wagtail (Motaci//a alba) and the Black-backed to Canadian ornithologists and birders.

2 OFO NEWS October 2005 Wagtail (M lugens) are considered to be conspecific and ew World Spa1Tows. Although its fa milial pl acement is the latter i removed from the List. A recently published yet to be determined, it is untenable to leave it in the Co­ tudy (Pavlova, et a/., Journal of Avian Biology 36:322- erebidae, and at present it i placed in Family lncertae 336, 2005), support thi move, although the committee Sedis (of uncertain taxonomic po ition). had not seen this paper at the time they chose to lump these As you can see, most of the changes put forward thi two taxa into a sin gle species. year have no effect on species that most of us usuall y en­ La tl y, two independent geneti c data-set have hown counter (although, darn it, I'd seen that wagtail in orth that the Bananaquit (Coereba jlaveola), formerly placed in Ameri ca!), but will be of intere t to th o ·c traveling to th e monotypic fa mily Coerebid ae, i embedded in a clade Ala ka, Panama, or other exotic place . of " island" taxa, most of which were formerly classified as

OBRC Notes Margaret Bain, 2005 Chair

Summer was a qui et time for the Ontario Bird Records mended on the excell ent annual report for 2004 published Committee. Mo t Ontario birder , including most mem­ in the Augu t 2005 i sue of Ontario Birds. One species, ber of the 2005 Committee, pent many hour in the field Cackling Goose (Branta hutchinsii), wa added to the of­ in this Ia t year of the second Ontario Breeding Bird At­ fi cial Ontario bird checklist in 2004 through a change las, either completing their own squares, helping out in from subspecies to full species status by the Ameri can under-serviced areas, or taking adventurous trips to re­ Ornithologists' Union, but as this small goose is a com­ mote parts of the province. The Atlas fi eldwork itself w ill mon spring and fa ll migrant in northern Ontario and i provide a significant number of rare bird reports fo r the also seen in the south of the province in small numbers, it Committee to review- a singing male Northern Wheatear is not an addition to the Review List. The latest AOU near the Hudson Bay coast, a California Gull in Rainy Supplement, the 46th, to the Check-list of North American River, a pair of Red-bellied Woodpeckers feeding at least Birds, published in July 2005 (The Auk 122: 1026-1 03 1) , three young, a lso in Rainy River, providing the first nest­ makes no changes pertinent to Ontario birds, though it ing record for northern Ontari o, and many others. does reduce the Canadian checklist by one species with The member of the 2005 OBRC are: Margaret Bain Black-backed Wagtail (Motacil/a lugens) re-lumped with (Chair), Glenn Coady, Bill Crins (non-voting Secretary), White Wagtail (M. alba). Jean Iron, Colin Jones, Kevin McLaughlin, Mark Peck Ontbirds, OFO 's very successful listserv, has become (non-voting Mu eum Li aison), Ian Richards, Kayo Roy a rapid and efficient source of information for Ontario (non-voting Assistant to the Secretary), and Alan Worm­ birders. Many more birders are able to get to see rari ties ington. No fewer than three members on this list, Jean than ever before, but unfortunately this does not seem to Iron, Colin Jones, and Ian Richards are serving on the mean that the OBRC is receiving many more rari ty re­ Committee for the first time, so we have a very good mix ports than ever before. Kayo Roy has been doing a great of experi enced and new members to provide interesting job in diplomati call y chasing up finders of provincial rari­ discussions and a large reservoir of expertise. ti es fo r which documentati on has not been received by the Almost all reports submitted to the OBRC are now OBRC, and helpful guidelines on documenting a rare bird processed electronically, saving a huge amount of time sighting are included on the OBRC webpages as men­ compared with the old snail-mail packages that lo itered tioned above. We urge everyone who fi nds or subse­ around the province at the whim of Canada Post or occa- quently has the good fortune to see a Review List species ionally got buried in the Precambrian layer of a busy to submit a report to the Committee. There are several desk. Having said this, we do need to remind you all that good reasons why birders should become accustomed to there is still quite a time lag in the submission of many writing up reports on a rare bird they see, not the least of rarity reports, and all 2005 documentation must be sub­ which is that it makes for a much more detailed examina­ mitted by 3 1 December or it will not be reviewed by the ti on of the bird, its structure and plumage features, its be­ cun·ent committee. Sounds like loads of time? Remember haviour, and its vocalizati ons, thus improving lD skills, how quickly the summer went? The Review Li st of spe­ which in tum bring hugely more enjoyable and rewarding cies requiring documentation is easily accessed through birding. But even more importantly, remember that re­ the OFO website at www.ofo.ca/obrc and is also incorpo­ ports not only update current knowledge o f Onta ri o avi­ rated into the handy checklist of Ontario birds produced fa una but also contribute to a long-term, permanent, his­ by OFO Publications. torical database that will be useful to ornithologists for Bill Crins, OBRC Secretary, is to be highly com- generations to come.

OFO NEWS October 2005 3 Atlas Trip on the Muketei River 21 June to 1 July 2005

Judith King, Steven King, John Reaume, Michael Runtz

The Muketei River is a wild wilderness river that cuts ever we neared a small pond (there were not many of through the massive Hudson Bay Lowland about 300 krn these). Greater Yellowlegs invariably launched a verbal west of the James Bay coast, and just north of the At­ aerial assault on us. tawapiskat River into which it flows. Our atlassing crew As we paddled downstream to our next squares, a feat flew in from Pickle Lake and began the trip in 16ED, and made easy by the river's strong current, the terrain changed paddled about I 00 krn downstream to dramatically as did the bird life. After where the Muketei joins the Attawapis- lining our canoes through yet another kat. The river is an intimate ri ver, being set of rapids, a s ingle Bohemian Wax­ a mere 50-I 00 m wide. It is also a fast wing flew over while a Northern Parula river as it drops quickly in elevation; sang nearby. As the elevation dropped we started about 160 m above sea level and the drainage decreased, water be­ and ended about I 00 m above. The gan to dominate the landscape. Be­ maps showed only 2 rapids-after a tween this vast wetland and the river dozen we lost count of them! The river lay a dense floodplain of wi llows, then must have been low, very low, for on a narrow fringe of conifers, ranging the upper half of the river almost all from a few metres to a half-km in rapids were rock gardens and had to be width, and finally an open Black Spruce lined. Further downstream they were peatland. In this endless muskeg, myr­ deep enough to be run. iad ponds and small lakes lay separated While setting up our first camp at by floating peatlands on which carnivo­ the upstream end of an island, we were rous plants such as Great Sundews and serenaded by no fewer than 28 species Pitcher Pl ants thrived. The bogs were of birds, including Bay-breasted, Cape the major feature: lots of string bogs, May and Tennessee Warblers, White­ floating bogs, and scrub bush bogs (our winged Crossbills, Swainson's Thrush, terms). The floating bogs were moss and Gray Jays, We paddled down­ and lichen as far as we could see. It was stream from this base camp and con­ very difficult to do point counts as you ducted 25 point counts and more than could not stand still without sinking. 40 hours of general atlassing in each of Mike Runtz doing point counts near the The scrub bush bogs were hummocks two adjacent squares. In our first square Muketei River in northern Ontario on 23 of mosses and li chens with small Black Photo by John Reaume. alone we found 64 species of which June 2005. Spruce (30-60 em) and Tamarack dot- nine were confirmed breeders. The only ting the landscape. It was hard traveling sign of human life we found was an abandoned trapper's over this, with lots of water holes making it easy to go cabin. What a thrill to be out there with no signs or sounds through the mats. There were also bogs with more and of humans for II days. taller trees; at least the mats were thicker here. A compass At the beginning, the floodplain shoreline was rimmed and GPS were essential as everywhere looked the same. It with a narrow but dense thicket of alders and willows, ideal would be very easy to get lost and never be found. This was habitat for the Wilson's Warblers, Philadelphia Vireos and part of the awe this area of our province holds for us. Its Fox Sparrows that we commonly heard. Most birds were beauty is in its simplicity. difficult to see, and some such as Orange-crowned War­ The birds were difficult to see, but we could sure hear blers were heard but never seen. This near-impenetrable them. The dwarf Black Spruce and Tamaracks were ideal habitat housed the greatest diversity of birds in those perches for the Lesser Yellowlegs that now joined the squares. Greaters in screaming out a welcome whenever we ap­ Just in from the floodplain was a fringe of tall forest proached. In this open peatland the odd raspy songs ofNel­ comprising mostly Aspen, White Spruce, Black Spruce and son's Sharp-tailed Sparrows rose from sedge fens. From the Balsam Fir. Here, Ruby-crowned Kinglets sang and Gray isolated clumps of spruce, Lincoln's Sparrows and the oc­ Jays chattered incessantly. Farther inland was peatland in casional White-crowned Sparrow sang. However, the most an advanced stage of succession where thick sphagnum common sparrows were Savannah and they could be heard moss and caribou lichen formed deep carpets underfoot and and seen at most point counts in this habitat. At one point Black Spruce and Tamarack grew as an open forest. Yel­ count, a solitary Common Redpoll flew over Michael and low-bellied Flycatchers, Boreal Chickadees, Lincoln's John, reinforcing the northern flavour of this region. Sparrow and a few Pine Grosbeaks were found here when- Our final square, 16FD 18, lay where the Muketei meets

4 OFO NEWS October 2005 2005 OFO Certificates of Appreciation

Each year OFO recognizes individuals and organiza­ tions for their worthy contributions to the birds and birding community of Ontario. The recipients of the 2005 Certificates of Appreciation are:

Gloria Braithwaite for hosting the large number of visitors who came to see the Varied Thrush that visited her feeder in the winter of 2005. Allen Chartier for the identification work he did to confirm the identity of the Rufous Hummingbird in Niagara Falls in the autumn of2004 and his prompt and thorough reporting of his findings through On/birds. John Reaume checking GPS coordinates near the Muketei River Mark Cranford for his on 23 June 2005. Photo by Mike Runtz. hard work and diplomacy in maintaining Ontbirds as a premier listserv. the Attawapiskat Ri ver. This was an exciting junction. Daily Department of National Defence for their continued about 20 Arctic Terns, quite likely non-breeders, fed in the cooperation with birders to provide access for shorebird river and rested on sandbars. Also a number of Bonaparte's viewing at Shirleys Bay on the Ottawa River. Gulls flew by each evening and a pair of Bald Eagles nested Michel Gosselin of the Canadian Museum ofNature to in a poplar on an island across from our campsite. acknowledge his 15 years of assistance to the editors of The trip provided many memorable moments. We had an Ontario Birds and OFO News. up close and personal encounter with Sandhill Cranes and Janice and their chick walking around our tents. Art Haines for their unfailing hospitality to the hundreds of birders who visited their We encountered lots of beavers, about half a dozen otters, home in Niag­ ara Falls to see a couple of black bears and six moose. We watched a Boreal the Rufous Hummingbird in the autumn of2004. Snaketail Dragonfly emerge from its nymph stage on Mi­ chael' s pack. John and Michael were right there, John with Karl Jennewein for his constancy in stocking the bird his still camera and Michael with his still and video cameras. feeders on the paths from Halls Road to Cranberry Michael also conducted an informal odonate survey, netting Marsh. 16 species and only catching John once in his net. Michael Doug Lockrey for his assiduous reporting of Great and John also found 12 species of orchids, one of which, Gray Owls in the Halls Road area during the irruption Northern Twayblade, Michael had been looking for 25 years. of winter 2005. Steven did a lot of fishing and caught many northern Joanne Reive for hosting visitors to Eagle to view the pike and walleye. Except for one meal, it was catch and re­ Pyrrhuloxia on their neighbour's feeder at Christmas lease. We had more than enough biting flies and mosquitoes . 2004. The mosquitoes seemed to prefer the morning and evening, while the black, deer, moose and other flies preferred the Diane and Kayo Roy for their assiduous reporting of heat of the day. Our only refuge was our tents after we re­ the Rufous Hummingbird in Niagara Falls in the au­ moved the intruders. tumn of2004. The weather was variable. The nights ranged from near John and Carol Somerset for their reporting of a freezing to more than 20°C, and the days from 10 to 28°C. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch that visited their bird feeder We had three days of rain, two of which were travel days, in Chelmsford in January and February 2005 and for and the third kept us in our tents for the final 24 hours. We their hospitality to visiting birders. camped on four sites , three of which we used as base camps Martha Sova for hosting the large numbers of visitors spending several days atlassing the square there. It was nice who came to see that Harris's Sparrow that visited her not moving all the time, especially since it was difficult find­ feeder near Orillia in the winter of2005. ing a site. They were few and far between. Walter Wojek for maintaining the feeders that at­ All told we spent 11 days on the river, canoed I 00 km, tracted the Pyrrhuloxia to his home in Eagle at Christ­ surveyed 12 squares, completed a total of 80 point counts mas 2004. and tallied 82 species of birds, 21 of which were confirmed breeding. Bob Falconer Special thanks to Mike Cadman and the Breeding Bird and Chris Escott coordinate OFO's Cer­ Atlas for getting us to the river and allowing us to enjoy a tificates of Appreciation. trip of a lifetime.

OFO NEWS October 2005 5 Book Review species and tidbits of interesting information. As an exam­ ple, the e ntry on Aythya ducks briefl y discusses sexual The Birds of South Asia dimorphism, hybrids eclipse plumages, and voice and Geoff Carpentier time o f d ay they prefer to feed! Each species is t hen treated individuall y a nd detail is provided f or common The Birds of South Asia. The Ripley Guide. Volume 1: name, scientific name, alternate names if a pplicable, taxo­ Field Guide and Volume 2: Attributes and Status. nomic t reatments, identifYing fi eld marks, size, residency 2005. Pamela C. Rasmussen and John C. Anderton. Na­ status, abundance, voice and vocalizations, habits and tax­ tional Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institu­ onomy. A cross reference to th e plates in Volume I ap­ tion, Washington, D.C. in association with Lynx Edicions pear opposite each species account Barcelona, Spain. Email: [email protected]. Hardcover Vol. Interspersed amongst the s pecies accounts are high­ I: 378 pages and Vol. 2: + 683 pages. 75 Euros (about lighted entries for 85 Hypothetical and 67 Possible s pe­ CAN$ 11 0). ISBN 84-87334-67-9. c ies. The latter are pecies that occur near the Indian Sub­ continent and for which suitable habitat exists in the re­ The exotic Far East is brought to life in this beautiful two gion, but their presence has not as yet been documented­ volume set that introduces the reader t o the birds of the species to watch f or- which i s of importance in areas Lndian Subcontinent, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, In­ where o rnithological study is s till emerging. The text in­ dia, Maldives Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghani tan clude a ll accepted species, two species new to science, and Chagos Archipelago. and over 25 recent species splits. Lynx Edicions has partnered with the S mithsonian The volume c loses with appendices on h ypothetical In stitute to produce thi s latest eri es, which expand the species and the reasons for their uncertainty, rejected spe­ world coverage of species and adds to t he scientific cies, taxonomic c hanges from 1983/ 1996 publicati ons o n knowledge ba e of the world' s bi rds. And in keepin g w ith the region's birds a g lossary, location fi nder fo r l ocales the calibre of books that [ h ave come to expect from mentioned in the text with latitude a nd longitude pro­ Lynx, they provide a book that goes beyond the o rdinary vided, major birding sites with a low detail map, useful and s trives to be a world leader. Ln Volume I, species ac­ contacts a nd addresses, regional histori es of areas covered count are offered for 1 44 1 species. All of this is e n­ by t he book, locati ons of museums o r institutions w ith hanced b y 180 plates showing over 3400 plumages and study skins, threatened species, and references. The inside more t han 1430 colour maps! covers s how poli tical and regional habitat zone maps. Each species receives exten ive coverage that includes lfl had t o pick one thing, I didn't li ke about the book, a general statement about each family of birds, common it would be the inclusion of sonograms. About 900 of and scientific name a c ross reference to Volume 2 w here these are interspersed throughout Volume 2. Maybe it's more information on the s pecies can b e found, s tatus, just m e, but I find them of li ttle value, whi le I accept that fie ld marks, habitat indicators a nd comparati ve notes, others lind them most usefuL It's my preference to rely o n breeding status, region(s) of occurrence and a colour map audio sources, rather than the sonogram , to u nder tand showing winter/summer r ange . Colour plates appear op­ bird song. What I d o like is t he book' s readability and posite each species and show multiple images fo r each. c lear r epresentations of species supported b y excellent For example, 17 images are included depicting the two maps a nd volumes of useful and intere ting information. loons a nd li ve grebes that might be found in the region. The c ross referencing between Volume I and 2 is done in All are excell ent quality colour reproductions that show a useful and informati ve manner. This is a most welcome sitting a nd fl yi ng b irds and adults and young. addition t o my I ibrary and I can't wait to fi eld test it One useful feature is t he i nclusion of f our Pl ate Keys better start saving now for m y next adventure. in Volume I that appear inside the front and back covers ofthc book, which show a colour image of each fa mily of birds and a quick reference to the plate inside t he book Ron Tasker where more detail can be found. Volume 2 describes over 2500 taxa, inc luding a ll 1441 Order of Canada species recorded fo r the region with introductory chapters Congratul ations to OFO life member Dr. Ron that include informative articles about bird topology, geo­ Tasker, MD, who was named as an O fficer t o the graphic coverage tor the book, geography a nd avifauna, Order of Canada on 29 June 200s5 for his ignifi­ moults a nd plumages, measurements, illustrations, identi­ cant work in health care. Ron a lso is a well known fication tips, vocalisations, taxonomy, maps, records, his­ fi eld naturalist who has made impon ant published tory of ornithology in South Asia, and conservation. contributions to birding a nd the s tudy of butter­ Each f a mily is prefaced with an i n troductory para­ fli es. graph that outlines regional and global status, number of

6 OFO NEWS October 2005 Royal Ontario Museum

Ghosts in the Collection

Mark K. Peck and Brad Millen

Outside museum databases, the best place to find a rea- other shelf contain s a Rose-breasted Grosbeak collected onably accurate pecimen li t of the "big seven" orth by John James Audubon and five pecimens collected by Ameri can endangered or extinct birds listed below is the Darwin' compatriot, Alfred R. Wallace. There are al o 1963 Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) Life Science Mis­ study skins of several North American endangered and cell aneous Publication titled, Where is that Van ished extinct species represented in the vault. Bachman's War­ Bird? An Index to the Known Specimens of the Extinct blers share space with Carolina Parakeets, Ivory-billed and near Extinct North American Species, by Paul Hahn, Woodpeckers and Heath Hens, the extinct eastern ubspe­ compiled and edited by ROM Assistant Curator James L. ci es of the Greater Prairie-Chicken. Baillie. In 1957 Paul Hahn, a Toronto businessman, natu­ On the bottom of the vault are mounts of four Cana­ rali t and Patron of the ROM sent out a questionnaire to dian extinct species: Eskimo Curlew, Passenger Pigeon, museums and universities worldwide requesting details on Great Auk, and Labrador Duck. Their addition to the their extinct and endangered North American holdings. ROM's collection often involved backdoor deal and con­ He received more than 1000 responses to his question­ siderable negotiations with private collectors and curators naire. Unfortunately, Mr. Hahn died in 1962 prior to pub­ patiently persevering behind the scenes to obtain the li hing the results of hi s questionnaire, but the task was ghosts of the bird world . completed by Baillie and published in 1963. The book provides information on the history if avai lable, for each All of the extinct specimens in the ROM's coll ection of the following specimens: are carefully monitored to protect them from possible insect infestations, humidity and light levels. They are housed in the Ornithology permanent collections and are Passenger Pigeon 1532 skins and mounts and 16 skeletons not usually on display. However the birds remain acces­ E kimo Curlew 365 kin and mounts and 2 skeletons sible to researcher and interested parties, and are occa­ sionally displayed in temporary exhibits a nd ga ll eries. Great Auk 78 kins and mounts and 2 skeletons

Ivory-billed Woodpecker 413 skins and mounts and 5 skeleton

Whooping Crane 309 kins and mounts and 8 skeletons

Carolina Parakeet 720 skins and mount and 16 keleton

Labrador Duck 54 skins a nd mount and 0 skeletons

The book wa a massive undertaking, and results from the questionnaire well before email, took over five year to filter back to Hahn and Bai llie. During that time, the two a ociate continued their search for extinct speci­ men they could add to the collections. When you first enter the Ornithology skin coll ection at the Royal Ontario Museum there i a large, stand-alone, fire-proof safe evident on the north side of the room. This non-descript mausoleum houses and protects many of the coll ection's most famous denizens. [n side are several shelves containing birds of "special significance." On Figure 1. The ROM 's Labrador Duck was purchased from several shelves there are "type" specimens; the original Vassar College in 1965. Photo by Ross James©ROM. pecimen(s) u ed to describe a pecie or subspecies. An- See page 9.

OFO NEWS October 2005 7 Ghosts in the Collection continued

The Passenger Pigeon Ectopistes migratorius On I September 1914 Martha, the last living Pas enger Pigeon died in the Cincinnati Zoo and the spe­ cies became extinct. A year earlier the Royal Ontario Museum of Zo­ ology (ROMZ) had opened its doors for the first time and was eager to build its collections. At about the same time, Paul Hahn began hi quest to obtain and pro­ tect as many mounted specimens of the Passenger Pigeon as he could so that "future generations would know at least how hand­ some a bird it was." He was tire­ less and very successful in his en­ deavour. By 1957 Paul Hahn had donated or assisted in the donation of 70 Ontario specimen to the Museum. Many of the pecimens were bought personally by Mr. Figure 2. Passenger Pigeon collection drawer at ROM with mounts and study skins. Photo by Mark Peck© ROM. Hahn for $7.50- $65.00 and then given to the ROM for safe keeping. Today, with the addition of many other generous donations or bequests- including 20 from J. H. Fleming, a private collector from Toronto who donated close to 32,000 specimen - the ROM now has 151 specimens, the largest collection of Passenger Pigeon in the world. The collection contains 10 eggs/nests, 8 partial skeletons and 133 skins/mounts. Forty­ three of the specimens are of unknown origin, 19 originated in the United States, and the rest were collected in Canada with 85 of those coming from Ontario. Many arrived at the Museum with unknown collection dates but the remainders were collected between 1837 and 1898.

Eskimo Curlew Numenius borealis The ROM has eight specimens of this shorebird in the collection. All are skins collected, as far a we can deter­ mine, prior to 1900. The birds were collected in North and South America, and once again we owe a debt of gratitude to private collectors. Three of the curlews came from J. H. Fleming and another came from Thomas Mcllwraith a well known collector from Hamilton and author of The Bird of Ontario, published in 1894. ln 1998 the Mcll­ wraith specimen, collected in Hamilton was relaxed and remounted by taxidermist Kevin Hockley and then exhib­ ited as part of Audubon 's Wilderness Palette: Th e Birds of Canada, a major exhibit of Audubon' painting making its inaugural stop at the ROM.

Figure 3. Eskimo Curlew collected in Hamilton prior to 1883 by Thomas Mcllwraith. Photo by Mark Peck©ROM.

8 OFO NEWS October 2005 Great Auk Pinguinus impennis The ROM only has one of the 80 auk specimens men­ tioned in Paul Hahn's book. It is Number 67, and until 1965, belonged to Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York. In the early 1960s James Baillie began inquiring to see if Vassar College would be amenable to a sale of the specimen and what the price would be, if offered. At the time Canada did not have a specimen of a Great Auk even though Funk Island, just 65 km off the coast of Newfoundland contained one of the largest breeding colonies in the world. The Vassar bird was very inter­ esting for a number of reasons. It had originally been donated to the College in 1867 by J. P. Giraud, Jr. of New York, author of the 1844 Birds of Long Island. The bird had been given to Giraud by J. J. Audubon and is reportedly the specimen Audubon used in his original plate of this species but it was unclear if Audu­ bon's bird had been collected off the coast of New­ foundland or bought in London, England. ln early 1921 the specimen was found "dirty and neglected" under a biology laboratory sink at the school. It was given to Dr. Leonard Sandford, a private collector from Connecticut on an indefinite loan in ex­ Figure 4. James L. Baillie with the ROM's Great Auk specimen in change for a painting of Great Auks by Louis Agassiz November 1965. Photo by Leigh Wa rren©ROM. Fuertes. Sandford then sent the specimen to George Nelson of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, where it was carefully cleaned and remounted. Upon opening the specimen Nelson discovered that the bird had been stuffed with German newspapers. The collection site was no longer in question; the bird was of European origin. By October 1921 the auk made its way to the American Museum ofNatural History in New York where it remained untill965. With help from other sources Baillie was eventu­ ally able to persuade Vassar Col lege and the American Museum of Natural History that the ROM would be able to store and properly maintain the specimen for Canada. And, since it would be the only Great Auk specimen in Canada, it would be a national treasure. That summer the Great Auk was sold to the ROM for $7000 and transported to the ROM by Bail­ lie's son-in-law, Robert Wilson of Toronto.

Labrador Duck Camptorhynchus labradorius In the vault, next to the Great Auk sits an adult male Labrador Duck. The bird was collected off the coast of Long-Island New York some time between 1840- 1842. It arrived at the ROM on the same day as the Great Auk and in the same fashion. Like the auk, the bird came from the collections of J. P. Giraud and had been housed for many years in the American Museum of Natural History on pennanent loan from Vassar College. It was part of the package Baillie negoti­ ated after lengthy discussions with Vassar College. The specimen would cost the ROM an additional $3500. Within one year Jim Bail­ lie was able to obtain two of the rarest North American specimens and add them to the coll ections. In 1978 the bird was x-rayed by staff at the ROM to determine potential damage fro m handling. The x-ray revealed that numerous Figure 5. X-ray of Labrador Duck head and pins and metal rods had been used during the mounting of the speci­ neck showing the pins and metal rods used in men (see Figures 1 and 5). the preparation of the specimen. Photo by Jim Borack©ROM.

OFO NEWS October 2005 9 Digital Bird Song Players Paul Bisson

The proliferations of digital music players, generically referred to as MP3 players, offer music aficionados a wide array of choices, but are any of these suitable for birders wanting to replace a CD or cassette player in the field? Some of the new gadgets have large storage capaci­ ties ranging in the thousands of songs and although you can find specific tracks by scrolling through play lists, their sometimes miniscule screens can be challenging to navigate and they do not have speakers for external play­ back like a cassette player. But a device such as a Windows Pocket PC or Palm Pilot (Figure 1) offers a larger screen which is readable outdoors, full media playback, and external speaker capa­ bility in a form factor that easily fits in your coat pocket. and reminders may Their tiny speaker designed for alarms Figure 1. Paul Bisson's pocket PC with an alphabetical list of lack some loudness but with a good quality recording, audio bird tracks. external playback can rival a standard cassette player at medium volume. and raising the volume level if needed, it's easily accom­ Pocket PCs are typically equipped with an internal SD plished using off the shelf software. (Note: there are and/or Compact Flash card reader which allows for stor­ copyright laws governing the use and distribution of digi­ age expansion and the size/price ratio of memory cards is tal sound files). constantly improving. For example a relatively inexpen­ Audio COs are divided in tracks with a total limit of sive 256 MB memory card can store the contents of al­ 99 tracks per CD. The Stokes series or other bird song most 3 COs in a MP3 format at a bit rate of 192 kbps collections packaged on multiple COs require the least (Kilobytes per second is how the bit rate is measured: the amount of editing. On the Stokes series for example, war­ smaller the bit rate, the least amount of space needed. blers and several other song birds are cut as one song per Choose a higher bit rate to improve the sound quality, track, others are at maximum two songs per track. Titles e.g. use 128 kbpsfor better than FM radio quality or 192 like the Peterson CD do not fully utilize the 99 track limit kbps for low end CD quality). Bit rates such as 128 kbps and you sometimes find ten or more songs on a single are probably adequate for most uses but some of the pas­ track which makes the conversion process cumbersome. serine vocalizations tend to sound better with a rate of lnserting an audio CD triggers your default multime­ 192 kbps or higher. Here are sample sizes from recording dia program to start and if you are connected to the inter­ a typical CD: net, the media software searches for information on the CD and automatically names all the tracks. The informa­ MP3 128 kbps 57MB = better than FM quality tion contained in the online CD databases is not always WMA 160 kbps 69MB = near CD quality perfect so a quick check for spelling is recommended, e.g. MP3 192 kbps 86MB = near CD quality Stokes: Common Elder instead of Common Eider, or two There is a multitude of competing digital audio for­ Black-throated Warblers instead of Black-throated Green mats but the WMA (Windows Media Audio) format is a and Black-throated Blue Warbler. logical choice if you use Windows and as claimed by Mi­ An intermediary step of recording to a "Wave" format crosoft, the format requires less space for the equivalent is desired to facilitate editing and to preserve as much of quality (a 160 kbps WMA sounds as good as a 192 kbps the original bits as possible. A W A V file is in a " loseless" MP3). Convert the fil es to a standard MP3 fonnat if you format and should reproduce the quality of the original desire maximum compatibility across systems. CD audio but it also requires as much space as the origi­ nal; a typical CD is about 650MB. To save space on your songs Digital bird hard disk for the editing step, copy the CD in "mono" available bird songs on the internet are gen­ Some freely mode which cuts the size in half and is not essential for recorded with a low bit rate so COs are probably erally bird songs but keep all other recording options at their the best choice at the moment. Although some work is original settings (The bit rate for WAV is ~ 1140 kbps for the songs, which consist of creating a needed to prepare the PCM 44.100 kHz, 16 Bit, Stereo CD audio standard). track for each bird, removing the bird name announcer,

10 OFO NEWS October 2005 One other typical default option for music recording that tors (inadvertently dragging a piece of dirt with a stylus i n ot needed i s the automatic track sound levelling fea­ can create ugly scratches on the LCD) and a hard shell ture which if turned off will keep the original loudness for case such as Rhino" type aluminium cases to minimize each track. (Note: Windows Media Player does not offer the risk of crushing the screen. WA V recording. You will need to use other similar "MP3 Windows Mobile media player can be customized to ripper" type software such as the freely available Mu­ use the hardware buttons for play/pause, volume, etc. sicmatch Jukebox (www. musicmatch.com) to copy COs to which is easier than using the stylus when trying to ma­ a W A V format). nipulate binoculars and Pocket PC as you call in your tar­ get bird. Editing files Using recordings to lure birds can be a form of harass­ Removing the human voice from the track can be accom­ ment and often raises ethical concerns. Here a re some plished by using a free uti li ty like Wavtrim guidelines from the American Birding Association: "To (hllp:llw,vw.mptrim.com!WavTrim.htmf) that supports avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger, exercise batch processing of multiple fil es. Adjust one of the a d­ restraint and caution during observation, photography, vance trim tart options to: "Look for silence in the first 4 sound recording or filming. Limit the use of recordings seconds of the W A Vs" to effectively remove the voice at and other methods in heavily birded areas, or for attract­ the beginning of the track. For multiple songs per track, ing any species that is threatened, endangered or of spe­ you can split the file in two with a WA V editor. cial concern, or that is rare in your local area". W A V editors are commonly distributed with sound cards or DVD software bundles and if your home PC does not already have one installed, you can find a suitable edi­ tor on any reputable s hareware download internet site Carden Alvar Bluebirds (e.g. download. com or tucows.com). An editable sonogram is usuall y the starting point Herb Furniss when opening the WAY file with the editor and distinct Thi wa the be t year Don Parkes and I have ever had in sounds are easily identified. For example, the "Yell ow Carden. When we fl edged 157 bluebirds three years ago Rail-Black Rail. W A V" file from the Stokes CD can be we were sure that was as hi gh as it could go with only 74 plit by highlighting the Yellow Rail portion of the sono­ boxes. This year Don and I fledged 191 birds from a trail gram and doing a cut and paste into a new W A V file and of69 boxes! We still can't believe our own numbers. saving the remainder as Black Rail. Look for the flat lines It eems that everything was perfect this year. The in the sonogram (i.e. 0 db) to use as delimiters for the weather was warm and there were enough timely rain to ound clip . You can also boost the volume by a few deci­ maintain grass and insect hatches. Also, and this was no bel in th e e ditor if needed but excessive sound level ad­ small item, the hawks left us a lone this year. Last year justments can cause sound clipping. Once you are satis­ we had a Merlin in the area who accounted for five pairs fied with the W A V files, convert them to the final com­ of feeding adults which meant five failed broods. pressed format for use on the Pocket PC. Editors' Note: Herb Furniss and Don Parkes maintain Organizing and synchronizing files bluebird boxes, including box 10, along Wylie Road. Most music managers recognize either the Pocket PC or the memory card as portable MP3a devices nd offer th e choice of synchronizing your files with your home PC; the good old copy and paste method also works since memory cards are just like a ny other disks. It will be eas­ Phyllis MacKay ier to find specific birds from a large number of files on On 8 September 2005, OFO member Phyllis the portable device if you group th e bird songs in appro­ MacKay, mother of Barry Kent MacKay, passed priately named fo lders; by using bird family names for away in Markham, Ontario. Phyllis devoted example; or use the Pocket PC media software to create most of ber life to caring for sick and orphaned customized play li sts to restrict the number of tracks that birds, dogs and other animal . In 2004, she re­ appear on your screen. ceived an OFO Certificate of Appreciation for Using a .Pocket PC in the field her pioneering work in wildlife rehabilitation. Most affordable Pocket PCs are targeted for personal Phyll is was the first female member of the To­ and/or business use and are not "ruggedized" (toughened ronto Ornithological Club and one of the first for adverse weather, hard use and being dropped). Unless female bird banders in Ontario. We send our you want to pend three times as much for an industrial condolences to Barry, his family and friends. type device then consider usi ng disposable screen protec-

OFO NEWS October 2005 11 Book Review their mission f or a Big Year. Surpri ingly, the a uthor did not know the e individuals at the time, but masterfull y re­ The Big Year con tructed the Big Year story in chronological fa hion Ted Armstrong ba e d upon the fi eld note of the protagoni ts a nd a large number of interviews with many people in volved in some with the Big Year. Thi was an amazing feat, tracking The Big Year. A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession. way ces, marriages, Ma terCard bills, comparative bird 2004. By Mark Obascik. Free Press, ew York, ew York. roman count , and both individual birding trips and joint trip Hardcover, 268 page . CA $37.50. ISS 0-7432-4545-8. where the Big Year birder rubbed shoulder with each The Big Year is already popular among birding c ircles, and other. A in any g ood adventure story, there is a lso subter­ this review is intended for those few unrcached birders who fuge and competition in th e fo rm of hi red guides, high­ have not yet had the plea ure. priced m ember hip for those who could afford to subscribe The Big Year follows the dail y li fe, trial , tribulatio n and to exclusive rare bird reports, third parties helping or hin­ triumphs of three distinctly different birders a they each in­ dering o ne o f the birders based upon p ast grievances w ith a dependently t rive fo r a big year in the same year 1998, try­ specific, particularly a rrogant birder, independent birder in ing to o bserve and document the hi ghest number of species of the fi eld slipping in with paid birding tours to see birds that birds ever r ecorded in orth America in one full year. A tour members had p aid thousand of do llar t o v iew, and movie director could n ot have cast a more diverse and eclectic th e incenti ve to obtain supporting documentation group of lead actors. Although they varied greatly in fin ancial (witnesses and/or photographs) for all bird een. wealth, profession, humility (or lack thereof), personality and Sandwiched among the s tories of birding o ne­ their rationale for undertaking a Big Year, they all bared a upmanship and birding hotspot , were a number o f interest­ passion and love for birds a nd birding. To quote from the ing facts a nd stories, such as the influence of El Nino on book, "If you h ad a year of your life to do a nything y ou birding fortunes, the w hys and wherefores of bird m igration wanted. and you could do only that thing for a year, what (including early theories as to their cause and source), and would you do? These three guys all choose to chase birds." spring migration fallout. 1 have to admit that in addition t o The book describes the fascinating history of the Big Year, learning for the first time o f m any of the rarest Eurasian from its origins in the Christmas Day Bird Shoot, through the vagrants that o ccasionally frequent orth America, I also Christmas Bird Counts, to the Big Day a nd eventually the Big learned of a o rth American species that I h ad n ever previ­ Year. The Big Year 's roots can b e traced b ack to John James ously heard of, the Himalayan Snowcock, introduced d ec­ Audubon, with Roger Tory Peterson, of field guide fame, be­ ades ago to the Nevada mountains. ing the first to actually undertake w hat became the precursor The previous Big Year record was 72 1 specie , recorded to a modem-day Big Year. in 1987. In 1998, these three birders independently logged Although this book could be dismissed b y it title a of 745, 7 15 and 7 11 bird species respectively. This is a phe­ interest only to serious, hard-core listers, it is a ctually very nomenal total, given that experts consider that there a re 675 interesting, very well-written, and full of interesting facts, species that commonly live in North America (continental event and anecdotes. I f ound it to be literally a page-turner, North Ameri ca north of the Mexico-USA border and within wanting to know who found what birds w here, who c urrently 200 miles of the coastline). Surprisingly, the o nly expected had the most birds, and learning more about the geographic North American species that the 1998 w inner missed in his hotspots o f birding a nd the circumstance and personalities of big year wa one that Ontariob birder ecame very familiar the individual birders. with this past winter, the Great Gray Owl. The a uthor This fast-paced b ook contained a urpri ing a mount of speculates that the new record of 745 may never b e beaten, interesting a nd usefu l birding information. I learned a great given t hat it occurred during a year when the strongest El deal about some of the premier and di ver e birding hot pots in Nino on r ecord coincided with the trip of the century on North America: pelagic s eabird tours o n b oth th e east and Attu (chartered trips to this Aleutian i sland location are west coasts, the remote and almost in acce ible Attu 1 land on apparently no longer available). In addition t o the North th e Aleutian i slands c hain for Asiatic v agrants, the Sax-Zim American Big Year, there seems to be no end to other Big bog in Minnesota ( famed in the USA f or m any boreal species Year possibilities. The book r eferences a Lower 48 (USA) we take for granted in northern Ontario), the Brownsville, Big Year, an Ohio Big Year- are there Canadian and On­ Texas dump for the Tamaulipas Crow, the Coronado National tario Big Year records out there? Forest for Flammulated Owl, the Vancouver Highway under­ This book contains no maps o r photographs. While they pass for the Crested Mynah (now extirpated), the Dry Tortu­ would have been most interesting, and would h elp the gas off the coast of Florida, and many o thers. reader to learn more a bout birding hotspots across North Reading the book, I b ad the impression that the a uthor America, this w as not the purpose of the book. The a uthor knew e ach of these three birders, and had observed and inter­ has s ki llfull y s trung many tangential tidbits of information acted with them throughout the Big Year of birding. This into one coherent, c omprehensive and interesting s tory. would have been a difficult assignment in itself, as two of the Thi book i not just for the diehard li ster, it is a good read three men were very c ircumspect and cautious a bout declaring for anyone interested in birds and birding.

12 OFO NEWS October 2005 James Bay Shorebird Survey

Jean Iron Hudson Bay

Ln early August 2005 l volunteered to survey shorebirds for a crew of eight Ontario government biologists and technicians studying climate change along the coast of southern James Bay. Under the direction of research sci­ fBf entist Ken Abraham and research biologist Carrie Sadowski of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), I counted, aged (adult or juvenile) and monitored the movement and habitat use of migrating shorebirds. Our headquarters was the MNR staff house in Moosoncc about 20 km from James Bay. Each day we flew by heli­ copter to the study area along the coast. Figure I. James Bay is the southern extension of Hudson Bay. It cuts deeply into central Canada providing a route for tun­ dra and boreal breeding shorebirds. The west coast of James Bay is in Ontario and the east coast is in Quebec, but the islands of James Bay are in Nunavut. Ontario's coast of James Bay i very flat. Its 400 k.m of north- outh Figure 1. Shorebird survey site and Moosonee located at tidal fl ats make Jame Bay one of the most important southwest end of James Bay. Akimiski Island is the largest island in James Bay. Map by Andrew Jano. taging areas for horebirds in orth America. The most common horebird of the nine day urvey was the White-rumped Sandpiper with a high count of Semipalmated Plover, Greater Ycllowlegs , Lesser Yel­ 7162 mo lting adu lts on 9 Augu t. The econd commonest lowleg , Spotted Sandpiper, Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, horebird was the Semipalmated Sandpiper with a high Sanderling, Least Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Dunlin, count of 4374 (60% juveniles) on 9 August. and Wilson's Snipe. The Hud on Bay and James Bay coasts of Ontario are Apart from the survey crew I aw no human , no pol­ of "hemi pheric s ignificance to staging flocks" of lution and no flotsam typical of coastal areas, while outhbound Red Knots (Ross et al. 2003), being the fa ll breathing the fresh altair of Canada's huge inland sea. equivalent to Delaware Bay in spring. My total survey One day I saw footprints of a bear in the tidal mud, which count of Red Knots was only 252 adults. This low number turned out to be made by a Black Bear. It was comforting of knots may reflect the big decline reported from Dela­ to know that the neare t Polar Bears (about 50) were sum­ ware Bay. The Canadian Wildlife Service is preparing a mering about 200 km farther north on Akimiski Island. talus report on the Red Knot, which will guide the Com­ Noteworthy birds and other animals seen during sur­ mittee on the Status of Endangered Wi ldlife in Canada in veys were Sandhill Cranes, one Rough-legged Hawk, designating the Red Knot as Endangered, Threatened, Arctic Terns, many Yellow Rails (still actively singing) Special Concern, or Not At Risk. In addition, an interna­ including two dark young, many singing Nelson's Sharp­ tional group of ornithologists from Canada, United States, tailed Sparrows of the James Bay subspecies, Ammodra­ Brazil , Argentina and Chile is studying the Red Knot. mus nelsoni alterus, singing LeConte's Sparrows, a juve­ I saw Marbled Godwits on several days including five nile Northern Shrike, and Rusty Blackbirds. We also saw fresh juveniles on 9 August. An isolated b reeding popula­ three Belugas (white whales) at the mouth of the Moose tion of perhaps a few thousand Marbled Godwits breeds River, many American Toads of the colourful Hudson in the coastal prairie-like wet grasslands of James Bay Bay subspecies, Bufo americanus copei, and butterflies (Ross et al. 2003). Very little is known about this remote such as a Painted Lady that had wandered north. breeding population, which is mainly in Ontario and on You can see my shorebird and shorebird habitat pho­ Nunavut's Akimiski Island (largest James Bay island, see tos of James Bay at http://jeaniron.ca Figure I) with a few in Quebec. l also saw Hudson ian Literature Cited: Ross, K. , K. Abraham, B. Clay, B. Collins, Godwits on most days with a high count of I 58 molting J. Iron, R. James, D. McLachlin, and R. Weeber. 2003 . Ontario adults on 5 August. Thousands stage and fatten along the Shorebird Conservation Plan. Canadian Wildlife Service, En­ west coast of James Bay before most fly non-stop to vironment Canada. Cat No. 0-662-33933-9. Hard copies of this South America. Other shorebirds seen during the survey plan are free by emailing . Please were Black-bellied Plover, American Golden-Plover, include your name and postal address.

OFO NEWS October 2005 13 My New Ears George Pond

George Pond wears his new hearing device: earphones and an audio unit clipped to his waist. Photos by Jean Iron.

" It 's singing," I said to Barry Jones as we walked along a This explains in better detail how the SongFinder works sandy road to a known Golden-winged Warbler territory and why it is so much better than most hearing aids. in the South Walsingham sand plain. "I can't hear it," he Frankly I know very little about high frequency levels replied, as we moved closer to a little aspen grove by the and hertz Hz (cycles per second) other than the fact that side of a smal l creek. "There it is, but I can just barely the higher the pitch of a bird, the more difficult it is for make it out." me to hear. I have learned that as children most of us We were birding in late May, trying to add a few more could normally hear as high as 20,000 Hz. As we grow species to our yearly lists. The Golden-winged Warbler older, especially we men over the age of fifty we lose the was one that Barry had missed during the earlier spring higher range, 10,000 to 20,000 Hz, and some of us have migration and I was happy to help find this elusive moderate hearing loss in the 4,000 to 10,000 Hz range. By beauty. To most birders, that would be no big deal, but to the time we reach sixty years, moderate to severe hearing me it was a momentous moment, for here was a bird that I loss above 4,000 to 5,000 Hz becomes the norm. can't hear. I've lost the ability to hear the higher pitched The average frequency of the songs of songbirds is bird songs and for me that means nearly all the warblers: about 4,000 Hz, or about the same pitch as the highest Blue-winged, Golden-winged, Black-and-white, Black­ note on a piano, which I can hear reasonably well. Robins, burnian, Black-throated Green, Black-throated Blue, cardinals, Blue Jays, orioles, Carolina Wrens, etc. come in Blackpoll, and Nashville. Even the louder warblers such loud and clear. But many birds: warblers, sparrows, wax­ as Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow, Northern wings, kinglets and others produce sounds that reach and Louisiana Waterthrush, Hooded, and Mourning must 8,000 Hz and higher, which I can't hear or must be within be very close, or I miss them altogether. a metre to even catch a whisper of sound. But now I was wearing my new bird SongFinder, a Traditional hearing aids work on the principle of am­ digital hearing device developed specifically for birders plification. This works well with speech perception by Nature Sound Electronics at 63 Besemer Hill Road, (usually below 3,000 Hz) but generally creates problems Ithaca NY 14850 USA. Phone: 607-330-0811, email: with bird songs, especially those above 5,000 Hz. Feed­ [email protected] This SongFinder is not a traditional back with too much amplification and the amplification of hearing aid that simply amplifies sounds; this device extraneous sounds such as walking, talking, wind, leaves works by lowering the frequency or pitch of bird songs rustling, and a host of others are the most noticeable. If into a range where the user has normal hearing. It is an one has lost the ability to hear at a particular frequency it amazing device that allows me to hear virtually all of the seems to me that no amount of amplification will allow bird songs that are beyond my normal range. that person to hear that frequency (2 x 0 still equals 0). For those interested, check the website of Nature The SongFinder that I have works on a whole differ­ Sound Electronics at http://www. nselec.com/headset. html. ent principle. It takes sounds above 3,500 Hz, converts

14 OFO NEWS October 2005 them into digital signals and then lowers them to one-half, one-third or Future OFO Field one-quarter of their original frequency. Thus high bird sounds are low­ Trips ered into a frequency range that I can bear. I tend to use the one-half Dave Milsom. Coordinator Phone: setting and tum the volume control up fairly high. 905-857-2235 Email : milsomdave~hotmoil. com The nice thing about this device is that it responds only to high fre­ Check trip details on the OFO website quency sounds above 3,500 Hz. Therefore, many sounds such as peo­ www.ofo.ca ple talking are unaffected and remain the same. The sound of feet walking along a path or roadway remain the same, although if one is 2005 walking in dried leaves it is a nuisance. For example, if we are walk­ October 22 (Saturday) Hawk Cliff and Area, ing along a roadway and people are talking there is no particular am­ Southwest of London Leaders: plification of sounds and I can join in on the conversation as normal. Pete Read and lan Platt. Meet 9:30 a. m. From Hwy 40 I interchange 177, take Hwy 4 However, if a Blue-winged Warbler sings or a Broad-winged Hawk south through west St. Thomas until it become calls (two sounds I don' t b ear) then the SongFinder goes to work. It Sun et Drive. Continue about 8 km to Union. reduces the sound of the bird to a frequency that I can hear and the Tum east onto County Road 27, Sparta Line sound comes into my ears loud and clear. It is absolutely fantastic. Road. Go east one road, about 3 km, to County The biggest problem i s that b y lowering the frequency of a song, Road 22 (Fairview Road). Head south. The ec­ the sound of the song is changed to a lower pitch and slower speed. ond road south i County Road 24, (Dexter Line) For birds that I ha ven't heard in years or birds I have never heard, it's and you will meet a stop sign. Looking south you no big deal. I have an idea what the bird sounds like, and when I hear will see the s ign for Hawk Cli ff. Continue south it, even though it has been altered, it sounds enough like what I am on the dirt road to lake. Park along road allow­ ance. Hawks, waterfowl, gulls and late mig expecting so I can soon learn it. However, it is confusing for birds that rant . I can hear and am familiar with, and whose songs are somewhat over November 27 (Sunday) Niagara River Gull the 3,500 Hz range such as robins, orioles, tanagers and more. I can Watch Leaders: simply tum off the SongFinder, identify the bird and then tum the Ron Tozer and Jean Iron. Meet 9 a.m. at Sir SongFinder back on. Adam Beck Generating Station Overlook on the Niagara Ri ver Parkway south of the Queen­ The SongFinder has a headset with braided wires th at lead to the stan-Lewiston Bridge to USA. Take the QEW t o process ing unit, which can b e carried in a shirt pocket or clipped onto Highway 405. Continue on 405 but you MUST a belt. I u se both methods. The headset wires can be hidden under a exit at STAN LEY A VENUE, the first exit off the shirt to keep them from catching on branches a nd objects. The proc­ 405. Take Stanley A venue (south right), cross essing unit has switches for turning on and off and for changing the Portage Road (about 112 k:m), and tum left on frequency reduction. It does not interfere with using binoculars. next road which is Whirlpool Road just before Barry and I walked through Backus Woods. An Acadian Fly­ the railway tracks. This road Ts at the iagara catcher sang loudly as we approached its territory. We heard at least River Parkway, sign-posted Ri ver Road. Tum left and go north to Adam Beck. Iceland, Thayer four different Hooded W arblers, a loud warbler, but one to which I ' s, Glaucous, Les er Black-backed and other gulls. must be very close. They were coming in loud and clear with my new ears. We walked through a demonstration plot and heard the o ng of a 2006 Prairie Warbler. Then I h eard a different song. "What's that?" I asked. January I (Sunday) Peterborough and Area " It's a Robin," said Barry. It was time to go home. Leaders: Dave Milsom, Gerry Ball. Meet 8.30 a. m. at Peterborough Zoo parking area. From Peterborough, go north on County Road 28 to­ Loggerhead Shrikes wards Trent University. Bald Eagle, Common 2005 Raven, winter finc'hes, possible Bohemian Wax­ wings. Elaine Williams ofHabitat Preservation Canada reported 14 wild pair of Loggerhead Shrikes located on th e Carden Alvar in February 4 (Saturday) Fisherville Area, 2005, the same number as in 2004. Nest success was lower this Haldimand-Norfolk County year compared to 2004 and 2003. A female captive-bred shrike Leader: John Miles. Meet 9 a.m. in parking lot of the high school at the north released at Dyer's Bay on the Bruce in 2004 was found on 30 end of Cayuga on County Road 54. Hawks, owls, Lapland Long­ May 2005 in Carden tending a nest with 6 young. This captive spur, Snow Bunting, sparrows. raised female fl edged 6 young in June and all 6 young were do­ March 18 (Saturday) ing well in early August. This was the largest successful brood Long Point Area Leaders: George Pond, Barry Jones, produced in Carden in 2005. There were II pairs on the Napanee Jim Heslop, Bob Stamp. Meet 9 a.m. at main parking Alvar, down from 12 pairs in 2004. Six of the Napanee pairs pro­ lot of St. Williams Forestry Station on County duced 27 fledglings. The release of captive-bred Loggerhead Road 24 west of intersection with County Road Shrikes continued this year to supplement th e wild population 16. Waterfowl, Tundra Swans, Sandhill Cranes, and in the hope of establishing new breeding areas. early spring migrants.

OFO NEWS October 2005 Maris Apse Retires most enjoyable memories are of meeting so many members and being part ofOFO's success. In 2005, Maris and his wife Penny moved from Missis­ sauga to their new home near Grand Bend. We are sorry to see Maris leave the Board, but happy that he wi ll lead a new OFO trip in November 2006 to the Grand Bend area and will con­ tinue OFO Sales for a few months until a new coordinator takes over. We wish Maris every success now that he has more time to watch birds and travel.

Welcome Wendy Hunter Wendy Hunter of Toronto was elected to the OFO Board of Directors at the 2005 Annual Convention. She has been an OFO member since 1984, the same year she went to Churchill with Jim Rising's birding field course. Wendy is a founding member of FLAP (Fatal Light Awareness), and she volunteers with Canadian Peregrine Foundation since her recent retire­ ment from the Toronto Humane Society. What's Inside Page 1 Atlas Data Collection Complete • Sabine's Gull Pronunciation to the AOU Check-list Maris Apse on the Long Point trip in March 2005. Page 2 2005 Changes Photo by Jean Iron. Page 3 OBRC Notes Page 4 Atlas Trip on the Muketei River In September 2005 after seven years of dedicated service to Page 5 2005 OFO Certificates of Appreciation OFO, Maris Apse retired from the Board of Directors. Page 6 Book Review: Birds ofSouth Asia Elected to the board in 1998, Maris took over OFO Sales. Ron Tasker: Order of Canada Loading his van with the latest sweatshirts, tee-shirts, bucket Page 7-9 Royal Ontario Museum: Ghosts in the hats, caps, toques, decals, pins, and checklists bearing the Collection OFO logo, he attended OFO trips and events and got to know Page 10 Digital Bird Song Player the members. OFO Sales took off and its steady expansion Page 11 Carden Bluebirds • Phyllis MacKay contributed financially to the organization. Page 12 Book Review: The Big Year For 14 years Maris also raised money for OFO by doing Page 13 James Bay Shorebird Survey Birdathons. In 200 l, he received an OFO Certificate of Ap­ Page 14 My New Ears preciation for completing l 0 consecutive Birdathons, and in Page 15 Loggerhead Shrikes 2005 • OFO Field Trips 2002, Maris was our Celebrity Birder. For three years, he led Page 16 Maris Apse Retires · Welcome Wendy Hunter OFO trips to Rondeau Provincial Park. Maris says that his OFO NEWS Editors Ontbirds Jean Iron, 9 Lichen Place Toronto ON M3A I X3 OFO Website Phone: 416-445-9297 Mark Cranford -Coordinator Email : [email protected] Ontbirds with over 1800 www.ofo.ca Ron Pittaway Tecltnica/ Editor subscribers is OFO's successful Email: [email protected] Ontario Field Ornithologists listserv for reporting and getting Sandra Eadie - Coordinator Box 455 Station R bird sightings. Ontbirds has revolu­ Toronto ON M4G 4E1 tionized birding in Ontario. © OFO Pileated Woodpecker logo is a To subscribe, go to this website and copyright registered with th e OFO logo follow the directions government of Canada. The Publications Mail Agreement Number and material published in OFO News http://mailman.bwcn.org/ 40046348 may not be reproduced without permission. mailman/listinfo/ontbirds to: Return undelivered mail ISSN 1200-1589 Ontario Field Ornithologists Questions: Contact Mark Cranford © OFO News 2005 Box 455 Station R Printed by Paragon dpi [email protected] Toronto ON M4G 4El Toronto

OFO NEWS O ctober 2005