Explorations of an Ecologist

Monday, 26 December 2016

Netitishi Point - Day 11 and 12

Weather: 7 to 15 to 9 degrees C, wind S 30-40 km/h most of day and W 30 km/h gusting to 50-60 km/h by dusk, clear skies with some light cloud cover in aft, some light rain in early evening

25 species

eBird checklist here

The warm south winds continued through the night so that the temperature was a balmy 8 degrees Celsius at dawn. Today's weather was a carbon copy of yesterday's, only 5 degrees warmer (we reached 16 degrees today!) and a bit windier. The haze over the water was absolutely terrible and we were only able to make out a few Red-breasted Mergansers and Long-tailed Ducks on the bay - our only waterfowl for the day.

Needing to kill time and hoping to increase my odds of a rare songbird with southern origins I decided to complete the 7 km roundtrip hike to Little Netitishi Point, covering the entire coastline and some of the meadows to the east. Some loose trills caught the attention of my ears while I was completing a cursory scan of the bay before heading out. Bohemian Waxwings! Todd noticed them as well, his first of the trip. I was fortunate in being in the right place at the right time, and I took a handful of photos of them in the sun.

Bohemian Waxwings - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

The walk to the east was fairly birdless, but it felt great to be wearing a t-shirt with the warm breeze on my skin. I found a few lingering birds in the meadow - Horned Larks, Lapland Longspurs, and a late American Tree Sparrow - but nothing of an apparent southern origin. The winds kept blowing and many seed pods of the various plants released in to the wind; It almost looked like it was snowing.

A small flock of Common Redpolls had evidently just flown in off of the bay, and they fed on the cones of a small tamarack near the cabins. I took advantage of the nice sunlight and photographed a few of the individuals.

Common Redpoll - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

That afternoon I had my final bath of the trip in the creek. The water was still ice cold, but the warm air made things slightly more bearable!

As sea-watching was useless we called it quits by 4 PM, had our last beer of the trip (we rationed poorly), and chopped some more firewood. In the evening we had our first campfire of the trip - it was a beautiful night for it, even though it was still a bit windy. While the blast of heat from the south was a nice diversion, we are ready for some proper November weather, and hopefully the birds that come with!

sunset over the marsh by the cabins at Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

November 8, 2016

Weather: 7 to 4 to 0 degrees C, wind WNW to NNW 30-40 km/h gusting to 55 km/h, heavy overcast most of day, scattered light showers in AM and brief snowsqualls in PM

31 species

eBird checklist here

Fortunately for us, the winds had shifted through the night and we were met with moderate northwest winds at the sea-watching shelter. These winds increased in intensity throughout the day but it was no use and birding was very slow, limited to a few scoters and Long-tailed Ducks as bands of precipitation passed through the area. A decent bout of rain sent me back to the cabins by mid-morning, with Todd tracing my steps twenty minutes later. We were thinking that today would be a good candidate for the fewest number of species out of any day this trip.

There were two somewhat interesting birds in the morning. The first was a Spruce Grouse that flew over me while I still had my pants down in the woods, and the second was a Black-backed/Three-toed Woodpecker that flew over the marsh, neither of which I could relocate.

The winds continued strong out of the northwest as the temperature dropped so Todd and I relocated to the shelter, where we would stay continuously from 11 AM until sunset. The birding soon picked up despite occasional periods of snow flurries. While most of the flocks of Brant and dabbling ducks have undoubtedly moved through we encounter a few small flocks. Among the Northern Pintails were a handful of Green-winged Teal and American Wigeon, though the biggest surprise was a drake Gadwall that we watched with a flock of Northern Pintails, almost certainly a record late date for southern James Bay.

Scoters were also on the move today. Most were Black Scoters, but a few individual White-winged Scoters and one Surf Scoter were also seen. King Eider was on my mind all day, and in the two minutes Todd was away from his scope I spotted a female King Eider (Queen Eider?). Todd came back running, but it had already disappeared down the coast. Fortunately for him, he redeemed himself shortly after by finding his own King Eider.

Seawatching at Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

Another big highlight was a Black Guillemot that I picked up in flight. The views were a little more distant than the birds from the previous two days, though the viewing conditions were much better leading to clear views. Todd trained his scope on the guillemot as well for a few seconds before we lost sight of the bird in a wave trough. I headed back to the cabins to fetch my camera, while Todd discovered a second Black Guillemot and a King Eider while I was gone.

Needless to say we remained focused on the bay for the rest of the day; our first decent migration in days. I think my eye spent more time trained through my scope's eyepiece than looking elsewhere throughout the afternoon. Highlights kept coming - a flock of Black-bellied Plovers, several Iceland and Glaucous Gulls, a total of 7 King Eiders, 2 Purple Sandpipers, etc. We finally called it quits when it was too dark to see anymore, happy with our sightings during an excellent seawatch. Despite only seeing 32 species on the day (about average), we observed 29 non-passerines, what would end up being the highest total of the trip.

Laura gave me a weather update in the evening - south winds on November 9, but northwest winds again on November 10 and 11, followed by southwest winds to close out the trip.

Saturday, 24 December 2016

Expedition to Netitishi - Days 9 and 10

Weather: 3 to 4 to 3 degrees C, wind WNW to NW 20-30 km/h, mostly overcast with some sun in aft, brief periods of light rain throughout day

30 species

eBird checklist here

We set our alarms for 7:00 AM and after a light breakfast headed out to the coast, eagerly anticipating the predicted northwest winds from our now two day old weather forecast. The winds were fairly light and out of the west-northwest by dawn, and we sat and waited for the day to brighten as the tide slowly receded from the high watermark reached an hour before sunrise. In general, the birding was very slow throughout the morning as the big flocks just did not materialize; however, we finished with at least ten flocks each of Brant and dabbling ducks throughout the course of the day, though there were never any prolonged moments of activity. Other than occasional scoters and goldeneye very few waterbirds were observed today. Long-tailed Ducks kept us entertained as distant flocks twinkled against the deep gray sky, lit up by brief moments of sunshine during the afternoon, before continuing on to points further south. Redpolls were also on the move today and we tallied around 70 (still no Hoary, though!). I am sure that a percentage of the redpolls flying by are Hoaries, but it is difficult to see the flocks well and even more unusual to find a flock that is not on the move. A single Bohemian Waxwing also appeared at the top of a spruce, providing great looks despite the gloomy lighting conditions.

Bohemian Waxwing - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

Luckily the northwest winds, which had increased in intensity during the day, kept the low tide much closer than usual while the high tide was practically lapping at our feet. Todd and I kept watch, huddled back and nestled in among the spruces especially during the occasional rain shower. We wanted to be ready in case a rarity flew on past - totally possible given the weather conditions! I must admit though, it was difficult to remain vigilant since not much of anything was migrating in numbers. Even the shorebirds and gulls, common in previous days, were much reduced in numbers and we somehow managed to miss Sanderling and Black-bellied Plover for the day!

Shortly after 5:00 PM, Todd got on what he thought was a loon and using his directions I quickly set my scope on the bird. It turned out to be a Red-necked Grebe flying with some Red-breasted Mergansers; a minor rarity on James Bay and a trip bird. This kept our attention high for the remainder of the day. Twenty minutes later I was manning my scope while Todd walked out to check on the tide's progress. At one poit I noticed a close shorebird going by along the shoreline towards the east. Expecting a Dunlin, I was surprised to see it was actually a very dark, slightly larger shorebird - the first Purple Sandpiper of the trip. I eventually got Todd's attention but by then the bird was long gone. He had let his attention wane for no more than a couple of minutes and it was during this time that the bird of the day made its appearance. He was pretty bummed to have missed it, but luckily there is a lot of time left in the trip to see more. Of course it is better to miss a Purple Sandpiper than a rarity such as a Dovekie or shearwater!

I was able to eventually get through to Laura on the satellite phone in the evening - it was great to catch up with her! Laura also provided me with a weather forecast. While most of the next week will be dominated by southwest winds and warmer temperatures, northwest winds were forecasted for November 8, and by the 10th or 11th the temperatures will drop back down to the freezing mark with more northwest winds. That will likely be a big period of migration and likely will be our best shot for rarities, especially alcids and pelagic species. The warmer weather and strong southwest winds forecasted in the next few days could possibly push some species north to us so we will certainly be keeping a close eye on the chickadee flocks and the forest edges. We don't want to miss that vagrant Dark-eyed Junco! ;)

November 6, 2016

Weather: 4 to 10 to 7 degrees C, wind variable between SW and SE 20-30 km/h, clear skies

25 species

eBird checklist here

James Bay is full of surprises. Given that today's temperature reached a high mark of 11 degrees C, and we were able to walk around in t-shirts for most of the afternoon, it may seem surprising that our three "trip birds" today were all species we associate with colder, wintry weather: Hoary Redpoll, Snowy Owl and Black Guillemot.

Despite the poor wind conditions, the warm weather and clear blue skies certainly did wonders for our morale after endless days of gray skies and temperatures only a few degrees above freezing. The sun and warm breeze on our skin was a welcome sensation, something that made us temporarily forget about the lack of birds during a slow day of birding. The birding began with a male American Three-toed Woodpecker that Todd spotted as it worked over a spruce south of the cabins. We watched it for a while and it allowed a moderately close approach where we were able to obtain some photos. An awesome species that I never tire of.

American Three-toed Woodpecker - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

The waterbird flight was very slow throughout the day. We observed a grand total of three species of ducks, while our day list was missing species like Brant, Northern Pintail, Great Black-backed Gull, Sanderling and Dunlin. Despite finishing with only 25 species, our lowest daily species total of the trip so far, it was actually one of the more memorable days - quality over quantity, as they say.

It took over two months of autumn birding at Netitishi, but I finally ended my Snowy Owl curse when I spotted a bird on the flats to the west early in the morning. I located a second bird as well, a little further down the coast. At one point the more distant Snowy Owl managed to catch and eat a shorebird; likely a Black-bellied Plover. A Common Raven came by to clean up the scraps. While scoping the owl as it rested on a ridge soon afterwards, I was surprised to see a big falcon heading towards the owl. It was a brown Gyrfalcon, and I watched in awe as it dive-bombed the owl. Todd came back to the coast just in time to see this happen a second time. We walked west towards the creek mouth to have better views but eventually the gyr continued along down the coast.

Attempting to traverse the creek - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

We kept watch during the morning, though not much was flying and the haze over the water severely limited the visibility. Some redpolls were coming in off the bay and one flock contained a frosty-looking Hoary Redpoll, my first in quite some time.

The rest of the afternoon was very slow for birds. Todd went hunting (unsuccessfully) and then swam in the creek, while I walked to the meadows east of the point and relaxed at the cabin while the warm south winds continued unabated.

just a regular November day on James Bay

Insects began emerging - most were midges and flies - but we also spotted two Mourning Cloaks. This is a pretty late date for the species up here, but not unexpected given the conditions. Mourning Cloaks are one of the few butterfly species here in Ontario where the adults will overwinter in a sheltered area, awakening in the spring (or occasionally in the winter, if it is a sufficiently warm day!).

Mourning Cloak - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

As I was back at the cabins during the mid afternoon, I thought I heard distant yelling. Seconds later Todd came running down the trail leading to the cabins, screaming something about a guillemot! That grabbed my attention and I took off behind him in a dead sprint back to the coast, not worrying to grab my binoculars or camera ahead of time. I knew my scope was set up at the sea-watching shelter anyways!

After a tense 15 seconds of straining through our scopes, Todd re-found the Black Guillemot close to the shoreline. Even though the tide was already half-way in and the bird only a few hundred metres away, the haze and heat shimmer created from the warm air blowing over the bay made it very difficult to pick up fine details on the bird. While we were watching, I noticed a second Black Guillemot fly through my scope's view. We followed the small white alcid as it continued east, eventually losing it somewhere down the coast, while the original bird remained.

Todd scoping for guillemots - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

After fetching our scopes Todd and I walked out to the water line, in hopes of watching the Black Guillemot from close range with much reduced heat shimmer. The guillemot flew away during our walk, but 20 minutes after returning to the shelter we picked it up again with our scopes as it rested near the shoreline, so we tried once again. The sun was setting behind us as we made the long trek over the flats, but the bird stayed put and before long we were watching it through our scopes from a mere 30 or 40 meters away.

1st cycle Black Guillemot - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

Black Guillemot is an ocean species whose breeding range makes it to the islands in James and Hudson Bays. The only reliable place to see this species in Ontario is along the James Bay coast, with expeditions to Netitishi Point from late October to mid November being the best way to encounter them. That being said, this was only the second time that I had seen a guillemot at Netitishi Point, after having two birds together on October 29, 2012. My only other sighting for the province was a single bird, in breeding plumage no less, during my trip to Longridge Point in early August, 2012. Apart from James and Hudson Bays there is only one sighting for the rest of the province - a bird that spent 14-21 November, 2006 at Massey (west of Sudbury). It was of the eastern Arctic subspecies that breeds on James Bay, as expected given the location.

sunset at Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

It was a fantastic experience as we watched the bird from close range while it rested and preened just offshore. The setting sun behind us left a pink hue in the sky as the light faded. We stayed on the one remaining spit of land not yet submerged by the rising tide well after the sun had gone down, taking in every detail of the bird - our best looks by far of Ontario's only regular alcid species. What an experience!

Todd scoping the Black Guillemot - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

Thursday, 22 December 2016

Expedition to Netitishi - Days 7 and 8

Weather: 2 to 4 to 2 degrees C, wind WNW to NW 15-25 km/h, mostly overcast, brief patches of sun, no precipitation

37 species

eBird checklist here

Anticipation was high this morning as we bundled up, ate our bacon and eggs for breakfast and walked out to the coast as the winds blew in from the west-northwest. Fortunately for us, the conditions were ripe for an excellent duck migration, and we were not disappointed!

Todd and I both stayed out by the coast for most of the day, watching the action from our shelter tucked in along the tree line. Occasionally one of us would head back to the cabin to stoke the fire and warm up, but the birding was too good for us to want to stay away for too long. Additionally, the wind direction meant that low tide was retracted in duration, as well as much closer than normal.

Balaclavas are a necessity at Netitishi during a cold northwest wind

Flocks of Brant and Northern Pintail dominated the day and we stayed busy trying to keep track of the numbers. Other species were mixed in and we soon had observed a flock of Snow Geese, some American Wigeons, and a single Surf Scoter - all new birds for the trip.

dabbling duck flock - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

Around mid-morning I was peering through my scope when Todd excitedly got my attention and sprinted from his chair. A Gyrfalcon had just flown right over our heads! I ran out to join Todd, looking back over the spruces that we had been sitting under. The brown morph bird hovered, only 30 or 40 meters from us, buoyed in place by the strong winds. I ran back to grab my camera from beside my chair and I was able to crack off several backlit images before the Gyrfalcon continued westward down the coast. This was pretty exciting - it was a lifer for Todd, and a big target for us; James Bay is one of the only places where this huge, Arctic falcon can be found regularly in Ontario.

Gyrfalcon - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

The ducks continued to stream by in large flocks all afternoon - thousands of Northern Pintail and Brant, hundreds of Mallard, and dozens of American Wigeon, Green-winged Teal and American Black Duck. At 4:00 PM our second big highlight of the day occurred. A flock containing approximately 400 birds suddenly appeared overhead, much too quickly for us to set up properly and thoroughly scan through each bird with our binoculars and spotting scopes. I resorted to grabbing my camera and firing off a series of photos of all the birds as they passed our location on the coast. Surprisingly, a male Eurasian Wigeon was hidden with a few American Wigeons and Mallards in one sub-flock! Only two frames from my camera show the bird, but the rich chestnut head, flank pattern, and underwing pattern was clearly visible.

Eurasian Wigeon (lower left) with American Wigeon - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

I am only aware of two previous records for Eurasian Wigeon within the Lowlands Review area, including the following:

- One male at Ekwan Point, Kenora District 12-14 June, 1990 (Donald G. Cecile, Alan Wormington)
- One male at Moosonee, Cochrane District 5 May, 1991 (Mark Kubisz)

This was a very exciting find for us, even if it was identified after the fact by looking through the photos! The action kept on strong throughout the afternoon and until well past sunset - it was the most active migration that I had seen at Netitishi in quite some time and we enjoyed every minute of it.

November 4, 2016

Weather: -2 to 3 to 2 degrees C, wind SW shiftting to WSW 10-20 km/h, mostly overcast with some periods of sun in aft, light hail/snow in aft

32 species

eBird checklist here

After an excellent day of migration the previous day, the winds shifted back to the southwest through the night and today's waterbird flight was much reduced. As expected, a phenomena that I have observed in the past at Netitishi given these conditions happened again today. Small flocks of Brant were seen "correcting" during the morning by flying west over the flats, along with a single flock of Northern Pintails and other dabbling ducks. Normal migration at Netitishi Point is from west to east and the waterfowl eventually congregate at the Harricana River mouth in Hannah Bay to the east. These west-flying Brant are usually very close to shore (or right over the flats) and without fail seem to show up on the day after a heavy migration, even if no other migrant waterbirds are moving.

flats at Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

Feeling bored, I wandered out to the low tide mark by mid-morning, hoping to photograph the Brant as they flew past. None obliged during my hour long vigil though I was able to approach reasonably close to a small group of 11 as they loafed on the rocks.

Brant - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

Todd left for a long hike to Little Netitishi Point while I killed time at the cabins, interspersed with sitting by the coast. When the action by the coast is slow and not much of anything around, it is probably still more productive to sit out by the coast than partaking in most other activities as something could always fly past the coast. I lucked out this time when at 2:41 PM I noticed an odd brown lump perched on one of the larger rocks out on the flats as the tide slowly rolled in. A quick check with my scope revealed a Gyrfalcon! Who knows how long it had been sitting out there. I took some photos of the bird through my scope as it rested and preened. It was likely the same bird as yesterday - a brown morph, which is a morph commonly found in the Labrador population (no doubt a main source for the Gyrfalcons on James Bay). Eventually after ten minutes or so the Gyr lifted off across the flats, and in the transfer from my scope to my binoculars I lost the bird and was unable to re-find it again.

Gyrfalcon - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

Todd returned from his hike having located and photographed the adult American Golden-Plover, along with some longspurs and a Merlin. The rest of the afternoon was spent manning our positions behind our scopes at the sea-watching shelter but few birds came on by. We called it quits early, however, as the flight had completely shut down.

Wednesday, 21 December 2016

Expedition to Netitishi - Days 5 and 6

The birding was slow today for a number of reasons. High tide was around 5 PM meaning that the majority of the day passed by when the tide was near its low water mark. The winds, what little there were, came out of the south or southeast. Finally, we also had to contend with light mist and occasional showers. Not much at all was migrating, though we did see higher than usual numbers of Boreal Chickadees (about six) and also a flock of seven Pine Grosbeaks. But it was very slim pickings in the way of waterbirds! At least a number of gulls were meandering back and forth over the flats including some 200 Ring-billed Gulls, providing something to look at. Herring Gulls were also well-represented and two immature Glaucous Gulls along with 3 Great Black-backed Gulls made appearances throughout the day. That was pretty much it - ducks were scarce and any other waterbirds were completely absent. I killed time during the day by finishing chopping down a tree I had started earlier to improve our sight lines down the coast, then made good progress on the second tree. By mid-afternoon it too had been felled, along with some of the dogwoods which were in the way. One has to be careful at Netitishi to ration the chores that need to be done - there is no need to be efficient as that will just mean that you will have nothing to do later in the day!

Creek west of the cabins - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

Rain started to fall by 5:30 PM or so, just as we arrived back at the cabin as the sun was low on the horizon. I chopped some wood but mostly just relaxed beside the wood stove, glowing as the fire dried out the pair of boots I had soaked during the previous day's adventures. At this point we are a quarter of the way through the trip - four full days down, twelve to go. Once we receive the next bout of north winds I anticipate that water birds will be moving in big numbers, since it seems to be a bit late this autumn. Luckily our trip is long enough that we are bound to experience some excellent days of migration, and we are staying late enough into November to increase our odds of species like Black Guillemot, Dovekie, Gyrfalcon and Northern Fulmar, not to mention shearwaters or other wacky seabirds. The potential of the next twelve days is high, and we will be ready.

November 2, 2016
Weather: 3 to 8 to 2 degrees C, wind S 10-20 km/h, SW 20 km/h by dusk, sun and clouds with periods of light rain early AM and at dusk
37 species
eBird checklist here

It was our fourth straight day of winds with a southerly component, though this was not entirely surprising since southwest seems to be the default wind direction at Netitishi Point in the autumn. It was frustrating nonetheless. As high tide was around 5:00 AM and 5;00 PM, the best part of the birding day occurred during the low tide, which was especially low for a second straight day. That being said, there usually appears to be some sort of push of waterbirds most days during the morning, even if the winds are from the wrong direction. Today the flight was lighter than usual but we eventually did see most of the common waterbird species including a few scoters and three Common Loons. Todd found the best birds of the day - two male Canvasbacks - that winged on by while I was back at the cabins. Canvasback is especially unusual in southern James Bay and there are around five total records for the region.

wolf prints in the sand - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

That afternoon the tide had only just started to come in and so I left for an excursion to the east down the coast. It was a relatively comfortable afternoon (about 7 degrees C) and the sun occasionally peeked through the clouds as the moderate south winds blew. The meadows east of the point held a surprising number of birds, including 30+ Horned Larks and 55+ Lapland Longspurs, the latter being the first of the trip. I did not find much else other then a couple of American Tree Sparrows, and a hoped for Short-eared Owl did not flush from the meadow either.

shoreline at the meadows east of Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

After picking my way around the wetter sections of the meadow I reached the shoreline and continued hiking the remaining distance to the next point of land which we have been calling Little Netitishi Point, located about 3.5 km past Netitishi Point. After a short break I hiked back, feeling a little tired but rejuvenated as I returned.

looking west from Little Netitishi towards Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

In the evening I was able to get through to Laura, my parents, and Jeremy Bensette on the satellite phone that Kory Renaud had lent me prior to the trip. Jeremy provided a much needed weather forecast - while southwest winds will still dominate, two out of the next three days had forecasted northwest winds. Tomorrow should spur on migration!

Monday, 19 December 2016

Smith's Longspur near Long Point

While completing their section of the Long Point Christmas Bird Count on December 17th, a group of birders (Matt Timpf, Adam Timpf and Ron Ridout) discovered a Smith's Longspur feeding on some seeds scattered at the shoulder of Concession A, a rural road passing through farmland a few kilometers north of Long Point. This was the first record for the Long Point CBC and the third record for Long Point, and one of only a handful of records from southern Ontario of which three have been reviewed and accepted by the OBRC.

After completing our area during the St Catharine's CBC on Saturday, Dan Riley and I drove down to Long Point to look for the longspur. Rare any time of year, it is especially unusual during the winter - this is in fact the first December record for the province.

Smith's Longspur - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

We made decent time on the back roads on the drive down, keeping an eye out for other interesting species on the drive. Two Turkey Vultures flew over the car when we were south of Smithville - a good winter bird, though one that has been increasing in number during the winter in southern Ontario in recent years.

Eventually we turned onto Concession A, the road where the longspur had been seen. It was not difficult to know where to go - three or four parked cars on the roadside and several birders were watching the longspur as we arrived!

Smith's Longspur - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

The Smith's Longspur provided excellent looks as it foraged with a dozen or so Snow Buntings, content to feed on the plentiful seed supply only a few feet off of the roadside. The Smith's often called as it flew in to land with the Snow Buntings and was not all concerned with the presence of birders as it fed nearly continuously.

Smith's Longspur - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

Smith's Longspur is a species associated with tundra grasslands, where it spends the summer months in a wide band just above the treeline from Alaska in the west to the Hudson Bay coast in northern Ontario. During the winter, the population can be found in the south-central United States, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Arkansas. Despite breeding in Ontario, Smith's Longspur migrates to the west of the province, which helps explain why it is so infrequently seen during migration.

Smith's Longspur - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

It was unusual to view this Smith's Longpsur so well, as usually this species stays hidden in short grassy fields, rarely providing close views. However it is not surprising to see it act like this - presumably the bird is somewhat stressed since it is located well away from its usual wintering grounds, and the abundant seeds along the roadside provide an excellent food source that is difficult to resist. It did seem quite active and alert, feeding constantly and overall looking quite healthy.

Smith's Longspur - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

Unlike the brightly plumaged males with their striking black and white head pattern over a light orange body with streaked, brown wings, the females at this time of year are quite drab looking. This individual is a first cycle female and can be told apart from a female Lapland Longspur of the same age by its buffy belly, thin whitish eye-ring, lack of bright rufous in the wings, and more muted facial pattern among other features.

Smith's Longspur - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

Occasionally the Smith's Longpsur landed on the road for a moment or two, and against the cold blue/gray of the asphalt the buffy tones of the bird were quite apparent.

Smith's Longspur - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

I did not manage any great photos showing the tail pattern, however it is partially visible in the following photo. Compared to Lapland Longpsur, Smith's Longspur has more extensive white along the edges of the tail.

Smith's Longspur - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

With a number of birds other than the Smith's Longspur feeding along the roadside only a few meters from our lenses, we took advantage of the situation and photographed the rest of the lot. Snow Bunting is an attractive species that I don't study enough, but with views like this it was much easier to appreciate their subtle beauty.

Snow Buntings - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

A couple of American Pipits were also located along the roadside at various locations. They looked a little cold in the snow but all seemed to be doing just fine.

American Pipit - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

A Savannah Sparrow on the other hand did not appear to be in the greatest condition, as it kept lifting its left foot as it stood in the snow. While individuals can survive the winter given suitable food sources, I can't imagine that these frigid conditions are easy on a species such as this.

Savannah Sparrow - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

The American Tree Sparrows however were much more at home - southern Ontario is a part of their core wintering range, and along with Dark-eyed Junco it is the most frequently encountered sparrow at this time of year.

American Tree Sparrow - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

Despite all the other distractions, the real reason we had driven to Long Point was of course to observe the Smith's Longspur, so our attention kept returning to this bird. It was an excellent opportunity to study this species, much more so than my previous sightings of Smith's Longpsur in Ontario, which consisted mostly of distant or fleeting glimpses of the birds found north of Hillman Marsh several spring's ago. This bird was much more confiding!

Smith's Longspur - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

It was a great find by Matt, Adam and Ron, the latest in a string of rarities that have been found across the province in the last month. Thanks, guys!

Smith's Longspur - Concession A near Long Point, Norfolk County

Thursday, 15 December 2016

Expedition to Netitishi - Days 3 and 4

Introduction and drive up - October 27 and 28, 2016
Days 1 and 2 - October 28 and 29, 2016
Days 3 and 4 - October 30 and 31, 2016
Days 5 and 6 - November 1 and 2, 2016
Days 7 and 8 - November 3 and 4, 2016
Days 9 and 10 - November 5 and 6, 2016
Days 11 and 12 - November 7 and 8, 2016
Days 13 and 14 - November 9 and 10, 2016
Days 15 and 16 - November 11 and 12, 2016
Days 17 and 18 - November 13 and 14, 2016

October 30, 2016
Weather: -2 to 5 to 1 degrees C, wind SW 10 km/h to WSW 15-20 km/hr, overcast, occasional light rain/snowflakes
38 species
eBird checklist here

Despite less than ideal weather conditions, some birds were flying past the coast including a dozen very distant Red-throated Loons, good numbers of scaup, and four flocks of Brant moving west along the coast. The day however will be remembered mostly for two bird sightings that came within a 15 minute period.

During the mid-afternoon, I was scanning the coast as the tide was receding, while Todd was walking around near the coast, collecting driftwood if I recall. Sitting back in my chair, I noticed three small, dark ducks flying to the east, right along the waterline which was only 100 m away from where I was sitting. I quickly got them in my scope and realized they were Harlequin Ducks, so I yelled at Todd to direct his attention to the coast. He noticed the birds and we watched them land only 50 m or so away from us, right along the shoreline! Waterbirds rarely land at Netitishi - what were the odds that the rarest birds of the trip so far happened to just sit there in the water, mere metres away!?

Harlequin Ducks - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

We ran out with our scopes, but they were not necessary as the ducks were content to slowly swim close to shore, occasionally preening. I positioned myself a little further down the coast and crouched down at the water's edge. Luckily the ducks continued paddling towards me and I was able to take a few photos from a decently close distance.

Harlequin Ducks - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

Harlequin Duck is currently on the Ontario Bird Records Committee review list for the Lowlands area, meaning that it is sufficiently rare enough that sightings should be documented and sent in to the committee. However, Harlequin Ducks do have a pattern of being seen in southern James Bay at this time of year - the only problem is that visits by birders are sporadic at best. Below are all of the Harlequin Duck sightings for the Lowlands area that have been accepted by the OBRC. As you can see, each of these records except the Hudson Bay record were from Netitishi Point.

1 at Netitishi Point on 17 October 1981 (R. Douglas McRae)
1 at Sutton River mouth, Kenora District, Hudson Bay on 26 September 1983
1 at Netitishi Point on 26 October 2012 (Alan Wormington, Josh Vandermeulen)
1 at Netitishi Point on 30 October 2012 (Alan Wormington, Josh Vandermeulen)
1 at Netitishi Point on 28 October 2013 (Josh Vandermeulen, Alan Wormington)

Harlequin Ducks - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

Including this sighting, each of five observations in southern James Bay fall between the window of October 17 and October 30. These birds more than likely breed further north up the James or Hudson Bay coasts, nesting near one of the fast flowing streams in that area. In recent years Harlequin Ducks have been showing up more regularly in small numbers on the lower Great Lakes, and sightings at Thunder Cape on Lake Superior are also becoming more frequent. There is a possibility that the Hudson/James Bay breeding Harlequin Ducks overwinter on the Great Lakes.

Eventually after 10 or 12 minutes the Harlequin Ducks had had enough and took off down the coast, hugging the shoreline until they were out of sight. It was a great way to kick off the trip!

Harlequin Ducks - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

The other highlight for the day occurred only 10 minutes after the Harlequin Ducks had flown off. Small flocks of Dunlins and Sanderlings had been flying back and forth along the mudflats, and with the tide most of the way in they were quite close and easy to get on with our scopes. While scanning one group of Dunlin flying to the left, I noticed a small, gray "peep" was flying with them and I quickly cranked up my scope's magnification to 60x. The bird had a dark rump, while it had been easy to see the white rump of the White-rumped Sandpipers that we had scoped earlier in the day. The peep had a relatively long, decurved bill, that while shorter than the nearby Dunlin, had a similar (though less pronounced) curvature. Unfortunately the sighting was somewhat brief and the bird did not reappear, but I am reasonably confident that it was a Western Sandpiper.

In the early afternoon, we heard the distant sound of a boat engine and shortly afterwards noticed a freighter canoe heading towards us from far to the west. Eventually the two guys brought the boat up the river mouth to an area where they could stow it just about the high tide mark. It was Norman Rickard, one of the brothers who runs the camp, and a younger guy by the name of Raymond. They were visiting just for one night to drop off some supplies before taking the boat back during high tide the following day. It was great to meet them, especially since I had only ever talked to Norman over the phone.

Norman and Raymond approaching by freighter canoe - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

A decent variety of passerines were around throughout the day, highlighted by 3 Bohemian Waxwings by the camp - these were my first ever Bohemians for Netitishi Point. We also found our first Purple Finch of the trip, while several Golden-crowned Kinglets and an American Pipit were still present.

October 31, 2016
Weather: 0 to 6 to 3 degrees C, wind S 5 km/h to SE 10 km/h, mostly clear skies and overcast by early evening, no precipitation
33 species
eBird checklist here

The tide had been shifting later by an hour each passing day and today it was scheduled for 4 PM or so. Therefore when we set out for the coast at dawn, with a slight breeze from the south, the sea was most of the way receded to the low tide mark.
The last day of October was certainly the most pleasant day of the trip so far. The morning was sunny and calm, and despite the slight chill in the air it felt great to be standing in the open landscape of the James Bay coast. I passed the time by scanning the flats from the sea-watching shelter, now reinforced with spruce boughs to block the wind and with the shrubbery in front of the shelter neatly trimmed down, enabling clean sight lines down the coast.

A few small flocks of shorebirds were present on the flats nicely illuminated by the low angle of sunlight provided at this time of year. Some gulls were also loafing and I eventually focused on a group of 70 plus Herring Gulls that had landed on a gravel bar near the low tide mark. One dark-mantled gull demanded further study. Despite the distance, I was reasonably confident of the identification of adult Lesser Black-backed Gull as the still, clean air led to great viewing conditions without any haze. I could make out the mantle colour and some streaking on the head, and was afforded with a nice size comparison with nearby Herring Gulls. As Todd returned and I got him on the bird, he agreed with my ID. We set off on foot - partly to try to get closer for better looks and photos, but also as for me it was an excuse to walk for a few kilometres and experience the vastness of the land from way out on the flats.

looking back at Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

It was a worthwhile walk, even as the Lesser Black-backed Gull flushed and seemingly vanished once we were 2/3 of the way to where it had been resting. We were fortunate in having some better views since we stopped several times along the walk to study the bird. It was a great decision regardless to walk out to where the gull was, even though I flooded one of my boots in the creek on the walk out, and flooded the other boot on the return trip! Todd and I scoped out the shorebirds feeding on the flats and were pleased to see at least 2 American Golden-Plovers with the 40+ Black-bellied Plovers. Certainly not unusual numbers for the time of year at Netitishi, though 40 Black-bellied and 2 American Golden-Plovers in southern Ontario at this time of year would be quite noteworthy. In addition to the shorebirds, I also scoped out a raptor perched on a snag way out on the flats to the west, which after some discussion we decided that it was a Merlin. Raptor identification is not always easy from 3 km away!

Todd scoping the coast - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

The birding during the rest of the day was relatively unremarkable; the wind stayed southerly and not much was migrating out over the bay. By the afternoon the temperature had risen to a balmy 6 degrees Celsius with very light, warm south winds and clear skies. However, as birders know well, beautiful days often are not the best days for finding birds, especially at a location like Netitishi which is dependent on strong winds, often associated with cold weather to bring the most interesting species. Todd and I patiently and dutifully kept watch, this time from the closest dune ridge by the high tide mark. Even on slow days some great birds have been seen at Netitishi - I think each of my three Northern Gannet sightings have come on relatively slow days, and the second Dovekie that Alan Wormington and Brandon Holden found in 2010 was on a day with southwest winds. You just never know when something preposterous will fly by, and it is worth it to keep watch as much as possible.

It felt inevitable that eventually we would see a Gyrfalcon or some other raptor species make the rounds, and while that did not happen, we did have a Northern Shrike come flying in and landing right beside us on some driftwood before realizing who or what we were. By the time I had my camera ready it was already a ways down the coast. The shrike was the only noteworthy sighting from the seawatch, however!

Northern Shrike - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District

Raymond and Norman planned to leave at high tide, but by 4:00 PM or so the tide had not reached their boat. Surely the south wind did not assist, as it had pushed the water back and as a result the sea was still 40-50 yards short of their boat. Norman approached to ask for out assistance, which Todd and I obliged. With Raymond's instruction,we laid out some "rollers" (round driftwood logs) spaced every 2 or 3 metres, to be used exactly how they sound. With all the gear unloaded from the boat, we each grabbed a corner and heaved the heavy wooden vessel toward the rollers. As Raymond remarked to Norman afterwards, it worked exactly as he said - he had some experience with this technique apparently! After two more rounds of this the boat was in the water, not before both Todd and I had flooded our boots. We hauled the rest of their gear out to the boat, including the spare outboard that Todd and I lugged, and by 4:45 PM they were on their way.

Loading up the canoe - Netitishi Point, Cochrane District (photo by Todd Hagedorn)

The birding had shut down for the day and it was late in the afternoon so we closed up shop and headed in for the night. We started a big fire in the wood stove and Todd lit a garbage fire while I cooked up dinner. We chopped some wood, had a whiskey drink or two and hit the hay after doing our notes.