This is the second report from Jean Iron (she just phoned me in Toronto
from Moosonee) who's surveying shorebirds (as part of a larger study) along
the southwest coast of James Bay for the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources. James Bay is the southern extension of Hudson Bay. It cuts deep
into central Canada providing a route for tundra and boreal breeding
shorebirds. The west coast of James Bay is in the province of Ontario and
the east coast is in the province of Quebec, but the islands of James Bay
belong to Nunavut Territory. The Ontario coast of James Bay is very flat.
At low tide the feeding areas for shorebirds are immense. James Bay is one
of the most important subarctic staging areas for shorebirds in North
American. The numbers reported here are tiny considering the extent of the
coastline.
Shorebirds seen Friday at Shegogau which is 20 km north of the mouth of the
Moose River on James Bay in Ontario - GPS 0533358.
Black-bellied Plover, 1 adult
American Golden-Plover, 1 adult
Semipalmated Plover, 58 adults, 1 juvenile
Greater Yellowlegs, 97 adults and juveniles
Lesser Yellowlegs 75 adults and juveniles
Whimbrel, 3 adults
Hudsonian Godwit, 158 molting adults
Red Knot, 28 molting adults
Sanderling, 70 molting adults
Semipalmated Sandpiper, 2349, less than 5% juveniles
Least Sandpiper, 146 mostly juveniles
White-rumped Sandpiper, 1418 molting adults
Pectoral Sandpiper, 78 adults
Other birds of interest today were 16 Sandhill Cranes, 2 adult Arctic
Terns, 8 Yellow Rails (still actively calling), 35 Nelson's Sharp-tailed
Sparrows, 2 Le Conte's Sparrows, and 1 juvenile Northern Shrike.
Ron Pittaway
Minden & Toronto, Ontario, Canada
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
416-445-9297
P.S. I was out today at the Cannington Sewage Lagoons and saw my first
juvenile Solitary Sandpiper and juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher of the year.
