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15 Mar Singing chickadees! [Emily Pipher ] 15 Mar Pintail and Mallard ["penner.carole" ] 15 Mar Cardinal and Screech Owl in Elmwood [Richard Staniforth ] 15 Mar Signs of Spring [" Ken & Bev Gardner" ] 14 Mar Owls and Geese [robert robinson ] 14 Mar Fort Whyte ["stuartoikawa" ] 14 Mar Winter Birding Highlights in Canada - 2009-2010 [Blake Maybank ] 11 Mar Correction for the Pembina Valley [Luc Blanchette ] 11 Mar The Vultures are on their way..... [Charlie McPherson ] 11 Mar Pembina Valley raptor migration ["Paul and Valorie Goossen" ] 11 Mar Manitobabirds 2010 Year List ["cbraden555" ] 11 Mar Herring Gulls [Ricardo Ibarra ] 10 Mar Mystery bird answer and Mystery Bird #2 [Luc Blanchette ] 10 Mar Downy woodpeckers displaying ["Lorne" ] 10 Mar Manitoba Winter Bird List 2009/10 (presumably) Final Tally ["Rob Parsons" ] 10 Mar DOWL 2010 Final (?) Update ["Rob Parsons" ] 10 Mar Atlas registration open! [christian artuso ] 09 Mar Northern Cardinal in Wolseley?? ["toothpick_97" ] 09 Mar American kestrel ["Carole Sangster" ] 8 Mar Updating the winter lists ["Rob Parsons" ] 9 Mar more photos [christian artuso ] 8 Mar Screech Owl in Elmwood Cemetery [Richard Staniforth ] 8 Mar More owls ["Rob Parsons" ] 8 Mar Cardinal in Elmwood [Richard Staniforth ] 8 Mar FW: Golden crowned kinglet at Feeder in Stonewall, MB ["Duncan, James (CON)" ] 8 Mar BAEA ["AS Courcelles" ] 8 Mar BALD EAGLE in Winnipeg [Seguin Rene ] 08 Mar 2nd, 3rd Northern Saw Whet Owls ["Devon Baete" ] 8 Mar Eastern Screech-Owl ["Rob Parsons" ] 7 Mar Re: Mystery bird ["Garry Budyk" ] 7 Mar Re: Pink-sided Junco ["Garry Budyk" ] 7 Mar Mystery bird [Luc Blanchette ] 7 Mar Re: Pink-sided Junco ["John Weier" ] 07 Mar Goshawk ["Chris" ] 7 Mar Re: Pink-sided Junco ["Garry Budyk" ] 7 Mar New image at the Nature Manitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 7 Mar Drive to Powerview area ["Liz Morash" ] 7 Mar Saturday Afternoon [robert robinson ] 07 Mar Pileated Woodpecker [Irenne Bader ] 7 Mar FW: H.B. Adventure and Rock Ptarmigan [] 07 Mar sharp tails on maple creek ["adamstanley100" ] 6 Mar Northern Saw-whet Owls ["Harv & Barb Lane" ] 7 Mar House Finch behaviour [christian artuso ] 6 Mar Re: Red River at St. Mary's & Perimeter ["Alfred Aug" ] 6 Mar Red River at St. Mary's & Perimeter ["Rob Parsons" ] 7 Mar Hecla [christian artuso ] 6 Mar Atlas photo page on Flickr [christian artuso ] 5 Mar Re: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list ["Peter Taylor" ] 05 Mar 2nd Northern Saw Whet owl ["Devon Baete" ] 5 Mar Schedule of Atlas Launch, April 9 - 11 [christian artuso ] 5 Mar RE: RE: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list [Randy Mooi ] 5 Mar Re: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list ["Liis Veelma" ] 5 Mar RE: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list ["Duncan, James (CON)" ] 05 Mar Re: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list [Ryan Dudragne ] 5 Mar RE: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list [Gene Walz ] 5 Mar RE: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list [Randy Mooi ] 5 Mar A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list ["Rob Parsons" ] 05 Mar More Larks and Robins ["Devon" ] 4 Mar Junco + Hawk Owls [] 4 Mar Trying forPtarmigan! ["bonie chartier" ] 4 Mar Screech-Owls [christian artuso ] 03 Mar Horned Larks! ["Devon" ] 2 Mar White-winged Crossbills ["Bing & Joy Bradley" ] 2 Mar Another Hawk Owl Report ["Duncan, James (CON)" ] 2 Mar Another Hawk Owl Report ["Duncan, James (CON)" ] 1 Mar No Great Gray Owls ["Rob Parsons" ] 1 Mar Re: Sunday at Maple Creek Road - snow buntings perching [Dennis Fast ] 1 Mar Re: Sunday at Maple Creek Road - snow buntings perching [Carole Penner ] 1 Mar Sunday at Maple Creek Road [robert robinson ] 2 Mar Screech Owls breeding already [christian artuso ] 1 Mar Pink-sided Junco ["Garry Budyk" ] 1 Mar Cardinal Wellington Cr Winnipeg ["Liis Veelma" ] 1 Mar BBS routes in need of observers for 2010 ["De Smet, Ken (CON)" ] 1 Mar New image at the Nature Manitoba site [Frank Machovec ] 01 Mar Sunday birds ["Linda" ] 1 Mar Breeding Bird Atlas Workshop at FortWhyte [christian artuso ] Subject: Singing chickadees! From: Emily Pipher <enpipher AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:39:33 -0500 Hi everyone, Most likely this isn't a big deal, but a couple days ago I heard chickadees singing for the first time this year. It made my whole day! To me, nothing says "spring" like singing chickadees. -Emily Pipher Winnipeg [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Pintail and Mallard From: "penner.carole" <penner.carole AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:35:06 -0000 This morning on my way to work I saw and male pintail and a male mallard happily swimming in the melt water in a farm field, on #332 just north of Starbuck. Sure put a smile on my sleepy face! Happy Spring Birding Carole Penner north of Starbuck Subject: Cardinal and Screech Owl in Elmwood From: Richard Staniforth <richard_staniforth AT yahoo.ca> Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 11:59:28 -0700 (PDT) Several people have asked that I report any further observations of Eastern Screech Owl and Cardinal from Elmwood Cemetery and Elmwood Park, respectively. I regret to say that neither appeared after April 11th as far as I know.  There has been an Eastern Screech Owl calling just before dawn from Elmwood Park on several mornings lately. It is pleasant to be able to have the bedroom window open at night - just a tad! Richard Staniforth __________________________________________________________________ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Signs of Spring From: " Ken & Bev Gardner" <kbgardner AT highspeedcrow.ca> Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2010 12:13:25 -0500 Hi All, Just a short note from sunny (finally) Grosse Isle. A group of 4 American Robins dropped into our yard late in the morning of Mar. 13. They fed on crabapples for a while then moved on north through the village. I don't know if they were long-distance migrants from south of the border or short-distance migrants that may have wintered somewhere in southern Manitoba & were moving on with the advent of warmer weather. Where-ever they were from it was nice to see them. At least one Pine Siskin has been in full song lately as were several White-winged Crossbills one day recently. Some Gray Partridges have paired off as well. About the only other thing of note are the American Crows which are slowly increasing. Cheers ! Ken Gardner Grosse Isle, Mb. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Owls and Geese From: robert robinson <robertrobinson174 AT msn.com> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:50:31 -0500 This afternoon i remembered that I had yet to pay membership to OHM for Pat and Myself so being a dull cloudy day we went to the Marsh. one Snowy Owl female sighted This Bird later flew across the marsh and both {Schack }Please forgive spelling, and myself observed it flying towards the centre roof area . We drove back to 67highway and then saw that 12east was pretty dry,and not water logged or rutted so travelling down the track a second female Snowy Owl was pole perching on a narrower farm track on our left side so it was a case of walking to view but the Owl decided not to follow that plan . further down the track of 12East it got muddier so about turn back to 67Highway we ventured towards Stonewall then further on towards Winnipeg and left back towards Stony Mountain before we reached the junction of 8East and 72North A Skien of 12 Canadas Flying in a Straight flight pattern and heading in the direction of the Marsh this was at 16-10pm Magpies and crows also seen . Bob Robinson NW Winnipeg . _________________________________________________________________ Live connected with Messenger on your phone http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9712958 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Fort Whyte From: "stuartoikawa" <icemn_19 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:00:14 -0000 Hi All, Besides the rather lean sightings of the usual black-capped chickadees, downy woodpeckers and the odd hairies about in the last few days at Fort Whyte, I immediately came across a male grackle with its yellow eyes, and iridescent blue, purple and bronze plumage. A mallard drake flew a low flight path through the area as well, but with much of the ponds and lakes still with ice, I did not run into it later. I did not encounter any Canada Geese here yet. Stuart Oikawa, Winnipeg Subject: Winter Birding Highlights in Canada - 2009-2010 From: Blake Maybank <maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:45:44 -0300 Winter Birding in Canada - 2009-10 - Final Summary 14 March 2010 The birding this past winter season in Canada was less exciting than normal. With two exceptions (see Manitoba and Quebec, below) every province recorded winter season species totals that were lower than average. Here are some possible reasons for this: - The active El Nino circulation in the Pacific caused Canada to experience its warmest and driest winter since 1948. Precipitation was down by nearly 25%, and the average temperatures were 4 degrees Celsius above normal. The Arctic had its warmest winter ever. - Wild food was easier for birds to access, and most feeder-watchers reported less activity at their feeding stations. - There were few irruptions of northern owls and finches. - Though twitchers did have good birds to chase, there were not as many rarities as a typical winter. - The first day of the winter birding season, Dec. 1, fell on a Monday, which meant that, in most areas, the concerted search for winter birds did not begin until the first Saturday of December, six days into the winter season, by which time an early cold snap had pushed waterfowl further south, and likely removed many “half-hard autumn lingerers”. - The first day of the Christmas Bird Count period also fell on a Monday, which meant that most counts were held later in December than is usual, reducing the number of species recorded. Here are the links to the Winter Birding web pages for all ten Canadian provinces, as well as the French islands of Saint-Pierre et Michelon, and the country of Iceland. PROVINCES FROM EAST TO WEST: Newfoundland and Labrador: http://tinyurl.com/2jqo5p 129 species. Highlights: Northern Lapwing (3 separate birds); Yellow-legged Gull (2); Slaty-backed Gull; +++ Ivory Gulls; White-winged Dove (1st winter record); Redwing. There were sufficient gaps between winter storms to allow Newfoundland birders to locate a good variety of rare and regular species, though slightly fewer than in recent years. The province continues to offer superb gull watching in the St. John’s area, but that may change soon, and there are plans to stop pumping sewage in the harbour. And rumours are floating about that authorities might consider changing landfill practices at the famous St. John’s garbage dump. Both actions make sense environmentally, but would cause much anguish to gull-watchers. Nova Scotia: http://tinyurl.com/nswinter 181 species. (average = 195). Highlights: Red Phalarope (3rd winter record); Empidomax flycatcher sp.; Prairie Warbler (2nd winter record); Spotted Towhee (1st winter record, 2nd provincial record). Big Misses: Northern Fulmar, Spruce Grouse (resident), Red Knot, White-crowned Sparrow. We’ve been keeping track of Nova Scotia’s winter birds since 1996, and the total this past winter tied the lowest previous total, set in 1998/99. Almost every observer was complaining about the scarcity of birds. The mood was glum. Prince Edward Island: http://tinyurl.com/peiwinter 107 species (average = 113). Highlights: Cattle Egret (2nd winter record); Broad-winged Hawk (2nd winter record); Black-legged Kittiwake (1st winter record). Big Misses: Sharp-tailed Grouse (resident, introduced). A soft winter made it hard to find winter specialties, and kept the province’s total below the long-term average. New Brunswick: http://tinyurl.com/nbwinter (updated 12 Feb) 151 species (average = 162). Highlights: Virginia Rail (1st winter record); Marsh Wren (2nd winter record); Ovenbird (2nd winter record); Lark Sparrow (2nd winter record). Big Misses: Wilson’s Snipe; Carolina Wren; American Pipit. A dearth of rarities kept the province’s total well below the long-term average. Quebec: http://tinyurl.com/qcwinter 178 species (10 year average = 166, not including exotics). Highlights: Pacific Loon (1st winter record); Great Egret (2nd winter record); Black Vulture (1st winter record); Barnacle Goose (1st winter record); Rock Ptarmigan (1st winter record); Arctic Tern (1st winter record); White-winged Dove (1st winter record); Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (1st winter record). Quebec birders took advantage of the mild winter to really explore their large province, and ended up with one of their highest totals to date. They added seven species to their 10-year cumulative winter list. Ontario: http://tinyurl.com/onwinter 191 species. Highlights: Barnacle Goose (2nd winter record); Yellow-billed Loon (2nd winter record); Black-tailed Gull (2nd winter record); Ivory Gull; Phainopepla (2nd provincial and Canadian record, 1st Canadian winter record); Northern Waterthrush (2nd winter record). Big Misses: Eurasian Wigeon; Yellow-headed Blackbird. The province had fewer species than the previous two winters, but managed to surpass the Nova Scotia total for the first time. The Phainopepla took pride of place, of course, and attracted many admirers. Manitoba: http://tinyurl.com/mbwinter 109 species (average = 99). Highlights: Wood Duck (2nd winter record); Greater Scaup (1st winter record); Common Loon (2nd winter record); Western Grebe (1st winter record); Sora (1st winter record); Thayer’s Gull (1st winter record); Lincoln’s Sparrow (2nd winter record); Swamp Sparrow (2nd winter record); Yellow-headed Blackbird (2nd winter record); Brambling (1st winter record; 2nd provincial record). Manitoba birders pulled out all the stops in the first few days of December, and their diligence was rewarded when they achieved the highest total since they started keeping records nine years ago. And equally as important – for the first time they bettered the total of their provincial rival, Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan: http://tinyurl.com/skwinter 100 species (average = 111) - Highlights: Wood Duck (1st winter record); Sandhill Crane (2nd winter record); Rustic Bunting (1st provincial record, 2nd Canadian record); Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2nd winter record); Baltimore Oriole (1st winter record). Big Miss: American Three-toed Woodpecker Perhaps if Saskatchewan birders knew how determined their Manitoba neighbours were they might have pushed harder in the first days of December. But, alas, they didn’t, and struggled to reach 100 species, the lowest total since they started winter listing 8 years ago. But there was a great consolation prize in one of the rarest birds across the country this winter. Alberta: http://tinyurl.com/abwinter 136 species (average = 142). Highlights: Cape May Warbler (3rd winter record); Green-tailed Towhee (1st Canadian winter record); Lincoln’s Sparrow (1st winter record). Big Miss: Red-breasted Merganser. Alberta turned in a slightly lower than normal performance, no doubt due to a paucity of rarities, though the Green-tailed Towhee was outstanding. British Columbia: http://tinyurl.com/bcwinter 237 species (average = 250). Highlights: Pectoral Sandpiper (2nd winter record); Oriental Turtle-Dove (1st Canadian record, if accepted); Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (1st winter record); Western Scrub-Jay; Nashville Warbler; Western Tanager (2nd winter record); Clay-colored Sparrow (3rd winter record); Brambling (3rd winter record). Big Misses: Least Sandpiper; Cassin’s Auklet. B.C. had a lower-than-average winter total, but the weather was mild, and there was the distraction of the Winter Olympics, at which winter birding was not a competition, more’s the pity. And there were no pelagic birding trips, so tubenoses were absent from the list. Several key Christmas Counts have not yet reported in, and there are rumours of a documented Jack Snipe on one of them, so the total could inch up later on. Other Reporting Regions: French Islands of Saint-Pierre et Michelon: http://tinyurl.com/spmwinter2 83 species (average = 84, 14 years of data). Highlights: Hairy Woodpecker (1st winter record); Brown Creeper (3rd winter record); Meadowlark sp. (1st winter record). Big Misses: Purple Finch; Common Redpoll; Pine Siskin. SPM birders enjoyed a winter of above average temperatures, but only an average number of species, among which were only a few finches. Iceland: http://tinyurl.com/iceland-winter 98 species. (average = 91, 10 years of data) Highlights: Bean Goose (1st winter record); Northern Shoveler (1st winter record); Stellar’s Eider (1st winter record); Northern Lapwing (1st winter record); Bonaparte’s Gull (1st winter record); Ross’s Gull (1st winter record); Black Redstart (1st winter record); Brambling (2nd winter record) 30 species of waterfowl, 13 of shorebirds, 13 of gulls, and seven new winter species (in the past 10 years of data) helped Icelandic birders surpass their long-term average. Other Resources: Environment Canada’s Winter Seasonal Forecast: http://www.weatheroffice.gc.ca/saisons/index_e.html Reference: What is Winter Birding? In Canada, perhaps because of (or in spite of) experiencing a bit of weather during the winter, winter birding has become a very popular activity. The origins of this slightly insane behaviour apparently date from southern Ontario in the 50's and 60's, but the sport's appeal really took off with the promotion afforded it by Gerry Bennett in the 1980's, through his "Birdfinding in Canada" newsletter. Winter Birding remains popular today. The winter birding period comprises the three months of December through February, matching the reporting period of "North American Birds" journal. "For those who may be unfamiliar with the concept, it basically involves a frenzied search during the first couple of weeks to squeeze in as many late migrants as possible before the onslaught of usually more severe weather conditions. Christmas Bird Counts often jack up our total, as do normal winter activities. Plus, it gives us birders something to do for the three slowest birding months of the year other than sitting idle on our hands until March. To me, at least, a winter list is great for maintaining birding enthusiasm, and gets a person active and out of the house to ward off the winter doldrums that tend to creep up mid season." - Ryan Dudragne, Saskatchewan Good (winter) birding, ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blake Maybank maybank AT ns.sympatico.ca White's Lake, Nova Scotia, Canada Editor, "Nova Scotia Birds" author, "Birding Sites of Nova Scotia" http://maybank.tripod.com/BSNS.htm “A true Canadian loves the Winter, revels in it, especially in the North. . . .Winter is on, the air becomes like rich wine that strengthens and invigorates; pure, crisp and health-giving. Those who have not travelled in the vast, snowbound lake country of the North, or tramped on snowshoes in the Winter forest, where the brilliant sun, shining out of a sky that is pure, clear blue; those who have never witnessed the wild, majestic spectacle of a swiftly marching snowstorm—To them I will say that no matter what they may have seen and done, life still holds something for them that they should not miss. Not every country has these things and I, for one, say we are fortunate. ” - Grey Owl [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Correction for the Pembina Valley From: Luc Blanchette <luc_jg_blanchette AT yahoo.ca> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:36:13 -0800 (PST) Bonjour to all, Thanks to Paul for correcting my mistake (Rough-legged hawk instead of red-tailed...) on the Pembina Valley Raptor update.   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: The Vultures are on their way..... From: Charlie McPherson <charliemac25 AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:32:56 -0600 Just so you know, kettle after kettle after kettle of turkey vultures were coming out of Mexico today and headed your way... Charlie McPherson Whtewold _________________________________________________________________ Check your Hotmail from your phone. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9712957 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Pembina Valley raptor migration From: "Paul and Valorie Goossen" <pgoossen AT mts.net> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:21:56 -0600 The 2010 Pembina Valley spring raptor migration count began during the last week of February. This is the earliest start to A Rocha's annual raptor count which was initiated in 2005. Counts have been stalled the last few days because of fog, but prior to that nearly 70 hours were spent by hawkwatchers at the Windygates site, 25 km southwest of Morden. The efforts to date resulted in a total count of 47. Most raptors have been eagles: 20 Bald and 25 Golden plus one Rough-legged Hawk and a Northern Goshawk. Last year's count was amazing - over 10,000 raptors counted including a provincial high count for Red-tailed Hawks (8324) and for Bald Eagles (1540)! You may wish to follow the daily count on the Web - go to www.hawkcount.org. If you plan to visit the Windygates site, you may wish take advantage of a warm drink and friendly conversation at the A Rocha Pembina Valley Field Study Centre located about 2 km south of the hawkwatch site. The centre is just before the entrance to the Pembina Valley Provincial Park. Al and Dorothy Schritt are the main raptor monitors in the valley and for folks that don't know too much about raptors, here is a great opportunity to learn about them first hand from the Schritts. Paul Goossen Coordinator, A Rocha Pembina Valley Raptor Migration Project Morden [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Manitobabirds 2010 Year List From: "cbraden555" <cbraden555 AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:12:28 -0000 Hi everyone! Sorry I'm late with this update. We had our own addition to our home and we've been a little busy! I have 4 new species to add to the list bringing the total to 83. They are the 2 Ptarmigan-Willow and Rock, Northern Saw-whet Owl and Herring Gull. It looks like migration is getting started and it will be interesting to see how quickly this list will grow! Happy birding, Carrie Braden Manitobabirds 2010 Year List 1. Canada Goose 2. Mallard 3. Common Goldeneye 4. Gray Partridge 5. Ring-necked Pheasant 6. Ruffed Grouse 7. Spruce Grouse 8. Willow Ptarmigan 9. Rock Ptarmigan 10. Sharp-tailed Grouse 11. Wild Turkey 12. Bald Eagle 13. Sharp-shinned Hawk 14. Cooper's Hawk 15. Northern Goshawk 16. Golden Eagle 17. American Kestrel 18. Merlin 19. Gyrfalcon 20. Herring Gull 21. Rock Pigeon 22. Eurasian Collared-Dove 23. Mourning Dove 24. Eastern Screech-Owl 25. Great Horned Owl 26. Snowy Owl 27. Northern Hawk Owl 28. Barred Owl 29. Great Gray Owl 30. Short-eared Owl 31. Boreal Owl 32. Northern Saw-whet Owl 33. Red-bellied Woodpecker 34. Downy Woodpecker 35. Hairy Woodpecker 36. American Three-toed Woodpecker 37. Black-backed Woodpecker 38. Northern Flicker 39. Pileated Woodpecker 40. Northern Shrike 41. Gray Jay 42. Blue Jay 43. Black-billed Magpie 44. American Crow 45. Common Raven 46. Horned Lark 47. Black-capped Chickadee 48. Boreal Chickadee 49. Red-breasted Nuthatch 50. White-breasted Nuthatch 51. Brown Creeper 52. Golden-crowned Kinglet 53. American Robin 54. Varied Thrush 55. Brown Thrasher 56. European Starling 57. Bohemian Waxwing 58. Cedar Waxwing 59. American Tree Sparrow 60. Fox Sparrow 61. Lincoln's Sparrow 62. White-throated Sparrow 63. Harris's Sparrow 64. Dark-eyed Junco 65. Lapland Longspur 66. Snow Bunting 67. Northern Cardinal 68. Red-winged Blackbird 69. Western Meadowlark 70. Rusty Blackbird 71. Common Grackle 72. Brambling 73. Pine Grosbeak 74. Purple Finch 75. House Finch 76. Red Crossbill 77. White-winged Crossbill 78. Common Redpoll 79. Hoary Redpoll 80. Pine Siskin 81. American Goldfinch 82. Evening Grosbeak 83. House Sparrow Subject: Herring Gulls From: Ricardo Ibarra <r_ibpo AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 08:10:47 -0800 (PST) Hello everyone, yesterday, I saw a couple of Herring Gulls moving from the back of the Chevrier Blvd. (field next to the Winnipeg Technical College) to east, I mean these could be ones of the first birds of this species coming back in migration,   Ricardo Ibarra Subject: Mystery bird answer and Mystery Bird #2 From: Luc Blanchette <luc_jg_blanchette AT yahoo.ca> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:36:19 -0800 (PST) Bonjour to all, First, thanks for participating to the little  song challenge, it was a tough one. The mystery bird 1 was a Savannah Sparrow, as Wayne P. Neily guessed. I have to say I was quite surprised myself when I saw the bird (I was hoping for some wonderful rarity). If you missed the song, here it is: http://dl.dropbox. com/u/3690255/ Mystery1. wma Following with Andrew Davis's question, I am using a small Sony IC Recorder ICD-B600. It is already a few years old but it is still working fine (it recorded the bird at about 20m). If I was to buy a new one though, I would take one that downloads straight into the computer. I presently have to plug a cable from the recorder headphone plug to the computer microphone plug and record it as it plays, thus loosing some quality. And now for the second (and my last until summer) mystery bird. This one was recorded on july 23rd 2009 in Spruce Wood Provincial Park, in the Spririt Sands area near one of the "oasis". The bird refused to come out of the bushes so I recorded it for confirming my identification at home with tapes. As I played back my recorder to make sure it recorded the bird all right (it was far the first time I recorded it), it came out flying straight over me to investigate, allowing me for a better recording (and confirming my identification). This one is easier than the first one, but have fun by clicking this link: Mystery bird #2: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3690255/Mystery2.wma Have fun! On a different note, Al Schritt has been at the Pembina Valley since February 25th 2010. The results are posted on the HMANA web site: http://hawkcount.org/month_summary.php?rsite=646&PHPSESSID=d929af9d3ad9319561f401151c6bfa97 (or type www.hmana.org, click "hawkwatch sites", then "Manitoba" on the map" and finally "Pembina Valley") 20 bald eagles, 1 northern goshawk, 1 red-tailed hawk (on march 4th) and 25 golden eagles have been seen so far. I will try to go this weekend, weather permitting. Bonne miroise! Luc Blanchette St-Jean-Baptiste Découvrez les photos les plus intéressantes du jour. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Downy woodpeckers displaying From: "Lorne" <lheshka AT escape.ca> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:50:57 -0000 While running some errands this morning, Joan & I detoured into the Elmwood cemetery to see if we could spot the Screech Owl that Richard reported. We didn't see the Screech Owl but did see a couple of downy woodpeckers that appeared to be in a courtship display. They would face each other on a branch and one would bob its head then flip its wings sharply a couple of times. The other would then respond in a similar manner. After a short pause the process would be repeated. After watching for a short while - we left them to continue with this activity. Lorne & Joan Subject: Manitoba Winter Bird List 2009/10 (presumably) Final Tally From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:48:35 -0600 Hi all, In my most recent post I said "Although this is likely to be the end, since we only have a week left and it seems exceedingly unlikely anything else will be added," I was wrong, and a dead Northern Saw-whet Owl materialized. As I struggled with the conflicting feelings and arguments pro & con running through my mind over whether to include it, I was suddenly released from my angst as, against all odds, a second, live one came to light! In one of those incredible coincidences, the same person, Devon Baete, brought both to my attention. It increases our already record high total to 109. This certainly raises the bar for future year endeavours. Looking back over the winter, we actually missed quite a few more species by mere days. A Summer Tanager almost became a Winter Tanager, but disappeared about 3 days too early. There were several species of waterfowl (Northern Pintail, American Black Duck & Green-winged Teal were all at Oak Hammock, while Hooded Merganser & Bufflehead were on the Winnipeg River) present within days of December 1st, as well. I was extremely disappointed with our waterfowl list, as a result and never would have imagined a record total was possible with such an inauspicious beginning. Indeed, I worried that even 100 species might be tough to attain, and, rightly or wrongly, I always feel we've failed if we don't hit 100. At any rate, it was nice to be proven wrong! Thank you to everyone for their valued contributions. I hope everyone will tune in next December 1st. For now, bring on the migrants, and the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas. Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Manitoba Winter Bird List 2009/10 1.. Cackling Goose 2.. Canada Goose 3.. Tundra Swan 4.. Wood Duck 5.. Mallard 6.. Northern Shoveler 7.. Ring-necked Duck 8.. Greater Scaup 9.. Lesser Scaup 10.. Harlequin Duck 11.. Common Goldeneye 12.. Common Merganser 13.. Gray Partridge 14.. Ring-necked Pheasant 15.. Ruffed Grouse 16.. Spruce Grouse 17.. Willow Ptarmigan 18.. Rock Ptarmigan 19.. Sharp-tailed Grouse 20.. Wild Turkey 21.. Common Loon 22.. Western Grebe 23.. American White Pelican 24.. Double-crested Cormorant 25.. Turkey Vulture 26.. Bald Eagle 27.. Northern Harrier 28.. Sharp-shinned Hawk 29.. Cooper's Hawk 30.. Northern Goshawk 31.. Red-tailed Hawk 32.. Rough-legged Hawk 33.. Golden Eagle 34.. American Kestrel 35.. Merlin 36.. Gyrfalcon 37.. Peregrine Falcon 38.. Sora 39.. Ring-billed Gull 40.. Herring Gull 41.. Thayer's Gull 42.. Rock Pigeon 43.. Eurasian Collared-Dove 44.. Mourning Dove 45.. Eastern Screech-Owl 46.. Great Horned Owl 47.. Snowy Owl 48.. Northern Hawk Owl 49.. Barred Owl 50.. Great Gray Owl 51.. Short-eared Owl 52.. Boreal Owl 53.. Northern Saw-whet Owl 54.. Red-bellied Woodpecker 55.. Downy Woodpecker 56.. Hairy Woodpecker 57.. American Three-toed Woodpecker 58.. Black-backed Woodpecker 59.. Northern Flicker 60.. Pileated Woodpecker 61.. Northern Shrike 62.. Gray Jay 63.. Blue Jay 64.. Black-billed Magpie 65.. American Crow 66.. Common Raven 67.. Horned Lark 68.. Black-capped Chickadee 69.. Boreal Chickadee 70.. Red-breasted Nuthatch 71.. White-breasted Nuthatch 72.. Brown Creeper 73.. Carolina Wren 74.. Golden-crowned Kinglet 75.. Hermit Thrush 76.. American Robin 77.. Varied Thrush 78.. Brown Thrasher 79.. European Starling 80.. Bohemian Waxwing 81.. Cedar Waxwing 82.. American Tree Sparrow 83.. Fox Sparrow 84.. Lincoln's Sparrow 85.. Swamp Sparrow 86.. White-throated Sparrow 87.. Harris's Sparrow 88.. White-crowned Sparrow 89.. Dark-eyed Junco 90.. Lapland Longspur 91.. Snow Bunting 92.. Northern Cardinal 93.. Red-winged Blackbird 94.. Western Meadowlark 95.. Yellow-headed Blackbird 96.. Rusty Blackbird 97.. Common Grackle 98.. Brambling 99.. Pine Grosbeak 100.. Purple Finch 101.. House Finch 102.. Red Crossbill 103.. White-winged Crossbill 104.. Common Redpoll 105.. Hoary Redpoll 106.. Pine Siskin 107.. American Goldfinch 108.. Evening Grosbeak 109.. House Sparrow [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: DOWL 2010 Final (?) Update From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:20:43 -0600 Hi all, I expect this to be the final update, unless someone can prove me wrong by finding something else. Northern Saw-whet Owl and Golden-crowned Kinglet, both photographed, with the photos forwarded to Devon Baete & Jim Duncan, respectively, bring the 2010 Dead Of Winter List to a dizzying 80 species! Considering some years the full list has been only 90 species, this is an impressive total. Thanks to everyone for their input and I look forward to next year's winter lists. I will update the full list shortly, as well. Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net DOWL 2010 1.. Canada Goose 2.. Mallard 3.. Common Goldeneye 4.. Gray Partridge 5.. Ring-necked Pheasant 6.. Ruffed Grouse 7.. Spruce Grouse 8.. Willow Ptarmigan 9.. Sharp-tailed Grouse 10.. Wild Turkey 11.. Bald Eagle 12.. Sharp-shinned Hawk 13.. Cooper's Hawk 14.. Northern Goshawk 15.. Golden Eagle 16.. American Kestrel 17.. Merlin 18.. Gyrfalcon 19.. Peregrine Falcon 20.. Rock Pigeon 21.. Eurasian Collared-Dove 22.. Mourning Dove 23.. Eastern Screech-Owl 24.. Great Horned Owl 25.. Snowy Owl 26.. Northern Hawk Owl 27.. Barred Owl 28.. Great Gray Owl 29.. Short-eared Owl 30.. Boreal Owl 31.. Northern Saw-whet Owl 32.. Red-bellied Woodpecker 33.. Downy Woodpecker 34.. Hairy Woodpecker 35.. American Three-toed Woodpecker 36.. Black-backed Woodpecker 37.. Northern Flicker 38.. Pileated Woodpecker 39.. Northern Shrike 40.. Gray Jay 41.. Blue Jay 42.. Black-billed Magpie 43.. American Crow 44.. Common Raven 45.. Horned Lark 46.. Black-capped Chickadee 47.. Boreal Chickadee 48.. Red-breasted Nuthatch 49.. White-breasted Nuthatch 50.. Brown Creeper 51.. Golden-crowned Kinglet 52.. American Robin 53.. Varied Thrush 54.. Brown Thrasher 55.. European Starling 56.. Bohemian Waxwing 57.. Cedar Waxwing 58.. American Tree Sparrow 59.. Fox Sparrow 60.. White-throated Sparrow 61.. Harris's Sparrow 62.. Dark-eyed Junco 63.. Lapland Longspur 64.. Snow Bunting 65.. Northern Cardinal 66.. Red-winged Blackbird 67.. Rusty Blackbird 68.. Common Grackle 69.. Brambling 70.. Pine Grosbeak 71.. Purple Finch 72.. House Finch 73.. Red Crossbill 74.. White-winged Crossbill 75.. Common Redpoll 76.. Hoary Redpoll 77.. Pine Siskin 78.. American Goldfinch 79.. Evening Grosbeak 80.. House Sparrow [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Atlas registration open! From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:33:42 +0000 Hi all, Volunteer registration is now available at the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas website: www.birdatlas.mb.ca. Click on the “Get Involved” tab and then select “register for the atlas”. Then, contact your regional coordinator for help choosing a square. Also, check out some of the other new features on the website! Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ Live connected with Messenger on your phone http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9712958 [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: Northern Cardinal in Wolseley?? From: "toothpick_97" <mariej AT mts.net> Date: Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:45:59 -0000 Just wondering if anyone else in Wolseley has spotted a male Cardinal. I'm sure I had one at my feeders (10am) this morning, but as a novice birder I cannot be 100% sure. I have plenty of house finches on a regular basis, so it was not one of those. I ran to get my camera and when I returned it was gone. I will be spending a lot of time looking out the window today and will keep you posted. Marie Jaworski 1188 Wolseley Ave, Winnipeg Subject: American kestrel From: "Carole Sangster" <mcsang2 AT mts.net> Date: Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:40:48 -0000 Hello all, Yesterday when we were shopping at the TSC hardware store on 18th Street north in Brandon we saw an American Kestrel on the power lines just to the south of the store. We still have about 20 goldfinches coming to the feeder along with the usual other winter birds. Murray & Carole Sangster Brandon Subject: Updating the winter lists From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 22:15:33 -0600 Hi all, The photo of a Northern Saw-whet Owl in "early February" certainly confirms it for both the dead of winter and full winter lists. For the sake of completeness, Devon, perhaps you would try to get definite dates. The photos of the Golden-crowned Kinglet allows it to be added to the dead of winter list. I guess I cannot add Rock Ptarmigan to the dead of winter list, as it appears to be a March sighting in the e-mail forwarded by Ian Thorleifson. If there are no other changes, nor any dissenting opinions, I will post an update on Tuesday evening or Wednesday--let me know. Although I will certainly continue to update the lists if any reports of additoinal species should surface, I do feel that since the winter is over (and for what seems like the first time in many years, March actually feels very springlike), we should be turning our attention and energies to the Breeding Bird Atlas! Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: more photos From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2010 02:42:14 +0000 Apologise for photo overload but for anyone interested I have added a photo of a House Finch to our slowly growing atlas Flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/48177961 AT N08/ which accompanies a behavioural note from Garry Budyck at http://manitobabirdatlas.blogspot.com/ and also a flight series of Northern Hawk Owl from Saturday at my personal blog at http://artusobirds.blogspot.com/ Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9712959 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Screech Owl in Elmwood Cemetery From: Richard Staniforth <richard_staniforth AT yahoo.ca> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 17:09:21 -0800 (PST) Hi There has been an Eastern Screech Owl (gray morph) in Elmwood Cemetery during this afternoon. It was seen in the entrance hole of one of the nest boxes intended for a Wood Ducks, located in the north west corner of the cemetery more or less opposite the intersection of Glenwood Crescent and Digby Ave. Richard Staniforth __________________________________________________________________ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: More owls From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 17:45:15 -0600 Hi all, I needed to vacate my house this afternoon so with nothing more urgent needing to be attended to, I decided to head out toward Lac du Bonnet, then up Maple Creek Road to Powerview and Broadlands Road. I saw 4 N. Hawk Owls along Maple Creek Road, and very little else. Besides ravens & magpies, I think the only other species I saw were Snow Buntings (much fewer than last week) and Common Redpolls. Broadlands Road gave me one more Hawk Owl, and a Northern Goshawk. I was planning to go back to Maple Creek Road to make another pass in the hopes of pulling a Great Gray out of the woodwork, but decided to make a little trip down the Stead Road (PR 304) first. I was delighted to find a Great Gray within about 4 km of Powerview along there and suddenly my desire to return to Maple Creek Road evaporated. I found Maple Creek Road to be very mucky and, although there wasn't really any danger of getting stuck, I was a bit uncomfortable driving it. Most people are probably less timid than I am, though, so don't let me talk you out of driving it even if I probably won't do so again this season. By contrast, Broadlands Road was quite dry & solid--other than the first 5 to 10 metres off PR 304. With the Eastern Screech-Owl in my yard (still present at 5:45), that's a three-owl species day. Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: Cardinal in Elmwood From: Richard Staniforth <richard_staniforth AT yahoo.ca> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 11:31:41 -0800 (PST) Hello This morning, a male cardinal has been gracing us with his presence. He is hanging out with a pack of House Sparrows in the dogwood bushes on the north (Elmwood Park) side of the house - near a bird table with sunflower "seeds".  Richard Staniforth 336 Glenwood Crescent __________________________________________________________________ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: FW: Golden crowned kinglet at Feeder in Stonewall, MB From: "Duncan, James (CON)" <James.Duncan AT gov.mb.ca> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 13:19:27 -0600 Donna Baldwin has reported this bird as being present all winter at her feeder (see below). She gave me permission to share this information with Manitoba Birds. Cheers, Jim Dr. James R. Duncan Wildlife & Ecosystem Protection Branch Manitoba Conservation Box 24, 200 Saulteaux Crescent Winnipeg, MB R3J 3W3 Tel: (204) 945-7465 Fax: (204) 945-3077 Email: James.Duncan AT gov.mb.ca Wildlife Web Site www.manitoba.ca/conservation/wildlife CDC Web Site http://web2.gov.mb.ca/conservation/cdc/ ----- Original Message ----- From: Donna Baldwin To: Jim and Patsy Duncan Sent: Saturday, March 06, 2010 7:35 AM Subject: Re: golden crowned kinglet Of course it is fine with us...and if anyone wanted to come and sit in our kitchen and see if they could get a glimpse they are most welcome. She is usually here three times a day....early morning...then around noon and again fairly late in the afternoon. This winter we also had a small flock of american gold finches all winter sporadically and then recently just one...again sporadic....will go a few days without a sighting...then there it is at the feeder. you may also pass along this Picasa url if you care to....it is some birds I have taken out our window this winter. http://picasaweb.google.com/donnah0000/WinterBirds# Cheers, Donna [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: BAEA From: "AS Courcelles" <ascour AT shaw.ca> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 12:49:07 -0600 Hello, I went to the St. Norbert floodway gate on Sunday (7th) afternoon as the weather looked promising. I wasn't disappointed as I saw my first 3 Bald Eagles of the year. So, yes Chris, I have just migrated back North and the birds are doing the same... PS. For anyone who may want to go out to St. Adolphe in the coming weeks, keep in mind that you have to approach from St. Mary's Road as the bridge is still out. Hope the birds don't mind. Cheers, Andy C Wpg [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: BALD EAGLE in Winnipeg From: Seguin Rene <seguinrene AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:11:09 -0800 (PST) Hi folks, At about 16:30 Saturday March 6 flying south, following the Red river I guess, was an adult Bald Eagle above the intersection of Stradbrook and Main in Winnipeg. Rene Seguin Winnipeg Subject: 2nd, 3rd Northern Saw Whet Owls From: "Devon Baete" <dbaete_fish AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:53:15 -0000 I have posted 3 pictures under my album taken back in February of the 2nd owl found by a farmer near Wawanesa. Apparently the owl was overnighting under the tarp of his corn silage feed. Was only around a few days. I can get the details and specific date if needed. I also saw pictures of a 3rd Northern Saw Whet owl taken last week (March 1-5, 2010) at our neighbors farm near Bruxelles. Our neighbor opened there chop shed door and saw three dead sparrows without heads then looked up and saw the owl. He took a picture with his cell phone so was not great detail but appeared to be another Saw-Whet. Devon Baete Bruxelles-Baldur Subject: Eastern Screech-Owl From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:09:40 -0600 Hi all, There is an Eastern Screech-Owl roosting in a pyramidal cedar in my backyard this morning (Monday, March 8), to the dismay of Blue Jays, Black-capped Chickadees, Red- and White-breasted Nuthatches, House Finches, Pine Siskins & House Sparrows. Cheers, Rob Parsons South Fort Garry Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: Re: Mystery bird From: "Garry Budyk" <callgud AT shaw.ca> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 22:46:31 -0600 I'll take a stab at your mystery bird . Although more twittery than I've ever heard , it seems to me to have a Nelson's ( sharp-tailed ) Sparrow-like sound to it . Maybe that's what it is ??? Cheers , Garry Budyk Winnipeg MB http://imagesofmanitoba.shawwebspace.ca/photos/ ----- Original Message ----- From: Luc Blanchette To: Manitoba Birds Sent: Sunday, March 07, 2010 9:12 PM Subject: [Manitobabirds] Mystery bird Bonjour to all, With birdwatching spring fever coming, I thought of a little challenge, especially since I was finally able to put birdsong recordings on the net (not the best quality sound, but still recognizable). This bird was recorded on June 26th 2009 near Roland, MB. The habitat was a roadside ditch beside an abandonned field close to a small park with the big pumpkin sculpture. Its song was so odd that I had to see the bird in order to ID it. For listening to its song, click the following link: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3690255/Mystery1.wma Make your guess, and I will give the answer on wednesday! (there is a red-winged blackbird in the background) Have fun! 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] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Pink-sided Junco From: "Garry Budyk" <callgud AT shaw.ca> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 22:35:46 -0600 The paler throat and black lores particularly leads me to Pink-sided . As well , the hood overall is quite pale with the throat being paler yet . Again , in good light the sides are much brighter than the photo shows . The Canadian Rocky Mountain female shown in Sibley doesn't have the black lores which seem to be distinctive in Pink-sided . I'm still thinking Pink-sided . Cheers , Garry Budyk Winnipeg MB http://imagesofmanitoba.shawwebspace.ca/photos/ ----- Original Message ----- From: John Weier To: Manitobabirds AT yahoogroups.com ; Garry Budyk Sent: Sunday, March 07, 2010 5:07 PM Subject: Re: [Manitobabirds] Pink-sided Junco Hi Garry, Looks pretty good for a Pink-sided Junco to me. I guess the closest other bird is the adult Canadian Rocky Mountain female depicted by Sibley on page 501 of the big book. It seems the biggest difference between these two birds is the paler throat, and the greater amount of black in front of the eye and around the bill of the Pink-sided. But I'm having trouble making a call based on pictures. I'm sure you considered this other bird as well. What did you think? 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: Mystery bird From: Luc Blanchette <luc_jg_blanchette AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:12:53 -0800 (PST) Bonjour to all, With birdwatching spring fever coming, I thought of a little challenge, especially since I was finally able to put birdsong recordings on the net (not the best quality sound, but still recognizable). This bird was recorded on June 26th 2009 near Roland, MB. The habitat was a roadside ditch beside an abandonned field close to a small park with the big pumpkin sculpture. Its song was so odd that I had to see the bird in order to ID it. For listening to its song, click the following link:   http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3690255/Mystery1.wma Make your guess, and I will give the answer on wednesday! (there is a red-winged blackbird in the background) Have fun! 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: Re: Pink-sided Junco From: "John Weier" <jweier AT mts.net> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 17:07:56 -0600 Hi Garry, Looks pretty good for a Pink-sided Junco to me. I guess the closest other bird is the adult Canadian Rocky Mountain female depicted by Sibley on page 501 of the big book. It seems the biggest difference between these two birds is the paler throat, and the greater amount of black in front of the eye and around the bill of the Pink-sided. But I'm having trouble making a call based on pictures. I'm sure you considered this other bird as well. What did you think? 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: Goshawk From: "Chris" <boumford AT mts.net> Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 23:07:27 -0000 I was out for a drive today and stopped off at the St. Adolphe Bridge (Half Bridge). I expected to see the familiar "Andy" species but no such luck. I think it is a bit early and he hasn't migrated North yet. I was there for about 30 minutes and despite the perfect wind, I saw only one bird, but it was a Northern Goshawk and it flew low, directly overhead. It was heading north at top speed. Could the migration be starting or is this too early? Subject: Re: Pink-sided Junco From: "Garry Budyk" <callgud AT shaw.ca> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 16:05:31 -0600 The junco that I believe is a Pink-sided , has been stopping by briefly each day for several days now . Today I managed to photograph it , in the shade , so the "pink" isn't as rich as some of the views I've had of it . The photo shows the light blue-grey hood with a paler throat , black lores and the pink on the sides coming well onto the middle of the breast . I wasn't able to capture the back but it is a soft brown . This all leads me to believe it's a Pink-sided . Would you agree ? Photo posted on Manitobabirds at : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Manitobabirds/photos/album/1836889671/pic/list?mode=tn&order=ordinal&start=1&dir=asc Also at : http://imagesofmanitoba.shawwebspace.ca/photos/ Cheers , Garry Budyk Winnipeg MB http://imagesofmanitoba.shawwebspace.ca/photos/ ----- Original Message ----- From: Garry Budyk To: Manitobabirds AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Monday, March 01, 2010 6:04 PM Subject: [Manitobabirds] Pink-sided Junco Deanna and I had a Pink-sided Junco visiting our feeder area today . A soft grey-blue hood , "extensive pinkish flanks" , black lores and a soft brown back . Clearly different than the Oregon-types and browner slate-coloured that I've seen here and elsewhere before . A nice looking bird ! Cheers , Garry Budyk Winnipeg MB [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: New image at the Nature Manitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 12:20:35 -0800 (PST) I have just added a photo of a Eurasian Collared-Dove from Harv Lane at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/rare/EUCD_10.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ The new Internet Explorer® 8 - Faster, safer, easier. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! at http://downloads.yahoo.com/ca/internetexplorer/ Subject: Drive to Powerview area From: "Liz Morash" <ecmor AT shaw.ca> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 12:44:20 -0600 Yesterday Helen Murdoch and I drove to the Powerview area. We saw six Northern Hawk Owls in total. One on the south side of Hwy 317 approximately one km east of Maple Creek Road, four on Maple Creek Road and one on the outskirts of St. Georges (towards Powerview). Eleven Sharp-tailed Grouse were observed with one being on Maple Creek Road and ten on Broadlands Road, nine of which were on a plowed snow ridge. Other birds observed were Snow Buntings, Pine Grosbeaks, Common Ravens, Black-billed Magpies, Black-capped Chickadees, one Gray Jay and one Hairy Woodpecker. As Adam Stanley mentioned, we also did not see any Great Gray Owls. It was nice to meet you, Adam. Liz Morash Winnipeg (St. Vital) [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Saturday Afternoon From: robert robinson <robertrobinson174 AT msn.com> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 11:14:51 -0600 Hi, Yesterday afternoon as we left this street on a shopping trip a male Merlin was pole perching on Sanderson Avenue , here in N W Winnipeg . Bob Robinson . _________________________________________________________________ Check your Hotmail from your phone. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9712957 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Pileated Woodpecker From: Irenne Bader <corgwn AT mts.net> Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 09:51:20 -0600 I just had to share with someone that I saw my first ever pileated woodpecker. I was out with the dogs Saturday, March 06/10 in the back portion of my property, on PTH 501, just north of Ross, MB around 2:00 PM, when a large bird flew overhead & landed in a nearby tree. As soon as that rata-tat-tat rang out I knew what it was even before I saw the long neck and distinctive red pointed cap. There are the usual woodpeckers that I have seen in the woods on my property & near the feeders, Downy & Hairy, but was amazed at how much larger this one was, especially in flight. Thank you for letting me share my thrill with you, Irenne -- Irenne Bader ADAIR Corgwn Cardigan & Pembroke Rescue Ross MB Canada 204-422-7656 -- Irenne Bader ADAIR Corgwn Cardigan & Pembroke Rescue Ross MB Canada 204-422-7656 Subject: FW: H.B. Adventure and Rock Ptarmigan From: <vike AT mts.net> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 09:55:41 -0600 Finally got Rock Ptarmigan to report - and a good little travelling story as well. Churchill to Seal River Lodge is 53 km as the raven flies across the Bay - quite a bit farther the way Doug went. Forwarded by Ian Thorleifson From: Doug Webber [mailto:nklwolfman AT gmail.com] Sent: Sunday, March 07, 2010 5:04 AM To: vike AT mts.net; Hey Ian, I thought I'd drop you a quick encapsulation of my adventure yesterday. Took off from Churchill about 1000 and had a heck of a time getting across the river there was so much overflow. Temp was -1C. Had to go down river by the fort . The sea ice was so rough on the other side I had to go via sea horse gully. Even then the "trail" across Button Bay for the first 3 kliks was BRUTAL. Did not see a bird of ANY kind from the fort to sea horse gully. There has been a fair bit of melting so even tracks have disappeared. Skipped by Dymond Lake out on the sea ice by a couple of miles. Stayed out on the ice until Jacks cabin at the mouth of the Seal. Looks like a Polar Bear went through the wall on the South side. Got to Seal Lodge at 1320 and scared off a Peregrine Falcon. No Ptarmigan to this point and I skirted willows off and on from the mouth of the Seal to the lodge. Circled all the buildings. Everything sealed up tight. Not much snow compared to other years. Headed back 1330. Skirted a couple of bad overflow spots that I almost got stuck in at mouth of South branch of Seal. Stayed close to the willows at the Knife Delta and finally saw a flock of 26 rock ptarmigan a mile south of the Knife Delta cabin on the coast. Checked out Dymond camp - Polar Bear had tried to get into the guide cabin (between kitchen and lakeshore) Tore a piece of wood off the corner of the building (NE). NO Ptarmigan or any other bird life around Dymond. Not even the usual signs of Ravens. Made a new trail through the rough ice to the trail I came out on and meandered through Sea Horse Gully but saw nothing of any bird life there. More overflow on the river and I got a little careless and got stuck in slush in the middle of the river. Had to walk from there. Town was almost dead. Everyone out on their snowmachines I would suspect. Finally got some help and brought some rope and we took two old machines and pulled the new one out. Went home, had dinner and sacked out. The End. Have a nice day. Doug [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: sharp tails on maple creek From: "adamstanley100" <adamstanley100 AT yahoo.com> Date: Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:04:42 -0000 Counted 4 hawk owls and 3 sharp tails on maple creek rd. yesterday but no sign of any great grays. A walk down the snowmobile trail in search of three-toed's yielded zero avian species, 50 (approx.) Arctic Cat species, 1 cloud of noxious skidoo fumes. Had a mixed flock of evening/pine grosbeaks (always a joy for a city slicker like me) at Elma and another hawk owl just north of Birds hill on 59 plus 3 spruce grouse on old 15. The abundance of magpies at Lee River prompted an epiphany; why isn't this everyone's favorite bird! adam Subject: Northern Saw-whet Owls From: "Harv & Barb Lane" <harv.lane AT gmail.com> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 22:48:37 -0600 Howdy, Tonight at around 8:30, while we were sitting in the hot tub with friends and enjoying the beautifully warm weather, we were suddenly serenaded by at least 2, possibly 3, Saw-whets. I don't know if the other couple was more amazed at the fact that that was what an owl sounded like or the fact that I would know that that was an owl. In any event, the little guys are back and they're calling. Cheers, Harv Lane Kleefeld [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: House Finch behaviour From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 03:01:18 +0000 Just posted an interesting note on House Finch behaviour from Garry Budyck to the Atlas blog: http://manitobabirdatlas.blogspot.com/ Also a composite photo of Great Horned owls from Alfred Aug to the Flickr site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48177961 AT N08/ Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ Take your contacts everywhere http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9712959 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Red River at St. Mary's & Perimeter From: "Alfred Aug" <alfred.a AT mts.net> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 20:28:42 -0600 I drove by there yesterday and saw a Bald Eagle perched in a tree on the far bank. I imagine it was patiently waiting for a fish to surface. Alfred Aug Winnipeg ----- Original Message ----- From: Rob Parsons To: Manitoba Birds Sent: Saturday, March 06, 2010 8:20 PM Subject: [Manitobabirds] Red River at St. Mary's & Perimeter Hi all, I went down St. Mary's Rd to one of the nurseries today, and noted a fair amount of open water on the Red River right at the bend by the Winnipeg Perimeter. I didn't see any birds on it, but it probably would be worthwhile checking over the next few days. I've been hearing of a few migrant waterfowl starting to appear in other jurisdictions--surely Manitoba isn't too far behind! Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Red River at St. Mary's & Perimeter From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 20:20:31 -0600 Hi all, I went down St. Mary's Rd to one of the nurseries today, and noted a fair amount of open water on the Red River right at the bend by the Winnipeg Perimeter. I didn't see any birds on it, but it probably would be worthwhile checking over the next few days. I've been hearing of a few migrant waterfowl starting to appear in other jurisdictions--surely Manitoba isn't too far behind! Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: Hecla From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2010 02:15:39 +0000 Emily Pipher and I tried a relatively short run up to Hecla / Grindstone area today. Dense ice-depositing fog made the morning spotting very tough work but we did manage to find Emily her lifer great Gray Owl. On the way back off Hecla, as the fog lifted, so did our spotting success and we ended up with 10 Northern Hawk Owls plus a Snowy Owl. A Horned Lark in Hecla Village was a pleasant surprise, also a Lapland Longspur, lots of Snow Bunting and an enormous number of ravens (one pair carrying a stick around). Usual finches including a single crossbill and one Hoary Redpoll plus a few other goodies like a Northern Shrike, a pair of Black-backed Woodpeckers and lots of Sharp-tailed Grouse on the Grindstone Road and others… Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9712959 [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: Atlas photo page on Flickr From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 6 Mar 2010 03:51:55 +0000 With some tantalizing bird behaviour reports trickling in, we thought it would be worth starting an atlas photo album on Flickr so anyone can contribute photos taken during the atlas period that document some breeding evidence. I got the ball rolling at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48177961 AT N08/ If you have photos that show natural bird breeding behaviour to share, maybe a grouse displaying, maybe a raven or magpie nest-building, maybe owls singing or pair-bonding, you can add them here. At least for now, you can send these photos to Bonnie or myself until we figure out a better system. As always , when sharing photos on the web, put your watermark on them or ask me to do it for you… If you are going to send photos, please include a date and rough location and the names of the photographer and all observers. Also describe the behaviour or use the standard atlassing codes (soon to be available on the main atlas website www.birdatlas.mb.ca) Some of you also have Flickr pages I know – for example, Alfred Aug snapped some beautiful Great Horned Owl photos recently also on Flickr for example – and it should be easy to share these or link these… We have been slowly adding content to the main page and even have some French pages up now – merci René! So, let the atlassing games begin! See you at FortWhyte on April 9, 10, 11 if not sooner… Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ Stay in touch. http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9712959 [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: Re: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list From: "Peter Taylor" <taylorp AT granite.mb.ca> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 18:13:31 -0600 Hi, Gene & all, Since the kittiwake is my own little sob story, I'll fill in the details. I found it very recently dead on the road at Powerview dam in late fall some years ago. What made it particularly frustrating was that this was my third pass over the dam in the space of an hour or so (there was a lot of gull action that day), and it definitely was not there the first two times. Hence a very fresh but very dead road kill (now in the U of M collection). Thus, as Liis indicated, a good record for the books but a glaring gap that still persists in my Manitoba list! Cheers, Peter Peter Taylor Pinawa, MB, Canada 50 N 96 W ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gene Walz" To: "MB Birds" Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 1:23 PM Subject: RE: [Manitobabirds] A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list > > I think we should be consistent: "a bird must be observed alive, wild & > unrestrained". Didn't we have a debate on a kittiwake several years ago, > found alive but soon dead? > [Otherwise my personal life list, for instance, would be six or seven > birds fuller. Then again, I'm always looking for easy ways to increase my > list; this would be almost as easy as the coming Winter Wren split. > > Gene Walz > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Live connected with Messenger on your phone > http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9712958 > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > Subject: 2nd Northern Saw Whet owl From: "Devon Baete" <dbaete_fish AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:28:27 -0000 Thanks Jim, To hopefully clear up any problems with recording this dead bird I had a call back in early Feb of a similar looking owl. Unfortunetely, although I went to the location I was unable to see the owl but luckily I have just talked to the farmer who saw the bird on two occasions and that he has several pictures which will be sent to me this weekend. I will post these early next week and hopefully they are indeed another (but alive) Northern Saw-whet. Devon Baete Baldur-Bruxelles Subject: Schedule of Atlas Launch, April 9 - 11 From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 22:35:56 +0000 Hi folks, We have our schedule for the Atlas launch April 9 - 11 now viewable at: http://manitobabirdatlas.blogspot.com/ _________________________________________________________________ IM on the go with Messenger on your phone http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9712960 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: RE: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list From: Randy Mooi <rmooi AT manitobamuseum.ca> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 20:35:27 +0000 If the 'rules' of the list state it must be seen alive, then by all means follow the rules. But as a voucher, the bird is a February record for Manitoba, unless there is some evidence to the contrary. The hunter/freezer scenario is no more likely (or only very slightly more likely) than the possibility that any live bird record is the result of capture and then later release. Randy Randall Mooi Curator of Zoology The Manitoba Museum 190 Rupert Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 0N2 204-988-0659 Fax 204-942-3679 From: Duncan, James (CON) [mailto:James.Duncan AT gov.mb.ca] Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 1:54 PM To: Ryan Dudragne; Rob Parsons Cc: Manitoba Birds; Blake Maybank Subject: [Manitobabirds] RE: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list Good suggestion. For the record I thoroughly examined the Saw-whet specimen Devon turned in on 4 March 2010 and it was definitely not shot. I realize you may have written that particular scenario as fiction to make a valid point, and so just wanted to clear Devon or anyone else of any wrong doing in this particular case. Cheers, Jim Dr. James R. Duncan Wildlife & Ecosystem Protection Branch Manitoba Conservation Box 24, 200 Saulteaux Crescent Winnipeg, MB R3J 3W3 Tel: (204) 945-7465 Fax: (204) 945-3077 Email: James.Duncan AT gov.mb.ca Wildlife Web Site www.manitoba.ca/conservation/wildlife CDC Web Site http://web2.gov.mb.ca/conservation/cdc/ ________________________________ From: Ryan Dudragne [mailto:pl8guy AT sasktel.net] Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 1:41 PM To: Rob Parsons Cc: Manitoba Birds; Blake Maybank; Duncan, James (CON) Subject: Re: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list Hey Rob, Tough call. I am reminded of a similar occurrence back in 2002 in Saskatchewan. The temperatures became really cold at the beginning of December, and on December 04, the Black-throated Blue Warbler that had been in Saskatoon for a couple of weeks was found dead on the U of S campus. It had not been observed alive since November 27th, but logic dictated that the tiny corpse would not have remained intact longer than a few hours with the presence of the magpies and therefore must have survived until December third (or 2nd to be conservative). After much debate, most of it in support of including the bird on the winter list, it was eventually removed on the following grounds: "... because it was not seen alive by anyone during the count period. While I have absolutely no doubt that the bird survived into December, we could use the same logic to add many other species to our list because we know that they are in fact in the province even though nobody has reported seeing them." (Harv Lane, 2002, Saskbirds #2093) Listing, whether it be for a winter list, year list, etc., operates on the notion that a bird must be seen "alive, wild and unrestrained" whilst simultaneously agreeing with the criteria of whatever type of list is in question. Yes, it seems highly probable that the NSWO perished during the winter listing period and is therefore countable on the grounds that it was known to be present (as opposed to being seen alive). But is your winter list for birds known to occur, or birds actually observed between Dec. 01 and Feb 28?-- that is the question. Although far-fetched, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the NSWO was shot on, say November 30th, then remained in the hunter's freezer for two months before his/her conscience surfaced with the realisation that killing a NSWO violates the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and that he/she should dispose of the evidence before a conservation officer finds out, which eventually led to one Devon Baete stumbling across the frozen specimen in February near Holland MB, which eventually led to this discussion. So, for guidance, I would suggest that you follow whatever voice of reason guides you when adding a new tick to your lifelist. Good luck! Cheers, Ryan Dudragne Swift Current, SK Rob Parsons wrote: Hi all, Devon Baete has informed me of a Northern Saw-whet Owl, found dead in early February near Holland. It was turned in to Jim Duncan who confirmed the ID. Given the fact it was found dead, I'm a little uncertain as to how to deal with it. My inclination is to *not* include it for the DOWL, since it was already dead in early February. I am, however, wondering about including it on the full winter list, since I find it hard to believe it lay there since November 30th or earlier! Mind you, I think I've said a bird must be observed alive, wild & unrestrained, haven't I? Any thoughts or guidance? Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list From: "Liis Veelma" <lveelma AT mts.net> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 13:55:38 -0600 Hello Robert I , too, waffle about the lists ... DOWL. winter and monthly. But Gene is right. These tally what birders see or hear, and ABA rules should apply. An example is Patti Sullivan and I reluctantly not including a roadkilled Common Nighthawk on our meager fall hawk count list, even though the pancake was perfectly identifiable at 90 kph. Hmmm... can I count a still squawking European Starling being toted by a Merlin for a day list? Does the 'unrestrained' apply to all captivity, or just human engineered confinement? On the other hand, more scientific lists, such a the provincial checklist, do include records of dead and even extinct birds, as these document occurrence of a species, rather than mere observation at a given time. Liis Subject: RE: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list From: "Duncan, James (CON)" <James.Duncan AT gov.mb.ca> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 13:54:04 -0600 Good suggestion. For the record I thoroughly examined the Saw-whet specimen Devon turned in on 4 March 2010 and it was definitely not shot. I realize you may have written that particular scenario as fiction to make a valid point, and so just wanted to clear Devon or anyone else of any wrong doing in this particular case. Cheers, Jim Dr. James R. Duncan Wildlife & Ecosystem Protection Branch Manitoba Conservation Box 24, 200 Saulteaux Crescent Winnipeg, MB R3J 3W3 Tel: (204) 945-7465 Fax: (204) 945-3077 Email: James.Duncan AT gov.mb.ca Wildlife Web Site www.manitoba.ca/conservation/wildlife CDC Web Site http://web2.gov.mb.ca/conservation/cdc/ ________________________________ From: Ryan Dudragne [mailto:pl8guy AT sasktel.net] Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 1:41 PM To: Rob Parsons Cc: Manitoba Birds; Blake Maybank; Duncan, James (CON) Subject: Re: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list Hey Rob, Tough call. I am reminded of a similar occurrence back in 2002 in Saskatchewan. The temperatures became really cold at the beginning of December, and on December 04, the Black-throated Blue Warbler that had been in Saskatoon for a couple of weeks was found dead on the U of S campus. It had not been observed alive since November 27th, but logic dictated that the tiny corpse would not have remained intact longer than a few hours with the presence of the magpies and therefore must have survived until December third (or 2nd to be conservative). After much debate, most of it in support of including the bird on the winter list, it was eventually removed on the following grounds: "... because it was not seen alive by anyone during the count period. While I have absolutely no doubt that the bird survived into December, we could use the same logic to add many other species to our list because we know that they are in fact in the province even though nobody has reported seeing them." (Harv Lane, 2002, Saskbirds #2093) Listing, whether it be for a winter list, year list, etc., operates on the notion that a bird must be seen "alive, wild and unrestrained" whilst simultaneously agreeing with the criteria of whatever type of list is in question. Yes, it seems highly probable that the NSWO perished during the winter listing period and is therefore countable on the grounds that it was known to be present (as opposed to being seen alive). But is your winter list for birds known to occur, or birds actually observed between Dec. 01 and Feb 28?-- that is the question. Although far-fetched, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the NSWO was shot on, say November 30th, then remained in the hunter's freezer for two months before his/her conscience surfaced with the realisation that killing a NSWO violates the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and that he/she should dispose of the evidence before a conservation officer finds out, which eventually led to one Devon Baete stumbling across the frozen specimen in February near Holland MB, which eventually led to this discussion. So, for guidance, I would suggest that you follow whatever voice of reason guides you when adding a new tick to your lifelist. Good luck! Cheers, Ryan Dudragne Swift Current, SK Rob Parsons wrote: Hi all, Devon Baete has informed me of a Northern Saw-whet Owl, found dead in early February near Holland. It was turned in to Jim Duncan who confirmed the ID. Given the fact it was found dead, I'm a little uncertain as to how to deal with it. My inclination is to *not* include it for the DOWL, since it was already dead in early February. I am, however, wondering about including it on the full winter list, since I find it hard to believe it lay there since November 30th or earlier! Mind you, I think I've said a bird must be observed alive, wild & unrestrained, haven't I? Any thoughts or guidance? Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list From: Ryan Dudragne <pl8guy AT sasktel.net> Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:41:00 -0600 Hey Rob, Tough call. I am reminded of a similar occurrence back in 2002 in Saskatchewan. The temperatures became really cold at the beginning of December, and on December 04, the Black-throated Blue Warbler that had been in Saskatoon for a couple of weeks was found dead on the U of S campus. It had not been observed alive since November 27th, but logic dictated that the tiny corpse would not have remained intact longer than a few hours with the presence of the magpies and therefore must have survived until December third (or 2nd to be conservative). After much debate, most of it in support of including the bird on the winter list, it was eventually removed on the following grounds: "... because it was not seen alive by anyone during the count period. While I have absolutely no doubt that the bird survived into December, we could use the same logic to add many other species to our list because we know that they are in fact in the province even though nobody has reported seeing them." (Harv Lane, 2002, Saskbirds #2093) Listing, whether it be for a winter list, year list, etc., operates on the notion that a bird must be seen "alive, wild and unrestrained" whilst simultaneously agreeing with the criteria of whatever type of list is in question. Yes, it seems highly probable that the NSWO perished during the winter listing period and is therefore countable on the grounds that it was known to be present (as opposed to being seen alive). But is your winter list for birds known to occur, or birds actually observed between Dec. 01 and Feb 28?-- that is the question. Although far-fetched, it is not out of the realm of possibility that the NSWO was shot on, say November 30th, then remained in the hunter's freezer for two months before his/her conscience surfaced with the realisation that killing a NSWO violates the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and that he/she should dispose of the evidence before a conservation officer finds out, which eventually led to one Devon Baete stumbling across the frozen specimen in February near Holland MB, which eventually led to this discussion. So, for guidance, I would suggest that you follow whatever voice of reason guides you when adding a new tick to your lifelist. Good luck! Cheers, Ryan Dudragne Swift Current, SK Rob Parsons wrote: >Hi all, > > Devon Baete has informed me of a Northern Saw-whet Owl, found dead in >early February near Holland. It was turned in to Jim Duncan who confirmed >the ID. Given the fact it was found dead, I'm a little uncertain as to how >to deal with it. My inclination is to *not* include it for the DOWL, since >it was already dead in early February. I am, however, wondering about >including it on the full winter list, since I find it hard to believe it lay >there since November 30th or earlier! Mind you, I think I've said a bird >must be observed alive, wild & unrestrained, haven't I? > > Any thoughts or guidance? > >Cheers, > >Rob Parsons >Winnipeg, MB >CANADA >parsons8 AT mts.net > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list From: Gene Walz <genewalz AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 13:23:10 -0600 I think we should be consistent: "a bird must be observed alive, wild & unrestrained". Didn't we have a debate on a kittiwake several years ago, found alive but soon dead? [Otherwise my personal life list, for instance, would be six or seven birds fuller. Then again, I'm always looking for easy ways to increase my list; this would be almost as easy as the coming Winter Wren split. Gene Walz _________________________________________________________________ Live connected with Messenger on your phone http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9712958 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list From: Randy Mooi <rmooi AT manitobamuseum.ca> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 19:23:02 +0000 I think this is what asterisks were invented for... From: Rob Parsons [mailto:parsons8 AT mts.net] Sent: Friday, March 05, 2010 1:10 PM To: Manitoba Birds Cc: Blake Maybank; Ryan Dudragne; Duncan, James (CON) Subject: [Manitobabirds] A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list Hi all, Devon Baete has informed me of a Northern Saw-whet Owl, found dead in early February near Holland. It was turned in to Jim Duncan who confirmed the ID. Given the fact it was found dead, I'm a little uncertain as to how to deal with it. My inclination is to *not* include it for the DOWL, since it was already dead in early February. I am, however, wondering about including it on the full winter list, since I find it hard to believe it lay there since November 30th or earlier! Mind you, I think I've said a bird must be observed alive, wild & unrestrained, haven't I? Any thoughts or guidance? Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: A possible addition for the winter list and probably not for the DOW list From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2010 13:09:35 -0600 Hi all, Devon Baete has informed me of a Northern Saw-whet Owl, found dead in early February near Holland. It was turned in to Jim Duncan who confirmed the ID. Given the fact it was found dead, I'm a little uncertain as to how to deal with it. My inclination is to *not* include it for the DOWL, since it was already dead in early February. I am, however, wondering about including it on the full winter list, since I find it hard to believe it lay there since November 30th or earlier! Mind you, I think I've said a bird must be observed alive, wild & unrestrained, haven't I? Any thoughts or guidance? Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: More Larks and Robins From: "Devon" <dbaete_fish AT hotmail.com> Date: Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:08:12 -0000 Saw another 21 Horned Larks yesterday, March 4, 2010 around 5:15 P.M. this time on Highway #23 between Belmont and the Highway #5 intersection. Saw 10 Gray Partridge and a Sharptail grouse on that stretch. Also counted 67 American Robins on highway #18 inbetween Wawanesa and Ninette at around 5:00 P.M., all in the tiger Hills area. The gravel shoulder was exposed with puddles every so often. Also spotted about 25 Ravens/ Crows flying around a yard on this stretch (It smelled like a skunk was killed in the yard). Do these numbers of robins/ lark suggest spring has arrived? Almost forgot. During the morning of March 4, 2010 from 7:45 - 8:00 A.M. on Highway #5 from Baldur to Glenboro counted another 15 Horned Lark, 3 Ravens, and only 2 snow bunting (during my other travels on this stretch I have regularly counted hundreds to thousands of snow bunting). Checked my notes and noticed I have seen 55 Horned Larks on March 3-4 between these short stretches of road. Devon Baete Baldur- Bruxelles Subject: Junco + Hawk Owls From: <kris1 AT mts.net> Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 22:16:37 -0600 This morning there was a Junco in our backyard in Wolseley, the first I have seen this year. Perhaps a harbinger in this beautiful weather. Later I did the Old 15/Lewis Road/Maple Creek Road trip and found 5 Hawk Owl, all in the northern half of Maple Creek Road. There were also a number of flocks of Snow Bunting ranging in size from around 5 up to 30 or so, and a couple of small groups of Lapland Longspur but no obvious Horned Larks, again all on Maple Creek Road. The Old 15/Lewis Road area was very quiet. Other than the above the only thing I saw were a lot of Raven and a couple of Magpie. Chris Meiklejohn Subject: Trying forPtarmigan! From: "bonie chartier" <cwe AT mts.net> Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 08:04:27 -0600 Hi all, I just have received a note from Churchill. Rhonda Reid says that she has been out looking for Ptarmigan and only sees tracks, Liis and I are very familiar with that!! She also says that the guys that she has asked to let her know what they have seen are only reporting sightings of two white Gyrfalcons. That is pretty normal for up there right now, gee, I wonder what they are eating!! Ummm! I will keep you posted on the hunt for Rock Ptarmigan! Cheers, Bonnie Chartier in Gimli [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Screech-Owls From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 06:13:03 +0000 Posted a very short note on Eastern Screech-Owls on the new atlas blog at: http://manitobabirdatlas.blogspot.com/ If any of you observe breeding behavior and want to contribute photos or a short write please send them along! Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ Take your contacts everywhere http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9712959 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Horned Larks! From: "Devon" <dbaete_fish AT hotmail.com> Date: Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:45:35 -0000 Saw 18 horned larks today, March 3, 2010 on the gravel road inbetween Baldur and Glenora, in groups of 2-5. These are the first I have been able to identify (just getting into this) so was exciting for me to see that many. Also saw 2 northern flickers, 3 magpies, 3 grey partridge, and 8 snow buntings. I'll try post some pics under my photos page. Devon Baete Baldur-Bruxelles Subject: White-winged Crossbills From: "Bing & Joy Bradley" <ajbradly AT mts.net> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 15:18:58 -0600 Today I had about a dozen White-winged Crossbills in my spruce trees. It was hard to tell the exact number because they wove their way back and forth through the tall trees. Most of these Crossbills were first year. I also had four Cedar Waxwings at our mountain ash. There was a lot of yellow on them and not a sign of russet. Would these be ones that wintered over? Joy Bradley [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Another Hawk Owl Report From: "Duncan, James (CON)" <James.Duncan AT gov.mb.ca> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 14:42:50 -0600 Yesterday afternoon at 5 pm I saw a northern hawk owl along Highway 7 (east side), just north of Stony Mountain. One was there again this morning at 10 am (on the west side this time). I caught and banded it -- it was a healthy adult. I also flushed 7 sharp-tailed grouse from the road intersection at 87N & 12E, this being about 0.75 miles south of the uncatchable "resident" hawk owl, still on its winter home range this morning! Cheers, Jim Duncan Wildlife & Ecosystem Protection Branch Manitoba Conservation Box 24, 200 Saulteaux Crescent Winnipeg, MB R3J 3W3 Tel: (204) 945-7465 Fax: (204) 945-3077 Email: James.Duncan AT gov.mb.ca Wildlife Web Site www.manitoba.ca/conservation/wildlife CDC Web Site http://web2.gov.mb.ca/conservation/cdc/ Subject: Another Hawk Owl Report From: "Duncan, James (CON)" <James.Duncan AT gov.mb.ca> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 14:42:50 -0600 Yesterday afternoon at 5 pm I saw a northern hawk owl along Highway 7 (east side), just north of Stony Mountain. One was there again this morning at 10 am (on the west side this time). I caught and banded it -- it was a healthy adult. I also flushed 7 sharp-tailed grouse from the road intersection at 87N & 12E, this being about 0.75 miles south of the uncatchable "resident" hawk owl, still on its winter home range this morning! Cheers, Jim Duncan Wildlife & Ecosystem Protection Branch Manitoba Conservation Box 24, 200 Saulteaux Crescent Winnipeg, MB R3J 3W3 Tel: (204) 945-7465 Fax: (204) 945-3077 Email: James.Duncan AT gov.mb.ca Wildlife Web Site www.manitoba.ca/conservation/wildlife CDC Web Site http://web2.gov.mb.ca/conservation/cdc/ Subject: No Great Gray Owls From: "Rob Parsons" <parsons8 AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 23:05:40 -0600 Hi all, Looks like March came in like a lamb. We know what that's supposed to mean, but I guess we can hope to defy that saying. I had a fairly productive day (Monday March 1st), although there were certainly birdless periods. Old 15 seemed very poor to begin with, especially west of Lewis Road, but I did see and hear a male Three-toed Woodpecker immediately east of Lewis Road, and a male Black-backed about a kilometre further east. One flock (of two) of Common Redpolls had a Hoary among them. A crow flew over at some height, headed north and calling as it went. It was tempting to call it a migrant, but it's probably wishful thinking on my part. I saw a few more crows between Lewis, Elma & Whitemouth, although certainly not in the numbers reported recently by Liis Veelma & Bonnie Chartier. No Boreal Chickadees, in spite of at least two parties reporting them there recently. I decided anyone mentioning them must be doing it to annoy me and to suspend posting privileges of anyone who does! (I hope people can figure out I'm kidding, and in any event I recanted later.) The feeders around Elma added both Evening & Pine Grosbeaks and more redpolls. I was sorry to see a for sale sign in front of the blue house with feeders on 3rd Avenue (or Street?) at the west side of town. I dipped on Boreal Chickadees around Pinawa and on Riverland Road near Lac du Bonnet and decided the bird must hate me! Went down Maple Creek Road about 11:30 and I suspect I saw a carload of birders about a mile ahead of me. Nobody but birders could drive so slowly. In any event, they eventually outdistanced me (since I am a birder, too), as I stopped to walk the snowmobile at the west end of the southern east/west leg. It was a gorgeous day for a walk along the trail and for the first time in months, the sun felt warm, make that nearly hot on my face. Alas, the birdlife (or lack thereof?) firmly reminded me it was still Manitoba in winter. I saw virtually nothing (other than Common Raven & Gray Jay), but finally heard a Boreal Chickadee! (So do feel free to post your observations of them.) Then it was onto the Hawk Owl show. At least 3, possibly 4 brightened the already bright day. I eventually got to Hwy 11 and drove as far as Pine Falls-Powerview (or perhaps the names are supposed to be reversed, but I prefer this way). I did make one stop at Silver Falls for a tea/snack break and was glad I did, as two Pileated Woodpeckers flew past while I snacked. I turned around at Pine Falls, and went back down Maple Creek Road again. Perhaps this is a good time to mention all the Snow Buntings I saw. While I never saw any really huge flocks (the largest would have been no more than 100 birds and the average was probably 25), I kept seeing them everywhere I went and my total must be at least a thousand. And, yes, as mentioned by Bob Robinson, Carole Penner& Dennis Fast, I saw several instances where a flock would perch on (usually small) trees. At one feedlot, two Snow Buntings did a House Sparrow/Euro-sleaze impression by perching on a wire crossing the feedlot. I decided I didn't feel like taking Hwy 59 back to Winnipeg, and went down to Hwy 11, then the Milner Ridge Road. I was glad I did because I got to see a Gyrfalcon perched on a hydro tower. It was just south of Buchan Road between Seddon's Corner & Milner Ridge. This probably won't be helpful for chasing it, since they motor! What was very likely the same bird was seen by Lorne & Joan Heshka a couple of days earlier, north of the Brightstone Hutterite Colony. I then headed toward Beausejour & turned south on PR 302. A little south of town, I saw a bird fly up, displaying black & white flashes in the wing and thought yet another Snow Bunting, but then I realized it was a shrike. So, while not an outstanding bird day, there were enough nice surprises to keep from getting too bored between sightings--and some of the between sightings stretches were rather long! As the subject line indicates, I did not see any Great Gray Owls today. Although it was one of the species I was hoping to see, but didn't, I really wasn't in the prime areas during peak times. Sheldon Bowles's recent failure to find any may also stem from this. Many of you know this, but for anyone unaware, if it's a bright day, you can enhance your possibility of seeing some by being out early or staying out late, so you are in more twilight-like conditions. I don't think Great Grays like squinting at brilliant white snow any more than I do. Cheers, Rob Parsons Winnipeg, MB CANADA parsons8 AT mts.net Subject: Re: Sunday at Maple Creek Road - snow buntings perching From: Dennis Fast <denroy AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 21:55:49 -0600 Back in the 1970's when we lived at Cranberry Portage I had the same experience Robert and Carole describe. A small flock (15?) of Snow Buntings were perched in a slender aspen about 4 meters high, apparently tired from a long migration. I was just beginning photography, and becoming serious about birding, when I encountered these birds just off our housing complex. I remember standing "inside" the branches of the tree photographing Snow Buntings at arm's length. I couldn't believe the tree-perching behaviour of the birds at that time, and to this day I can't believe how closely they allowed me to approach! Down here the buntings are incredibly flighty and easily spooked, as we all know. Given another chance, I'm sure I could actually get some "keeper" photos now! Cheers, Dennis www.dennisfast.com Dennis Fast Box 151 Kleefeld, MB R0A 0V0 (204) 377-4455 denroy AT mts.net On 2010-03-01, at 9:08 PM, Carole Penner wrote: I also noticed snow buntings tree perching on Sunday (near Starbuck). I thought I was imagining things. Have never noticed this behavior before. Lots of horned larks about, mostly in groups of 2 to 6. I had see a group of 22 one day on the GBBC along # 332 and 14 the next, but the groups seem to be breaking up in smaller groups and pairs now. Road 56 N and 57 N seem to have quite a few usually. Cheers, Carole Penner Starbuck ________________________________ From: robert robinson To: manitobabirds AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, March 1, 2010 8:35:29 PM Subject: [Manitobabirds] Sunday at Maple Creek Road Hi, Yesterday Afternoon Pat and I set out for a visit to Maple Creek Road , on our way Eastward on the perimeter a snowy owl pole perching ,fieldside of the road well before we reached the junction of pipeline road . on M.C Road we met a chap called Paul who was viewing a Northern Hawk Owl ,and has Met some of the people from this site on previous weeks .we at first found 4 N H Owls many small flocks of Snow Buntings , and Linda Pearn on our third and final drive down the road we spotted a N H Owl in a area away from the other sightings so maybe it was a different bird. on Highway 317 Brokenhead on the journey home before we reached the Agazis Forest sign a N H Owl perched high well back from the road So our total of Owls was propably 7 for the day . Crows Starlings and Pine Grosbeak,s and rock pigeons also seen . The Snow buntings gave us a surprise by tree perching as normally they are flitting around or feeding which they also did . is this a sign of them preparing to leave ? Bob Robinson . ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __________________________________________________________ Make your browsing faster, safer, and easier with the new Internet Explorer® 8. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! at http://downloads.yahoo.com/ca/internetexplorer/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] [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: Re: Sunday at Maple Creek Road - snow buntings perching From: Carole Penner <penner.carole AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 19:08:48 -0800 (PST) I also noticed snow buntings tree perching on Sunday (near Starbuck).  I thought I was imagining things.  Have never noticed this behavior before. Lots of horned larks about, mostly in groups of 2 to 6.  I had see a group of 22 one day on the GBBC along # 332 and 14 the next, but the groups seem to be breaking up in smaller groups and pairs now.  Road 56 N and 57 N seem to have quite a few usually. Cheers, Carole Penner Starbuck ________________________________ From: robert robinson To: manitobabirds AT yahoogroups.com Sent: Mon, March 1, 2010 8:35:29 PM Subject: [Manitobabirds] Sunday at Maple Creek Road   Hi, Yesterday Afternoon Pat and I set out for a visit to Maple Creek Road , on our way Eastward on the perimeter a snowy owl pole perching ,fieldside of the road well before we reached the junction of pipeline road . on M.C Road we met a chap called Paul who was viewing a Northern Hawk Owl ,and has Met some of the people from this site on previous weeks .we at first found 4 N H Owls many small flocks of Snow Buntings , and Linda Pearn on our third and final drive down the road we spotted a N H Owl in a area away from the other sightings so maybe it was a different bird. on Highway 317 Brokenhead on the journey home before we reached the Agazis Forest sign a N H Owl perched high well back from the road So our total of Owls was propably 7 for the day . Crows Starlings and Pine Grosbeak,s and rock pigeons also seen . The Snow buntings gave us a surprise by tree perching as normally they are flitting around or feeding which they also did . is this a sign of them preparing to leave ? Bob Robinson . ____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] __________________________________________________________________ Make your browsing faster, safer, and easier with the new Internet Explorer® 8. Optimized for Yahoo! Get it Now for Free! at http://downloads.yahoo.com/ca/internetexplorer/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Sunday at Maple Creek Road From: robert robinson <robertrobinson174 AT msn.com> Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 20:35:29 -0600 Hi, Yesterday Afternoon Pat and I set out for a visit to Maple Creek Road , on our way Eastward on the perimeter a snowy owl pole perching ,fieldside of the road well before we reached the junction of pipeline road . on M.C Road we met a chap called Paul who was viewing a Northern Hawk Owl ,and has Met some of the people from this site on previous weeks .we at first found 4 N H Owls many small flocks of Snow Buntings , and Linda Pearn on our third and final drive down the road we spotted a N H Owl in a area away from the other sightings so maybe it was a different bird. on Highway 317 Brokenhead on the journey home before we reached the Agazis Forest sign a N H Owl perched high well back from the road So our total of Owls was propably 7 for the day . Crows Starlings and Pine Grosbeak,s and rock pigeons also seen . The Snow buntings gave us a surprise by tree perching as normally they are flitting around or feeding which they also did . is this a sign of them preparing to leave ? Bob Robinson . _________________________________________________________________ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Screech Owls breeding already From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Tue, 2 Mar 2010 02:00:53 +0000 Visiting birders Doug and Barb Collister, in from Alberta for the Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference, asked me if I could help them find an Eastern Screech-Owl. So tonight we gave it a try. We found not one but two Eastern Screech-Owls and as it turns out we got to observe them copulating – yet another record for the atlas! Also got a weekend report of nest-building ravens and Bald Eagles inspecting nest sites… can spring be far behind? It’s getting exciting! Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ [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: Pink-sided Junco From: "Garry Budyk" <callgud AT shaw.ca> Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 18:04:55 -0600 Deanna and I had a Pink-sided Junco visiting our feeder area today . A soft grey-blue hood , "extensive pinkish flanks" , black lores and a soft brown back . Clearly different than the Oregon-types and browner slate-coloured that I've seen here and elsewhere before . A nice looking bird ! Cheers , Garry Budyk Winnipeg MB [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Cardinal Wellington Cr Winnipeg From: "Liis Veelma" <lveelma AT mts.net> Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 17:41:26 -0600 Posting on behalf of Jo Swartz, whose computer is out of service. Jo saw a male Cardinal at her feeders off Wellington Crescent/Academy Road in Winnipeg around 4:30 today, March 1. It visited briefly and then flew westward. Liis Veelma Winnipeg MB [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: BBS routes in need of observers for 2010 From: "De Smet, Ken (CON)" <ken.desmet AT gov.mb.ca> Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 11:58:37 -0600 Many of the better birders in the province have taken up the cause of helping to monitor the status of breeding birds in Manitoba by doing one or more BBS routes. Its not an onerous task -- in fact it's a lot of fun & only takes up one morning of your time & gets you into some great birding areas. For more info on the BBS, see http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/nwrc-cnrf/default.asp?lang=en&n=416B57CA I hope all the BBS observers will realize how well BBS data will complement Breeding Bird Atlas data that will be collected by everyone during the next 5 years. What I'm stressing to birders is its important to be involved in both of these important initiatives. Many of the BBS routes in southern Manitoba are currently assigned but there are always a few coming open. Some interesting southern routes that are or may be in need of observers: - Westbourne (NW of Portage) -- haven't heard this officially, but I think this route is available - Hilton (north of Ninette) -- Liis would like to cut down on her present load of 3 routes - Butler (in the SW) -- interesting area, if you need an excuse to get involved in an Atlas square or two in the SW - other potential routes in the SE & central Interlake?? -- I am in the process of drawing up routes for some lat-longs in the SE/Interlake which are not fully saturated, so let me know if you're available In addition, there are always routes available in the northern Interlake & central Manitoba. I understand that our champion BBS observer, Peter Taylor, will be receiving some award tonight at the MN indoor meeting!! We need more champions like Peter or folks willing to venture further afield to do routes or Atlas squares in central and northern Manitoba. Please get back to me if you have any interest in either. Ken De Smet Species at Risk Specialist Wildlife and Ecosystem Protection Branch Manitoba Conservation Box 24 - 200 Saulteaux Crescent Winnipeg MB R3J 3W3 Office: (204) 945-5439 Fax: (204) 945-3077 E-mail: Ken.DeSmet AT gov.mb.ca (**REVISED; January/07) Web site: www.manitoba.ca/conservation/wildlife [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: New image at the Nature Manitoba site From: Frank Machovec <frank_machovec AT yahoo.ca> Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 08:06:21 -0800 (PST) I have just added Carol Machnee's photograph of a Great Horned Owl at http://www.manitobanature.ca/MB_birds/misc/GHOW_10.htm Frank Machovec __________________________________________________________________ Looking for the perfect gift? Give the gift of Flickr! http://www.flickr.com/gift/ Subject: Sunday birds From: "Linda" <linda_pearn AT umanitoba.ca> Date: Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:47:45 -0000 I travelled from Winnipeg to Old 15, Lewis Road, Elma, Maple Creek Road & return on Sunday. Highlights were pine grosbeak, common redpoll, bald eagle, northern hawk owl (4), gray partridge and great horned owl. Linda Pearn Subject: Breeding Bird Atlas Workshop at FortWhyte From: christian artuso <chartuso AT hotmail.com> Date: Mon, 1 Mar 2010 04:15:50 +0000 Hi folks, At the encouragement of a few people I was chatting with at the most interesting Prairie Conservation and Endangered Species Conference yesterday, I decided to start a Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas blog as another way to promote the atlas and keep folks informed. Of course, our website http://birdatlas.mb.ca/ is also developing. Anyway, take a look at http://manitobabirdatlas.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment, pass it on, or give us a call or email with suggestions! Also, mark your calendar for April 9th, 10th and 11th. On the evening of Friday April 9th, we will be having a wine and chees at FortWhyte Alive to launch the atlas and on the weekend of the 10th and 11th we will be running a series of workshops at FortWhyte Alive for the public to show everyone how easy it is to get involved! More details will be posted on those websites soon... Christian Artuso (Winnipeg) _________________________________________________________________ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]