[mou] Salt Lake and Big Stone, 9/17
B W
wielandba@yahoo.com
Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:24:43 -0700 (PDT)
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Shorebirds at Salt Lake on Sunday:
1 Ruddy Turnstone
1 Buff-breasted Sandpiper
1 Sanderling
5 Black-bellied Plovers
10 Baird's Sandpipers
numbers of Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer (abundant), and Least Sandpipers as well.
At least 6 Plegadis Ibis on the Big Stone auto tour.
Ben Wieland
mou-net-request@cbs.umn.edu wrote: Send mou-net mailing list submissions to
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Today's Topics:
1. Fwd: [BIRDCHAT] Winter Finch Forecast 2006 - 2007 (Jim Williams)
2. Whimbrel in Duluth (Kim R Eckert)
3. Photo Website Update (Linda Krueger)
4. id help (Dee Kuder)
--__--__--
Message: 1
To: MOU net
From: Jim Williams
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:26:43 -0500
Subject: [mou] Fwd: [BIRDCHAT] Winter Finch Forecast 2006 - 2007
forward by Jim Williams
Wayzata
Begin forwarded message:
From: Jean Iron
Date: September 8, 2006 8:24:35 AM CDT
To: BIRDCHAT@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
Subject: [BIRDCHAT] Winter Finch Forecast 2006 - 2007
Reply-To: Jean Iron
GENERAL FINCH FORECAST 2006 - 2007
This is one of those rare years when most conifers (softwoods) and
broad-leaved deciduous trees (hardwoods) have synchronized bumper seed
crops across much of Eastern Canada and the bordering United States. It
will be an excellent winter to see winter finches in northern Ontario
and central Ontario (e.g., Algonquin Park). Very few boreal finches
will move south of Ontario this fall and winter. Most finches likely
will be scarce even in southern Ontario south of the Canadian Shield
this winter, despite bumper seed crops on native and ornamental
species. There also are bumper cone crops in Quebec, the Maritime
Provinces, New York and northern New England States, so finches will be
there too, but in what numbers is the question, because excellent crops
are so widespread this year. There are good cone crops west of Lake
Superior in northwestern Ontario, but cone quality diminishs towards
Manitoba because of severe drought conditions this year. Cone crops are
generally poor at the continental extremes in Newfoundland and Alaska.
Both White-winged and Red Crossbills have been arriving in Ontario
since late June in areas with bumper cone crops. In addition to
individual finch forecasts, I also comment on other irruptive species,
such as the Red-breasted Nuthatch, whose movements are linked to winter
finches. I added a new section this year called Finch Notes. It
discusses bumper seed crops, how crossbills find cone crops, when
crossbills move to bumper crops, when crossbills nest, road-killed
finches, and where to see finches this winter in Ontario.
INDIVIDUAL FINCH FORECASTS
Pine Grosbeak: Most Pine Grosbeaks will stay in northern Ontario
because the berry crop on mountain-ash (rowan berries) is excellent to
bumper this year. As well, the large seed and berry crops on other
trees and shrubs provide ample buffer food supplies to keep the
grosbeaks in the north. A few Pine Grosbeaks may drift as far south as
Algonquin Park where they are seen most winters.
Purple Finch: The excellent tree seed crops on most coniferous and
deciduous trees suggest that most (not all) Purple Finches will spend
this winter in northern and central Ontario. Some may drift south in
late winter and show up at feeders, which is typical of this species in
big seed years as seed supplies diminish in late winter.
Red Crossbill: Taxonomy and nomenclature are hopelessly confused. The
Red Crossbill complex comprises at least eight types or forms (possibly
full species) with different vocalizations and bill sizes related to
cone preferences. Two or three forms are regular in Ontario. One
prefers hemlock cones and the others are adapted mostly to pines,
mainly white pine in Ontario. Red Crossbills have been seen and heard
singing in hemlocks in August suggesting that the small-billed hemlock
subspecies 'sitkensis' has moved into central Ontario where hemlock
cone crops are excellent as in Algonquin Park and the Haliburton
Highlands. The hemlock form has the smallest bill of all Red
Crossbills, even smaller than the White-winged Crossbill's stubby bill.
Road-killed 'sitkensis' can be identified by measuring their bills
(culmen 13.5-15 mm). White pine cone crops, unlike other conifers, are
poor in most of central Ontario such as Algonquin Park. However, some
areas of northeastern Ontario have good white pine crops such as Marten
River and Timmins. Watch for pine types of Red Crossbills wherever
white and red pines have good cone crops. Since spruce cones are so
abundant this year, I expect that Red Crossbills will be found feeding
in spruce to some extent this winter.
White-winged Crossbill: Like a pendulum, White-winged Crossbills move
back and forth across the northern coniferous forests from Newfoundland
to Alaska searching for cone crops. White-winged Crossbills will be
widespread and perhaps common in many areas of northern and central
Ontario because of the bumper seed crops on spruces, tamarack, balsam
fir and hemlock. I expect that the highest concentrations of
White-wings will be in northeastern Ontario between Lake Superior and
Quebec where the super bumper crop of white spruce cones is "a
1-in-20-year cyclical phenomenon" making this is a rather rare event in
seed production for white spruce (Scott McPherson, pers. comm.).
White-winged Crossbills began increasing in northern Ontario in late
June and increased during July associated with big cone crops. They are
singing and feasting on an abundance of cone seeds and probably
nesting. They likely will begin nesting again in early 2007.
White-winged Crossbills in Algonquin Park have been widespread in small
numbers since July and are singing. Nesting is suggested by two
sightings of recently fledged young in August. White-winged Crossbills
possibly came from western Canada and Alaska wandering eastward
searching for cone crops. One reason why there are no subspecies on
this continent versus the eight or more types of Red Crossbills is that
White-winged Crossbill populations oscillate east and west across North
America, and thus are constantly mixing. This allows outcrossing and
gene flow among populations, suppressing the formation of geographical
variation.
Common Redpoll: This is not a flight year for redpolls in southern
Ontario. Most Common and Hoary Redpolls will be in northern Ontario
this winter because seed crops on white birch and alder are excellent
to bumper there. As well, yellow birch has an excellent crop from
southeastern Lake Superior into Quebec. This large crop will stall any
redpolls wandering south of the boreal zone. A few redpolls may get as
far south as Algonquin Park, but likely no farther.
Pine Siskin: Most Pine Siskins will winter in northern and probably
central Ontario this winter because cones crops are bumper on spruces,
balsam fir, tamarack (larch), cedar and hemlock. Flocks of siskins can
be identified at a distance by their distinctive flight formation. They
swirl in tight flocks whereas redpolls fly in loose undulating flocks.
Siskins should breed early next spring in northern Ontario. Only one
subspecies occurs across Canada, indicating that highly nomadic siskin
populations mix from coast to coast, inhibiting the formation of
geographical variation.
Evening Grosbeak: Evening Grosbeaks will stay in the boreal forest this
winter because tree seed crops are excellent on conifers and hardwoods
such as black ash. Expect a few in Algonquin Park, particularly around
the feeders at the Visitor Centre. The eastern population of Evening
Grosbeaks started declining in 1980 as large outbreaks of spruce
budworm subsided. The population is probably stable now, but much
reduced from the 1970s when Evening Grosbeaks were common at bird
feeders.
OTHER IRRUPTIVE SPECIES
Blue Jay: A small to moderate flight is expected. The good to excellent
crop of beechnuts on American beech in most areas of central and
southern Ontario should keep most Blue Jays from migrating south this
September and October along the shorelines of Lakes Ontario and Erie.
Blue Jays are now actively storing beechnuts. Also, there are excellent
crops of hazelnuts which will add to the nonmigratory tendency of Blue
Jays this fall. The red oak acorn crop is poor in most areas of central
Ontario, but the lack of acorns should be compensated for by the large
mast crops on other deciduous trees and shrubs.
Red-breasted Nuthatch: Most Red-breasted Nuthatches will not migrate
south this fall. The bumper cone crops across Ontario will hold most
Red-breasted Nuthatches close to their northern breeding grounds this
winter. When Red-breasted Nuthatches winter in the boreal forest they
eat conifer seeds so are closely linked to finches.
Bohemian Waxwing: The excellent to bumper crop of mountain-ash (rowan
berries) will keep most Bohemians Waxwings close to the boreal forest
this winter.
Boreal Forest Owls: The widespread abundance of seeds, berries, nuts
and fruits (mast) is providing a huge food supply for small mammals
such as voles so their numbers should be increasing. Most boreal forest
owls (Northern Hawk Owl, Great Gray Owl, Boreal Owl) likely will stay
close to breeding territories this winter. Increasing numbers of small
mammals will increase owl breeding success next spring and summer.
FINCH NOTES
Why Bumper Tree Seed Crops? One theory of bumper crops is to ensure
adequate seed supplies will germinate above the losses to consumers
such as fungi, insects, mammals and birds. Many trees have low seed
production in most followed by periodic bumper crops producing huge
surpluses beyond the capacity of seed consumers. Tree species normally
synchronize seed crops with members of their own species across
hundreds of kilometres/miles and they sometimes synchronize with other
species as has happened this year in the Northeast. This year's bumper
crops probably resulted from last year's hot and dry stress conditions
throughout most of the Northeast. Most plants under stress one year
will produce more seed the following year as a form of survival. The
size of the seed crop the following year is largely determined by the
weather at the time of flowering and pollination. If the weather is too
cold or too hot the flower buds will not develop properly. If there is
too much rain during pollination and no wind then poor pollination
takes place. This year in the Northeast the weather was perfect for
most conifer and hardwood species. However, white pine and red oak are
two significant species with poor seed crops in 2006 in central
Ontario. Why these two species? First, white pine cones take two
summers to ripen as opposed to spruce, fir, tamarack, cedar and hemlock
which ripen in one summer. Last year white pine grew a drought stressed
crop of immature conelets with considerable losses, resulting in a
generally poor crop maturing this year. Second, red oak had abundant
flowers in May but produced few acorns this year because the weather
turned cool and wet just when its flowers were ready to pollinate.
How Do Crossbills Find Bumper Cone Crops? Crossbills (and other
finches, particularly siskins) can locate big cone crops half a
continent or more away. Crossbills have well-developed sensory and
nervous systems and the evidence is clear that they respond to external
stimuli such as growing seed crops. The ability of crossbills to find
bumper cone crops suggests something more than random searching, but we
do not know how they do it. Ian Newton in his classic 1972 book on
"Finches" suggested that crossbills could assess the potential of
upcoming cone crops when moving between areas. There is much to learn
about nomadic winter finches.
When Do Crossbills Move To Bumper Seed Crops? Before big crossbill
nestings, they normally begin arriving in summer in areas with
developing bumper cone crops. This summer there were reports of
crossbills moving in Minnesota, northern Michigan, northeastern Ontario
(both species), central Ontario (both species in Algonquin Park),
northern New York State (Red Crossbills), Quebec (White-winged
Crossbills), northern New Hampshire (White-winged Crossbills), Maine
(White-winged Crossbills) and New Brunswick (White-winged Crossbills).
In years when either Red or White-winged Crossbills nested in late
winter and early spring in Algonquin Park, numbers were high in the
preceding late summer and fall.
When Do Crossbills Nest? The following information is courtesy of Ron
Tozer from his draft manuscript for The Birds of Algonquin Park. (A)
White-winged Crossbills nest during two main periods in Algonquin Park.
(1) The main nestings are in late December to mid-March with fledged
juveniles seen from late March to late May. (2) July and August
nestings produce young seen in early August to mid-October. (B) Red
Crossbills also nest during two main periods. (1) Adults with dependent
young have been seen in late April to mid-June from nestings in
January, February and probably March. (2) Adults with dependent young
seen from mid-August to late October are from nestings in June and
probably July. Both species nest occasionally outside the core periods
described above. Note: The presence of independent streaked young in
either species does not necessarily indicate local breeding because the
juvenile plumage can be retained for a considerable time.
Road-killed Finches: This could be a winter when thousands of winter
finches are killed by cars in places such as Algonquin Park and the
Haliburton Highlands. Finches are attracted to the salt and sand put on
highways. They have little fear of cars. I remember one collision that
killed 63 siskins in Algonquin Park. Common Ravens have an easy time
patrolling for road kills. When you see finches on the road, slow down,
flash lights and tap your horn several times. Finches often do not
respond in time. Be careful not to confuse other drivers.
Where To See Winter Finches: This will be a good year for a winter trip
to Algonquin Park. The park is a three hours drive north of Toronto.
White-winged Crossbills and Pine Siskins should be common, although
siskins have been absent to date. Red Crossbills, Purple Finches and
Evening Grosbeaks are possible in smaller numbers. A few Pine Grosbeaks
are likely, but most will be farther north. Redpolls should stay
farther north this winter in the boreal forest. Drive Highway 60 in
early morning watching for flocks of finches attracted to the salt and
sand put on the highway to reduce accidents. There are feeders at the
Visitor Centre, which is open only on weekends in winter. Arrangements
can be made to view the feeders on weekdays. For the latest information
on finches, call the Visitor Centre at 613-637-2828 or e-mail Ron Tozer
(retired park naturalist) at .
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I thank the many birders and staff of the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources (OMNR) whose composite knowledge and reports allowed me to
make reasonable predictions about finches in Ontario this fall and
winter. They are Dennis Barry (Durham Region), Shirley Davidson (OMNR
Minden), Nancy DeWitt (Alaska), Bruce Di Labio (Eastern Ontario),
Shelagh Duckett (OMNR, Thunder Bay), Chris Fagyal (Minnesota), Tyler
Hoar (Laurentians, Quebec), Michel Gosselin (Gatineau Hills, Quebec),
Charity Hendry (Angus Tree Seed Nursery), Leo Heyens (OMNR Kenora),
Brandon Holden (Algonquin Park), Peter Hynard (OMNR Haliburton), Jean
Iron (Toronto and Temagami), Bob Knudsen (Ontario Parks, Algoma), Scott
McPherson (OMNR Northeast Region), Larry Neily (Ottawa), John Miles
(Selkirk Provincial Park, Lake Erie), Brian Naylor (OMNR North Bay)
Janet Pineau (Arrowhead Provincial Park), Fred Pinto (OMNR Sudbury),
Rick Salmon (OMNR Lake Nipigon), Ron Tozer (Algonquin Park, Marten
River, Moosonee), Declan Troy (Alaska), Mike Turner (OMNR Brancroft
District), Stan Vasiliauskas (OMNR Northeast Region), Mike Walsh (OMNR
Muskoka and Parry Sound) and Matt Young (upstate New York). Matt
Young's posts this summer on New York State listservs have been
helpful. I am grateful to Ron Tozer for reviewing this post and for
information from his draft manuscript for The Birds of Algonquin Park.
RECENT FINCH FORECASTS ARCHIVED
Larry Neily has archived recent finch forecasts at
http://
ca.geocities.com/larry.neily@rogers.com/pittaway05.htm
REFERENCES
1. Bolgiano, N.C. 2004. Cause and Effect: Changes in Boreal Bird
Irruptions in Eastern North America Relative to the 1970s Spruce
Budworm Infestations. In 104th Christmas Bird Count 2003-2004 issue.
American Birds 58:26-33.
2. Newton, I. 1972. Finches. 288 pages. Collins.
3. Pittaway, R. 1998. Winter Finches. OFO News 16(1):5-7.
Ron Pittaway
8 September 2006
Ontario Field Ornithologists
Minden and Toronto ON
BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html
Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html
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Message: 2
To: MOU-net
From: Kim R Eckert
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:11:49 -0500
Subject: [mou] Whimbrel in Duluth
Today I walked out on the Park Point Hiking Trail beyond Sky Harbor
Airport and found surprisingly few migrant land birds. However, there
was a Whimbrel in the grass/weeds at the S end of the airport runway,
and near here on the bay side of the Point was a juv Forster's Tern
(relatively rare/uncommon in Duluth), and a Black Tern (also uncommon)
flew by on the lake side. I did not spend much time scanning the lake
for jaegers or gulls, but favorable E - NE winds are still blowing
today and remain in the forecast for tomorrow. - Kim Eckert
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Message: 3
From: "Linda Krueger"
To: "'MN Ornithologist Union Listserve'"
Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 19:20:39 -0500
Subject: [mou] Photo Website Update
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My Husband, Kevin, and I updated our website. You will see a few changes in
addition to the new photos. First of all, our website is now called Flight
of Nature so you can now get to our website using our new website address
which is shown below in the signature (the old address still works if you
have that bookmarked). Second of all, we changed the home page of our
website and so the navigation is different on that page but then we're
keeping the familiar tabs (Birds, Zoo, Personal, etc.) once you are inside
the website.
New photos include:
American Redstart
Common Nighthawk (in flight)
Belted Kingfisher (in flight)
Green Heron (both adult and juvenile - there are 12 photos
total!)
A Grasshopper
A Butterfly
Please let us know what you think of our new home page, especially if you
have any problems navigating from there. We really do appreciate all the
comments we've received in the past.
Enjoy!
Linda
Photo website:
www.FlightOfNature.com
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Ben Wieland
Deep Portage Learning Center
2197 Nature Center Dr. NW
Hackensack, MN 56452 (218)682-2325
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Shorebirds at Salt Lake on Sunday:<br><br>1 Ruddy Turnstone<br>1 Buff-breasted Sandpiper<br>1 Sanderling<br>5 Black-bellied Plovers<br>10 Baird's Sandpipers<br><br>numbers of Lesser Yellowlegs, Killdeer (abundant), and Least Sandpipers as well. <br><br>At least 6 Plegadis Ibis on the Big Stone auto tour.<br> <br>Ben Wieland<br><br><b><i>mou-net-request@cbs.umn.edu</i></b> wrote:<blockquote class="replbq" style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"> Send mou-net mailing list submissions to<br> mou-net@cbs.umn.edu<br><br>To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit<br> http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net<br>or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to<br> mou-net-request@cbs.umn.edu<br><br>You can reach the person managing the list at<br> mou-net-admin@cbs.umn.edu<br><br>When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific<br>than "Re: Contents of mou-net
digest..."<br><br><br>Today's Topics:<br><br> 1. Fwd: [BIRDCHAT] Winter Finch Forecast 2006 - 2007 (Jim Williams)<br> 2. Whimbrel in Duluth (Kim R Eckert)<br> 3. Photo Website Update (Linda Krueger)<br> 4. id help (Dee Kuder)<br><br>--__--__--<br><br>Message: 1<br>To: MOU net <mou-net@cbs.umn.edu><br>From: Jim Williams <two-jays@att.net><br>Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 12:26:43 -0500<br>Subject: [mou] Fwd: [BIRDCHAT] Winter Finch Forecast 2006 - 2007<br><br>forward by Jim Williams<br>Wayzata<br><br>Begin forwarded message:<br><br>From: Jean Iron <jeaniron@SYMPATICO.CA><br>Date: September 8, 2006 8:24:35 AM CDT<br>To: BIRDCHAT@LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU<br>Subject: [BIRDCHAT] Winter Finch Forecast 2006 - 2007<br>Reply-To: Jean Iron <jeaniron@SYMPATICO.CA><br><br>GENERAL FINCH FORECAST 2006 - 2007<br><br>This is one of those rare years when most conifers (softwoods) and <br>broad-leaved deciduous trees (hardwoods) have synchronized bumper seed <br>crops across much of Eastern
Canada and the bordering United States. It <br>will be an excellent winter to see winter finches in northern Ontario <br>and central Ontario (e.g., Algonquin Park). Very few boreal finches <br>will move south of Ontario this fall and winter. Most finches likely <br>will be scarce even in southern Ontario south of the Canadian Shield <br>this winter, despite bumper seed crops on native and ornamental <br>species. There also are bumper cone crops in Quebec, the Maritime <br>Provinces, New York and northern New England States, so finches will be <br>there too, but in what numbers is the question, because excellent crops <br>are so widespread this year. There are good cone crops west of Lake <br>Superior in northwestern Ontario, but cone quality diminishs towards <br>Manitoba because of severe drought conditions this year. Cone crops are <br>generally poor at the continental extremes in Newfoundland and Alaska. <br>Both White-winged and Red Crossbills have been
arriving in Ontario <br>since late June in areas with bumper cone crops. In addition to <br>individual finch forecasts, I also comment on other irruptive species, <br>such as the Red-breasted Nuthatch, whose movements are linked to winter <br>finches. I added a new section this year called Finch Notes. It <br>discusses bumper seed crops, how crossbills find cone crops, when <br>crossbills move to bumper crops, when crossbills nest, road-killed <br>finches, and where to see finches this winter in Ontario.<br><br>INDIVIDUAL FINCH FORECASTS<br><br>Pine Grosbeak: Most Pine Grosbeaks will stay in northern Ontario <br>because the berry crop on mountain-ash (rowan berries) is excellent to <br>bumper this year. As well, the large seed and berry crops on other <br>trees and shrubs provide ample buffer food supplies to keep the <br>grosbeaks in the north. A few Pine Grosbeaks may drift as far south as <br>Algonquin Park where they are seen most winters.<br><br>Purple
Finch: The excellent tree seed crops on most coniferous and <br>deciduous trees suggest that most (not all) Purple Finches will spend <br>this winter in northern and central Ontario. Some may drift south in <br>late winter and show up at feeders, which is typical of this species in <br>big seed years as seed supplies diminish in late winter.<br><br>Red Crossbill: Taxonomy and nomenclature are hopelessly confused. The <br>Red Crossbill complex comprises at least eight types or forms (possibly <br>full species) with different vocalizations and bill sizes related to <br>cone preferences. Two or three forms are regular in Ontario. One <br>prefers hemlock cones and the others are adapted mostly to pines, <br>mainly white pine in Ontario. Red Crossbills have been seen and heard <br>singing in hemlocks in August suggesting that the small-billed hemlock <br>subspecies 'sitkensis' has moved into central Ontario where hemlock <br>cone crops are excellent as in Algonquin
Park and the Haliburton <br>Highlands. The hemlock form has the smallest bill of all Red <br>Crossbills, even smaller than the White-winged Crossbill's stubby bill. <br>Road-killed 'sitkensis' can be identified by measuring their bills <br>(culmen 13.5-15 mm). White pine cone crops, unlike other conifers, are <br>poor in most of central Ontario such as Algonquin Park. However, some <br>areas of northeastern Ontario have good white pine crops such as Marten <br>River and Timmins. Watch for pine types of Red Crossbills wherever <br>white and red pines have good cone crops. Since spruce cones are so <br>abundant this year, I expect that Red Crossbills will be found feeding <br>in spruce to some extent this winter.<br><br>White-winged Crossbill: Like a pendulum, White-winged Crossbills move <br>back and forth across the northern coniferous forests from Newfoundland <br>to Alaska searching for cone crops. White-winged Crossbills will be <br>widespread and perhaps
common in many areas of northern and central <br>Ontario because of the bumper seed crops on spruces, tamarack, balsam <br>fir and hemlock. I expect that the highest concentrations of <br>White-wings will be in northeastern Ontario between Lake Superior and <br>Quebec where the super bumper crop of white spruce cones is "a <br>1-in-20-year cyclical phenomenon" making this is a rather rare event in <br>seed production for white spruce (Scott McPherson, pers. comm.). <br>White-winged Crossbills began increasing in northern Ontario in late <br>June and increased during July associated with big cone crops. They are <br>singing and feasting on an abundance of cone seeds and probably <br>nesting. They likely will begin nesting again in early 2007. <br>White-winged Crossbills in Algonquin Park have been widespread in small <br>numbers since July and are singing. Nesting is suggested by two <br>sightings of recently fledged young in August. White-winged Crossbills
<br>possibly came from western Canada and Alaska wandering eastward <br>searching for cone crops. One reason why there are no subspecies on <br>this continent versus the eight or more types of Red Crossbills is that <br>White-winged Crossbill populations oscillate east and west across North <br>America, and thus are constantly mixing. This allows outcrossing and <br>gene flow among populations, suppressing the formation of geographical <br>variation.<br><br>Common Redpoll: This is not a flight year for redpolls in southern <br>Ontario. Most Common and Hoary Redpolls will be in northern Ontario <br>this winter because seed crops on white birch and alder are excellent <br>to bumper there. As well, yellow birch has an excellent crop from <br>southeastern Lake Superior into Quebec. This large crop will stall any <br>redpolls wandering south of the boreal zone. A few redpolls may get as <br>far south as Algonquin Park, but likely no farther.<br><br>Pine Siskin: Most
Pine Siskins will winter in northern and probably <br>central Ontario this winter because cones crops are bumper on spruces, <br>balsam fir, tamarack (larch), cedar and hemlock. Flocks of siskins can <br>be identified at a distance by their distinctive flight formation. They <br>swirl in tight flocks whereas redpolls fly in loose undulating flocks. <br>Siskins should breed early next spring in northern Ontario. Only one <br>subspecies occurs across Canada, indicating that highly nomadic siskin <br>populations mix from coast to coast, inhibiting the formation of <br>geographical variation.<br><br>Evening Grosbeak: Evening Grosbeaks will stay in the boreal forest this <br>winter because tree seed crops are excellent on conifers and hardwoods <br>such as black ash. Expect a few in Algonquin Park, particularly around <br>the feeders at the Visitor Centre. The eastern population of Evening <br>Grosbeaks started declining in 1980 as large outbreaks of spruce
<br>budworm subsided. The population is probably stable now, but much <br>reduced from the 1970s when Evening Grosbeaks were common at bird <br>feeders.<br><br>OTHER IRRUPTIVE SPECIES<br><br>Blue Jay: A small to moderate flight is expected. The good to excellent <br>crop of beechnuts on American beech in most areas of central and <br>southern Ontario should keep most Blue Jays from migrating south this <br>September and October along the shorelines of Lakes Ontario and Erie. <br>Blue Jays are now actively storing beechnuts. Also, there are excellent <br>crops of hazelnuts which will add to the nonmigratory tendency of Blue <br>Jays this fall. The red oak acorn crop is poor in most areas of central <br>Ontario, but the lack of acorns should be compensated for by the large <br>mast crops on other deciduous trees and shrubs.<br><br>Red-breasted Nuthatch: Most Red-breasted Nuthatches will not migrate <br>south this fall. The bumper cone crops across Ontario will
hold most <br>Red-breasted Nuthatches close to their northern breeding grounds this <br>winter. When Red-breasted Nuthatches winter in the boreal forest they <br>eat conifer seeds so are closely linked to finches.<br><br>Bohemian Waxwing: The excellent to bumper crop of mountain-ash (rowan <br>berries) will keep most Bohemians Waxwings close to the boreal forest <br>this winter.<br><br>Boreal Forest Owls: The widespread abundance of seeds, berries, nuts <br>and fruits (mast) is providing a huge food supply for small mammals <br>such as voles so their numbers should be increasing. Most boreal forest <br>owls (Northern Hawk Owl, Great Gray Owl, Boreal Owl) likely will stay <br>close to breeding territories this winter. Increasing numbers of small <br>mammals will increase owl breeding success next spring and summer.<br><br>FINCH NOTES<br><br>Why Bumper Tree Seed Crops? One theory of bumper crops is to ensure <br>adequate seed supplies will germinate above the
losses to consumers <br>such as fungi, insects, mammals and birds. Many trees have low seed <br>production in most followed by periodic bumper crops producing huge <br>surpluses beyond the capacity of seed consumers. Tree species normally <br>synchronize seed crops with members of their own species across <br>hundreds of kilometres/miles and they sometimes synchronize with other <br>species as has happened this year in the Northeast. This year's bumper <br>crops probably resulted from last year's hot and dry stress conditions <br>throughout most of the Northeast. Most plants under stress one year <br>will produce more seed the following year as a form of survival. The <br>size of the seed crop the following year is largely determined by the <br>weather at the time of flowering and pollination. If the weather is too <br>cold or too hot the flower buds will not develop properly. If there is <br>too much rain during pollination and no wind then poor pollination
<br>takes place. This year in the Northeast the weather was perfect for <br>most conifer and hardwood species. However, white pine and red oak are <br>two significant species with poor seed crops in 2006 in central <br>Ontario. Why these two species? First, white pine cones take two <br>summers to ripen as opposed to spruce, fir, tamarack, cedar and hemlock <br>which ripen in one summer. Last year white pine grew a drought stressed <br>crop of immature conelets with considerable losses, resulting in a <br>generally poor crop maturing this year. Second, red oak had abundant <br>flowers in May but produced few acorns this year because the weather <br>turned cool and wet just when its flowers were ready to pollinate.<br><br>How Do Crossbills Find Bumper Cone Crops? Crossbills (and other <br>finches, particularly siskins) can locate big cone crops half a <br>continent or more away. Crossbills have well-developed sensory and <br>nervous systems and the evidence is
clear that they respond to external <br>stimuli such as growing seed crops. The ability of crossbills to find <br>bumper cone crops suggests something more than random searching, but we <br>do not know how they do it. Ian Newton in his classic 1972 book on <br>"Finches" suggested that crossbills could assess the potential of <br>upcoming cone crops when moving between areas. There is much to learn <br>about nomadic winter finches.<br><br>When Do Crossbills Move To Bumper Seed Crops? Before big crossbill <br>nestings, they normally begin arriving in summer in areas with <br>developing bumper cone crops. This summer there were reports of <br>crossbills moving in Minnesota, northern Michigan, northeastern Ontario <br>(both species), central Ontario (both species in Algonquin Park), <br>northern New York State (Red Crossbills), Quebec (White-winged <br>Crossbills), northern New Hampshire (White-winged Crossbills), Maine <br>(White-winged Crossbills) and New
Brunswick (White-winged Crossbills). <br>In years when either Red or White-winged Crossbills nested in late <br>winter and early spring in Algonquin Park, numbers were high in the <br>preceding late summer and fall.<br><br>When Do Crossbills Nest? The following information is courtesy of Ron <br>Tozer from his draft manuscript for The Birds of Algonquin Park. (A) <br>White-winged Crossbills nest during two main periods in Algonquin Park. <br>(1) The main nestings are in late December to mid-March with fledged <br>juveniles seen from late March to late May. (2) July and August <br>nestings produce young seen in early August to mid-October. (B) Red <br>Crossbills also nest during two main periods. (1) Adults with dependent <br>young have been seen in late April to mid-June from nestings in <br>January, February and probably March. (2) Adults with dependent young <br>seen from mid-August to late October are from nestings in June and <br>probably July. Both
species nest occasionally outside the core periods <br>described above. Note: The presence of independent streaked young in <br>either species does not necessarily indicate local breeding because the <br>juvenile plumage can be retained for a considerable time.<br><br>Road-killed Finches: This could be a winter when thousands of winter <br>finches are killed by cars in places such as Algonquin Park and the <br>Haliburton Highlands. Finches are attracted to the salt and sand put on <br>highways. They have little fear of cars. I remember one collision that <br>killed 63 siskins in Algonquin Park. Common Ravens have an easy time <br>patrolling for road kills. When you see finches on the road, slow down, <br>flash lights and tap your horn several times. Finches often do not <br>respond in time. Be careful not to confuse other drivers.<br><br>Where To See Winter Finches: This will be a good year for a winter trip <br>to Algonquin Park. The park is a three hours drive
north of Toronto. <br>White-winged Crossbills and Pine Siskins should be common, although <br>siskins have been absent to date. Red Crossbills, Purple Finches and <br>Evening Grosbeaks are possible in smaller numbers. A few Pine Grosbeaks <br>are likely, but most will be farther north. Redpolls should stay <br>farther north this winter in the boreal forest. Drive Highway 60 in <br>early morning watching for flocks of finches attracted to the salt and <br>sand put on the highway to reduce accidents. There are feeders at the <br>Visitor Centre, which is open only on weekends in winter. Arrangements <br>can be made to view the feeders on weekdays. For the latest information <br>on finches, call the Visitor Centre at 613-637-2828 or e-mail Ron Tozer <br>(retired park naturalist) at <rtozer at="" vianet="" dot="" ca="">.<br><br>ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS<br><br>I thank the many birders and staff of the Ontario Ministry of Natural <br>Resources (OMNR) whose composite knowledge
and reports allowed me to <br>make reasonable predictions about finches in Ontario this fall and <br>winter. They are Dennis Barry (Durham Region), Shirley Davidson (OMNR <br>Minden), Nancy DeWitt (Alaska), Bruce Di Labio (Eastern Ontario), <br>Shelagh Duckett (OMNR, Thunder Bay), Chris Fagyal (Minnesota), Tyler <br>Hoar (Laurentians, Quebec), Michel Gosselin (Gatineau Hills, Quebec), <br>Charity Hendry (Angus Tree Seed Nursery), Leo Heyens (OMNR Kenora), <br>Brandon Holden (Algonquin Park), Peter Hynard (OMNR Haliburton), Jean <br>Iron (Toronto and Temagami), Bob Knudsen (Ontario Parks, Algoma), Scott <br>McPherson (OMNR Northeast Region), Larry Neily (Ottawa), John Miles <br>(Selkirk Provincial Park, Lake Erie), Brian Naylor (OMNR North Bay) <br>Janet Pineau (Arrowhead Provincial Park), Fred Pinto (OMNR Sudbury), <br>Rick Salmon (OMNR Lake Nipigon), Ron Tozer (Algonquin Park, Marten <br>River, Moosonee), Declan Troy (Alaska), Mike Turner (OMNR Brancroft
<br>District), Stan Vasiliauskas (OMNR Northeast Region), Mike Walsh (OMNR <br>Muskoka and Parry Sound) and Matt Young (upstate New York). Matt <br>Young's posts this summer on New York State listservs have been <br>helpful. I am grateful to Ron Tozer for reviewing this post and for <br>information from his draft manuscript for The Birds of Algonquin Park.<br><br>RECENT FINCH FORECASTS ARCHIVED<br><br>Larry Neily has archived recent finch forecasts at <br><http:>http:// <br>ca.geocities.com/larry.neily@rogers.com/pittaway05.htm<br><br>REFERENCES<br><br>1. Bolgiano, N.C. 2004. Cause and Effect: Changes in Boreal Bird <br>Irruptions in Eastern North America Relative to the 1970s Spruce <br>Budworm Infestations. In 104th Christmas Bird Count 2003-2004 issue. <br>American Birds 58:26-33.<br>2. Newton, I. 1972. Finches. 288 pages. Collins.<br>3. Pittaway, R. 1998. Winter Finches. OFO News 16(1):5-7.<br><br>Ron Pittaway<br>8 September 2006<br>Ontario Field
Ornithologists<br>Minden and Toronto ON<br><br>BirdChat Guidelines: http://www.ksu.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html<br>Archives: http://listserv.arizona.edu/archives/birdchat.html<br><br><br>--__--__--<br><br>Message: 2<br>To: MOU-net <mou-net@cbs.umn.edu><br>From: Kim R Eckert <kreckert@cpinternet.com><br>Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 15:11:49 -0500<br>Subject: [mou] Whimbrel in Duluth<br><br>Today I walked out on the Park Point Hiking Trail beyond Sky Harbor <br>Airport and found surprisingly few migrant land birds. However, there <br>was a Whimbrel in the grass/weeds at the S end of the airport runway, <br>and near here on the bay side of the Point was a juv Forster's Tern <br>(relatively rare/uncommon in Duluth), and a Black Tern (also uncommon) <br>flew by on the lake side. I did not spend much time scanning the lake <br>for jaegers or gulls, but favorable E - NE winds are still blowing <br>today and remain in the forecast for tomorrow. - Kim
Eckert<br><br><br>--__--__--<br><br>Message: 3<br>From: "Linda Krueger" <lkrueger@umn.edu><br>To: "'MN Ornithologist Union Listserve'" <mou-net@cbs.umn.edu><br>Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 19:20:39 -0500<br>Subject: [mou] Photo Website Update<br><br>This is a multi-part message in MIME format.<br><br>------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C6D5D7.607D57F0<br>Content-Type: text/plain;<br> charset="us-ascii"<br>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit<br><br>My Husband, Kevin, and I updated our website. You will see a few changes in<br>addition to the new photos. First of all, our website is now called Flight<br>of Nature so you can now get to our website using our new website address<br>which is shown below in the signature (the old address still works if you<br>have that bookmarked). Second of all, we changed the home page of our<br>website and so the navigation is different on that page but then we're<br>keeping the familiar tabs (Birds, Zoo, Personal, etc.) once you are inside<br>the
website.<br><br> <br><br>New photos include:<br><br> American Redstart<br><br> Common Nighthawk (in flight)<br><br> Belted Kingfisher (in flight)<br><br> Green Heron (both adult and juvenile - there are 12 photos<br>total!)<br><br> A Grasshopper<br><br> A Butterfly<br><br> <br><br>Please let us know what you think of our new home page, especially if you<br>have any problems navigating from there. We really do appreciate all the<br>comments we've received in the past. <br><br> <br><br>Enjoy!<br><br> <br><br>Linda<br><br>Photo website:<br><br>www.FlightOfNature.com <http:> <br><br> <br><br> <br><br><br>------=_NextPart_000_0001_01C6D5D7.607D57F0<br>Content-Type: text/html;<br> charset="us-ascii"<br>Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable<br><br>xmlns:w=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" =<br>xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><br><br><br><meta http-equiv="3DContent-Type"
content="3D"text/html;">charset=3Dus-ascii"><br><meta name="3DGenerator" content="3D"Microsoft" word="" 11="" (filtered="" medium=""><br><style></style><br><!--<br--> /* Font Definitions */<br> @font-face<br> {font-family:"Lucida Handwriting";<br> panose-1:3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1;}<br><br>=== message truncated ===</http:></mou-net@cbs.umn.edu></lkrueger@umn.edu></kreckert@cpinternet.com></mou-net@cbs.umn.edu></http:></rtozer></jeaniron@SYMPATICO.CA></jeaniron@SYMPATICO.CA></two-jays@att.net></mou-net@cbs.umn.edu></blockquote><br><BR><BR>Ben Wieland<br>Deep Portage Learning Center<br>2197 Nature Center Dr. NW<br>Hackensack, MN 56452 (218)682-2325<p> 
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