This is Jean Iron's second report on 23 July 2010 by satellite phone for the period 18-22 July from Longridge Point on the south coast of James Bay. The Royal Ontario Museum study of Red Knots and shorebirds is a cooperative effort with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR), Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and Trent University.
SHOREBIRD OBSERVATIONS The past several days have been mainly sunny with daytime high temperatures below average with cool nights. High tides have been weak so shorebirds were less concentrated for counting. Usually only high count day numbers for each species are listed below in checklist order. Black-bellied Plover: 2 adults on 20-21 July. Semipalmated Plover: 26 probable adults in flight on 22 July. Killdeer: 10 on 21 July. Late nest with 4 eggs hatched on 22 July. Greater Yellowlegs: 137 mostly adults on 19 July. Lesser Yellowlegs: 480 (1/3 juveniles) on 18 July. Whimbrel: 78 adults on 20 July. Hudsonian Godwit: 222 molting adults on 19 July. Adult Hudsonian Godwits molt body feathers before migrating from James Bay usually going nonstop to South America in late August and early September. Marbled Godwit: None seen. Ruddy Turnstone: 102 on 22 July appeared to be mostly females in worn alternate plumage. RED KNOT: Highest count to date of 638 molting adults on 20 July is half the number for same period in 2009. 69 flagged individuals observed include birds banded in the United States, Brazil, Argentina and Chile. The above include 7 birds marked before 2005. One with a data logger from Delaware Bay (USA) observed on 20-21 July. After breeding in the Canadian Arctic, rufa Red Knots migrate to stopover areas such as southern James Bay, where they fatten for the long flight to South America. Another rufa population winters in Florida. Florida knots are rare in James Bay. Longridge was chosen as the ROM's survey site because high numbers were recorded there in the past. A one-day estimate of 5000 at Longridge was made in the late 1970s before the decline. Sanderling: 22 fading and molting adults on 18 July. Semipalmated Sandpiper: 1095 adults (no juveniles) on 22 July. Least Sandpiper: first juvenile on 17 July. 80 (1/2 juveniles) on 20 July. White-rumped Sandpiper: 109 molting adults on 22 July. Pectoral Sandpiper: 540 adults (not molting) on 20 July. Dunlin: 11 worn adults not yet in active molt on 22 July. Stilt Sandpiper: 2 molting adults on 21-22 July. Short-billed Dowitcher: 6 adults (not molting) on 19 July comprised 2 nominate subspecies griseus and 4 hendersoni. 8 on 21 July were mostly hendersoni. 1 nominate griseus on 22 July. Wilson's Snipe: 4 still winnowing on 19 July. WILSON'S PHALAROPE: One juvenile on 21 July found by Mark Peck and Lisa Pollock. It likely hatched locally because this phalarope breeds sparingly in the prairie-like marshes of James Bay. OTHER SIGHTINGS Birds: American White Pelican seen daily with high of 57 on 20 July. Sandhill Crane. Yellow Rail numbers are much lower than last summer possibly linked to drier marshes this year. Some Yellow Rails may have short-stopped to breed in the areas such as southern Manitoba, which is very wet this summer with many reports of singing Yellow Rails. Short-eared Owl, pair with two young. Gray Jay, pair with a blackish juvenile. Swainson's Thrush singing. Orange-crowned Warbler singing. Le Conte's Sparrow nest with eggs on 22 July. Nelson's Sparrow nest with eggs on 19 July. Small numbers of White-winged Crossbills and Common Redpolls seen most days. Mammals: A dead Beluga, 3 metres in length, washed up on shore. Crew hopes the carcass will attract scavengers such as Red Fox, Gray Wolf and Lynx whose tracks have been seen during surveys. Two Black Bears seen on 19 July. A Caribou on 19 July. A Short-tailed Weasel (Mustela erminea) is around camp. Butterflies: Two additions since last report: Skipper sp. (genus Polites) and Northern Crescent. Map link below of southern James Bay. Yellow pointer shows location of Longridge Point. Ontario borders the west coast of James Bay and Quebec borders the east coast. Provincial boundaries extend to the low water mark on James Bay. Offshore islands extending to the low water mark are part of Nunavut Territory. The waters and seabed of James Bay are internal parts of Canada under exclusive federal jurisdiction and not part of Ontario, Quebec or Nunavut. www.jeaniron.ca/2009/James-Bay-2009-REKN.jpg Jean will call again in 4-6 days and I'll post her third report. Ron Pittaway Minden, Ontario _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/