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20 Nov Re: Sora Rails ["Alfred Aug" ] 20 Nov Sora Rails ["Alfred Aug" ] 20 Nov Harlequin Ducks ["Rob Parsons" ] 20 Nov Re: American white pelicans [Liis Veelma ] 20 Nov birds at work ["rdemey2000" ] 20 Nov New images at the Nature Manitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 20 Nov American white pelicans [Garry Evans ] 20 Nov Facebook ["Darrell" ] 20 Nov Flicker on Grindstone and Eagles on Hecla ["aquila76ca" ] 19 Nov White-throated Sparrow [Gerald Machnee ] 19 Nov Northern Hawk Owls [Liis Veelma ] 19 Nov Re: Oak Hammock Marsh/Area Nov. 18 ["Rudolf Koes" ] 19 Nov song sparrow ["rdemey2000" ] 19 Nov Redpolls, WW Crossbills and Pine Siskins ["penner.carole" ] 19 Nov Re: Glaucous Gull ["Garry Budyk" ] 19 Nov New images at the Nature Manitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 19 Nov Oak Hammock Marsh/Area Nov. 18 [" Ken & Bev Gardner" ] 19 Nov ?+? Eagle ["Ray Iverson" ] 19 Nov Northern Shrike ["Carole Sangster" ] 18 Nov a tree full of birds ["rdemey2000" ] 18 Nov Re: Information request ["Rob Parsons" ] 18 Nov Re: Information request ["John Weier" ] 18 Nov another lingering warbler ["Rudolf Koes" ] 18 Nov Information request [Luc Blanchette ] 18 Nov Bald Eagle ["Dennis S" ] 18 Nov Bird Visitors at Fort Whyte ["stuartoikawa" ] 17 Nov Hawks, etc. [Dennis Fast ] 17 Nov Riding Mountain CBC ["Rudolf Koes" ] 17 Nov Glaucous Gulls ["Rudolf Koes" ] 17 Nov Late Kinglet [Richard Staniforth ] 17 Nov Waxwings [Gerald Machnee ] 16 Nov Seal River Report 3 (Final) [Dennis Fast ] 17 Nov Great Horned Owl Upload ["stuartoikawa" ] 16 Nov Possible Black-throated Gray Warbler ["Rob Parsons" ] 16 Nov Hooded Warbler ["Rob Parsons" ] 16 Nov Mallard ducks ["Linda" ] 16 Nov from Brandon ["Carole Sangster" ] 15 Nov Assiniboine Park [Emily Pipher ] 16 Nov Brandon Sewage Lagoon ["read4birding" ] 16 Nov Short-eared owls and hawks [christian artuso ] 15 Nov Lewis Road and Old 15 ["John Weier" ] 15 Nov Oak Hammock Marsh. ["wltwb" ] 15 Nov Mallards and more [Gerald Machnee ] 15 Nov Snowy Owls...matched pair ["Dennis S" ] 15 Nov Why did the Red-bellied Woodpecker cross the river? [christian artuso ] 15 Nov crossbills [Charlie McPherson ] 15 Nov Eagle, Hawk & Owl ["Linda" ] 15 Nov A six bird day. ["sheldonbowles" ] 14 Nov Oak Hammock ["Rob Parsons" ] 14 Nov Snowy Owls ["Dennis S" ] 14 Nov Orange-crowned Warbler ["Redmond Clarke" ] 14 Nov Red Bellied Woodpecker ["wltwb" ] 13 Nov New images at the Nature Manitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 13 Nov Seal River Report 2 [Dennis Fast ] 12 Nov Ivory Gull at Churchill!! ["bonie chartier" ] 12 Nov interaction between hawks and owls ["Deanna Dodgson" ] 13 Nov RE: Glaucous Gull and Meadowlarks [christian artuso ] 13 Nov Glaucous Gull and Meadowlarks ["Richard" ] 12 Nov Uploads - Great Horned Owl and Red-bellied Woodpecker ["stuartoikawa" ] 11 Nov New to Winnipeg [Emily Pipher ] 11 Nov Re: Oak Hammock Short-eared Owls ( location correction ) ["Garry Budyk" ] 11 Nov Oak Hammock Short-eared Owls ["Garry Budyk" ] 12 Nov Another trip to Winnipeg ["Ruth" ] 12 Nov ...new photos... ["Dennis S" ] 11 Nov Varied Thrush and others ["wltwb" ] 11 Nov Re: Varied Thrush ["Garry Budyk" ] 9 Nov Varied Thrush ["Rudolf Koes" ] 11 Nov Townsend's Solitaire Update ["krosney" ] 10 Nov Red-bellied Woodpecker lingers [christian artuso ] 09 Nov Snowy [Gerald Machnee ] 9 Nov Carolina Wren addendum ["Richard Silverman" ] 9 Nov Carolina Wren ["Richard Silverman" ] 9 Nov Snow buntings ["Duncan, James (CON)" ] 09 Nov Red-bellied Woodpecker ["Ruth" ] 09 Nov yard birds ["Carole Sangster" ] 9 Nov Assiniboine Park [christian artuso ] Subject: Re: Sora Rails From: "Alfred Aug" <alfred.a AT mts.net> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:41:59 -0600 I forgot to mention I added a photo of one of the rails to my album. Alfred Aug Winnipeg [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Sora Rails From: "Alfred Aug" <alfred.a AT mts.net> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:32:18 -0600 Two Sora Rails were foraging near some open water on a mostly frozen pond in Fort Whyte this afternoon. It's the pond on the east side of the parking lot. Cheers, Alfred Aug Winnipeg [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Harlequin Ducks From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:23:18 -0600 Hi all, There were two female-plumaged Harlequin Ducks at Victoria Beach today (Friday, November 20), right near the pier. (About 2:00 P.M.) They were very tolerant of my presence, showing little reaction, and were, indeed, so close it was hard to focus the scope on them. Other than that, Victoria Beach was very quiet. I saw six Buffleheads and a Common Merganser. Similarly, Grand Beach with 25 Buffleheads and four Common Mergansers, and Patricia Beach with one Common Merganser were likewise thin on birds. I did see 6 Herring Gulls at Victoria Beach and perhaps 15 more at Grand Beach, but the beaches are certainly not hopping with birds. Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: Re: American white pelicans From: Liis Veelma <lveelma AT mts.net> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:08:33 -0600 The two Pelicans are still at the foot of the Red River diversion Nov 20 afternoon, viewed from River Road near Cats on the Red. Liis Veelma Winnipeg MB Subject: birds at work From: "rdemey2000" <rdemey2000 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:51:10 -0000 Today at work a northern flicker passed through where I work. Also I saw a rough legged hawk pass by. On the way to work I saw a great blue heron. At work there were 7 american goldfinches which seem that they might stay for the winter. Rick from Eden Subject: New images at the Nature Manitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:42:30 -0800 (PST) I have just added Ryan Porteous' Yellow-headed Blackbird pictures at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/YHBL_09.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Canada Toolbar: Search from anywhere on the web, and bookmark your favourite sites. Download it now http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com. Subject: American white pelicans From: Garry Evans <gefeathers AT yahoo.com> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:52:09 -0800 (PST) Driving to the city from Matlock Thurs. aft., I spotted 2 AW pelicans swimming in the Red as I crossed over the bridge at Lockport. Aggressive RB nuthatches cont. to enjoy the feeders in Matlock. There is a large flock of Snow buntings that seem to be hanging around the rocks at the end of Warner Rd. in Matlock.   Rgds,   GE  __________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Canada Toolbar: Search from anywhere on the web, and bookmark your favourite sites. Download it now http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Facebook From: "Darrell" <darrellneufeld AT gmail.com> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:52:10 -0000 Hi All. Started a new Facebook group about birding in Manitoba,feel free to join. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=name&id=1437829660#/group.php?gid=199192721680&ref=mf Darrell Neufeld, Wpg.Mb. Subject: Flicker on Grindstone and Eagles on Hecla From: "aquila76ca" <heather.hinam AT heclaoasis.com> Date: Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:42:13 -0000 Hi all, On my drive in to work today, I spotted a northern flicker on the Grindstone Rd, somewhere around mile 8 and there are still 6 or more mature bald eagles hanging around on Hecla Island. One is always near the causeway. The others are usually just north of the village in the tops of the tall spruce near the water. Heather Hinam Grindstone, MB. Subject: White-throated Sparrow From: Gerald Machnee <machneeg AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:39:25 -0600 Today, Nov 19, we had a White-throated Sparrow near our feeders. Gerald Machnee Lockport Subject: Northern Hawk Owls From: Liis Veelma <lveelma AT mts.net> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:11:13 -0600 Today, Thursday November 19, we saw three Northern Hawk Owls [two on Maple Creek Road -- east end of first E-W stretch & a few kilometers north of there just past the powerline, plus one on PR 304, east of the turn toward Stead]. Liis Veelma Winnipeg MB Subject: Re: Oak Hammock Marsh/Area Nov. 18 From: "Rudolf Koes" <rkoes AT mts.net> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:29:54 -0600 Hello all, Like Ken, I visited OHM today (mid to late afternoon Thursday 19 Nov). From the main mound I could see 16 Tundra Swans, a pintail, a wigeon, about 30 L. Scaup, 1 Gr. Scaup and 3 coots, plus numerous Canada Geese and Mallards, plus 2 Black Ducks. I also found the 3 blackbird species mentioned by Ken, plus eagles, a few roughlegs and 2 Snowies. Most notable was a Pileated Woodpecker which was making its way west along Rd. 83 N (which is just west of the marsh). This is a first for me in the area. In the same area and along Rd 12 E I did see 2 Short-eared Owls, right at dusk. Cheers, Rudolf Koes, Winnipeg. ----- Original Message ----- From: " Ken & Bev Gardner" To: "Manitoba Birds" Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2009 2:16 PM Subject: [Manitobabirds] Oak Hammock Marsh/Area Nov. 18 > Hi All, > > Quite a while since I'd been to the Hammock so took a drive there > yesterday, never found the Short-eared Owls reported there recently but > had some other good sightings. > Raptors included Bald Eagle (4), Northern Harrier (1), Rough-legged Hawk > (9) as well as one Snowy Owl. As far as waterfowl go, I encountered only > about 300+ Mallards spread around on the various creeks/ditches but am > sure there were probably a lot more in the Marsh itself. Several thousand > Canada Geese were leaving the Marsh (all at the south end) to feed in the > fields in late afternoon; probably some Cackling Geese in the mix but I > was unable to identify any. > Found some of the blackbirds reported recently at the Bison feedlot > including 10+ Red-winged Blackbirds and a single each of Yellow-headed > Blackbird (male) & Rusty Blackbird. They were in a loose concentration > with European Starlings (10+) & House Sparrows (30+). > Other interesting species were a single Sharp-tailed Grouse, 30+ Snow > Buntings & 12 Common Redpolls. > Black-billed Magpie (1) & Common Raven (8) rounded out the 16 species > found in that particular area. > > Enjoy ! > Ken Gardner, > Grosse Isle, Mb. > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > Subject: song sparrow From: "rdemey2000" <rdemey2000 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:39:35 -0000 While checking out a beaver dam this morning I heard a bird and checked it out. It was a song sparrow. Rick from Eden Subject: Redpolls, WW Crossbills and Pine Siskins From: "penner.carole" <penner.carole AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 22:48:22 -0000 Today I had 2 common redpolls, 4 white winged crossbills and 8 pine siskins in the yard. The redpolls were trying desperately to get a chance at the nyger feeders, but the siskins are quite the little hogs (and bullies). The crossbills were only interested in a drink, and visited the fishpond several times. Also in the yard for the last couple of days are 2 juncos. Had 3 goldfinches a couple of days ago, but they have not returned today. We also have one very friendly red-breasted nuthatch visiting the feeder regularly as well as a hairy woodpecker. Oddly, no chickadees, wb nuthatches or downies. On a quick jaunt along a 2 mile square around the farm last weekend I saw a female and a male snowy owl, as well as 2 northern harriers, 1 rough-legged hawk, and several ravens. I think there's a pretty good crop of rodents this fall for them, given the number I've seen in my yard! Our great horned owls are seeming quite content these days also. Good birding! Carole Penner Starbuck Subject: Re: Glaucous Gull From: "Garry Budyk" <callgud AT shaw.ca> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:36:28 -0600 John Weier and I tracked down a Glaucous Gull at Brady Landfill this afternoon . It was a " paler juvenile ' as shown in Sibley , with some very light brownish on the wings , the bicoloured bill and white primaries which we had a great look at when it did a wing stretch for us . We saw it on the north ridge of the "mountain" , viewed from the access road parallel to the Perimeter Hwy . Also in the area were 3 Rough-legs , one Red-tail , four Bald Eagles and a DC Cormorant at Fort Whyte . Cheers , Garry Budyk Winnipeg MB http://imagesofmanitoba.shawwebspace.ca/photos/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: New images at the Nature Manitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:34:06 -0800 (PST) I have just posted new images from Dennis Swayze: 1) Snowy Owls at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/SNOW_09.htm 2) Bald Eagle at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/BAEA_09.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! Canada Toolbar: Search from anywhere on the web, and bookmark your favourite sites. Download it now http://ca.toolbar.yahoo.com. Subject: Oak Hammock Marsh/Area Nov. 18 From: " Ken & Bev Gardner" <kbgardner AT highspeedcrow.ca> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:16:26 -0600 Hi All, Quite a while since I'd been to the Hammock so took a drive there yesterday, never found the Short-eared Owls reported there recently but had some other good sightings. Raptors included Bald Eagle (4), Northern Harrier (1), Rough-legged Hawk (9) as well as one Snowy Owl. As far as waterfowl go, I encountered only about 300+ Mallards spread around on the various creeks/ditches but am sure there were probably a lot more in the Marsh itself. Several thousand Canada Geese were leaving the Marsh (all at the south end) to feed in the fields in late afternoon; probably some Cackling Geese in the mix but I was unable to identify any. Found some of the blackbirds reported recently at the Bison feedlot including 10+ Red-winged Blackbirds and a single each of Yellow-headed Blackbird (male) & Rusty Blackbird. They were in a loose concentration with European Starlings (10+) & House Sparrows (30+). Other interesting species were a single Sharp-tailed Grouse, 30+ Snow Buntings & 12 Common Redpolls. Black-billed Magpie (1) & Common Raven (8) rounded out the 16 species found in that particular area. Enjoy ! Ken Gardner, Grosse Isle, Mb. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: ?+? Eagle From: "Ray Iverson" <iverson AT mts.net> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:41:21 -0600 Hi all.This morning i saw a Mature Bald Eagle eating something in the ditch on the east side of Sturgeon Road about 100 yards south of Saskatchewan Avenue. Ray Iverson [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Northern Shrike From: "Carole Sangster" <mcsang2 AT mts.net> Date: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:32:48 -0000 Hello all There was a Northern Shrike in our yard terrorizing all the little birds. It was intersting as there was a Hairy Woodpecker on the suet that did not pay any attention to the shrike - she continued to have her breakfast. Murray & Carole Brandon Subject: a tree full of birds From: "rdemey2000" <rdemey2000 AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:15:46 -0000 This morning when I arrived at the workshop, I heard a variety of birds in a mountain ash tree. In the tree I saw cedar waxwings, american goldfinches, dark eyed juncos and the biggest surprise was a yellow rumped warbler. I nice way to start the work morning. Rick DeMey at Eden. Subject: Re: Information request From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:10:19 -0600 Hi Luc, and anyone else interested, I have tried without success for the Carolina Wren on at least 6 occasions--I often take my lunch break there! You don't ask about it, but I have also failed to see the Assiniboine Park Red-bellied Woodpecker at least 5 times. Note that Christian Artuso reported it on the north side of the Assiniboine River recently. I will probably try again for both, especially now that it looks like I'm finished working. If I succeed with either, I will definitely post. I haven't made any attempt for the Varied Thrush or Townsend's Solitaire. Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: Re: Information request From: "John Weier" <jweier AT mts.net> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:38:46 -0600 Hi Luc, I stopped in at Mazenod Pond on Sunday to see if the Greylag/domestic goose was still there. It was not. The last time it was reported, I believe, was November 7. John ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Weier 239 Bartlet Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3L 0Z5 204 284 5313 jweier AT mts.net www.poets.ca/johnweier [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: another lingering warbler From: "Rudolf Koes" <rkoes AT mts.net> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:42:23 -0600 Hello all, During a late morning walk (Wednesday 18 Nov.) I heard, then saw, a Yellow-rumped Warbler along Kildonan Drive, Winnipeg. Cheers, Rudolf Koes [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Information request From: Luc Blanchette <luc_jg_blanchette AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:28:10 -0800 (PST) Bonjour! After too many busy weeks, I will finally be able to go to Winnipeg and the area this weekend. I was wondering what were the statuses about the nice rarities in and around Winnipeg: Mazenod pond's Greylag Goose; Dufresne's Towsend's Solitaire; Rossmere Crescent's Varied Thrush; and Wellington Crescent's Carolina Wren. If somebody has spotted the birds of late (or has not spotted them for a while) , please let me know. Thank you!   Luc Blanchette St-Jean-Baptiste Offrez un compte Flickr Pro à vos amis et à votre famille. http://www.flickr.com/gift/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Bald Eagle From: "Dennis S" <photosdennis AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:25:03 -0000 Yesterday 3 km. South of Beausejour Mb.on Hwy. 302 gave good views of a Bald Eagle on carrion. The Eagle was being harassed by a Magpie and Raven. A couple photos have been added to my album. Cheers ! Dennis S Subject: Bird Visitors at Fort Whyte From: "stuartoikawa" <icemn_19 AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 03:53:08 -0000 Hi All, In the past few days I have seen a pileated woodpecker in various locations at Fort Whyte...second pond with boardwalk south of the Interpretive Centre, and along the north trail route. Also, yesterday, I was treated to a slim view of a Swainson's Thrush as it hopped along the ground and perched on low branches in the forest west of the north trail route within view of the newly completed office buildings. Cheers, Stuart Oikawa Subject: Hawks, etc. From: Dennis Fast <denroy AT mts.net> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:21:03 -0600 Last night, a short ride with Clark Penner gave us a Short-eared Owl and a Great Horned near Kleefeld. The SEOW was dive-bombing the perched GHOW, squawking all the while - quite a show. Bald Eagles are also around in reasonable numbers. This morning at least two dozen American Goldfinches, 6 Common Redpolls and several Pine Siskins graced our feeders. A quick trip to Winnipeg today revealed a Red-tailed Hawk near Kleefeld, and a Rough-legged Hawk near Niverville. Cheers, Dennis www.dennisfast.com Dennis Fast Box 151 Kleefeld, MB R0A 0V0 (204) 377-4455 denroy AT mts.net Subject: Riding Mountain CBC From: "Rudolf Koes" <rkoes AT mts.net> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:56:50 -0600 Hello all, The Riding Mountain Christmas Bird Count is on 22 December, in case anyone is interested. Contact Jennifer Gustafson 204-848-7226 or jennifer.gustafson AT pc.gc.ca Cheers, Rudolf Koes. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Glaucous Gulls From: "Rudolf Koes" <rkoes AT mts.net> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:31:14 -0600 Hello all, A check of the Brady Road dump this afternoon (Tuesday 17 Nov.) revealed two Glaucous Gulls. One was hunkered down with hundreds of Herring and Ring-billed Gulls SE of the dump. This was a very white bird. While I was scoping it, a sandy-coloured bird flew over, allowing good looks. More gulls were in a field just north of the Perimeter, but no rarities there. A couple of Bald Eagles and a roughleg kept things stirred up, so the gulls moved around from field to field. Cheers, Rudolf Koes, Winnipeg. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Late Kinglet From: Richard Staniforth <richard_staniforth AT yahoo.ca> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:34:45 -0800 (PST) Hi ManitobaBirders We had a late Ruby-crowned Kinglet working its way through the spent flowers and shrubs in our flower garden, this afternoon. The domestic greylag flew into Mazenod Pond with a about 130 Cackling and Canada Geese this morning. It was absent during our last two visits. Richard Staniforth Elmwood, Winnipeg __________________________________________________________________ Connect with friends from any web browser - no download required. Try the new Yahoo! Canada Messenger for the Web BETA at http://ca.messenger.yahoo.com/webmessengerpromo.php [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Waxwings From: Gerald Machnee <machneeg AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:32:00 -0600 On Monday, Nov 16 there were 11 Bohemian Waxwings in our neighbour's crabapple tree. we had 4 Pine Grosbeaks and one Evening Grosbeak in our flowering crabapple tree. We had two Red-breasted Nuthatches along with the White-breasted and the Chickadees, Blue Jays, Goldfinches, and Juncos. Carol and Gerald Machnee Lockport Subject: Seal River Report 3 (Final) From: Dennis Fast <denroy AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:28:04 -0600 Hi All, I got home late last night but thought I should file one last report for Seal River Lodge. I finally did get good looks at a few Rock Ptarmigan on the 14th. An adult Glaucous Gull, a Snowy Owl and a grey phase Gyrfalcon completed the day. Meanwhile, back at home, the Eurasian Collared-Dove is still visiting. We also have numerous American Goldfinches, some Pine Siskins, a few Common Redpolls and too many House Sparrows! While I was away I had a call about a Townsend's Solitaire that visited Ted & Emmy Wiens's yard a few days ago. They had good looks at it before it disappeared. Cheers, Dennis www.dennisfast.com Dennis Fast Box 151 Kleefeld, MB R0A 0V0 (204) 377-4455 denroy AT mts.net Subject: Great Horned Owl Upload From: "stuartoikawa" <icemn_19 AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:52:20 -0000 Another view of a Great Horned Owl, uploaded to my photo album here. Taken in South Winnipeg on November 10/09. Cheers, Stuart Oikawa, Winnipeg Subject: Possible Black-throated Gray Warbler From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:01:55 -0600 Hi all, When I came home from work today, my mother told me she had seen what was either a Black-throated Gray Warbler or a Black-and-white Warbler. She was doing yard work and saw this bird underneath a spruce tree on the east side of our driveway. It was black-and white striped, and had a black throat. She thought the facial pattern looked more like the Black-throated Gray Warbler (although she couldn't say she saw the yellow spot--mind you, she didn't have binoculars), but when she looked at the range map and saw it looked like it was normally far to the southwest, she decided maybe she'd been mistaken. However, since Black-and-white Warblers are rather unexpected so late in November, and since Black-throated Gray Warblers have a well documented tendency to turn up in the east in late fall & early winter, I'm not dismissing it. It's no weirder than a Hooded Warbler! I'm considering going into work late tomorrow morning and having a look around. (I'd have looked when I got home, but it was already dark!) Even if it is a Black-throated Gray Warbler, there's a good chance it'll be long gone. However, anyone wishing to try for it is welcome. My address is 68 Thatcher Drive (on the corner with Agassiz Drive) in south Fort Garry between Bishop Grandin Boulevard & the U of Manitoba. Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: Hooded Warbler From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:28:22 -0600 Hi all, While working in the backyard of a house on Wellington Crescent today (Monday, November 16), I was surprised to see quite a green bird fly past me. Since most potential candidates are warblers and since most (or all?) of those are not at all to be expected in Manitoba in November, I dropped what I was doing and hurried after it. I saw it land on the ground in the yard next door and was impressed by its bright yellow underparts. I briefly thought Yellow Warbler, then Wilson's, but then I noticed how the yellow extended up in a curve over the eye. I then thought "Omigawd, it's a Hooded!" (Female/immature plumage.) It frequently flicked its tail in a redstart-like manner, and showed very noticeable white spots on the tail--I didn't realize that was a good field mark for Hooded until I was able to check a field guide later. My impression of the green upperparts was that they were much brighter a green than what any of the field guides I've looked in indicate. It's probably not chaseable, and I probably shouldn't give a location that's on private property, but as it happens, I know the house in the next door yard is empty. (Both the yard I was in & the empty home next door are our customers.) So, if you're interested, e-mail me privately & I'll give you the address. Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: Mallard ducks From: "Linda" <linda_pearn AT umanitoba.ca> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:33:19 -0000 Annelies & I went to Oak Hammock today - on a hunt for Snowy Owls which we did not see. En route, we had a very good look at a Bald Eagle. At the bison compound on 84N, we saw both Red-winged and Yellow-headed blackbirds. Farther along 84N in a field on the south side, there were easily ten thousand mallards on the ground and flying in from the south-east. What a sight!! Linda Pearn Old St. Vital, Winnipeg Subject: from Brandon From: "Carole Sangster" <mcsang2 AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:00:57 -0000 Hi all On a walk to Turtle Crossing Park yesterday we saw a red-tailed hawk. It was around a deer carcass. Today we had at least 3 American Goldfinch at our feeders, also a Purple Finch, a Pileated woodpecker and a Dark-eyed Junco in the yard. Murray & Carole Sangster Brandon Subject: Assiniboine Park From: Emily Pipher <enpipher AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:27:27 -0600 Decided to head to Assiniboine Park to see what sort of birds I could kick up. Was hoping to see some of the crossbills and redpolls that people have been seeing there lately, but no luck. Tons of chickadees and WB nutchatches in the English Garden, as well as a lone dark-eyed junco and white-throated sparrow. The chickadees were exceedingly friendly, and I managed to coax one to my hand a couple times with a bit of pishing. No sign of the red-bellied woodpecker, but saw a hairy right next to the conservatory. -Emily Pipher Master's student Natural Resources Institute University of Manitoba [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Brandon Sewage Lagoon From: "read4birding" <merlineco AT westman.wave.ca> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:44:05 -0000 Was checking out the center and west cells of the Brandon Sewage Lagoon this afternoon, both sites which retain open water longer than water bodies in the area. This was a followup to what I had seen there on Friday; there are still 8 species of ducks and 2 species of geese present: Cackling Goose - about 75 or so among the Canadas. Canada Goose - still about 2500 Mallard - 15 Northern Shoveler - counted 90 but may have been some overlap (still present no doubt to the abundance of fine cuisine especially in the center cell) Canvasback - a hen remains with the Redheads Redhead - still 26, mostly drakes Ring-necked Duck - 8 or 9, mostly this year's birds Lesser Scaup - 50, the sexes evenly split Common Goldeneye - 22, mostly hens and first year birds Hooded Merganser - the first year drake still present with the Goldeneyes. An adult White-winged Scoter present in the W cell on Nov 1 has not since been seen. Unfortunately this species is seldom seen in Westman now. Cal Cuthbert Brandon Subject: Short-eared owls and hawks From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:09:14 +0000 After seeing Garry’s post then Rob’s, I just couldn’t resist a dusk crawl around Oak Hammock. I found 5 Short-eared Owls, 1 Snowy Owl, 1 Great Horned Owl, and 2 Rough-legged Hawks. I also saw a single flyby Red-winged Blackbird. Still many waterfowl present including one Northern Shoveller. After this morning’s screech, this made for a 4 owl day, although I got less work done than planned! In response to Deanna’s earlier question, I would say that at times of the year when Short-eared Owls become partly diurnal (and also since they are often active earlier at dusk than many other owl species), interactions between Short-eared Owls and harriers are not at all uncommon. In many ways they have similar hunting styles and prey preferences and have other co-evolutionary features such as the “facial disk”. It is hardly surprising that they see each other as competitor’s for limited resources and may attempt to exercise interspecific territoriality. Short-eareds are a gusty bird and have been observed dive bombing much larger diurnal raptors. I recall once witnessing behaviour that was very similar to what you described but the interaction was between an Asian species called Pallid Harrier and a Short-eared Owl in western India. Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Friends get your Flickr, Yelp, and Digg updates when they e-mail you. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691817 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: Manitobabirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com Manitobabirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Manitobabirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Lewis Road and Old 15 From: "John Weier" <jweier AT mts.net> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:58:08 -0600 Garry Budyk and I drove out to Bradey Dump this morning to see if we could find that Glaucous Gull. No luck. Later in the morning I headed out Hwy 15 toward Elma to see what I could find. Most notable were the four different flocks of White-winged Crossbills I found on Old Hwy 15 and Lewis Road. Notable as well was the Golden Eagle that flew over while I was watching the crossbills at the southern end of Lewis Road. I had the scope set up to watch the crossbills and for some reason I turned from the scope and looked up. There was the eagle directly above me, for fifteen seconds and then it was gone. It was a very black bird apart from the golden head. No white in the wings at all, and even the tail looked largely black. John ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Weier 239 Bartlet Avenue Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3L 0Z5 204 284 5313 jweier AT mts.net www.poets.ca/johnweier [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Oak Hammock Marsh. From: "wltwb" <bdjjsau AT shaw.ca> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:32:53 -0000 While at the marsh today we saw a few yellow headed blackbirds. Is this a little late for them to be around still? We also observed eagles,rough legged hawks, snowy owls, tundra swans, lots of geese and thousands of mallard ducks Bob and Donna Saunders Subject: Mallards and more From: Gerald Machnee <machneeg AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:35:35 -0600 Today we took a drive around Oak Hammock. First we went north on rd #12. A half mile west of the north end of the road was an immature Snowy owl perched on farm equipment. From there we saw a small cloud of birds near the buffalo on rd#83. So we drove west, north and back east to check them out. There were hundreds if not over a thousand Mallards around the drainage ditch. Then they flew east towards Oak Hammock where we saw them again. We saw a Bald Eagle at the nest north of rd #83, then another one and two Ravens feeding on road kill a mile north of #67 on Rd #10. There were a couple of unidentified Hawks soaring in the distance. Near rd #11 on #67 was a hawk perched on the tall hydro towers. I may get an ID after checking the camera. When we got home we encountered along lost stranger - a single Evening Grosbeak was feeding on the ground near the feeders after an absence of many years. Carol and Gerald Machnee Lockport Subject: Snowy Owls...matched pair From: "Dennis S" <photosdennis AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:45:29 -0000 If I wasn't able to see both birds at the same time...I would have thought it was one in the same. The matched pair of Snowies seen West of Springstein Mb. has been posted to my album. Cheers ! Dennis S Subject: Why did the Red-bellied Woodpecker cross the river? From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:14:31 +0000 The female Red-bellied Woodpecker is proving a bit tricky to find unless you're lucky, perhaps because she ranges fairly widely. I seem to see her only every other day. This morning she put on a good show on Deer Lodge Place, which is directly across the river from Assiniboine Park, just east of the footbridge. Again, listen for her call. For the record I posted a few photos at: http://artusobirds.blogspot.com/2009/11/red-bellied-woodpecker.html Assiniboine Park was fairly quiet this morning. There were no White-winged Crossbills, White-throated Sparrows, or American Goldfinches early this morning, which I have seen daily for the last week. I did find a small flock of Common Redpolls and a bonus Eastern Screech-Owl. Now, can anyone find a Yellow-throated Warbler like the one in Moose Jaw? Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ Eligible CDN College & University students can upgrade to Windows 7 before Jan 3 for only $39.99. Upgrade now! http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691819 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: crossbills From: Charlie McPherson <charliemac25 AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:25:59 -0600 I had a flock of white-winged crossbills land up top the huge white spruce in the back yard yesterday. Other than that, I've got a few usual winter birdies. There is a dirth in the land birdwise here...I've been phoning a friend in Texas just to vicarioiusly see his..... After viewing c artuso's pic of the brambling on the M'nature rare bird photo page I'm thinking that there's a good chance the bird I saw at the McKenzie homestead on McKenzie Rd in the RM of St Andrews a while back was a brambling. It certainly was solitary. It had more orange on the breast than c a's female - perhaps a male. Anyway, again, I think it was....perhaps it was...maybe it was....I hope it was...whatever it was...I WANT IT TO BE BRAMBLING....... Oh groan.. Charlie McPherson Whytewold _________________________________________________________________ Eligible CDN College & University students can upgrade to Windows 7 before Jan 3 for only $39.99. Upgrade now! http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691819 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Eagle, Hawk & Owl From: "Linda" <linda_pearn AT umanitoba.ca> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:05:46 -0000 I saw my first snowy owl of the fall on Saturday, Nov 14th on a dirt portion of 8E just north and west of LaSalle (N49 43.017 W97 16.624). Speaking to a local resident, he said there is usually one there every year. An adult bald eagle sat in a tree smack dab in the middle of a section of land east of 8E - directly south of the Central Veterinary Clinic on the south Perimeter.- - so closest views were 1/2 mile away. Rough-legged hawk - north side of perimeter at junction with PR330. Beautiful views as it saw on the wires and poles and then flew over the field to the north. Was able to see most of the diagnostic features - dark wrists, pale patches on upper wing, dark band at base of tail. Linda Subject: A six bird day. From: "sheldonbowles" <sheldonbowles AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 05:28:06 -0000 It is with some great trepidation that I report on our trip today to the Delta Marsh. After seeing the lists others post of the seemingly endless species seen in one day, our six bird day hardly seems worth reporting. Nevertheless we were pleased with the six. The day began by heading out #26 to Portage la Prairie thinking the northern route, closer to the Assiniboine River, might be a good birding route. Not! We traveled the whole length of the road, from just west of Headingly to P la P and spotted only one bird --- a Raven. Our disappointment was not helped by a cell phone call from Dennis Swayze telling us he was awash in snowy owls south west of Winnipeg. (Well, one snowy owl actually, but when all you've seen in 60 miles of driving is one Raven a single snowy is bonanza, I assure you.) After lunch in P la P we headed north to Delta, hoping, expecting, to see at least some geese and a few lingering ducks. Nada. Zip. Zilch. We walked the board walk through the marsh and the closest we got to seeing any birds were the ones on the information boards. I was tempted to photograph them. Not a goose, not a duck, not even a sparrow. However, when we left the marsh and drove along behind the cottages/homes along the lake, what to our wondering eyes did appear but at Pine Grosbeak which landed in a tree just ahead. I stopped and Penny had a fine view of the bird perhaps 10 feet from her window. Buoyed by this beautiful bird we headed to the beach park area where a Great Blue Heron flew slowly along the beach heading west where it landed perhaps 800 feet away in the shallows. We walked east along the beach to have a look around the point, and there, floating serenely, again perhaps 800 feet away, was a Tundra Swan. On our way back down to Portage, on a telephone wire was an American Kestrel and, as we crossed over the overpass linking Portage to the TransCanada on the east side of town a Snowy Owl flew across the overpass, just ahead of us, and landed on top of one of the pine trees in the Highway Department's mid-road planting. So, there you have it all you 65-species-in-a-day folk. We had six. A Raven, a Pine Grosbeak, a Great Blue Heron, a Tundra Swan, an American Kestrel and a Snowy Owl. Not a long list, but one which, for us, made the day a great success. Sheldon Bowles Winnipeg and Ste Agathe Subject: Oak Hammock From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:50:38 -0600 Hi all, I had a late start to birding this afternoon (Saturday, Nov 14) and, after a short period where I (again) dipped on the Red-bellied Woodpecker at Assiniboine Park, headed for Oak Hammock. I didn't have a huge variety of species. Only one species of goose (Canada) and only two species of ducks, but one (American Black Duck) was a year bird for me. I saw three of them in amongst the thousand or so Mallards. (Most of the latter were immediately SW of the bison enclosure, although the Blacks were at the north end of Road 12 E.) Four Rough-legged Hawks & a Northern Harrier were my only diurnal raptors, other than 4 Bald Eagles together, presumably attracted to carrion. I saw no Snowy Owls at Oak Hammock itself, but did see one perched on a road sign on Route 90, north of Inkster on my way up. My best birds of the day, however, were 2 Short-eared Owls where Road 12 E reaches its northern limit at the ditch. They were with one of the Rough-legs and the harrier, right where Garry Budyk & Deanna Dodgson described--thanks Garry & Deanna for posting them! Over the years, I've seen Short-eared Owls in Manitoba in every month of the year except November. This was therefore a welcome sighting, doubly so as it was also new for the year! Passerines were essentially non-existent. I saw no blackbirds at the bison enclosure, for example. The only species I did see there was European Starling. Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: Snowy Owls From: "Dennis S" <photosdennis AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:48:21 -0000 Nice to see that some Snowies have drifted South of Oak Hammock. Today's trip out Springstein/Starbuck way found a nearly white male on Hwy. 424 near the railway track at Springstein. This fellow was very approachable and gave time for many photos before take flight to a pole on 54N-west of 424. A 2nd. nearly white snowy is seen on 4 W just North of 54N. These two males could be twins. Both have a few dark specks on the wings and on the head...at 4W & 54N both birds could be seen. Will post some photos soon. Cheers ! Dennis S Subject: Orange-crowned Warbler From: "Redmond Clarke" <rmclarke AT mts.net> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:33:59 -0600 Yesterday an Orange-crowned Warbler foraged briefly in the garden. Other less regular birds were an American Robin, Brown Creeper and American Goldfinch. Cheers, Red R. McV. Clarke 211 Victoria Crescent Winnipeg Manitoba R2M 1X6 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Red Bellied Woodpecker From: "wltwb" <bdjjsau AT shaw.ca> Date: Sat, 14 Nov 2009 18:26:37 -0000 We were at the English Gardens this morning at approx 11:00 and found the RBW in the trees to the south west corner as you enter the gardens. We also saw White Winged Crossbills, Brown Creeper, Red Breasted and White Breasted nuthatches, American Goldfinches, BC Chickadees, Hairy Woodpeckers. Another beautiful day for birdwatching. Bob and Donna Saunders Subject: New images at the Nature Manitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:57:53 -0800 (PST) I have just added three new images from Deanna Dodgson at: Chipping Sparrow at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/CHSP_09.htm Dark-eyed Junco at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/DEJU_09a.htm Yellow-rumped Warbler at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/YRWA_09a.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/ Subject: Seal River Report 2 From: Dennis Fast <denroy AT mts.net> Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 8:03:08 -0600 Hi All, I hope this gets through - it was written yesterday, but I could not get on the internet: After not being able to make it to Cape Tatnum because of weather, I am happy to say that I have made it back to Seal River Lodge. The bears have been fantastic, but the birds haven't been too bad either. The first few days were rather quiet, but the birding has picked up lately. Apparently 4 Arctic Terns flew by the lodge on Sunday, November 8th, just two days before I arrived. On the first day here (Nov. 10th) I saw a Common Raven, some Willow Ptarmigan  and a lone immature Herring Gull. November 11th has often featured startling birds for me while up here, and yesterday was no exception. While having lunch, an immature Yellow-rumped Warbler dropped by for a visit! It sat on the snow under the main picture window for a bit and then flew circles around the lodge several times. I couldn't manage a photo in spite of several attempts, and after about 10  minutes, the bird circled higher and then headed south over Hudson Bay toward Churchill some 25 kilometers away. Later the same day, a white phase Gyrfalcon swooped over our heads several times (note to Harv Lane . . . yes, they DO exist). It looked like it was going to land on our viewing tower, but suddenly swung low over the Bay and headed south. A couple of redpolls flew over, and judging by their high-pitched calls, I guessed them to be Hoary Redpolls. Bonnie Chartier taught me the trick a number of years ago, but I may be a little rusty! However, after hearing Common Redpolls today I still think I was guessing right. Today, Nov. 12th, I was able to "spish" down a flock of Common Redpolls (about a dozen) and have them land on willows near us. After that, it's hard to pick the highlight:  Was it the flock of hundreds of ptarmigan (250-300) that were working the willow shrubs within a few hundred meters of the lodge chattering loudly all the while; or was it the 75 that pulled in right in front of us in glorious light, and allowed us to photograph them at close range for more than an hour? Unfortunately, I could not find a Rock Ptarmigan all day in spite of excellent looks at the aforesaid Willow Ptarmigan. Or maybe it was the white Gyrfalcon that swooped in again and scattered hundreds of ptarmigan to the four winds while photographers captured stunning images of it in flight before it disappeared yet again? Maybe it was the Snowy Owl that did a flyby against the sunset sky, or the occasional Snow Bunting still cheerfully enjoying the mild (for here) winter temperatures? Whatever it was, I wouldn't be surprised to be surprised again tomorrow! Subject: Ivory Gull at Churchill!! From: "bonie chartier" <cwe AT mts.net> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:34:57 -0600 Hi all, Sorry for this late note. I have been talking to our guides. They have been asking about an Ivory Gull at Gordon Point on Nov. 8, apparently they saw this small white gull with black legs and some black on it's face. When they got back to Winnipeg three of them asked me about it and asked if I had seen it. I was on the lodge and did not see it at all. On the same day two of them saw a Mourning Dove at Gordon Point. Again I was on the lodge. However that being said that afternoon when I got there we had a Pine Martin on the tower. Almost as odd as the Mourning Dove. Polar bears are great, I am told that there are 22 at our lodge today! Regards, Bonnie Chartier on the way back to the Polar bears in Churchill! [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: interaction between hawks and owls From: "Deanna Dodgson" <ddodgson AT shaw.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:24:39 -0600 As Garry mentioned yesterday, we spent part of the day at Oak Hammock Marsh and delightfully had the oppotunity to observe two pairs of Short-eared Owls on the hunt (this was at aproximately 3:30 p.m.). This was my first time seeing them "in action". The first pair were sharing air space for a short time with two Rough-legged hawks. What I found interesting was that at one point, and only for the briefest moment, a Short-eared Owl and a Rough-legged appeared to be clasped by the talons, much like eagles and hawks will do. There was a brief "tumble", quite close to the ground, and then the scrap was over with the hawk making his (or her) escape and the owl resuming the hunt. Is this interaction often seen between these two species or between larger owls and hawks? Cheers, Deanna Dodgson Winnipeg [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: Glaucous Gull and Meadowlarks From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:03:44 +0000 With luck you can catch some of teh dump gulls on the earth mounds just inside the Perimeter off Brady Road when they are loafing, but timing is everything as somtimes there are hundreds and sometimes very few gulls at this spot Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Keep your friends up to date with what you do online. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691815 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Glaucous Gull and Meadowlarks From: "Richard" <richard_staniforth AT yahoo.ca> Date: Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:05:29 -0000 Hello ManitobaBirders: A trip to the Brady landfill site this morning revealed a handsome Glaucous Gull, also a Rough-legged Hawk. There was a flock of about 1500 gulls, mostly Ring-bills but quite a lot of Herring Gulls, too. Who knows what else might have been there! Regretably these birds were only accessible by going into the dump ($10 per load!!) and we found that the staff don't really appreciate people wandering around on foot with binocs! Yesterday, Di and I saw a flock of 32 Western Meadowlarks flying along the roadside of Hwy 59 just south of Birds Hill Park. This seems to be unusual(?) Best wishes Richard Staniforth Subject: Uploads - Great Horned Owl and Red-bellied Woodpecker From: "stuartoikawa" <icemn_19 AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 23:27:17 -0000 I have recently uploaded a photo of a Great Horned Owl, sighted in South Winnipeg on November 10/09 and a photo of a Red-bellied Woodpecker, sighted in Assiniboine Park,(east of the English Gardens and Portage Avenue footbridge along the river path),on November 11/09, to my photo album here. Cheers, Stuart Oikawa, Winnipeg Subject: New to Winnipeg From: Emily Pipher <enpipher AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:44:18 -0600 Hello everyone! I've just joined this group and thought I'd introduce myself. My name's Emily and I'm from Rochester, NY. I've just moved to Winnipeg to pursue my master's degree at the University of Manitoba. I'm an avid birder, and can't wait to see what sort of birds Manitoba has to offer. I'm especially interested in seeing some of the winter finches you guys get up here (i.e. evening grosbeak, pine grosbeak, red crossbill, and hoary redpoll are all on my wanted list!). Unfortunately, by the time I figured out where some of the good birding spots around Winnipeg were, fall migration was already over. However, if anyone has any trips planned anytime soon, and don't mind dragging along someone new, I'd love to join! I'll be here for two years, and would definitely love to meet some new birders who can show me around. Good birding! -Emily [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Oak Hammock Short-eared Owls ( location correction ) From: "Garry Budyk" <callgud AT shaw.ca> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:34:18 -0600 The RD12N I mention below is actually RD12EAST . Sorry about that ! ----- Original Message ----- From: Garry Budyk To: Manitobabirds AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 8:22 PM Subject: [Manitobabirds] Oak Hammock Short-eared Owls Hello all , Deanna and I headed up to Oak Hammock this afternoon . We found 2 Snowy Owls south of Hwy #67 , and a third about .5km west of the centre . Near the north end of RD12N ( n/w corner of the WMA ) we had 2 hunting Short-eared Owls , 2 N. Harriers and 4 of the 12 Rough-legged Hawks we found in the area , one of which was a dark morph . Also near the end of 12N was a W. Meadowlark and a nice flock of Snow Buntings ( ~200 ) . Time was about 3:30pm . At the bison compound on 84N there were 25+ Red-winged Blackbirds and 2 Brewer's Blackbirds . Heading back south on Peregrine Drive we had 2 more Short-eared Owls ( north of the artesian well , east side ) . There were 6 Bald Eagles in the area and a single Horned Lark west of the Interpretive Centre . I've added a photo of one of today's Snowy Owls to my album . Also viewable at the web address below . Cheers , Garry Budyk Winnipeg MB http://imagesofmanitoba.shawwebspace.ca/photos/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Oak Hammock Short-eared Owls From: "Garry Budyk" <callgud AT shaw.ca> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:22:37 -0600 Hello all , Deanna and I headed up to Oak Hammock this afternoon . We found 2 Snowy Owls south of Hwy #67 , and a third about .5km west of the centre . Near the north end of RD12N ( n/w corner of the WMA ) we had 2 hunting Short-eared Owls , 2 N. Harriers and 4 of the 12 Rough-legged Hawks we found in the area , one of which was a dark morph . Also near the end of 12N was a W. Meadowlark and a nice flock of Snow Buntings ( ~200 ) . Time was about 3:30pm . At the bison compound on 84N there were 25+ Red-winged Blackbirds and 2 Brewer's Blackbirds . Heading back south on Peregrine Drive we had 2 more Short-eared Owls ( north of the artesian well , east side ) . There were 6 Bald Eagles in the area and a single Horned Lark west of the Interpretive Centre . I've added a photo of one of today's Snowy Owls to my album . Also viewable at the web address below . Cheers , Garry Budyk Winnipeg MB http://imagesofmanitoba.shawwebspace.ca/photos/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Another trip to Winnipeg From: "Ruth" <jakeandruth AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:47:32 -0000 Jake and I made another trip to Winnipeg today,hoping to see the Red-bellied Woodpecker once more.Unfortunately,we did not see it,but meeting with several other birders made the trip worthwhile. On our way in along Hwy.#2 we saw two Snowy Owls close to Fannystelle. Happy Birding, Ruth Hiebert,Morden Subject: ...new photos... From: "Dennis S" <photosdennis AT yahoo.ca> Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:29:38 -0000 If interest prompts you...a number of new photos have been added to the recent gallery at this link. Photos range from shore birds to back-yard birds...from hawks to owls. http://www.pbase.com/photosbydennis/recent_photos Cheers ! Dennis S Subject: Varied Thrush and others From: "wltwb" <bdjjsau AT shaw.ca> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:39:35 -0000 Today we decided to head out on a mission of finding four birds; Varied Thrush, Townsends Solitaire, Red Bellied Woodbecker and Carolina Wren. We found the Thrush at 165 Rossmere in an apple tree viewed from the back lane at about 10:30am. Thank you Rudolph for your posting. We then headed to Jo Schwartz to look for the wren with no luck, the woodpecker was also a no show. We did however find the Solitaire in Barb's yard in Dufrense at approx 3:30 this afternoon. Thanks Barb. All in all a great day for birding!! Wonderful weather and nice bumping into other birders along the way. Donna and Bob Saunders Subject: Re: Varied Thrush From: "Garry Budyk" <callgud AT shaw.ca> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:46:26 -0600 Deanna and I saw the Varied Thrush at about 10:15am , at the rear of 169 Rossmere Crescent ( we saw it from the back lane) . There's an apple tree in the back of 165 , and the thrush ( along with a few Starlings ) was high up in an overhanging tree at 169 . Thanks Rudolf ! Cheers , Garry Budyk Winnipeg MB http://imagesofmanitoba.shawwebspace.ca/photos/ ----- Original Message ----- From: Rudolf Koes To: Manitobabirds Sent: Monday, November 09, 2009 10:53 AM Subject: [Manitobabirds] Varied Thrush Hello all, Five minutes ago (9:30 a.m.) I saw a male Varied Thrush in our yard. It was wary and flew east (towards Henderson Hwy.) when I IDd it, but may still be in the area. You are welcome to come over and try to see it. The address is 135 Rossmere Crescent. There is also a robin, to confuse you. Cheers, Rudolf Koes. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Varied Thrush From: "Rudolf Koes" <rkoes AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 10:53:13 -0600 Hello all, Five minutes ago (9:30 a.m.) I saw a male Varied Thrush in our yard. It was wary and flew east (towards Henderson Hwy.) when I IDd it, but may still be in the area. You are welcome to come over and try to see it. The address is 135 Rossmere Crescent. There is also a robin, to confuse you. Cheers, Rudolf Koes. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Townsend's Solitaire Update From: "krosney" <bkrosney AT rainyday.ca> Date: Wed, 11 Nov 2009 01:37:14 -0000 Hi All The adult that I first saw on Sunday, 8 November, was still here as of sundown today. Like yesterday, it went AWOL around 10:15 - 12:15 today. Have no idea where it disappears to, but it has come back here to feed on berries. I did not see it go to our pond today for water, but it did take water from the birdbath. I have taken some not so great photos with my little digital camera (will try to download to here), but managed to get a half-decent video with my hubby's videocam yesterday afternoon and this morning. Again, if anyone wants to come out and hopefully see it if it is still around, you're more than welcome, but please call first 878-4972 (p.s. please no calls after 7:00pm, hubby goes to bed early!). Regards Barb Krosney 31066 River Rd Dufresne MB Subject: Red-bellied Woodpecker lingers From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:54:37 +0000 The Red-bellied Woodpecker was back in Assiniboine Park this morning. I was alerted to her presence by her call note along the river trail just east of the English Gardens. It was quite a productive morning again in the park with 2 each of Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper and White-throated Sparrow, plus a Northern Shrike and a flyby American Goldfinch. No sign of the Ovenbird today. Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ Windows Live: Make it easier for your friends to see what you’re up to on Facebook. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691816 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: Manitobabirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com Manitobabirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: Manitobabirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Snowy From: Gerald Machnee <machneeg AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 09 Nov 2009 23:25:49 -0600 Today, Nov 9, there was a Snowy Owl on the lamp on McPhillips Rd just north of the intersection of #8. Gerald Machnee Lockport Subject: Carolina Wren addendum From: "Richard Silverman" <silvrmn AT cc.UManitoba.CA> Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 17:14:57 -0600 Hi all. After the previous post i saw the wren fly off to adjacent yards to the east, then disappear. Later Liis Veelma came by and we watched the feeders ( around 16:00 ) for about a half hour. Red-breasted nuthatches (2), white-breasted nuthatches(>2), downy, BB chickadees. We then decided to wander down the back lane in the direction it had headed. We were at the rear of 1572 Wellington Cres when the wren flew across the lane and into the hedges along the west side of the back yard. It then flew over to the wood pile , feeding and preening. We had smashing views and watched it for numerous minutes, and left it preening on the wood pile. It seems to have successfully developed a territory . I did hear it call when it was at our feeder and as it flew off. We saw it about 16:30-40. Jo Swartz [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Carolina Wren From: "Richard Silverman" <silvrmn AT cc.UManitoba.CA> Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 14:45:29 -0600 Has reappeared. Beautiful creature 3 feet from me as I was filling the feeders. 14:40, Monday afternoon. 1626 Wellingtn Cres. Jo Swartz [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Snow buntings From: "Duncan, James (CON)" <James.Duncan AT gov.mb.ca> Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 10:23:48 -0600 Patsy and I enjoyed seeing our first snow buntings along 84th Road North, north of Oak Hammock Marsh this past Saturday. Cheers, Jim Duncan Balmoral, MB [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Red-bellied Woodpecker From: "Ruth" <jakeandruth AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:22:28 -0000 I have just uploaded two pictures of the Red-bellied Woodpecker to our album.This is the second time we have seen this bird,the first was 19 years ago. Happy Biding, Jake and Ruth Hiebert,Morden Subject: yard birds From: "Carole Sangster" <mcsang2 AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:19:05 -0000 Hi all Yesterday, Sun Nov. 8, we had an American tree sparrow, along with several Juncos in our yard. Later in the afternoon Cedar waxwings were coming to our crabapple tree. Murray & Carole Sangster Brandon Subject: Assiniboine Park From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 05:17:10 +0000 In addition to the Red-bellied Woodpecker found by Ruth and Jake, there were some other goodies in the English Gardens of Assiniboine Park this afternoon including a Northern Shrike, a Brown Creeper and an Ovenbird (presumably the same lingering bird reported earlier) Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ Ready. Set. Get a great deal on Windows 7. See fantastic deals on Windows 7 now http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691818 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]