Birds and Wildlife of Manitoba, Canada

A selection of photos from our trip to Manitoba, Canada, in the summer of 2018 for bird and nature watching. During this trip, we visited Oak Hammock Marsh, a wildlife center north of Winnipeg and FortWhyte Alive in Winnipeg with its population of black-tailed prairie dogs. We also visited Portage La Prairie for birdwatching before taking the plane to Churchill on the shore of Hudson Bay. Churchill is well known for its population of polar bears but these are only occasional visitors at that time of the year (we saw one... and visited the polar bear holding facility). Our main interest in Churchill was the population of begula whales at the entrance of the Churchill River and the various species of birds nesting in the tundra and the boreal forest. A good place to see the willow ptarmigan, short-billed dowitcher, Hudsonian godwit, semipalmated plover, red-necked phalarope, Pacific loon and many other species. We had our first sighting of Harris's sparrow in the boreal forest. The Churchill portion of this trip was led by Tony Beck from Worldwide Quest. We stayed at the Churchill Northern Studies Center, an independent research facility located 23 km east of Churchill.

Tundra landscape.

American avocet (Avocette d'Amérique) in Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba, Canada.

American widgeon (Canard d'Amérique) in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

Arctic tern (sterne arctique) in Churchill, Manitoba.

Bald Eagle (Pygargue à tête blanche).

Black Guillemot (Guillemot à miroir) taking off in Hudson Bay, close to the entrance of the Churchill river.

Black tern (Guifette noire) in Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba, Canada.

Black tern (guifette noire) in flight in Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba, Canada.

Black-tailed Prairie Dog (chien de prairie à queue noire) in Fort Whyte Interpretive Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

With daylight available from 4:00AM to 10:30PM at the latitude of Churchill at the end of June, we headed out again after dinner to see Hudsonian godwits and lesser yellowlegs nesting nearby. As we were setting up to take photos, a fox showed up in front of us, heading in our direction. He seemed determined to go by us, despite our group blocking the road. The shorebirds were in full alert by then and for a good reason as the fox had stolen a nest, together with its content. It is only after he had gone by us that we realized that he was returning to his den with his prize, perhaps to feed his own family. He quickly left the scene and disappeared in the boreal forest. I have seen and photographed foxes before but never captured them in such a dramatic sequence of events. Only in Churchill have I seen a scene like this.

Harris's Sparrow (Bruant à face noire) in the boreal forest near Churchill, Manitoba.

Pacific loon (plongeon du Pacifique) in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

Red-necked phalarope (Phalarope à bec étroit) in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

Richardson's Ground Squirrel (spermophile), Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba, Canada.

Richardson's Ground Squirrel (spermophile), Manitoba, Canada.

Sedge Wren (Troglodyte à bec court) in Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba, Canada.

Semipalmated Plover (Pluvier semipalmé) in Churchill, Manitoba.

Killdeer, Manitoba, Canada.

Short-billed dowitcher (Bécassin roux) in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

Spotted Sandpiper (Chevalier grivelé) in Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba, Canada.

Upland Sandpiper (Maubèche des champs) in Manitoba farmland.

Wilson's Snipe (Bécassine de Wilson).

White-tailed deer, Manitoba, Canada.

Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopède des saules), Churchill, Manitoba.

Yellow-headed Blackbird (carouge à tête jaune) in Oak Hammock Marsh, Manitoba, Canada.

Western meadowlark - Sturnelle de l'Ouest.

Hudsonian Godwit (Barge hudsonienne) in Churchill, Manitoba. We are not used to see shorebirds perched on trees but in Churchill, when they nest, they are often seen on treen and branches as they perch to scan the environment for predators.

Polar Bear Holding Facility, also known as the Bear Jail, in Churchill, Manitoba.