One of my favourite birds has made it to Nunavut!! Granted they are still a long way from here, however the first (I believe) record of Magpies (Pica hudsonia) in Nunavut has occurred this spring in Baker Lake. Here is a CBC news story on them (via Circumpolar Musings).
It was a gorgeous evening last night and the four of us went for a drive down to the water lake. Along the way we saw several Arctic Hare (Lepus arcticus), one of which was starting to change colour. We stopped near the airstrip on the way back and Travis and I got out to see if we could get a closer look at one. When I got out of the truck I was startled to see some Purple Saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia) in bloom. They were in a fairly protected spot with a southern exposure but this is early for them.
The other points of interest was at least one Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) amongst the Glaucous Gulls (Larus hyperboreus) and possibly a Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) (I knew I should have grabbed the binoculars). It was a glorious evening.
Comments
7 responses
Magpies? I don’t know–I like it when southern species expand their range into southern and central Ontario (most recent one I’m following, the Orchard Oriole), but I am becoming increasingly uneasy about species expanding northward into the Arctic. Selfish of me I suppose….
I don’t imagine that the magpies will stick around, not in the near future anyway. They construct their nests with sticks, and those are in short supply in the Arctic. They have greatly expanded their range in the sub arctic though, including much of the NWT.
I don’t suppose that I mind the expansion of a bird’s range, including to the Arctic, provided that it isn’t at the expense of another species. I realize that it may be symptomatic of other issues, such as climate change, but hey we’re a big territory, lots of room for everyone, provided they all get along.
Sounds like a great evening, Clare. I keep hearing stories about birds showing up in places where they just have never been before. It’s troubling if their wanderings have been caused by climate change and decreased habitat.
We often take the binoculars and camera with us, even when we’re just heading out to the market. Yesterday two eagles were circling above the food store right in town. We could hear them calling to each other. We had the binoculars, so we took a closer look and noticed that one of the eagles was missing quite a few feathers from his wing. We took a good long look, then put the binoculars back in the car, and went into the store to buy some food.
Thought I’d let you know one of your favourite birds got another one of my brand spanking new Callaway balls Sunday on the 6th hole. Damn Ravens.
Hi Robin Andrea, yeah I know I should have grabbed the binocs, but I didn’t think about until we were away from the house and then I didn’t want to drive back. I’ll probably head out today to see if the Horned Larks are indeed back, and to have a better look at the gulls.
Hey Bro, anytime they can interrupt a round of golf is just alright with me. And what’s a Callaway Ball, a dance where they just play Minny the Moocher over and over?
Ha Ha Cab. I was just up on the ladder trimming some dead branches off the weeping birch and came face to face with a Robin in its nest. Not much of a conversationalist.
The Black Crowe remains my favourite bird.