Survey 1 of the Dundas IBA (ON005): Report

The first-ever Dundas IBA Survey was conducted on June 16, 2018. The day was quite warm, with a bit of light rain interspersed throughout the morning. The high reached 28? C, making for very hot afternoon conditions for a bird survey. Many counters were undoubtedly more used to such surveys happening in mid-fall or winter conditions, making this a new experience for many.

This count, which can also be more lengthily referred to as a “Dundas Valley & Dundas Marsh Important Bird & Biodiversity Area Survey” was conducted exclusively within natural lands found inside the boundary of the IBA, which in short covers the Dundas Valley from Summit Musket through to Spencer Creek into Cootes Paradise, extending to Burlington Heights.

To read more about this IBA, see https://www.ibacanada.ca/site.jsp?siteID=ON005.

For those familiar with the Christmas Bird Counts, this survey followed a similar methodology, but did not include urban areas or backyard birdfeeders.

This count included 14 volunteer counters who covered quite a lot of ground throughout the day. While we did not cover all mapped zones, we did cover all key areas. Counters employed three means of active transportation: while most of the birding was by foot, eight kilometres was covered by canoe (Cootes Paradise), and ten kilometres by bike (Hamilton-Brantford Rail Trail).

Since this is the first survey, there are no comparisons that can be done with previous results. That said, there are still a few interesting discoveries in the data.

Of the nine “criteria species” (species that have at one time been present in significant numbers within the IBA) that occur within the season, only three were observed: Acadian Flycatcher, Chimney Swift, and Hooded Warbler. This is not surprising, since five of the missing species have been extremely scarce in recent years, with the Louisiana Waterthrush as the only species known to breed in recent years that was not seen. This was deemed a likely outcome however, since while this species did arrive during migration this year, it did not remain past May.

In terms of sheer raw numbers, the top 10 species observed were: Red-winged Blackbird (475), American Robin (265), Song Sparrow (166), House Sparrow (154), American Goldfinch (148), European Starling (141), Red-eyed Vireo (135), Yellow Warbler (134), Gray Catbird (122), Ring-billed Gull (119).

There were 10 species with 80% or higher distribution for reported zones (in order of percentage of checklists present within): American Robin (97%), Gray Catbird (90%), Northern Cardinal (87%), Indigo Bunting (87%), Baltimore Oriole (87%), American Goldfinch (84%), Eastern Wood-Pewee (81%), Blue Jay (81%), Song Sparrow (81%), Red-winged Blackbird (81%).

In contrast, there were 13 species that were highly localized; that is, occurring in one checklist only: Blue-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser, Wild Turkey, Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Least Bittern, Great Egret, Cooper’s Hawk, Acadian Flycatcher, Bank Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Brown Creeper, Black-throated Green Warbler, Pine Siskin.

There were a few surprise results.

A total of 6 Hooded Warblers were found in the western side of Dundas Valley, which is a very healthy count for this Carolinian species.

A lone fledgeling Pine Siskin was observed at Iroquia Conservation Area, which is a remarkably late date for this northern species which infrequently breeds within this area before migrating back to northern forests.

Highlights from the canoe-birding party included Least Bittern, Great Egrets, a new colony of Bank Swallows, a Common Loon flyover, a Pied-billed Grebe on breeding territory, some Yellow-throated Vireos, and so many Marsh Wrens heard that a very conservative estimate had to be made by ear of 25, with likely many more out of audible range.

One notable missed species was the Eastern Meadowlark, which has been seen in recent years within the IBA but was not present within this count.

Since nearly all species on this list are likely to be breeding locally, the author has not annotated any of the data with breeding status.

Thank you to all whom have assisted in this initial survey, including the RBG and HCA for their assistance. The current plan is to conduct surveys every five months, until data is collected for each calendar month. Our second survey is expected to occur late November, followed a third survey next April.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Rob Porter
Compiler, Dundas IBA Survey 1

Results
IBA Criteria Species for Spring/Summer
Observed in Survey 1:

Acadian Flycatcher
Chimney Swift
Hooded Warbler

Not found in Survey 1:

Barn Owl
Little Gull
Loggerhead Shrike
Louisiana Waterthrush
Prothonotary Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat

Survey 1: Count Totals
Each line follows the format: species name, count, distribution (% of checklists present within)

List is in taxonomic order.

* Denotes species adjusted lower to account for possible observation overlaps.

Canada Goose 92 (23%)
Mute Swan 24 (13%)
Trumpeter Swan 4 (6%)
Wood Duck 34 (16%)
Blue-winged Teal 4 (3%)
Mallard 45 (19%)
Hooded Merganser 1 (3%)
Wild Turkey 8 (3%)
Common Loon 1 (3%)
Pied-billed Grebe 1 (3%)
Double-crested Cormorant 48 (10%)
Least Bittern 3 (3%)
Great Blue Heron 37 (26%)
Great Egret 4 (3%)
Green Heron 8 (13%)
Black-crowned Night-Heron 7 (16%)
Turkey Vulture 77 (55%)
* Osprey 4 (10%)
Cooper’s Hawk 1 (3%)
* Bald Eagle 4 (6%)
Broad-winged Hawk 2 (6%)
Red-tailed Hawk 9 (23%)
Killdeer 11 (16%)
Spotted Sandpiper 7 (6%)
Ring-billed Gull 119 (42%)
Herring Gull 20 (26%)
gull sp. 10
Caspian Tern 25 (26%)
Common Tern 29 (13%)
Rock Pigeon 12 (10%)
Mourning Dove 55 (45%)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 21 (39%)
Black-billed Cuckoo 7 (23%)
Chimney Swift 21 (29%)
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 12 (29%)
Belted Kingfisher 14 (32%)
Red-bellied Woodpecker 36 (58%)
Downy Woodpecker 47 (68%)
Hairy Woodpecker 17 (42%)
Downy/Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 23 (45%)
Pileated Woodpecker 14 (23%)
Eastern Wood-Pewee 64 (81%)
Acadian Flycatcher 1 (3%)
Alder Flycatcher 4 (10%)
Willow Flycatcher 4 (10%)
Empidonax sp. 1
Eastern Phoebe 9 (26%)
Great Crested Flycatcher 47 (65%)
Eastern Kingbird 25 (29%)
flycatcher sp. (Tyrannidae sp.) 1
Yellow-throated Vireo 7 (10%)
Warbling Vireo 27 (35%)
Red-eyed Vireo 135 (74%)
Blue Jay 93 (81%)
American Crow 60 (65%)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 9 (10%)
Tree Swallow 84 (39%)
Bank Swallow 15 (3%)
Barn Swallow 58 (32%)
Cliff Swallow 2 (3%)
Black-capped Chickadee 116 (77%)
Red-breasted Nuthatch 5 (13%)
White-breasted Nuthatch 35 (45%)
Brown Creeper 1 (3%)
House Wren 68 (71%)
Marsh Wren 27 (6%)
Carolina Wren 20 (42%)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 17 (35%)
Eastern Bluebird 10 (16%)
Veery 5 (13%)
Wood Thrush 34 (39%)
American Robin 265 (97%)
Gray Catbird 122 (90%)
Brown Thrasher 4 (10%)
Northern Mockingbird 2 (6%)
European Starling 141 (42%)
Cedar Waxwing 87 (61%)
Ovenbird 2 (6%)
Blue-winged Warbler 33 (45%)
Mourning Warbler 3 (10%)
Common Yellowthroat 64 (65%)
Hooded Warbler 6 (6%)
American Redstart 42 (39%)
Yellow Warbler 134 (77%)
Chestnut-sided Warbler 5 (6%)
Pine Warbler 6 (13%)
Black-throated Green Warbler 1 (3%)
Chipping Sparrow 46 (61%)
Field Sparrow 44 (39%)
Savannah Sparrow 17 (10%)
Song Sparrow 166 (81%)
Swamp Sparrow 24 (23%)
Eastern Towhee 27 (39%)
Scarlet Tanager 29 (35%)
Northern Cardinal 88 (87%)
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 56 (71%)
Indigo Bunting 113 (87%)
Bobolink 5 (10%)
Orchard Oriole 4 (13%)
Baltimore Oriole 84 (87%)
Red-winged Blackbird 475 (81%)
Brown-headed Cowbird 63 (65%)
Common Grackle 89 (61%)
blackbird sp. 1
House Finch 15 (29%)
Pine Siskin 1 (3%)
American Goldfinch 148 (84%)
House Sparrow 154 (39%)

TOTAL birds counted 4469

Species counted 104

Other taxa counted (spuh, slash, or hybrid) 5

Survey 2 of the Dundas IBA (ON005): Report

The second Dundas IBA Bird Survey was conducted on November 24, 2018. In stark contrast to Survey 1’s sunny and hot June weather, the day was quite cold and overcast with light rain throughout the day, reaching a high of 6?C.

The survey, which can also be more lengthily referred to as a “Dundas Valley & Dundas Marsh Important Bird & Biodiversity Area Survey” was conducted exclusively within natural lands found inside the boundary of the IBA, which in short covers the Dundas Valley from Summit Muskeg through to Spencer Creek into Cootes Paradise, extending to Burlington Heights.

To read more about this IBA, see https://www.ibacanada.ca/site.jsp?siteID=ON005.

For those familiar with the Christmas Bird Counts, this survey followed a similar methodology, but did not include urban areas or backyard birdfeeders. Lists are submitted and compiled via eBird.

This count included 11 volunteer counters who are to be commended for covering so much ground this time around with much worse weather condition and fewer boots on the ground. While we did not cover all mapped zones, we did cover all key areas, with a total of 29 checklists submitted, very close to the 31 we had for our first count. Counters experienced a full spectrum of results in various locations, ranging from numbers that could be counted on one hand to hundreds.

Since the survey follows a staggered five-month schedule which consequently results in a five-year cycle, we do not have previous results in the same season to compare with as of yet. That being stated, there are still some comparisons that can be made between the first two datasets.

A total of 5,269 birds were counted (+17.9% change from Survey 1) with 73 species identified (-29.8%) in 29 locations.

Of the six “criteria species” (species that have at one time been present in significant numbers within the IBA) that occur within the season, only one was observed — the Red-breasted Merganser (8). This is not very surprising as those species on the list are a mix of very rare species and those one might expect much earlier in the season.

Our “top twelve” for total numbers this time around were: Canada Goose (901), Ring-billed Gull (839), Mallard (772), Black-capped Chickadee (375), Cedar Waxwing (215), Herring Gull (185), Dark-eyed Junco (161), Common Merganser (136), American Robin (135), Blue Jay (102), House Sparrow (100), and Northern Cardinal (92). Of these, the only repeats in the top twelve list from Survey 1 are American Robin (-49% change), Ring-billed Gull (+605%), and Black-capped Chickadee (+223%).

Survey 1’s top bird, the Red-winged Blackbird, dropped to the absolute bottom with only one individual counted this time around.

There were only 2 species with 80% or higher distribution for reported zones, Black-capped Chickadee (97%), Blue Jay (83%). This is in contrast to the 10 in Survey 1, of which only the Blue Jay (+2% change) achieved such wide distribution then as well.

An additional 5 species can be noted if the criteria is lowered to at 60% distribution: Downy Woodpecker (79%), White-breasted Nuthatch (72%), Red-bellied Woodpecker (66%), Northern Cardinal (66%), Hairy Woodpecker (62%).

In stark contrast, there were 21 species that were highly localized; that is, occurring in one checklist only: Snow Goose, Cackling Goose, Trumpeter Swan, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Wild Turkey, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Kestrel, Tufted Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Northern Mockingbird, Common Redpoll, Pine Siskin, Snow Bunting, Field Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow-rumped Warbler.

It’s possible to see some useful comparisons between the surveys when looking at non-migratory species.

Red-bellied Woodpecker (+5%) have had a relatively similar count, as did Blue Jay (+10%) and Wild Turkey (+12.50%). White-breasted Nuthatch (+51%) and Carolina Wren (+50%) have seen a small boost, while Black-capped Chickadee (+223%) saw a boom in numbers.

Also of note, raptors in general are very likely artificially low in this count due to the poor visibility throughout the day, which included fog in many areas. Had the weather been clearer many more Red-tailed Hawks would have been expected, as well as a Turkey Vulture or two.

There are a few highlights of note, despite the dreary weather.

Winter Wren (2) was present in two locations, possibly indicating more wintering locations for the species in this region.

A flock of Snow Goose (15) was observed flying over Dundas Valley, and a lone Cackling Goose was seen in Caroll’s Bay.

A Lesser Black-Backed Gull was observed in Cootes Paradise, as were a number of late Great Blue Heron (11), and one late Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

A lone Tufted Titmouse was observed in Dundas Valley, and a single Yellow-rumped Warbler was observed along the Spencer Creek Trail in Dundas.

A surprise for the day was not just one, but two Eastern Phoebe found at Spencer Creek Trail in Dundas first, then along Coldwater Creek at McMaster University’s west campus.

Thank you to all whom have assisted in this second survey, including the Royal Botanical Gardens and Hamilton Conservation Authority for their assistance. Our next two surveys are tentatively scheduled for April 14, 2019 and September 14, 2019.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

Rob Porter
Compiler, Dundas IBA Survey 2

Results
IBA Criteria Species for Autumn
Observed in Survey 2
Red-breasted Merganser (8)

Not found in Survey 2
Barn Owl
Chimney Swift
Little Gull
Prothonotary Warbler
Rusty Blackbird

Survey 2 Count Totals
Each line follows the format: species name, count, distribution (% of checklists present within)

List is in taxonomic order.

Snow Goose 15 (3%)
Cackling Goose 1 (3%)
Canada Goose 901 (52%)
Mute Swan 4 (7%)
Trumpeter Swan 6 (3%)
swan sp. 2 (3%)
Northern Shoveler 18 (7%)
Mallard 772 (41%)
Mallard (Domestic type) 1 (3%)
American Black Duck 20 (10%)
Greater/Lesser Scaup 20 (3%)
Bufflehead 29 (7%)
Common Goldeneye 1 (3%)
Hooded Merganser 45 (14%)
Common Merganser 136 (21%)
Red-breasted Merganser 8 (3%)
duck sp. 230 (10%)
Wild Turkey 9 (3%)
Rock Pigeon 21 (14%)
Mourning Dove 12 (34%)
Ring-billed Gull 839 (55%)
Herring Gull 185 (38%)
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1 (3%)
Great Black-backed Gull 6 (10%)
gull sp. 120 (7%)
Double-crested Cormorant 1 (3%)
Great Blue Heron 11 (17%)
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 (7%)
Bald Eagle 2 (3%)
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 (3%)
Red-tailed Hawk 7 (21%)
Great Horned Owl 3 (10%)
Belted Kingfisher 5 (14%)
Red-bellied Woodpecker 38 (66%)
Downy Woodpecker 61 (79%)
Hairy Woodpecker 39 (62%)
Downy/Hairy Woodpecker 5 (3%)
Pileated Woodpecker 8 (21%)
Northern Flicker 5 (10%)
American Kestrel 1 (3%)
Eastern Phoebe 2 (7%)
Blue Jay 102 (83%)
American Crow 64 (59%)
Black-capped Chickadee 375 (97%)
Tufted Titmouse 1 (3%)
Red-breasted Nuthatch 7 (14%)
White-breasted Nuthatch 53 (72%)
Brown Creeper 20 (34%)
Winter Wren 2 (7%)
Carolina Wren 30 (45%)
Golden-crowned Kinglet 20 (28%)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 (3%)
Eastern Bluebird 3 (7%)
American Robin 135 (45%)
Northern Mockingbird 2 (3%)
European Starling 45 (17%)
Cedar Waxwing 215 (21%)
House Finch 9 (17%)
Purple Finch 4 (7%)
Common Redpoll 28 (3%)
Pine Siskin 4 (3%)
American Goldfinch 69 (59%)
Snow Bunting 2 (3%)
Field Sparrow 2 (3%)
American Tree Sparrow 44 (31%)
Dark-eyed Junco 161 (55%)
White-throated Sparrow 73 (41%)
Song Sparrow 8 (17%)
Swamp Sparrow 3 (3%)
Red-winged Blackbird 1 (3%)
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1 (3%)
Northern Cardinal 92 (66%)
House Sparrow 100 (28%)

TOTAL birds counted 5269

Species counted 73
Other taxa counted (spuh, slash, or hybrid) 6