Oak Hammock Marsh and Birds Hill

Well I should not have posted that milestone post as I went birding the day after and have smashed my previous record for species seen and recorded in a year. My visit to Oak Hammock Marsh and Birds Hill Provincial Park yielded 23 FOYs (five of which were lifers!!!) which has set me at 173 species seen thus far in 2020; my previous record was 163. I've logged 41 first-of-years in the last seven days!

My inpsiration to go birding today was sparked by a walk through Transcona Bioreserve on Friday. Some warblers were singing including Magnolia, Yellow, and Tennessee Warblers as well as a number of (uncommon) Common Yellowthroats. As well I discovered a Gray Catbird singing in some willows which was my first this year. I decided that I should not let spring migration pass me by as it so often has in the last few years so I gave up sleeping in to see what there was to be seen in a couple places.

I started my day by heading out to Oak Hammock Marsh and arrived around 7:15. The first creature I saw was a skunk which was sniffing around a culvert. He didn't like me though and scampered off as soon as I whipped out my camera to take a picture of him. Here is the best one I got.

Skunk

Just as I turned into the marsh driveway this Jackrabbit made his presence known by flicking his ears and I just had to take a picture of him.

Jackrabbit

Upon driving in I noticed that the pond in front of the interpretive center was teeming with shorebird life; the muddy shores are perfect foraging locations. My attention was first drawn elsewhere after I left my van, however, as a Tennessee Warbler was singing in a willow very near me. I searched for him briefly and upon locating him attempted to take a picture or two but camera's don't like focusing on a subject through branches and leaves. I did not get a single clear picture even though I caught him in a beautiful singing pose. I have begun to focus manually more often for this reason as, even though it takes longer to focus the camera, you know you are actually focussed on the subject.

One of OHM's specialty species is the Yellow-headed Blackbird which is quite uncommon throughout its range due to their need for deepwater marsh; a habitat which has largely been destroyed due to draining for agriculture and development. I am always glad to see these beautiful birds and was pleased to notice a number of them in a nearby tree observing me, the first birder to show up that day.

Finally I could turn my attention to the pond. There I found some Marbled Godwits and was quite pleasantly surprised to notice a Hudsonian Godwit foraging among the Marbles! Notice it's redder, chestnut color below; this is the biggest difference between these species.

Marbled Godwit (above) and Hudsonian Godwit (below)

Marbled Godwit and Hudsonian Godwit

The Hudsonian Godwit was a lifer for me! And another lifer presented itself at the same time, a Dunlin (pictured below with two Marbled Godwits and a Blue-winged Teal)

Dunlin (bottom) with Marbled Godwits and a Blue-winged Teal

Dunlins are quite unmistakeable in the spring with the giant black splotch on their bellies. This picture displays a number of Dunlins foraging with a mixed group of Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers.

Dunlins with Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers

Having briefly scouted the shorebirds and ducks at the pond I decided to hit the trails. I began my hike with a quick stop at the Purple Martin houses where this couple let me take their family photo (although the female was too busy inspecting her nest box to pay me any attention).

Purple Martin couple

I startled this Gadwall as a walked by his foraging spot.

Gadwall

A Yellow Warbler made an appearance on the trail in front of me, but didn't oblige me with a good photo. These little yellow bundles of energy have the sweetest song which always brings me back to going on a field trip to OHM as a child when I was first learning all the different birds and this, as well as the Common Yellowthroat, were the only warblers whose songs I knew. They have very sweet songs and can be heard singing in any wetland with scrubby patches during the spring. The one I saw was "duelling" with another stunningly yellow bird; an American Goldfinch. They were sharing a patch of willows, each belting out his advertisement to passing females, and warning other males to stay away in his own sweet way.

Be prepared for many photos of Tree Swallows. What can I say? They're very pretty birds, quite brave (allowing for shots from pretty close range), and catch the morning sun like few other birds do.

Tree Swallow

Black Terns are very common around the marsh and are simply stunning birds with their buoyant flight and sharp black and white plumage with neat ombre gray wings.

Black Tern

These Northern Shoveler males were fighting over a female and ended up abandoning her as they were consumed by their apparent urge to race each other around the marsh. Here they are whipping around a bend in the reeds, flashing their blue forewings and brilliant green specula. If you don't know what a speculum is, it's the iridescent patch of color on the trailing edge of the wing of most dabbling ducks which can be helpful in distinguishing species.

Male Northern Shovelers

There were an abundance of Marsh and Sedge Wrens singing their hearts around the marsh. While they are often hidden away, skulking around in the reeds, this Marsh Wren perched atop a reed, backlit by the sun, and posed for this silhouette photo.

Marsh Wren

Where there is water, there are Mallards.

Male Mallard

Another type of tern found at the marsh is the Forster's Tern. These birds are nearly identical to Common Terns. The biggest clue in differentiating them is habitat; Forster's Terns are birds of the marsh while Common Terns much prefer sizable lakes. Here are some shots of a hunting Forster's Tern.

Forster's Tern

Forster's Tern

Forster's Tern

Here is a pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds which perched on a branch directly above me and checked me out but pretended not to be whenever I aimed the camera at them. Classic.

Brown-headed Cowbird pair

Male Brown-headed Cowbird

Here is a Song Sparrow foraging among a section of matted reeds.

Song Sparrow

This male Tree Swallow was standing guard over his nest box and making sure I wasn't a threat. To be clear I was not.

Male Tree Swallow

Here is a male Red-winged Blackbird showing off his stuff and singing at me.

Displaying Red-winged Blackbird

Here's another couple shots of a Black Tern:

Black Tern

Black Tern

After waiting many minutes for a male Yellow-headed Blackbird to perch close enough for a good photo this male obliged me a couple photos as he surveyed his gleaming grassy kingdom.

Male Yellow-headed Blackbird

Male Yellow-headed Blackbird

This Song Sparrow quite literally exploded out of the reeds into his aerial display then momentarily perched atop one to check me out.

Song Sparrow

A female Red-winged Blackbird... it's not fair that the males get all the attention.

Female Red-winged Blackbird

This male Yellow-head did the splits as he displayed to any watching female. They are such sharp looking birds with the most horrid song. It really is quite surprising. When it fluffs himself up to sing you expect a song that matches the outfit but instead he contorts his neck and emits a forced, raspy squawk. One can't have it all I guess.

Making sure I'm watching...

Taking a deep breath...

Letting it rip...

He seems pretty pleased with himself.

Here is another Male Red-winged Blackbird

Male Red-winged Blackbird

And another...

Male Red-winged Blackbird

Oak Hammock Marsh is home to a variety of swallows; I observed all six species commonly found in Manitoba. Here is a photo of a Tree Swallow followed by one of a Bank Swallow which was perched nearby the "TRES".

Tree Swallow

Bank Swallow

I was lucky to observe the uncommon lookalike of the Bank Swallow; the Northern Rough-winged Swallow. These birds are nearly identical except that NRWSs are less social and do not have the black necklace that Bank Swallows sport.

I spent about 15 minutes obsessively trying to get a decent photo of a little songster which I name-dropped earlier in this post: a Common Yellowthroat. These birds are heard much more often than they are seen and they look as cool as they sound. Their black mask makes them appear as bandits, and they sure would be good bandits for even with their striking colors and markings they vanish into the foliage instantaneously. Here are a couple photos of a certain individual.

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat

I walked under the shelter near the observation mound where I got to watch some Barn Swallows go about their nest building.

Barn Swallows

Another tenant in the shelter was this Eastern Phoebe who waited patiently on a branch for me to leave.

Eastern Phoebe

It wouldn't be a trip to Oak Hammock without the Richardson's Ground Squirrels.

Richardson's Ground Squirrel

Another marsh specialty: this Swamp Sparrow! While taking photos of this bird I heard another sparrow which I had never heard or seen before... a Nelson's Sparrow. This was a lifer for me so I forgot about trying to get a nice picture of the Swamp Sparrow and sought to locate the little singer. I did not end up seeing him but I heard him well enough to know that I had a new species to add to my life list. Here is a Swamp Sparrow.

Swamp Sparrow

Another swallow photo!

Bank Swallow

I finished walking the boardwalk after scanning the water from the mound (there weren't many ducks to be seen but I did find a Willet) and headed back to the parking lot. Here I noticed a fair number of birders were gathered around the pond so I decided to give it a second look and take pictures of the different species I saw. My shorebird id skills aren't great so I took many pictures and used a field guide to determine what I had seen when I got home. I'll try to give you some of the concepts I used to tell the birds apart. But first, here are some waterfowl.

Northern Shoveler

Gadwalls

Blue-winged Teals

Canada Goose family

Here is a photo of a White-rumped Sandpiper (a lifer). This picture displays well the white rump (hence the name). The rump is the patch of feathers at the base of the tail on the bird's lower back.

White-rumped Sandpiper

Here is are some shots of a Baird's Sandpiper and a Semipalmated Sandpiper feeding in close proximity. Baird's Sandpipers in breeding plumage stand out from most of the other shorebirds as they are quite pale, even mostly white as this individual was. The shorebird on the left is the Semipalmated Sandpiper. As the first photo reveals, this little guy sports a pale, whitish throat. This, to me, is the biggest difference between it and a Least Sandpiper which has a darker throat. Otherwise the two species are very similar in size, shape, plumage pattern, and feeding style.

Semipalmated Sandpiper (left) and Baird's Sandpiper (right)

Semipalmated Sandpiper and Baird's Sandpiper

Here is a photo illustrating some the diversity of species foraging along the shoreline including Godwits, Teals (both Blue and Green-winged), a Semipalmated Plover, Least/Semipalmated Sandpipers, and a White-rumped Sandpiper.

Mix of birds along the shoreline.

As I mentioned earlier, I was able to see some Dunlins which were a lifer for me. As such, I had to take a few more photos of them. Thankfully, they are not shy birds and came quite close to the little pier on which I was sitting while watching the birds.

Dunlins

Dunlins

Here is a picture of a White-rumped Sandpiper feeding beside a Baird's Sandpiper. Of the small sandpipers, these are the big boys (if that makes any sense). Size is a big help in distinguishing species for most sandpipers are simply brown above, pale below, with only slight variations in bill size, length, and foraging styles. Notice the Baird's Sandpiper's pale plumage, and the slightly larger size of the White-rumped Sandpiper. Least or Semipalmated Sandpipers would be smaller than a Baird's.

White-rumped Sandpiper with Baird's Sandpiper

These photos of a Dunlin, White-rumped Sandpiper, and Semipalmated Sandpiper allow you to compare the differences in size between the species.

Left to right: White-rumped Sandpiper, Dunlin, Semipalmated Sandpiper

Here is a shot of a Semipalmated Sandpiper, again distinguished from the Least Sandpipers by its white throat.

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Here is a White-rumped Sandpiper feeding with a Dunlin. Notice how the White-rumped Sandpiper has a proportionally longer bill than the Semipalmated Sandpiper. The Dunlins are pretty distinct.

White-rumped Sandpiper with Dunlin

Dunlin

Here is a Least Sandpiper... determined by darker throat. Look how similar it appears to Semipalmated Sandpipers in the previous photos they appear in.

Least Sandpiper

And another Dunlin!

Dunlin

... with a Semipalmated Sandpiper.

Dunlin with Semipalmated Sandpiper

I took a short break from birding the pond and took a quick walk a ways down a nearby trail where I found this stunning male Tree Swallow who let me get within about three feet of him! These are possibly the best photos I have ever taken of any bird ever. Enjoy!

Male Tree Swallow

Male Tree Swallow

Male Tree Swallow

Back to the shorebirds. Here is a Baird's Sandpiper

Baird's Sandpiper

Another shot depicting the variety of birds to be seen even in a small space. See what you can figure out on your own!

Mixed birds

Mixed Birds

Another Baird's Sandpiper.

Baird's Sandpiper

Baird's Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

Least Sandpiper

It looks like a mini-Killdeer and it is actually a close relative called the Semipalmated Plover. It is distinguished from Killdeers by its markedly smaller size, orangish bill and legs, and most importantly, its single breast-band.

Semipalmated Plover

Semipalmated Plover

Here is a shot that nicely compares the two... Killdeer in focus with the Semipalmated Plover in the foreground (also a photobombing Baird's Sandpiper).

Killdeer and Semipalmated Plover (with Baird's Sandpiper)

The Killdeer also wanted its own photo taken.

Killdeer

Nearly at the end... of the Oak Hammock portion of the post. A bit of a marathon eh!?

Here is a Least Sandpiper who came pretty close to me to check me out.

Least Sandpiper

Here there is a Marbled Godwit foraging with a Baird's Sandpiper and a Least/Semipalmated Sandpiper while a Killdeer grooms itself.

Left to Right: Baird's Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit, Killdeer, Least/Semipalmated Sandpiper

I'm not even going to tell you what these guys are.

No comment ;P

I found one of the Hudsonian Godwits back, foraging with some Marbles and Blue-winged Teals. Remember, the Hudsonian Godwit has darker plumage than the Marbles.

Hudsonian Godwit and Marbled Godwits

Hudsonian and Marbled Godwits with Blue-winged Teals

With that I decided to head out and move on, but as I was driving away I spotted the Willet nicely foraging in the sun, but he didn't get out from behind the reeds for me to take a good picture. This is what I have though.

Willet

Willet (with dabbling Blue-winged Teal)

As I had to run an errand in Oakbank on my way home at some point I decided that Birds Hill Provincial Park was close enough on my route to make it worth stopping by. I elected to walk the Cedar Bog trail and was not disappointed. The woods were full of small songbirds singing their hearts out. Finding them with my eyes was hard enough let alone get a camera on one. I do not have many photos of share from this portion of the day but I do have a few and I will give you a basic run-down on how the walk went.

I got out of the van and immediately heard Least Flycatchers, and then the warblers hit me like a wave. American Redstarts, Nashville Warblers, Chestnut-sided Warblers, and Black-and-white Warblers were singing everywhere. The open stretch of the trail provided a Clay-coloured Sparrow and almost immediately after re-entering the woods you enter the Cedar Bog. Here I was able to identify some Rose-breasted Grosbeaks (which sound quite similar to Robins), my first Red-eyed Vireo of the year, but the highlight of the Bog was a Blackpoll Warbler which sang from somewhere in the brush. While their song isn't the most musical of all the warblers it was still a song I have been wishing to hear for a long time (simply because I'd never heard it before in nature). Another "lifer" which I picked up was an Olive-sided Flycatcher which called out its classic "Quick! Three beers!" song. I put life in quotations as I have heard this bird before but never recorded in eBird so it's a "lifer" for me. I think that pretty much sums up the highlights of the trip. Here are some photos.

This first photo has a Nashville Warbler somewhere in it, peeking his head out at me... see if you can find it.

Nashville Warbler

Here is a Chestnut-sided Warbler conveniently perched in a bare tree. The name is quite accurate.

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

A Chipping Sparrow foraging on the trail.

Chipping Sparrow

And last but not least, a friendly Black-capped Chickadee who was attempting to smash open a seed with his beak (you can see it by his foot).

Black-capped Chickadee

Black-capped Chickadee

To anyone who wants to see and hear migratory songbirds I would recommend this trail. It took me about an hour and a half to walk the trail (just over 3km). I was walking quite slow and stopping often, so a power walker may be able to do it in half the time. I have yet to figure out how to bird thoroughly while power-walking however so, if you're there to see birds, count on at least an hour of walking... also it may be slightly wet in places as it is a bog. It's definitely worth it though! I recorded 34 species in the hour and a half (including 10 warbler species) so it's not too bad and the reward is worth the (possibly) damp shoes.

Thanks for tagging along on this monster post! Hope you enjoyed it and found it helpful. Happy birding!

Joel G.