A week or so ago, someone posted a piece on the heavy snow and late spring
at Churchill and its effects on breeding. Here is another report I thought
would be of interest to Maryland birders copied from TexBirds.
Bob Mumford
Darnestown
Subject: Arctic Breeding Conditions in 2009
Yesterday we saw an adult Lesser Yellowlegs near Toronto and on Wednesday
there was an adult Least Sandpiper in Hamilton at the west end of Lake
Ontario. These are the first "fall migrant" shorebirds in southern Ontario and
they are right on schedule.
Several people asked us to comment about recent reports of a "Disastrous
breeding season in the Arctic". The Arctic is huge; it is 3500 km from
southern James Bay (subarctic) to northern Ellesmere Island. Most shorebirds
have large breeding ranges and even in late years many birds breed
successfully and rarely does the entire Arctic experience the same climatic
conditions. We checked with northern researchers and summarized their comments below.
Shorebird nesting in 2009 is poor in some regions but normal to good
elsewhere.
Ontario: Ken Abraham reports that conditions in the Hudson Bay Lowlands
were about 10 days late from Attawapiskat south on James Bay, including
Akimiski Island, with Canada Geese and Snow Geese hatching in mid June, more
like the 1990s average than the 2000s average and within the overall norms.
Other species on Akimiski Island were correspondingly late. His guess is that
for those species that require shorter time there will be some reduction
but not huge. Perhaps the predation effect will be somewhat greater if
alternate species are less available. Because coastal snow, ice and water
inundation conditions were similar from Cape Henrietta Maria to the Manitoba
border, Ken expects that for Canada Geese nesting within 40-60 km from the
coast, a much reduced effort and productivity will be the norm. Snow Geese at
Cape Henrietta Maria were greatly down and the suggestion of a 90% reduction
seems to fit what they saw on their survey. However, beyond 40-60 km
inland, he thinks conditions will be different. Mark Peck said that species
nesting away from the Hudson Bay Coast in boreal bogs and fens such as
yellowlegs should not be severely impacted because much of the freeze took place
near the coast.
Manitoba: The situation is worse in northern Manitoba at Churchill where
temperatures were well below normal until recently and the snow cover melted
late. However, Erica Nol reports that birds have started to nest, just
very late, and it won't be a complete bust for shorebirds if there are enough
bare spots. Whimbrels and Hudsonian Godwits are nesting, but overall
nesting success should be below average for most shorebirds in northern Manitoba.
Nunavut: Snow melt was up to three weeks late in mainland Nunavut north of
Manitoba. Recent temperatures have been close to normal. ?Much of Baffin
Island is now snow free and conditions there and on Bylot Island are about
normal. High Arctic breeders should have a good breeding year.
Northwest Territories: Vicky Johnston suspects it will be a poor breeding
year in parts of the Western Arctic. Spring was roughly three weeks late in
Yellowknife on Great Slave Lake based on leaf-out. The Mackenzie Valley
and Delta warmed early but then cooled off again. The Delta flooded slowly and
the water receded slowly, so some prime shorebird breeding areas were
subject to heavy predation.
Yukon: Cameron Eckert reports a late spring, but once the heat came,
everything shifted into high gear.
Alaska: Declan Troy reports from the North Slope that the snow on the
tundra is long gone. It was much warmer earlier in the month and his guess is
that the breeding season has been early there.
We will be recording the arrivals and numbers of adult and juvenile
shorebirds in southern Ontario and may post updates.
?
Acknowledgements: We thank Ken Abraham, Bruce Di Labio, Cameron Eckert,
Michel Gosselin, Vicky Johnston, Erica Nol, Mark Peck, Ken Ross, Don
Sutherland, and Declan Troy.
Ron Pittaway and Jean Iron
Brad A. Andres, Ph.D.
National Coordinator, U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
PO Box 25486, DFC
Denver, CO ?80225-0486 USA
courier address:
755 Parfet St., Suite 496B
Lakewood, CO 80215
303/275-2324 (ph)
303/275-2384 (fax)
<http://www.fws.gov/shorebirdplan/> =
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