Manitoba Fall Hawk Watch – 7 September 2024
Group 1. Luc Blanchette and Al Schritt
Luc and Al spent their time at Holo Crossing (also known at Windygates, in the Pembina Valley). Their eleven species of raptors was the highest of all the groups.
Group 2. Betty Loewen
Betty was new to the count and went solo, starting at Elma, driving west to Hwy. 59 and then south to St. Adolphe, before returning to Elma via Hwy. 15. She had a nice tally of Turkey Vultures.
Group 3. Garry Budyk and John Weier
Garry and John covered their usual route, from Winnipeg via Delta to Lynch Point. Their total species tally was 86, highest of all groups, although a bit lower than average. Best birds were Clark’s Grebe and a Great Egret.
Group 4. Rudolf Koes
Rudolf started at Beausejour and headed northeast to the Brightstone area, Lac du Bonnet, Pine Falls and back to Beausejour via Green Bay. He had a quiet day, other than for the usual large number of Turkey Vultures near the Brightstone Hutterite Colony. A flock of 60 Red-necked Phalaropes at Beausejour was noteworthy.
Group 5. Lindsey Bylo and Joel Kayer
Lindsey and Joel were new to the count and spent about four hours in the Carrot Valley near The Pas. They were the only ones to record Snow Goose and Ross’s Goose, plus Winter Wren and American Pipit.
Group 6. Cathy Swiderek and James Whitelaw
Cathy and James traveled via Birds Hill Park to Patricia Beach and then on to Grand Beach, Traverse Bay and Victoria Beach. They reported Sanderling, Eastern Bluebird and tallied eight species of warbler. They decided not the count the peacock they saw.
Group 7. Marlene Waldron, Ward Christianson
Ward and Marlene followed a route from Winnipeg to Argyle, West Shoal Lake, St. Ambroise and the PR. 227 dump. Highlights of their day were two Lesser Black-backed Gulls at the PR. 227 dump and a Black-throated Green Warbler.
Group 8. Katharine Schulz, Cathy Dewar
Katharine and Cathy drove west from Winnipeg to the vicinity of Portage la Prairie. Highlights of the day included a Marbled Godwit – a first for the route – and a prolonged interaction between about 36 magpies and two kestrels.
Group 9. Andy Courcelles and Gene Walz
Andy and Gene first visited Oak Hammock Marsh and then continued via Hwy. 8 to Hecla. They reported 11 species of raptor, including an American Goshawk, and were the only ones to see Common Loon. A sharpshin perched along a boardwalk was so tame, it allowed them to walk right by.
Group 10. Jo Swartz and Jan Bradley
Jo and Jan went out on Sunday, visiting Holo Crossing, where they spent a few hours, before continuing to Jackson Lake and the Kaleida Marshes. They were the only ones to record Peregrine Falcon and were also lucky to see two Say’s Phoebes.
Comments: Many thanks to all the participants and a hearty welcome to the new ones. While the counters seemed to have enjoyed the day, some of the raptor numbers were unusually low. Especially Red-tailed Hawks and to a lesser extent Northern Harriers were scarce. Passerine numbers and variety were also below average – perhaps the balmy weather prior to the count had allowed birds to linger on their breeding grounds.
The total number of species recorded during the day was 122.
Report by Rudolf Koes.