Saturday, June 12, 2010

June 11, 2010 More birding Churchill

Another beautiful day birding in the Churchill area with lots of activity. Our day started early at 5:30a.m. with an adult Long-tailed Jaeger off the Grain Elevator. At the Granary Ponds there was a large concentration of gulls (150+) including 1 adult CALIFORNIA GULL, 1 Iceland Gull, 3 Thayer's Gull and 1 Glaucous Gull. These birds have been attracted to the area by a dumping of grain, along with Lapland Longspur, Snow Bunting, House Sparrow and Ruddy Turnstone. Looks great for something really good! Along Launch Road we observed a male Harris' Sparrow near the Camp Nanuk turnoff. At the old burn site near Twin lakes there were 2 Bohemian Waxwing, both Gray Jay and Boreal Chickadee and an EASTERN KINGBIRD fly catching. Other species included Blackpoll Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Orange-crowned Warbler, Fox Sparrow, and Lincoln's Sparrow. During the afternoon mainly birded Goose Creek Road where we heard and saw 1 NELSON'S SPARROW near the Weir and 7 Sabine's Gull and 1 Little Gull from the observation tower at the Marina. Another Sabine's Gull was at Akudlik Marsh. Other migrants today included Alder Flycatcher and Gray-cheeked Thrush.

Good Birding, Bruce



A pair of Common Loon on West Twin Lake.


The Churchill River was still full of ice floes.


The Bald Eagle is an uncommon visitor to the Churchill area during June.





The Gray Jay is a regular sight at Twin Lakes.


The Thayer's Gull is a regular visitor to the Churchill area.


The Red-necked Phalarope breeds at the Granary Ponds near the Grain Elevator.

A view of Prince of Wales Fort from Cape Merry.


The American Golden-Plover is easy to overlook while feeding.


The Fox Sparrow is a summer resident of wet willow thickets and wooded areas. Best location is Goose Creek and Hydro Road.

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