NorthernCanada
rocky spireoverlooking the Nares markthe southernmostbreeding location for Strait to the icecapsof Greenland this speciesin JamesBay. A casualstop to (ph. DS). Brant are regular late check a group of seeminglyout-of-place May-earlyJun migrantsat Akimiski swansat NaresL., s. Yukon6 Jun yieldedthe L, Nunavut;this year,daily totals Yukon'sfirst AmericanWhite Pelicans (DP); werein the2000-3000 range until 1 a quickcall to otherbirders ensured that the Jun,when there was a majordepar- 4 pelicanswere photographically document- ture on the full moon. Smaller num- ed (ph. CE, HG). In responseto subsequent bers(<500 per day) lingered until 10 mediacoverage of thepelicans, it waslearned Jun.A latermovement of birdspre- that theyhad been seen at nearbyTagish for sumedto be froms. James Bay stag- abouta week(ph. LG). An aerialsurvey of is- ing areaswas noted 6 Jun, when landsin AkimiskiStrait, Nunavut 5 Jun found small flocks were seen crossing 60 ad. Double-crested Cormorants and 30 Akimiski I. from the s. on a north- nests(KA et al.). A TurkeyVulture, Nuna- easterlypath and continuingover vut'sfirst, was an unexpected find in Arviat23 theJames Bay ice pack (KA et al.). A Jul (ph. LR, MP). few late Brant were seenat Nares L., An imm. Bald Eagle at HerschelI., n. Cameron D. Eckert s. Yukon6 Jun (CE, HG). A latebut notewor- Yukon20 Jun (ph. CE, DA, PF,LJM) estab- thy springreport was of a BarnadeGoose in lishedjust the 2nd recordfor the island.The the companyof CanadaGeese and possibly connection between the northern and the speciesacross the North continues to pairedwith oneat AkimiskiI., Nunavut26-28 southernhemisphere's bird populationswas nfascinateongoing and surgetroubleof northernextralimital bird- May (KA et al.). A pair of TrumpeterSwans beautifullydemonstrated this year by the in- ers.Reports of MagnoliaWarbler, Ovenbird, Red-eyedVireo, and Western Tanager added to the ever-growinglist of Neotropicalmi- grantsappearing well beyond their ranges in the northwest. Two firsts for Nunavut this seasonwere PipingPlover and TurkeyVul- ture, while Yukonerssaw their first American White Pelicans. Two southern invaders bred for the first time in the Yukon this summer; an influx of AmericanCrows in WatsonLake, Teslin,and Whitehorse culminated in the ter- ritory'sfirst confirmedbreeding record for ASnow Goose on its nest at St.Patrick Bay, Nunavut on the north end of Ellesmere Island 1 July2007 overlooks a true Arctic this northward-expandingcotrid. While the wilderness.Photograph byDoug Stem. crowswere greeted with onlymodest inter- was againnoted nesting this year in Tomb- tercontinentalmigration of markedPeregrine est, the territory'sfirst nestingHouse Spar- stonePark, cen. Yukon 28 Jun; 4 TundraSwans Falcons.The Falcon ResearchGroup put rows inspired even less excitement.The wereseen on thesame day at ChapmanL., just satellite transmitters on 7 falcons in Chile in Yukon's summer weather was warmer than n. of TombstonePark (BM et al.). Three Red- Feb 2007; on 21 Jun, the ad. male known as average;glacial melt, heavy winter snow heads(2 males,one female),n. of their normal "Seven" arrived n. of the Arctic Circle in Tuk- pack,and rain madefor recordflooding in range,were seen on the MackenzieR., NWT tut Nogait N.P., near Paulatuk,NWT. Two theYukon Southern Lakes. In theFort Simp- 18Jun (ph. AL). Heavysnow delayed the re- other marked birds, named "Linda" and sonregion of NorthwestTerritories, June was turnand subsequent nesting chronolo- dry for much of the monthbut saw heavy gy of Common Eiders and other rainfallduring the latter daysof June. The specieson SouthamptonI., Nunavut Arctic regions were again increasingly this year (MM). Eiderswere also de- warmerthan usual this summer.On 21 June layedby up to twoweeks at HighArc- 2007, 15-year-oldYukoner Malkolm Booth- tic locations,primarily due to heavy roydand his parents cycled southward to be- ice conditionsalong the migration gin a year-long,fossil-fuel-free journey in route as opposedto breedingsites searchof birds.It's an inspirationto seea (MM).A maleHooded Merganser, very greatbirding adventurelaunched to raise rarein cen.Yukon, was seen near Daw- awareness of bird conservation and climate son 26 Jun (LD, KR). A noteworthy change(
600 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS NORTHERNCANADA1
GULLSTHROUGH FINCHES near Yellowknife,NWT 8 Jun; and another An estimated 45 Franklin's Gulls was seenin town a few weekslater 0B). A were seen at the Mackenzie R. WarblingVireo singing at TombstonePark, crossingnear Ft. Providence,NWT cen.Yukon 9 Jun (HG et al.) providedthe 8 Jul (ph. GV), a remarkablegath- firstDempster Hwy. record for thespecies. A eringNorth of 60 for thispredomi- Red-eyedVireo, rarebut apparentlyregular nantly prairie species.A late but in the Watson L area, was seen at Albert Cr. noteworthyreport of springgulls 4 Jun (TMK). A pair of EasternYellow Wag- from Akimiski 1., Nunavut includ- tailscarrying food and giving alarm calls pro- ed an ad.Litde Gull 31 May andan vided a good indication that young were ad. IcelandGull 26 May followed somewherenearby at the Firth R. delta, n. Thisphotograph, taken through a shimmering heat haze, nicely docu- mented the Yukon'sfirst AmericanWhite Pelicanson NaresLake at (:arcross by a second-cycleIceland 28 May Yukon 11 Jul (HM). (KA et al.). A concentrationof 300 on6 June2007. Photograph byCameron D.Eckert. AmericanCrows are steadily gaining a Bonaparte•Gulls on Drury L., s. foothold in the Yukon. Small numbers were eral hundred kilometers away from the Yukon6 Jun (PSi) seemedodd for the date. seen in Watson L. and nearbyAlbert Cr. species'known breeding grounds. A Black- Highlightsof an aerialsurvey of islandsin throughthe summer (ph. CE;TMK); onewas bellted Plover at Wright Pass (Yukon/ Akimiski Strait, Nunavut 5 Jun included the in Teslin10Jun (BS); in Whitehorse,2-3 were NorthwestTerritories border) 8 Jun (SF,DM) first nest record for Great Black-backed Gull seenthrough the summer,and breeding was may haveprovided the first recordfor the (10 ads.)and an estimated 140 Caspian Terns; confirmed16 & 26Jul whenrecently fledged DempsterHwy. A surveyof tundranear Mary othernesting species included Herring Gull, crowswere seen being fed by ads.(BMu; ph. R., n. BaffinI., Nunavutturned up goodnum- Ring-billedGull, andArctic Tern (KA et al.). CE, PSi).A singleAmerican Crow, only the bers of AmericanGolden-Plovers, with 8 (in- Glaucous,Thayer's, and Sabine's Gulls, as well 2nd recorded in the area, was at Norman eluding3 localyoung) on 28 Jul and52 (in- asArctic Terns, in Nunavut'sHigh Arcticnest- Wells, NWT through the period (RP, ph. cluding12 localyoung) the nextday (WR et ed about10 dayslater than usualthis year DW). A displayingNorthern Wheatear was al.). The bird of the seasonwas Nunavut• first (MM). Black-leggedKittiwake sightings near right on cue for a groupof birderson Gold- PipingPlover discovered 3 Jun during shore- the MaryR., n. BaffinI. included3 eachday ensidesMt. in TombstonePark, cen. Yukon bird surveysat AkimiskiI. andseen through 30-31Jul (WR et al.). Lownumbers of Ivory 29 Jun (BMa et al.) A total of 10 Northern 10Jun (ph. CL, AF,BO et al.). A Killdeerat Gulls(68) wererecorded at the SeymourI. Wheatearnest sites (ads. carryingfood to Tuktoyaktuk,NWT 7Jun(SF et al.) hadover- and BrodeurPen., Nunavut coloniesthis sea- nests)was recorded around Iqaluit, Nunavut shot its breeding grounds. A Canadian son (MM); the formersite alsosuffered sig- during27Jun-14Jul (DH). A maleNorthern Wildlife Service(C.W..S.) shorebird breeding nificant nest loss to predation.Two surveynear Ft. Simpson,NWT foundWil- pairs of nestingRoss's Gulls were son'sSnipe to be the most abundantbird foundnear Bathurst I., Nunavutin Jul speciesduring 1-'19Jun; LesserYellowlegs (MM). weremuch less common than expected (PSm, A GreatGray Owl nearEagle Plains, SD).Nesting Wandering Tattlers are rarely re- cen.Yukon 8 Jun wasa highlightfor a portedand alwaysnoteworthy; a pair of ad. coupleof DempsterHwy. travelers (SF, tattlers with a small chick were found in an DM). A Short-eared Owl nest with two alpinewetland along the upperKetza R., s. eggswas found at PaulineCove, Her- Yukon2Jul (ph. BS).Late migrant shorebirds schelI., n. Yukon21 Jun (ph. CE, DA, at HerschelI., n. Yukon includeda Black-bel- PF,LJM). CommonNighthawk, now a lied Plover and 3-4 White-rumpedSand- Speciesat Riskin Canada,was noted to pipers8-9 Jun (AK); alsopassing through at be in low numbersin the Yellowknife, Pauline Cove on Herschel I. were 4 Buff- NWT area0B). Reportsof BarnSwal- breastedSandpipers 21 Jun (CE) and 3 Red lowswell beyond their ranges included Phalaropes18 Jun (ph. CE). An ArcticFox singlesat AkimiskiI., Nunavut28 May made short work of most of the nesting (KA et al.), HerschelL, n. Yukon 23 Baird'sand SemipalmatedSandpipers during Jun (CE), andBylot I., Nunavut26 Jul nighttimeforays at PaulineCove, Herschel I. (LJ,LM, FR). A BankSwallow was also on 21-23Jun; however, it seemsthat thebro- unusual at Akimiski I., Nunavut 15 ken-wingdistraction display works on foxes, Jun (KA et al.). EarlyJun saw a fewmi- Theshores ofJames Bay at Arviat, Nunavut was an unlikely location asthe nesting Semipalmated Plovers survived grantsstill arriving at Albert Cr., s. forthis Turkey Vulture, the territory's first, on 23 July 2007. Photo- (CE). Red-neckedPhalaropes were noted Yukon,such as a Yellow-belliedFly- graphby Lynne Rollin. breedingat MaryR., on then. endof BaffinI., catcherbanded 4 Jun (TMK); 4 were Nunavut, with one ad. male with 2 local heardon the MayoL. Rd. cen.Yukon B.B.S. Wheatearwas seencarrying food to young youngseen 28 Jul and 3 localyoung seen 5 12 Jun (MOD). EasternKingbird reports callingfrom a nestcavity near Mary R. on n. Aug (WR et al.); this is beyondthe species' fromNunavut included a pair at AkimiskiI. Baffin I., Nunavut 28 Jul (WR et al.). An knownbreeding range, which reaches the s. 10 Jun (KA et al.) and one at Rankin Inlet 8 American Robin was rare on HerschelI., n. half of BaffinI. NestingRed Phalaropes were Jul (%). A Blue-headedVireo just beyondits Yukon8-9 Jun (AK, DR), and a femaleVaried alsonoted near Mary R., with one ad. male regularrange was recorded for the 3rd con- Thrushprovided a firstisland record there 20 with 2 localyoung 29Jul (WR et al.). secutiveyear on the IngrahamTrail B.B.S. Jun (ph. CE, DA, PF,LJM). SingleAmerican
VOLUME 61 (2007) ß NUMBER 4 601 INORTHERNCANADA
inglyregular, was seen at Albert cated lowland nesting this year for this Cr., s. Yukon2-4 Jun (TMK). species.A richWhite Sprucecone crop yield- WesternTanagers seen w. of ed an explosionof breedingWhite-winged theirnormal Yukon range includ- Crossbillsacross s. and cen. Yukon in Jul ed singlesin HainesJunction 5 (m.ob.).A pairof HouseSparrows, a species Jun (ph. TH) andin Whitehorse notpreviously known to breedin theYukon, 11 & 20Jun (PSi). A male Harris's wasfound nesting in Whitehorse19 Jul (ph. Sparrowsinging on a wide-rang- CE);by 22 Jul,all 4 younghad fledged and ing treelessterritory at HerschelI. werebeing fed by the ads. (ph. CE). A lonefe- 18-24Jun providedthe Yukon's maleHouse Sparrow was seen in Carcross,s. 2nd photographicallydocument- Yukonthrough Jul (DK). ed record(AK, CK, ph. CE, DR); thisspecies was reported without Contributors(subregional editors in bold- out details from Herschel I. in face):Ken Abraham, Deon Arey, Jamie Baste- 1987. Reportsof lost Dark-eyed do, Lisa Christensen,Mike Courtney,Sarah Nunavut'sfirst Piping Hover was a starttingfind at Akimiski island in south- Juncosincluded one at Herschel Dauncey,Laurel Devaney, Boris Dobrowolsky, ernJames Bay 3-10 (here 9) June 2007. Photograph byCarmen lishraan. I., n. Yukon8Jun (DR) andone in CameronEckert, Adrian Farmer, Pierre Foi• Iqaluit,Nunavut 3-8Jul (ph. MC). SamFried, Louise Girard, Helmut Griinberg, Robins,possibly one bird involved, were not- TenSmith's Longspurs at SurfbirdMr., km 97 Todd Heakes, David Hussell, LudovicJoli- edin lqaluit,Nunavut 28Jun and 2Jul (DH). on theDempster Hwy,, cen. Yukon 4 Junwere coeur,Fred Jumbo, Dan Kemble,Alice Ken- Swainson's Thrush and Tennessee Warbler enjoyedby a groupof visitingbirders on a ney,Charlie Krebs, Anthony Levesque, Car- were the most abundant non-shorebird tour (ph. SFet al.). The C.W.S.shorebird sur- men Lishman, Hector Mackenzie, Donna speciesrecorded on C.W..S.shorebird surveys veynear Ft. Simpson,NWT foundthat Rusty Mages,Mark Mallory, Blake Maybank (BMa), in the Ft. Simpsonarea, NWT 1-19 Jun Blackbirdsshowed up at the studyplot 20 Lee JohnMeeyok, Laura McKinnon, Bob (PSm). TennesseeWarbler numbershave in- Mayand were seen regularly for thenext sev- Murkerr(BMu), Ted Murphy-Kelly, Mark O'- creasedin the Yukonin recentyears; this eral daysbut disappearedas Red-winged Donoghue,Bridget Olson, Ron Ozolins,Dan specieswas reported in relativelyhigh num- Blackbirds and Common Grackles arrived 25 Patterson,Mark Petersheims,Richard Popko, bersacross s. Yukon;farther n. in cen.Yukon, May, with the latter two speciesremaining Don Reid, WayneRenaud, Lynne Rollin, 2 weresinging at Mayo5 Jun (MOD), 2 were throughthe season(PSm). A femaleRed- Francois Rousseu, Ken Russell, Ben on the WarehamL. B.B.S.12Jun (MOD), and wingedBlackbird on Herschel I., n. Yukon18- Schonewille, Pamela Sinclair (PSi), Sue one was at TombstonePark 27 Jun (BMa et 21 Jun (AK, ph. CE) wasjust the 2nd of its Shirley,Paul Smith (PSm), Doug Stern, Dou- al.). A MagnoliaWarbler, well w. of itsYukon kind to wander to that Arctic island. glasTate (NorthwestTerritories), Gary Vis- range,was seen in Whitehorse5 Jun (LC). A Three Gray-crownedRosy-Finches were niowski,Dave Wilderspin. • Cape May Warblerwas observednear Ft. seenon Keno Hill, cen.Yukon 7 Jul (MOD). Simpson,NWT in earlyJun (PSm).A Bay- Twofuzzy juv. CommonRedpolls in down- CameronD. Eckert,1402 Elm Street breastedWarbler, rare but apparently increas- town Whitehorse,s. Yukon26 Jun (PSi) indi- Whitehorse,Yukon, Y1A 4B6, ([email protected]) PrairieProvinces
PrairieProvinces that lasted into July, Water cygnetswas seen24 Jun near Bissett(ph. levelsremained high throughoutthe period. CA). Elsewherein the province,4 wereat Extremelyhot andgenerally dry but humid Oak HammockMarsh 1 Jun (RK), and one, weatherfollowed, spreading eastward from bandedin Aug2005 at GreenCamp, OH, re- Alberta. Greg Kr•tzig describedJuly in mainedat St. Malo from 12 Jul into Aug Saskatchewan as a "blast furnace." Needless (F&JM, LV, m.ob., ph.). Nesting Tundra to say,birding activity during that month was Swansreturned to PatienceL., SK, far s. of limited.Judging by the numberof earlyfall theirusual range; 4 juvs.were near fiedging migrantsin southernManitoba, it appears by mid-Aug(PH, m.ob.,ph.). Othernotable thatpasserines had a productivesummer. waterfowlincluded a northerlyWood Duck at Churchill2 Jun (BC), a male Blue-winged GEESETHROUGH CRANES Tealx NorthernShoveler hybrid at Whitewa- Rudolf F. Koes A Ross'sGoose at PelicanL., MB 16 Jun was ter Lake W.M.A., MB 10 Jun (BDL) and 3 PeterTaylor recordlate for spring(WC, RS,MW, m.ob.). KingEiders at Churchill10 Jun (BC,m. ob.). TwoBrant 6 Junand 2 DuskyCanada Geese Unexpectedin summerin the s. weresin- 11Jun were good finds at Churchill,MB (RK, gle Red-throatedLoons at RaffertyDam, SK binedwith cool temperatures,created CNSC).Trumpeter Swans were finally found 25Jun(,JL, ph.) andClear L., nearStayely, AB Pringlush conditionsandearly summeracross therains, southern com- breeding in se.Manitoba, where a pairwith 8 8-22 Jul (BW, m.ob.). A Yellow-billedLoon
602 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS