WARBLER Newsletter of the Yukon Bird Club Spring-summer 2016

Cameron Eckert photo This stunning Pileated Woodpecker, first seen by Russel Oborne and TJ Grantham on 11 November 2015, and photo- graphed here on 20 February 2016, was a star rarity in Haines Junction through the winter to the delight of local birders.

Biodiversity assistant job gives wealth of experience page 6

Dave Mossop photo Cassin’s Finch a Yukon first Banding Peregrine Falcon chicks. page 4 Promoting awareness, appreciation, and We want your birding conservation of Yukon birds and their habitats photos and stories!

The Yukon Bird Club is a registered non-profit, Thank you to all who contribute to make the Yukon charitable organization. Warbler. To make a submission, write to: [email protected] Membership fees Our next deadline is September 31, 2016.

Individual $15.00 Yukon Warbler Editor: Liz Hargreaves: Family * $25.00 [email protected] Senior/Student ** $10.00 Institutional $50.00 Contributing $50.00 2016 Board of Directors Supporting $100.00 Lifetime $200.00 Cameron Eckert - President/Checklist/Sightings Coordinator * Family memberships cover two or more people living Jim Hawkings - Treasurer/Secretary/Membership/ at one address. Website ** Also includes those for whom finances are limited. Pam Sinclair - Special Projects Coordinator Foreign members please pay by Canadian dollar or Jennifer Trapnell - Field Trip Coordinator money order. Scott Williams - Director Devon Yacura - Director For more information contact: Shyloh van Delft - Youth Coordinator Yukon Bird Club Betty Sutton - Events Coordinator Box 31054 Al Cushing - Director Liz Hargreaves - Newsletter Editor/Website YT, Y1A 5P7 Vacant position - Birdathon Coordinator Canada [email protected] Rare sightings reports YBC Website: yukonbirds.ca All sightings of rare or notable birds should be sent Yukon Birds Facebook group: facebook.com/ directly to the Sightings Coordinator: groups/212509148852262/ [email protected] YBC Twitter: yukonbirds Contributors Yukon Warbler is published by the Yukon Bird Club. Cameron Eckert Copyright © 2016 Yukon Bird Club. All rights reserved. Ruth McCullough Printed material, artwork, or photographs may not be Bruce Bennett reproduced by any means without permission from the Cynthia Hunt author, artist, or photographer. All other material may Shyloh van Delft not be reproduced by any means without the Editor’s Ione Christensen permission. Dave Mossop

2 Cameron Eckert photo This adult Common Loon made a real attempt at overwintering on a short stretch of open water along the Yukon River in Whitehorse at least from 26 Dec (here 28 Dec) to 31 Jan after which is fate was uncertain. Yukon Sightings – winter 2014-15 by Cameron D. Eckert A flock of 46 Trumpeter Swans, counts for Common Goldeneye record high for winter, along with 9 this season were 36 at Lake Laberge Christmas Bird Counts are both a Mallards, 2 Common Goldeneye, 14 Dec (BD, CE), and 31 at Tagish L. primary source of information about and 11 Common Mergansers were 20 Dec (CE, AP, PS, SVD). Barrow’s northern bird populations in winter, at Johnson’s Crossing 26 Dec (AS). Goldeneye is scarce in s. Yukon in and a catalyst for community well- Elsewhere, a single Trumpeter Swan winter; 1 was at Marsh L. 21 Dec (CO); being – citizen science at its best! with 2 Mallards were at Fox Lake 1 at Whitehorse 26 Dec (fide JH); and 14 Dec (BD, CE); and 7 Trumpeters a high count of 4 was at Whitehorse Tracking winter birds through the with 1 Mallard, 1 Bufflehead, and 4 4 Feb (ph. GN). Willow Ptarmigan season produces fascinating trends Common Goldeneye were at Nares are thin in s. Yukon; reports this for common winter birds, as well as Lake 17 Jan (CE). Four Mallards, winter included 7 at Teslin 14 Dec an impressive list of winter rarities pushing the limits of their winter (fide BS), 21 at Tagish 21 Dec (DK), – which this season included both range, were at Dawson 21 Dec (fide and 18 at the Teslin R. 26 Dec (AS). Common and Yellow-billed Loons, SJ); while a record-high count of Five White-tailed Ptarmigan, rarely two unseasonal corvids, a suite of 75 Mallards was recorded on the seen in winter, were on Montana sparrow species, and a new finch for Whitehorse CBC 26 Dec (fide JH). Mountain 21 Dec (DK), and 16 were the Yukon. A Bufflehead, rare in winter, was seen at Thomson Creek Valley 15 at Tagish Narrows 4 Feb (JH). High Continued on page 4 3 Cassin’s Finch sighting a Yukon first Continued from page 3 but are rarely reported; one was at Raven population in Whitehorse is Feb (MM). Two lingering Common Chapman Lake, central Yukon 13 Jan on a steady rise with a tally of 2,209 Loons and a single Yellow-billed (CM). Christmas counters in Haines on the 26 Dec CBC (fide JH). Tagish Loon were at Lake Laberge 3 Dec Junction turned up a Northern continues as Northern Canada’s (CE); though more impressive was Hawk Owl and a Great Gray Owl Mountain Chickadee hotspot with a winter-plumage adult Common 20 Dec (fide JB). Another Great Gray a count of 21 on the 21 Dec CBC (fide Loon swimming continuously in Owl was seen at Kluane Lake 27 Dec SVD). A long walk along the Wolf Cr the current on a short stretch of (JB); and one was along the Tagish trails 20 Dec recorded an impressive open water on the Yukon River in Road 22 Feb (TA). A Gyrfalcon, rarely 17 Boreal Chickadees (JH). A flock Whitehorse 26 Dec to 31 Jan (ph. CE, seen in winter, was near Chapman of 500 Bohemian Waxwings was at mob). An immature Horned Grebe, Lake 27 Dec (GB, CH). Whitehorse 23 Dec (CE). Rare winter casual in winter, was at Lake Laberge sparrows included an American Tree An interior-race (C. s. annectens) 6 Dec (ph. CE). The Whitehorse CBC Sparrow at Teslin to mid-Dec (HS); Steller’s Jay first seen in Watson produced a record-high count of a Fox Sparrow at Whitehorse to 1 Lake in late Oct continued at least to 39 Bald Eagles, along with a rare Jan (DS; ph. CE; RL, MAL); a Lincoln’s 26 Dec (WA). Two American Crows, winter Golden Eagle 26 Dec (ph. CE; Sparrow at Tagish 21 Dec (ph. CE, casual in winter in the Yukon, were fide JH). ASharp-shinned Hawk, AP, PS, SVD); a White-crowned seen at Watson Lake through 19 casual in s. Yukon in winter, was Sparrow in Whitehorse on 26 Dec Jan, with one remaining through 30 reported from Teslin 14 Dec (fide BS). (ph. RL, MAL) and through the season Jan (ph. SD). The winter Common Snowy Owls winter in the far north (TA); a Golden-crowned Sparrow

Bruce Bennett photo This Cassin’s Finch seen brieflyat a Cowley Creek feeder 15 Feb 2015 established the Yukon’s first documented record. Despite the photo’s soft quality, it does show the bill shape, underside patterns, and very slight golden tones to the face which favours Cassin’s over Purple Finch.

4 Cameron Eckert photo There are very few winter records for Fox Sparrow - this one at a Whitehorse feeder through 1 Jan (here 30 Dec) estab- lished the Yukon’s first Christmas Count record for the species. Fox Sparrow at Christmas Bird Count

Continued on page 4 along Schwatka Lake in Whitehorse Observers: Tracy Allard, Julie-Ann through the season at the Takhini 18 Dec (ph. RL, MAL) grew to about Bauer, Bruce Bennett, Greg Brunner, River (LG, JH); and a single Dark- 60 birds by 16 Jan (ph. CE; ph RL, Linda Cameron, Boris Dobrowolsky, eyed Junco at Dawson 21 Dec (fide MAL). The Yukon’s first documented Cameron Eckert, Linda Gerrand, SJ). An incredible total of 54 Dark- Cassin’s Finch was seen briefly at a Jim Hawkings, Jurg Hoefer, Cynthia eyed Juncos as well as a White- Cowley Creek feeder 15 Feb (ph. BB). Hunt, Sebastian Jones, Dan Kemble, crowned Sparrow were recorded Pine Siskin is normally casual in s. Mary Ann Lewis, Rob Lewis, Meghan on the Haines Junction CBC 20 Dec Yukon in winter; reports this season Marjanovic, Colin McCann, Geoff (fide JB). ThreeRusty Blackbirds, included 11 along Windy Arm 13 Dec Newhouse, Clive Osborne, Adam Perrier, casual in winter, were tallied on (ph. CE); 8 at Carcross 21 Dec (DK) and Ben Schonewille, Hendrien Schonewille, the Whitehorse CBC 26 Dec (ph. 120 there on 17 Jan (CE); and 1-2 in Pam Sinclair, Adam Skrutkowski, CE), with one surviving at a feeder Whitehorse through late Feb (TA). Dorothy Sorensen, Shyloh van Delft. through the season (LC). A small flock of Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches ***

5 Exploring the Yukon wilds with a Biodiversity Assistant job by Shyloh van Delft iodiversity Assistant STEP Job – My Summer with Dave Mossop. B Little did I know what last summer held in store for me. Mine and Dave’s summer started off with a Willow Ptarmigan survey in the Chilkat Pass in April. This allowed us a beautiful winter drive through snowy landscape, and when we started the survey at around 7am the display calls of several dozen males echoed off the hills within our 1km area. May was mostly lab work (skin- ning birds), and weekly duck surveys between Whitehorse and Carmacks. This was really interesting as we found a few active nests along the way, and a female Hooded Merganser – an unusual Yukon migrant. When June arrived, nest box Shyloh van Delft photo checks took priority. Dave and I spent Dave and Shyloh at kestrel nestbox checks. several days checking nest boxes for American Kestrels and Boreal Owls traveled further north into Eagle finally came, I was excited to get into around Whitehorse, through Lewes Plains for Breeding Bird Surveys, the Eagle River and paddle, knowing Marsh, between Whitehorse and which started at 3:30am. that I would be in Old Crow for the Carmacks, from Carmacks to Dawson, We were pretty tired for the sec- first time two weeks later and that and all along the Dempster Highway, ond one because a large brown Black I would be seeing some incredible as well as Aishihik Lake. We checked Bear visited our camp during the scenery along the way. 78 boxes, in which we found a few ac- night and woke us up. There was no tive Bufflehead and Northern Flicker way I was going to sleep well in a tent Rains bring high rivers nests, and 7 active American Kestrel for the rest of the night after that! The river was high and fast-flow- nests containing about 34 eggs. Starting June 26th we boated the ing from all of the rain the territory Yukon River up and downstream of had been receiving before we got Weekend on the Wing Dawson for a week doing Peregrine there, and because we were moving When we went up the Dempster Falcon surveys. with the current we made speeds we got to stay in Tombstone Camp- Along the way back to Dawson of up to 12km/h sometimes. The ground for the annual Weekend on we got caught in a big thunderstorm weather could not have been better the Wing celebration. Dave gave a that followed our metal boat directly the whole trip; it was usually clear talk on his American Kestrel mon- overhead. However, Dave’s belief that and sunny and warm, with and just itoring project during the Friday “no one gets stuck by lightning… two days of gloomy, windy weather. evening, and on Saturday I went on You need a little more risk in your life, During the trip we all tanned brown a 9 hour hike up Charcoal Ridge. kid!” kept us going. as berries. Cameron took the lead for this hike, After a week, we made it back to The bugs were not bad on the and was lucky to find nearly all of the Dawson alive and had to start think- river; the only times when mos- focus species for our hike, including ing of our next big trip up north, the quitoes were insufferable were the Northern Wheatears and the elusive canoe trip down the Eagle, Bell, and times when I had to truck off some- Surfbird! The next day, Dave and I Porcupine Rivers. When the big day where in the tundra to (being a 6 Shyloh van Delft photo Peregrine Falcon chicks. our trip, and we got great views of and I got to see nearly the full scope Once in Peregrine Falcons, Red-tailed Hawks, of the massive Mackenzie Delta Northern Hawk Owls, a Great Horned below us. Owl, a Great Gray Owl sitting on a The size of this delta was extreme- a lifetime nest with a chick, lots of Spotted ly impressive, and the water made Sandpipers, Canada and Greater the flat tundra landscape looked like White-fronted Geese, and heard lots a shattered mirror. I had time alone of Alder and Hammond’s Flycatchers in Inuvik while Dave went with a experience - even a few Yellow-bellied Flycatch- couple of biologists to do helicopter woman) expose my posterior and ers. surveys of Peregrine Falcons along other lower extremities to the hoards the Yukon’s North Slope and Herschel of blood-sucking beasts. Banding Peregrine Falcons Island, during which I prepared for As we came nearer to Old Crow Dave possesses a permit to band our imminent departure back to we found an outhouse; never have Peregrine Falcons, and we found one Whitehorse. I found an outhouse to be such a nest that was accessible. The largest The summer was a once-in-a-life- luxury! It’s amazing the things that female in the nest gazed boldly up at time experience, full of unexpected we who live well-off in privileged me with her huge feet stuck straight adventures and life lessons. One modern society take for granted. I’m out in front of her, her beak slightly lesson I took from him was his philos- not talking about just indoor toilets, open, a whole thrush leg sticking ophy of slowing down and enjoying but clean water as well. Clean water ungainly out of her throat. life to the fullest, which he usually ex- never felt so amazing to me as it did I enjoyed the expedition to Old pressed with his favourite quote: “Life when we reached Old Crow. Up until Crow, but I have to admit to bad is meant for living, and the river is that point, we had been drinking homesickness and to what a relief it meant for travelling, and there is NO either highly muddy water or stag- was to come around a bend in the hurry essential to either!” He is a very nant tundra water that had larvae Porcupine River one day and see Old interesting guy with years of experi- swimming in it. Crow. After that, my “work” was pretty ence under his belt, and as many or Birds were the main focus of much over. We flew to Inuvik next, more great stories to accompany it. 7 BIRDING EVENTS The Yukon Bird Club had its 2nd annual potluck dinner and slide show on January 21, 2016 at Hellaby Hall. This event has proven to be very popular, well attended and excellent pictures from a variety of people... Not to mention the great food that always seems to “just appear” at a Yukon gathering. We have already booked Hellaby hall for January 2017. Check our calendar of events for the exact date. MacBride Museum will be our venue again for Birds of Spring, Summer and Fall & Winter with Ione Christensen. Ione presents Birds of Spring on June 14 at 7p.m., Birds of Summer on July 7 at 1:30p.m., Birds of Summer on Aug. 11 at 1:30p.m., and Birds of Fall & Winter Sept. 15 at 7p.m. Happy birding! Betty Sutton Event Coordinator Ione Christensen will be hosting a series of talks at the MacBride Museum, including talks on birding. Other shows Ione presents at the museum are: July 5 at 1:30 pm - Fort Selkirk, July 19 at 1:30 pm - Chilkoot Trail, July 21 at 1:30 pm - Whitehorse History. In August: Aug. 9 at 1:30 pm - Fort Selkirk, Aug. 23 at 1:30 pm - Chilkoot Trail, Aug. 25 at 1:30pm - Whitehorse History.

Cameron Eckert photo A male Mountain Bluebird scoping out nest sites along the Yukon River in Whitehorse, April 1, 2016.

8 How well do you know your birds? By Ruth McCullough 1. When the crossword is complete, the 2. shaded squares will spell a bird, the male 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. of which has a red 8. head and yellow body. 9. 10. 11. Across: 3.This male duck is 12. recognized by its green head and white neck 13. band 6. Old name for this 14. 15. 16. long tailed duck 9. One of the smallest 17. white-headed gulls 10. A small passerine bird, common in South- 18. 19. 20. ern U.S. and Mexico 12. Home to a bird 13.This shorebird is a rare but regular migrant 21. 22. 23. in Western Alaska and Yukon 24. 25 15.This Tern has a white streak below its black 26. cap 16.What 11 down does 27. 28. for life 17. When hunting, 29. 30 this bird walks slow- 31. ly through shallows or stands with head hunched on shoulders 18. Common on beach- es or mud flats 19. What a raven some- times steals from greens 21. Has a white stripe above and a black stripe through the eye 2. Supposed to “bring babies” forests of spruce and fir 24. Abundant in flocks in ber- 4. Has a more slender and shorter 22. A shy bird most active at dusk ry-bearing trees bill than the Greater and night 26. This duck is useful for making 5. This shorebird is noted for it’s 23. This Flycatcher could be mistak- duvets long bill en for a tree 27. Nighthawk’s dive inducer 7.This shorebird’s bill is needle like 25. The only northern crested bird 29. A very sad dove and curves upward with a conical beak 30. Another word for birds 8. What keeps a bird warm 28. This Curlew’s call is a short, 31. Can be crossed 11. Large plump bird with long mellow whistle, rapidly repeated 6 neck and short legs – 7 times. Down: 14. How 21 across travels on a tree This bird has a very short tail with a 1. This duck with white cheeks and trunk bobbing action. a dark cap likes lakes & ponds with 16. Uncommon dark Falcon floating vegetation 20. Common bird at feeders and in - SEE ANSWERS ON BACK PAGE 9 birding highlights

I would like to highlight our dear Sora Rail, with photo evidence of chicks, and our new neighbours The noisy Eurasian Collard Doves which have took up residence at Henderson’s Corner near Dawson last summer. It looks like south- ern Yukon and Whitehorse had the wackiest bird season ever last year. It is sad when global warming is exciting and fun for us Northern birders. Happy Birding, spring is on it’s way.

Cynthia Hunt Dawson City

Cynthia Hunt photos Eurasian Collard Doves spotted in Dawson area.

American Coot spotted in Dawson area. Sora Rail chick.

YBC is looking for a Birdathon Coordinator! Jim Hawkings is looking to gently surrender the Birdathon dathon are up to date for the current year and available on Coordinator role for YBC. The Helmut Grünberg Yukon Bird- the website and perhaps a few locations in town. The venue athon (scheduled for 27/28 May, 2016) is our major annual (Robert Service Campground) also needs to be booked. Jim fundraiser and an important rite of spring for many local and Betty Sutton will be glad to help you out to learn the birders. This is not an onerous portfolio as there are a good ropes! number of dedicated regular participants in the event who General info about the Birdathon is available on the YBC don’t need much prodding. It really just involves coordinat- website at yukonbirds.ca/birdathon Please contact YBC or ing some publicity and making sure documents for the Bir- Jim at 668-2639 if you are interested. 10 Long Point trip an amazing experience for young birder by Rebecca Heath stages of “bird-mania” these guys Here is a little piece of writing were, until sports were brought that explains what my time at the into the equation. I was the only Long Point Bird Observatory was girl participant in the workshop, like. surrounded by four, quite active I would also like to thank the boys. Now, most girls might be Yukon Bird Club for making this intimidated, but if you know me amazing experience possible. at all you know that I am not most I must start this memoir off, by girls. I am not afraid to take a giving a brief insight into my life soccer ball to the face, or spike a thus far; My hat has been hung in volleyball so that my opponents places with classes of five students, can only cower in response. I am twenty students in high school, not afraid of playing soccer with and 110 students in a school, total four boys, not by a long shot. But - grades K to 12. For fifteen years I noticed that something was off I had no idea what it was like to about these boys; when a creature be around people with the same of the avian variety flew over, one interests as me; it was a foreign would call, “bird,” and the game concept that anyone else my age would be forgotten, binoculars re- could possibly like birds. But the trieved from their safe hiding plac- Young Ornithologists’ Workshop es, and the bird identified. Then promised just that; young people, they went back to being normal who love birds. I could tell right boys — to the average passerby away that the advertising was no — until the next bird. Again, I was hoax; the other young people in flabbergasted; there really were the workshop carried the same, people like me out there, and boys incurable ailment that I had. Rebecca Heath - learned how to too. That was the most important About an hour after stepping off a band birds, the art of skinning, and thing my time at the Long Point plane in Toronto, a little, grey bird about the decline of songbirds while Bird Observatory showed me; that flew over the car on the drive to at the Young Ornithologists’ Work- I am not alone, that it really is one the Oldcut banding station. The shop at Long Point. in a million and not one in sev- birders reading this know exactly my family, was that another par- en-billion. Of course, I learned how what I’m talking about; you see ticipant also noticed the bird. I to band birds, about the steep the bird out the car window, said think my brain went into shock; I decline in songbird numbers, the bird is moving too fast and the remember trying to process what delicate art of skinning, how smart car is moving far too fast, you I had seen and all that my brain humming birds are, and so, so don’t identify the bird. Damn. could compute was, “what?” The much more, but I learned what it’s That was exactly my experience, week went on, and I started to like to be a part of a group of peo- but the difference between this see that, wow, these people knew ple with the same interests. Thank sighting and the countless oth- their stuff, but it didn’t become you LPBO staff, for everything you ers that occur when driving with apparent just how far into the have taught me. 11 CROSSWORD ANSWERS

1. R 2. W U 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. M A L L A R D O L D S Q U A W 8. E O O D V F 9. 10. 11. S M E W D Y E L L O W G R E E N 12. N E S T I S C E A 13. E T A T L E R E E T 14. 15. 16. U A R C T I C O M A T E S H 17. P Y H E R O N E E E

S E E K R R 18. 19. 20. I P L O V R R G O L F B A L L S

D L R I 21. 22. 23. E O O N U T H A T C H 24. 25 C E D A R W A X W I N G S L A 26. O L H B E I D E R 27. 28. W E A I R W E E D 29. 30 M O U R N I N G M R A V I A N R I 31. S B B E A K N

R N A

E L

L

Shaded squares spell Western Tanger For more information contact: Yukon Bird Club Box 31054 Whitehorse YT, Y1A 5P7 Canada [email protected]

YBC Website: yukonbirds.ca Yukon Birds Facebook group: facebook.com/ groups/212509148852262/ YBC Twitter: yukonbirds

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