Ship Sands Island Summer 2021 (Part 2)

This will be the second writeup on the Ship Sands Island adventure Ezra, Matt and I embarked on in August 2021.

On our first full day as light refilled our campsite and surroundings we awoke to heavy overcast conditions and a surprisingly chilly start between 5C and 10C. In this part of the world, the weather can be extremely variable and is something that should never be underestimated! After some powdered Starbuck's coffee and oatmeal, we started the day's birding close to camp and along the river edge that defines the island, coming up with a number of Nelson's Sparrows and Harriers. We were delighted to have another very close flyby Whimbrel, this time providing some great photographic opportunities.

Whimbrel Close to Camp

Fortunately, we arrived at the coast just after high tide. This meant the majority of shorebirds were concentrated at the vegetation's edge, filling the shallow pools that teamed with tasty invertebrates. As an ongoing theme, Semipalmated Sandpipers dominated the shorebird scene. On this day we estimated 2500. Other highlights from our survey along the coast produced a Wilson's Phalarope, two Red-necked Phalaropes, several Red Knots and a small flock of Marbled Godwits that spent most of the day near our camp. 

There is no doubt that the James Bay region is one of the greatest global stopover sites for migrating shorebirds and is pivotal to the successful pursuit of their wintering grounds from whether that be just south of Ontario to Argentina. For many juvenile shorebirds that are undergoing their first migration from the arctic, we may be the first people these birds encounter. For this reason, these birds can be extremely tame and curious of humans and cameras alike such as this young Wilson's Phalarope below.

A Very Obliging Juvenile Wilson's Phalarope

After completing our survey of the coast, the rest of the day involved stocking up on our brackish water supply followed by spending some time at the mouth of the Moose River dedicated to a lakewatch. It was a great time to maximize and savour the calm, mild and sunny weather even if the birding was not superb. 

An interesting dynamic on the island that was beginning to unravel is the distribution of Ammodramus Sparrows here. Surprisingly over all the walking we did we only encountered a single Le Conte's Sparrow, the only one of our entire trip. On the other hand, Nelson's Sparrow were one of the most common sparrows second to Savanah, seeing 5 to 10 each day.

An Afternoon Lakewatch With the Crew

Around this time we felt compelled to take a very specific group picture. While researching for the trip I stumbled upon a gem of a photo containing three Ontario birding legends that visited Ship Sands one summer back in the 70s. When I learned we would also have three birders travelling to the island it was hard not to resist composing our own rendition. Despite a gap of nearly 50 years (49!) I like to think the admiration and attachment between travelers to this nearly unchanged landscape has changed little between photos. 

As the day winded down, the camp-wits greeted our return to camp, still active and quite vocal. 

On most nights, the land was softly lightened by slivers of the intense star shows peaking through the clouds that would radiate across the land, as well as the discrete lights of Moosonee and Moose Factory off to the distant south. On this night, although not as brilliant as the photos suggest, we were more than happy to witness the faint green hues of the northern lights that danced along the horizon. A great way to end our first full day on the island!

Northern Lights With An Artistic Touch (Photo by Matt)