YUKON WARBLER Newsletter of the Yukon Bird Club Fall-winter 2016 Cameron Eckert photo This vagrant Vesper Sparrow at Herschel Island-Qikiqtaruk 22-25 June (here 23 June) got right to defending a territory, spending much of its time singing. Rare Smith’s Longspur sighting Brewers Blackbird sets record for Qikiqtaruk page 5 page 6 Promoting awareness, appreciation, and conservation of Yukon birds and their habitats We want your birding The Yukon Bird Club is a registered non-profit, charitable organization. photos and stories! Thank you to all who contribute to make the Yukon Membership fees Warbler. To make a submission, write to: [email protected] Individual $15.00 Our next deadline is March 31, 2017. 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Pam Sinclair - Special Projects Coordinator Jennifer Trapnell - Field Trip Coordinator For more information contact: Scott Williams - Director Yukon Bird Club Devon Yacura - Director Box 31054 Shyloh van Delft - Youth Coordinator Whitehorse Betty Sutton - Events Coordinator YT, Y1A 5P7 Al Cushing - Director Canada Liz Hargreaves - Newsletter Editor/Website [email protected] Vacant position - Birdathon Coordinator YBC Website: yukonbirds.ca Yukon Birds Facebook group: facebook.com/ Rare sightings reports groups/212509148852262/ YBC Twitter: yukonbirds All sightings of rare or notable birds should be sent directly to the Sightings Coordinator: Yukon Warbler is published by the Yukon Bird Club. [email protected] Copyright © 2016 Yukon Bird Club. All rights reserved. Printed material, artwork, or photographs may not be Contributors reproduced by any means without permission from the author, artist, or photographer. All other material may Cameron Eckert not be reproduced by any means without the Editor’s Ruth McCullough permission. Jenny Trapnell Ione Christensen 2 Cameron Eckert photo A nesting Semipalmated Plover at Herschel Island-Qikiqtaurk on the Yukon’s Arctic Coast, 15 June 2015. Spring-summer 2015 Yukon Sightings by Cameron Eckert Laberge 17-21 May (ph. CE, PS). (CE). Eurasian Green-winged Teal Small numbers of Brant Geese is rare but regular in the Yukon Spring 2015 - Early spring started migrate through southern Yukon Southern Lakes region; this season with very warm temperatures in each year in late spring; a flock of pairs were at Nares Lake 25 April the Yukon, but cooled in May to 20 was over Whitehorse 26 May (CE, AP), and Lake Laberge 29 May more seasonal norms – which are (JH). American Wigeon migration (CE, TMK); and single males were generally better conditions for peaked with a total of 2500 at 2 at M’Clintock Bay 1-2 May (JJ), migrant birds. Notably though, sites on Lake Laberge 29 April (CE); Lewes Marsh 2 & 4 May (ph. JJ), and birders saw very poor showings for and a 1020 at M’Clintock Bay 2 May Nares Lake slough 9 May (CE, TA). a number of shorebird species, as (JJ). Peak Mallard Duck numbers A high count of 720 Lesser Scaup well as Lapland Longspurs. Once were 1010 at M’Clintock Bay 21 was recorded at the Whitehorse again, birders exploring remote April (JJ), 1250 at Tagish 22 April (JJ), sewage ponds, s. Yukon 15 May parts of the Territory produced and 1200 at Lake Laberge 25 April (CE). Six Harlequin Ducks were on interesting finds. (CE). Northern Pintail put on an Schwatka Lake 15 May (SC). Black impressive showing this season with Scoter is casual in southern Yukon; WATERFOWL THROUGH a total of 6480 at 2 locations on singles were at Teslin Lake 22 May SHOREBIRD Marsh L. 22 April (JJ). High counts (FB, HC, LT), and Lake Laberge of Green-winged Teal included 29 May (ph. CE, TMK); and a pair A single ad. Ross’s Goose, casual 1570 at M’Clintock Bay 3 May (JJ), was at Swan Lake 29 May (ph. BD, in southern Yukon, was at Lake and 800 at Lake Laberge 2 May Continued on page 4 3 Spring- summer Yukon sightings Continued from page 3 AP). An impressive count of 400 Barrow’s Goldeneye was recorded at the Whitehorse sewage ponds 2 May, while 250 were at Shallow Cameron Eckert photo The Eastern Yellow Wagtail touched down briefly at Herschel Island 14 June. Bay 6 May (CE). The annual Dusky Grouse hike up Nares Mountain produced excellent views of 7 May (NG, BD, ph. CE, YS), and Lake spring with high counts of just 100 birds 24 May (DK, YBC). Four Laberge 20 May (TA). Four Eared at Lake Laberge 12 May (CE), and Sharp-tailed Grouse, localized Grebes, rare in southern Yukon, 100 at M’Clintock Bay 13 May (JJ). in southwest Yukon, were seen at were at the Whitehorse sewage And what happened to the Long- Beaver Creek 2 May (SSc). Three ponds 30 May (ph. TA). A Sora near billed Dowitchers? The season’s Double-crested Cormorants, the northern edge of its range was high count of 45 at Lake Laberge rare but regular in southern Yukon, at Five Mile Lake 23 May (MOD). A 13 May (CE) was shockingly low. were at Nares Lake 9 May (ph. CE, very poor showing for American Franklin’s Gulls staged a slight TA, JH, WN). Single Great Blue Golden-Plovers produced high incursion into southeast Yukon Herons, casual in southern Yukon, counts of just 12 at Lake Laberge with counts of 4-5 at Watson Lake were at McIntyre Creek wetlands 14 13 May (CE). A record-early male 19-24 May (ph. JJ). Two California Pacific Golden-Plover was at Lake Gulls, casual in southeast Yukon, Laberge 20 April (ph. CE, BD); and were at Watson Lake 25 May the season’s high count of 5 was (ph. JJ). A pair of Caspian Terns, there 3 May (ph. CE), with a tardy casual in southern Yukon, was at migrant at the same location 29 Lake Laberge 15-21 May (ph. CE, May (ph. CE, TMK). Semipalmated PS, BD, SVD). Four Black Terns, Plover migration peaked in s. Yukon just beyond their breeding range, with 90 at Lake Laberge 11 May were at Watson Lake 20 May (JJ). (CE), and 80 at M’Clintock Bay 12 Eurasian Collared-Dove is now May (JJ). Lesser Yellowlegs were regular in the Yukon; singles were seen in lower numbers this season seen at Little Salmon Lake 15-18 with a high count of 340 at Lewes May (CS), Shallow Bay from 17 May Marsh 6 May (JJ). Two Wandering (ph. MB, PB), Tagish in late-May Tattlers, casual in southeast Yukon, (ph. KR), and Mendenhall 31 May Joel Luet photo were at Wye Lake 26 May (BD, CE, (JV). A pair of Barred Owls was on Spotted Sandpiper nest along the JJ). Semipalmated Sandpiper territory at Albert Creek, the only Watson River. had a very poor showing this Continued on page 5 4 Spring- summer Yukon sightings Continued from page 4 Yukon location where this species is known to occur regularly, 18 May through the season (JJ; BD, ph. CE). A Rufous Hummingbird, rare but regular, was at Marsh Lake 14 May (RM). An impressive flock of 800 Tree Swallows was at Shallow Bay 11 May (BD, CE). American Pipit migration peaked at M’Clintock Bay and Lewes Marsh 11 May with a combined count of 975 (JJ). A male Smith’s Longspur, very rare on migration, was at Lewes Marsh Yvette Lepage photo Migrant Smith’s Longspurs are rarely seen in the North, as they fly over direct to 15 May (JB, ph. YL). A Black-and- their breeding grounds; this male was seen at Lewes Marsh, s. Yukon 15 May 2015. white Warbler, west of its regular range, was at Watson Lake 30 May focus on species such as Common chick, was at the Yukon Wildlife (TH, PP). An Oregon Dark-eyed Nighthawk and Bank Swallow. A Preserve near Whitehorse 3 June Junco at Watson Lake 2 April (ph. key element of successful research (ph. GN). An ad. Sora and chick at SD) provided a well-documented and monitoring initiatives is Henderson’s Corner provided a record for southeast Yukon. A Rose- the involvement of birders and confirmed breeding record for the breasted Grosbeak, just west of its naturalists in data collection and Dawson region in early July (GB, ph. range, was at Albert Creek 21 May outreach efforts. It is extremely CH). An American Coot wandered (JJ). A Yellow-headed Blackbird gratifying and not at all unexpected north of its range to Henderson’s was at Carcross 10 May (DP; ph. CE, to see the enthusiasm with which Corner near Dawson (GB, ph. CH). BD). Rusty Blackbirds put on a northerners participate and Three Buff-breasted Sandpipers weak showing this spring with high contribute to bird and habitat were at Herschel Island 13 June (ph. counts of 40 at Whitehorse 26 April conservation. CE). Thick-billed Murre is a rare (EJ), and 40 at Lewes Marsh 6 May summer visitor to the s. Beaufort (JJ). A substantial flock of 200 Gray- The waters around Herschel Island- Sea region where 4 were tallied at crowned Rosy-Finches, a mix of Qikiqtaruk Territorial Park are key Herschel Island 12-16 June (ph. CE). Coastal and Interior-race birds, was habitat for moulting seaducks in Black-legged Kittiwake is rare seen along Windy Arm 20 & 22 April summer; a mass of 3000 Surf and but regular in the s.