2 Articles The Sharp-tailed Grouse in Thunder Bay District Nicholas G. Escott The Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympan­ North American continent. This sub­ uchus phasianellus) is known to be a species expanded its range eastward permanent resident in three widely and northward toward the end of separated areas of Ontario: the the 19th century, as it disappeared Hudson Bay Lowland; the Rainy from its original range due to inten­ River/Fort Frances and Dryden areas sive agricultural practices that in the northwest; and Sault Ste. Marie destroyed its native habitat (Roberts and Manitoulin Island (Lumsden 1936). It entered northwestern 1987). Even though the species is Ontario in the wake of settlement thought probably to range all across and land clearing, aided by construc­ northern Ontario (Peck and James tion of two railroads: the CPR line, 1983, Lumsden 1987), there are large north of Lake of the Woods; and the gaps in the distribution of records of Canadian Northern Railway, south this species there. Since 1993, howev­ of Lake of the Woods. The latter was er, we have found evidence of breed­ completed in 1902, and both brought ing populations of this grouse in this Canadian prairie wheat to the gap, north of Lake Superior. In this Lakehead. The grain cars of the time paper, I review the historical occur­ were leaky wooden boxcars that left rence of the Sharp-tailed Grouse, and a trail of grain across the forested the current status of this species, in wilderness (Miller 1963). Thunder Bay District. The other Sharp-tailed Grouse subspecies that has been recorded Subspecies of the Sharp-tailed in Ontario is the Northern Sharp­ Grouse tailed Grouse. It breeds across Two subspecies have been identified northern Canada and Alaska, and is in the province of Ontario (James darker than campestris, with more 1991): the Prairie Sharp-tailed dark markings ventrally, and less Grouse (T. p. campestris), and the tawny on the back (Roberts 1936). Northern Sharp-tailed Grouse (T. p. It inhabits open bogs and fens phasianellus). (Lumsden 1987). This race is known The Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse for its occasional southward irrup­ is a bird of the brushy plains and tions, which are detailed in a subse­ aspen parklands of the centre of the quent section of this paper. ONTARIO BIRDS APRIL 2003 3 Lake Superior and northwest­ Lake Superior, campestris is found ern Ontario are located between the in scattered locations from historical ranges of the two sub­ Minnesota through northern species, but due to the northward Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula range expansion of the one and the of Michigan, linking to some extent southward irruptions of the other, it the two Ontario populations. It has is an area where they have come disappeared from many U.S. states into contact with each other. It is due to habitat loss and hunting difficult to categorize all specimens pressure, and many populations still as to race, and there have been con­ may be declining (Connelly et a1. tradictory identifications made (for 1998). Several states have active example, see Isle Royale, below), so management programs to try to it is not entirely clear which sub­ preserve the Prairie Sharp-tailed species has been seen, or is being Grouse's habitat and population. presently recorded, in this area. The An isolated population of Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) has Sharp-tailed Grouse was discov­ about 40 specimens from northwest­ ered on Isle Royale in 1904, the first ern Ontario (Glenn Murphy, pers. to be confirmed in the state of comm.). All but one of the speci­ Michigan (Barrows 1912). They mens from Kenora District have were found in clearings around old been identified as phasianellus; mines and townsites. Specimens these are from more northerly loca­ taken from there in 1905 were ini­ tions in the Patricia portion. The tially identified as phasianellus by exception is a bird from Melgund H. C. Oberholser, but specimens Township, near Dryden, taken in the from there now are considered to fall of 1958 (the Dryden population be campestris (Wood 1951). A small is discussed below). All of the Rainy population is still present there River District specimens are (Brewer et al. 1991). campestris, except for two from Fort The Dryden population also is Frances taken in the fall of 1934. All isolated, inhabiting a large agricul­ 14 Thunder Bay District specimens, tural area along the CPR rail line most of which are from the Lake and Highway 17 from Dyment west Nipigon area, are phasianellus, to Vermilion Bay. They moved into except for three campestris from the Dryden area in the early part of Port Arthur (Port Arthur and Fort the century as the settlers cleared the William are now known as the city land, reaching their peak abundance of Thunder Bay) which are in the 1920s (Olsen 1960). Their described below. numbers diminished thereafter, and Campestris is the subspecies by 1959, only occasional single birds that presently occurs on Manitoulin or small flocks were seen, usually in Island and the north shore of Lake the late fall or winter. A concerted Huron (Lumsden 1987). South of search that year, however, found sev- VOLUME 21 NUMBER 1 4 eral resident flocks (Olsen 1960), and Thunder Bay area at the ROM repeat surveys in 1962 (McGillivray include two adult males collected 1963) and 1963 (McGillivray 1965) on 12 April 1933, 60 miles south­ found birds at 26 locations, including west of Port Arthur. The only nest eight dancing grounds. Four speci­ record was of a clutch of nine infer­ mens taken during the hunting sea­ tile eggs found by 1. Jacob in July son were identified as campestris by 1930, 60 miles southwest of Port H. Lumsden. The dancing grounds Arthur (Dear 1940). were all in cultivated fields: seven Sharp-tailed Grouse apparent­ stubble fields and one ploughed ly were common in clearings and field. Interestingly, some of the flocks cutovers on the Sibley Peninsula in 1962 were observed in cutover until about 1940. This information is areas adjacent to large "muskegs", based on an interview with James and helicopter surveys in 1963 Cross, a long-time resident of the flushed several flocks in "muskegs" area, recorded in the Sleeping (phasianellus habitat). Sharptails still Giant Provincial Park files (A. are present in the Dryden area, but Wormington, pers. comm.). If the we are not aware of any recent com­ observations of Mr. Cross are cor­ prehensive surveys. rect, these birds were most likely of the prairie subspecies. Historical Occurrence ofthe Sharp­ It is not clear whether the Prairie tailed Grouse in Thunder Bay Sharp-tailed Grouse was ever District numerous at the Lakehead, but by The Prairie Sharp-tailed Grouse 1940 they were "uncommon and very appeared in the southwestern part local" (Dear 1940) around Port of Thunder Bay District about the Arthur and Fort William (now turn of the 20th century (Fleming Thunder Bay). They persisted in low 1906). Its preferred habitat of numbers through the 1940s and brushy clearings, and fields with 1950s, with occasional sightings of scattered shrubs and trees, was a one or a few birds in the farmlands common landscape south and west surrounding the Lakehead. Dr. A. E. of the Lakehead in the first part of Allin, in his annual summary of the century, as settlers cleared the Lakehead birds for 1950, described forest for pastureland and farming. the species as being "very scarce" The first known record of the (Allin 1951). Reports ceased alto­ Sharp-tailed Grouse in Thunder gether about 1958. Since there have Bay District is a specimen, now at been no reliable sightings from the the ROM, that was collected by populated agricultural areas around George Atkinson at Port Arthur in Thunder Bay for over 40 years, it is November 1893; it has been identi­ assumed that the Prairie Sharp-tailed fied as the Prairie subspecies. Other Grouse now is extirpated from specimens of campestris from the Thunder Bay District. ONTARIO BIRDS APRIL 2003 5 The historical distribution of the ofOntario that this subspecies occurs Northern Sharp-tailed Grouse in as far south as Upsala and the north Thunder Bay District is not well doc­ shore of Lake Superior, although the umented. Thomas McIlwraith (1886) accompanying map showed a lack of listed its range as "from the northern Atlas records in this area. shore of Lake Superior...to Hudson's Bay territory and Alaska". Southward Irruptions of the John Macoun (1900) indicated a sim­ Northern Sharp-tailed Grouse ilar distribution, but went into more Periodically, the northern sub­ detail: "Since the building of the species appears in large numbers Canadian Pacific railway this bird south ofits normal range in Ontario. has been seen frequently on the line An irruption occurred in the fall of between Mattawa, on the Ottawa 1896, with birds being seen as far River, and Fort William, west ofLake south as Parry Sound and Muskoka Superior. It has been supposed to be Districts (Fleming 1906). the prairie species working east, but The best documented invasion its dark colour shows that it is the occurred 36 years later, in the fall northern bird." and winter of 1932-33, at which Where exactly these birds were time birds appeared as far south as seen, and during which years, is not Bracebridge, Gravenhurst, and clear, but by the 1930s, it was evi­ Bancroft (Snyder 1935, 1951). The dent that the normal range did not main flight was in northeastern extend as far south as Lake Ontario, south ofJames Bay, but the Superior. P.A.Taverner (1934) indi­ western edge of the irruption cated the range in Ontario to be reached Thunder Bay District at "from the vicinity of the Canadian Rossport on Lake Superior.