Author Lynda Goff left with photography colleague Ann Brice in our stylish "Orvis"chest waders at dawn in tundra outside of Churchill

One of my first experiences photographing tundra and boreal forest birds was in Churchill Manitoba, a small port town on the southwestern coast of the Hudson Bay - 58 degrees north  and about 1000 km from Winnepeg:

There are three ways to get to Churchill -train, plane and boat.  I decided to take a couple extra days and go by train as I wanted to see the bogs, tundra and boreal forest (tiaga).  I arrived in Winnipeg only to find that the train (2x a week) had been cancelled indefinitely.  A major late winter storm had washed out tracks and bridges so there was no getting to Churchill other than to fly.  Of course the plane ticket price was astronomical as I needed this immediately.  But eventually I arrived and met up with 4 other photographers and our tour leader, Glenn Bartley of Victoria, BC.  

Churchill is known as the "Polar Bear Capital" and the place is hopping with tourists during the fall when the bears begin to come into and around the town.  In the summer months it is a meca for birders and wildlife photographers.  More than 175 species of birds come to this area to renew acquaintances, breed and raise their chicks.  With 18 hours of light at the summer solstice, the frozen tundra turns into flat water-sogged marshlands, full of birds in their new beautiful breeding plumage and more than 500 species of wildfflowers burst into bloom.  

In addition to the abundant  birds and wildflowers, June and July bring hundreds of  fun-loving and social Beluga whales to the Hudson Bay.  Female Belugas pass directly past the little town of Churchill as they enter into the comparitively warm water of the Churchill River where they give birth and raise their young before the winter ice returns.  Arctic foxes, Gray wolves, caribou, Moose, Eagles and Grouse are seen in the tiaga forests that are southwest of the town and on this trip we spotted a Polar Bear from a distance, although this is unusual for June.

Some of the more common birds nesting in the tundra and tiaga forests in June:Whimbrels:  Nearly all the Whimbrels that I saw were females either flying close to their nests or incubating eggs.  We had to walk extremely carefully out through the water-sogged vegetation and stay well away from any nest sites.  These two photographs were taken using at 1200 mm lens (600mm and 2x converter).   Along with Curlews, Whimbrels are the among the largest shorebirds, (both in genus Numenius).  They breed throughout the arctic Tundra and winter along temperate coastal areas along 6 continents (USGS).  Migratory studies have shown that one individual, T6, made a remarkable one-year migration, traveling over 20,000 miles from northern Alaska to southern Chile and back.  Birds have been observed flying non-stop over oceans for more than 2500 miles.     🕊️🕊️🕊️

I was lying low in the tundra to photograph this female Whimbrel and to avoid being observed as she returned to her nest.  As I looked up, standing next to me was BrIan Small, one of my all time favorite photographer friends.  You never know who you might bump into in the Churchill tundra! 🕊️🕊️🕊️

Hudsonian Godwit:  This is another remarkable large shorebird that undergoes epic migrations from their breeding grounds in the high arctic bogs to their wintering grounds in southern South America.   It travels more than 10,000 miles each way.  One tagged bird was found to cover 7250 mile in 8 days, flying non-stop (30-50mph), not eating, drinking or sleeping.  Much of the definitive research on the breeding biology of this beautiful species was undertaken by A. Hagar in the same Churchill tundra where we photographed this lovely bird in its gorgeous gold, brown and brick-red breeding plumage.  🕊️🕊️🕊️

Short-billed Dowitcher:  Of all the shorebirds that we encounted breeding in the Churchill tundra, relatively little is known about the migration and breeding biology of this medium-sized shorebird species.  It's breeding plummage is similar to other arctic-breeding shorebirds and clearly in this photograph you can see the advantages of this coloration.....they too blend into the tundra.  We heard and saw these lovely birds as they gracefully flew in "mellow song flights" above their breeding territories.  They forage by probing in shallow water and soft mud, using their highly sensitive and flexible bill tip (upper bill in above photograph) capturing worms, insects and other invertebrates and plant matter.  Relatively little is known of their breeding behavior as most of this occurs in mosquito and black fly-ridden regions of the Canadian muskeg.   🕊️🕊️🕊️

Stilt Sandpiper:  This medium-sized sandpiper is often seen foraging alongside Short-billed Dowitchers and Lesser Yellowlegs.  They breed in the arctic tundra of North America  - specifically northern Alaska and Canada.  Their lovely breeding plumage is distinguished by the red/orange patches about the eye and over ear-cheek amd by its dark bars on its white belly and chest.  After it's brood fledges, it molts into its drab gray plumage and begins its long-distance migrations  to its wintering grounds in grazil, Peru, Chile and Argentina.  Most of its trans-North American migration oocurs over central regions where they stopover to rest and feed in marshes and shallow ponds.  Occasionally this species may be found in California, Texas and Florida during its migration.  🕊️🕊️🕊️

Lesser Yellowlegs: This individual was foraging with Dowichers and Stilt Sandpipers in shallow tundra ponds.  They breed in subartic boreal zones across from NW Alaska, across the Canadian Prairie Provinces to central Quebec in forests, meadows and muskegs.  They winter in Central and South America and in the Caribbean islands.  Sport-shooting in some of these islands have had a large impact on this species.  🕊️🕊️🕊️

Wilson's Snipe:  If you've gotten this far in this discussion of tundra-breeding shorebirds, you will have noticed the amazing camouflaged plumage of these breeding birds.  Wilson's Snipe is also able to stand absolutely still until the preceived danger is near when it flushes at great speed, zig-zagging and making photography a challenge.  This small pudgy (12') shorebird is one of the most widespread shorebirds in North America.  It breeds in the hummocky terrain of the Alaska, Canada and in marshlands of northern states.  Their long bill probes the soil in a slow sewing-machine type motion, in search of earthworms and other invertebrates.  As winter approaches,  they migrate to their southern wintering grounds in southern US, Central America, Carribean and northern South America.  🕊️🕊️🕊️

Dunlin:  In this breeding plummage, this small, plump shoreshore bird is distinctive in its rusty back and black belly (not seen in this photograph).  It breeds in the Arctic tundra, using its droopy bill to pick aquatic insects from the top layer of the water column.  After breeding, it  molts to a dull gray color and migrates to its winter feeding grounds along coast areas in the northern hemisphere.  🕊️🕊️🕊️

American Golden Plover:   This mid-size plover may be found breeding throughout the Canadian and Alaska tundra.  This beautiful plover is recognized by its golden spangled back feathers and black belly, lower rump and face/chest feathers.  They prefer relatively drier regions of the tundra and they are one of the fastest flying plover species.  When hunting, they run or fly close to the ground and then quickly stop to look around and listen for prey.  They spend their winter months in fallow fields of the prairie and maritme Canadian provinces, and along coastal Atlantic and Pacific regions, Central America and south into South America.  On their way to the arctic, they migrate primarily through central North America.  After breeding, the adults leave the arctic and their chicks early, flying off the Atlantic east coast non-stop until their reach the warmer wintering grounds.  The chicks must find their way on their own to the winter territories, arriving months after the adults.  🕊️🕊️🕊️

Red necked Phalarope (Above female and below is male).  In tundra Ponds near Churchlll. I came across this pair in a shallow tundra pond.  I sat in the shallow water and several came over to me and began feeding in the water I had stirred up while I settled into the muck.  They feed by gently picking small aquatic crustaceans from the surface of the water.  They concentrate their prey by swimming in small circles to create a vortex from which they feed the concentrated prey from the vortex center.  Swimming is facilitated by their Grebe-like lobed toes.  This in an unusual species in their coloration and breeding behavior.  The larger and more colorful individual is a female whereas the smaller and more drab one is the male.  Their role in breeding parallels this shift in coloration. The female is territorial, protecting the nest, the male and the chicks while the male serves all functions of egg incubation and chick rearing.  While he is caring for the chicks, she may find other mates and when it is too late for breeding, she will leave the territory, the male and chicks and heads to the wintering grounds in the open Carribean seas.  

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One of the most important lessons for any wildlife photographer is to photograph at the level of the animal.  As such your photograph enters the world of the subject rather than shooting from our human vantage point.    For shore and wading birds, this means getting into the pond with your tripod and camera with its lens set inches from the water surface.  The above photograph is of is of our intrepid photography group (Ann in green hood/jacket, Lynda on end with black toque hat) early in the morning near the Churchill airport. That pond was very cold - about 35 degrees and few of us had insulated waders though we had several layers of long underwear.  But what lovely shots we all got.  I really love this pair of Horned Grebes (below photograph).  We had been focused on photographing Common Eiders (below) and out of the vegetation, a nesting pair came tearing out to drive us off (note their erectable horns - they were not messing around). .  Respecting their home, we grabbed some photographs and left the pond.  In addition, several us were so cold that we where shaking to hard to focus and our shutter fingers had stopped working!

🕊️🕊️🕊️Horned Grebes mating pair on small Churchill pond

Horned Grebes breed in boreal and subartic regions in regions that are ice free for more than 90 days.  These area include  Alaska, northern Canada (Prairie Provinces) west into British Columbia,  as far east as the SW corner of Hudson Bay, and areas in the far northern parts of the US.  They prefer small shallow ponds that are less than 2.5m deep.   Pairs are monogamous and like other grebe species,  they participate in a complex mulitstep ceremony to reinforce their pair bond. Upon completion of breeding, they molt and migrate to their warmer winter territories along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America. 

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Male and female Common Eider on Churchill pond
Male and female Common Eider breeding pair on Churchill Pond
Breeding pair of Common Loon flying off short near mouth of Churchill River
Male Common Eider with landing gear deployed.

Common Eiders are the largest Duck, characterized by its long sloping forehead and bill.  It nests exclusively in the far north of Canada and Alaska, northern Europe and Siberia, preferring ponds near the ocean where they obtain food (molluscs, fish, crustaceans.  (Audobon has a superb interactive map on its website that shows how much habitat loss will be encounted for this species as the global temperature increases).  Common Eiders are famous for their insulating feathers enabling them to survive the harse conditions of their breeding territories.  In Iceland, Eider down is harvested from these birds on "molting ponds" provided to the birds by "feather farmers' in exchange for food and resting areas.  The feathers, discarded during molting, are gathered from the pond surfaces, dried and put into very expensive  pillows and comforters!  Eiders are not harmed by this process.  Upon completion of breeding individuals travel to their overwintering areas in open ocean areas along rocky coastlines. Frequently they may be seen in hugh floating rafts of thousands of resting birds.  I observed one raft in northeastern Iceland that must have been more than 10,000 Eiders.   

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Other Ducks, and Loons from Churchill Manitoba

American Wigeons
Red-breasted Merganser
Long-tailed Duck

Long-tailed Duck taking flight

Greater Scaup drake
Greater Scaup hen

Pacific Loons are the most abundant loon in North America.  It is a medium-sized loon - smaller than the Common Loon and has a spear sharp, short bill and soft gray head.  The neck patch irridescence is green/purple (depending on angle of incident light) and the Pacific Loon lacks the white flank patch of the closely related Arctic Loon.  Pacific Loons  breed across northern Canada to Hudson Bay and Baffin Island, nesting on large freshwater tundra ponds and lakes.  Except for 3 month period of breeding, they are strickly marine and occur in large numbers off the entire coast, Puget Sound, British Columbia and Alaska.

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Gulls, Terns and Jaegers

Bonaparte's Gull

Parasitic Jaegar and Arctic Tern.  Below photograph shows the Arctic tern with fish trying to outfly the persistant Jaegar.  

Parasitic Jaegers are members of the Skua bird family and in Europe, they are known as Arctic Skua.  Like their Skua relatives in the southern hemisphere, they are "kleptoparasites" frequently observed chasing gulls and terns in attempt to steal their fish.  They also prey on eggs and chicks in tern and gull galleries as well as small birds and rodents.  They breed in the high arctic tunda,  nesting in dry tundra grass/lichen areas.  After remaining in these areas for 3 months, they return to the ocean to spend the rest of the year harrassing birds along coastal areas of SE Atlantic shores and along coastal shores along California, Mexica and central and South America  

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Other Summer Churchill Residents

Arctic Hare

Arctic Hares are the largest of  all Hare species.  They resemble rabbits but have shorter ears and they thrive in extreme cold.  They do not hibernate.  Several adaptations enable them to survive the extreme winter cold.  One is their shorten ears which reduce body heat loss.  Another is their dense long fur.  They survive night time extreme cold by digging shelters in snow and huddling with a group of other Arctic Hares.  They survive primarily as herbivores, feeding on roots and twigs of tundra plants and arctic willow.  There are reports of them eating meat - primarily that in traps.  In the depth of winter, their long, snow white fur provides a useful camouflage in the snow covered environment.  Unlike rabbits, Arctic Hares have only a single litter.  In late spring and early summer, 2-8 baby rabbits are born.  They develop more quickly than temperate Hare species to reach maturity before their habitat turns to ice and snow.   🕊️🕊️🕊️

Female and juvenile Caribou near Churchill

Caribou  are migratiory deer of the arctic and subarctic.  They occur worldwide in the arctic tundra and woodlands and outside of North America, they are referred to as Reindeer.  They are the only deer species in which both males and females grow antlers yearly.  In this photograph, the larger of the two is a female with antlers beginning to develop.  The smaller one is probably her calf from the previous year.  Carobou mate in late November and the female leaves to herd to give birth (May/June) and raise the juvenile.  Juveniles develop quickly and are able to graze at about 45 days age, though they still suckle when allowed.  Caribou graze on willow and birch branches and other tundra and tiaga vegetation and are the only mammal that can digest one of their major food items - the lichen Cladonia rangiferina.  These individuals are likely part of the Cape Churchill herd - comprised of 1000-3000 individuals  The migratory herd spends much of the year  in the Wapusk Nattional Park where they are protected from hunting.  🕊️🕊️🕊️

Other Birds of the Churchill Summer Tundra and Tiaga

Willow Ptarmigan (male)

Willow Ptarmigan (female)

Blackpoll Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler
Dark-eyed Junco

Orange-crowned Warbler

Common Redpoll
Common Redpoll
Savannah Sparrow

Tree Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

American Pipit
Canada Jay

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