Counting all the Snowbirds: Waterbird Surveying and Arctic Migrants
Since I have started to be more serious in learning about birds, waterfowl have always intimidated me a bit. So many ducks to learn, so little time, I thought! Until I realized I have the rest of my life to learn about them. So I travelled to Saint John to learn more about waterbird surveys, by tagging along with my colleague Lauren. In my research, I learned most of them summer in the Arctic. That’s how I had the chance to talk to experts from Birds Canada at the Science in the North program. This NB Fieldnotes instalment is the result of the winter adventure that led me to know more about our very own types of snowbirds!
By Samuel LeGresley, Communications coordinator
10:12 AM
Thursday morning, it’s my first time at Irving Nature Park. Having not been to Saint John much in my life, I had a lot of new sights that day. We drive all the way to the end of the point, at a large beach typical of the Fundy shore. I have seen many of these beaches, being from Moncton and having been to my fair share of Cape Enrage outings, but this one is especially pretty.
As I get out of the car, I immediately notice an island in the distance, in the foreground. Lauren tells me the shorebirds go there in the summer. I then found out that it’s called Manawagonish, and that it’s a nature preserve.
In the background, two enormous ships are most likely headed to and from the Port of Saint John.
We look at some gulls in the scope, and can glance at the ships at the same time.
She pulls out a notebook from a bag, and starts doing some specific marks on paper. She notices that it’s cloudy; that the water is—unusually—calm. It’s also time for the low tide, which makes the beach look much bigger!
I immediately notice a black dot in the distance. And boop, it’s out of sight. Must be a diving duck out for feeding. Not so easy for identification.
We linger there for a while. The black dot doesn’t come up again. It must be having a good time eating all the fish that live down there.
10:50
We pop over to MacLaren’s beach. A beautiful cove, with not many birds however.
Apart from a few far-away Black Ducks, the only “bird” we see close by is one carved into driftwood by the ocean.
11:19
Time for an early lunch. A beautiful morning, yet with only a few birds peeking in and out of the water. No data is good data, however.
Reversing Falls, a bounty for the tally
12:30
Lunch over. We arrive upon a ledge, my first time at the famous Reversing Falls.
I’m told they’re about to “Reverse”, so I ask : “Oh, can we stick around?” But it’s not like Moncton’s tidal bore: “It takes about 1-2 hours to do so” says Lauren.
Immediately, we stumble upon a volunteer who already counted all the birds on her lunch break. She enumerates all the Scoters (dozens!) and Mergansers (even more!) that she’s seen.
These are Arctic migrants, which has piqued my interest in a talk I’ve had with a Birds Canada expert. The fact that these birds come here from the Arctic to escape the lack of food and/or the ever-present sea ice, in many cases, makes me appreciate the fact that we can see them.
As we scanned the water, I couldn’t help but wonder—what drives these birds to leave the Arctic each year? The answer, I learned, is more complex than just escaping the cold.
However, not all of them are from the Far North. One of the more impressive birds we see is the Bufflehead, as I read through the range maps. This one is in fact a boreal breeder, and does not go all the way to the Arctic.
We see some Common Goldeneyes, lots of Mergansers and Black Scoters, and a few Black Ducks.
After a bit of time indulging in all the birds diving around near the Falls and the pulp mill, we pack up, Lauren does her tally marks and we head for Five Fathom Hole.
1:20
We skip from one river to the next : Reversing Falls was at the Wolastoq’s mouth, and Five Fathom Hole is our last stop, at the Musquash River estuary.
Among the ships, we find very few birds but my first trip to the Falls was enough to make my day. All in all, we counted 315 birds with 223 just at Reversing Falls!
Arctic Winter Migration: More Than a Simple Escape from the Cold
The idea for this article suddenly struck me as I was reading A Naturalist’s Guide to the Arctic, a book published in 1995 by British ecologist E. C. Pielou, found at the local second-hand book store. I noticed that many of the birds mentioned in the book are present in New Brunswick in winter! To begin my research, I contacted Cléa Frapin, an Arctic wildlife expert who now works at Birds Canada as a Science in the North biologist, and we had a long chat about the interactions between Arctic terrestrial species. As part of her Master’s degree, she built a model to predict the food webs (trophic networks) of Arctic wildlife, and the aspects of seasonality that drive many waterfowl and birds of prey, among others, to New Brunswick.
This then led to a discussion with Graham Sorenson, Northern Science Program Manager, also with Birds Canada, who explained the fascinating relationship between sea ice and food availability for sea ducks.
It was thanks to these discussions that I was able to learn more about the waterfowl that so intrigued me!
Our Winter Visitors’ Migration Is Not Just Driven By Temperature
For many Arctic birds (I informally call them snowbirds) survival depends on their ability to find food, and migration patterns reflect shifts in prey abundance, seed production, and sea ice conditions rather than just escaping freezing temperatures.
“Winter birding is kind of fun because there’s a mix of species that are residents around here, like chickadees and blue jays (…) The exciting part is those species we only get as winter visitors.” – Graham Sorenson
One of the most striking examples is the Snowy Owl, whose population movements are closely tied to lemming cycles in the Arctic.
“A really good summer of lemming prey in the north leads to a really good reproduction year for Snowy Owls. Because there’s more of them, some irrupt south. (…) And it’s often young ones that come really, really far south.” -Sorenson
When too many young owls are produced, some of them “overflow” southward in what birders call an irruption year.
While raptors like the Rough-Legged Hawk do move south in search of prey, their migration is often due to prey shortages rather than population booms—in contrast to the snowy owl.
For a lot of seed-eating birds, food availability in the boreal forest is the main trigger for migration. Species like Red Crossbills, Pine Siskins, and Evening Grosbeaks will stay in the north if cone crops are abundant, but when food is scarce, they move south in large numbers.
“In places like New Brunswick where we have a lot of conifer forest, we get Evening Grosbeaks, White-Winged Crossbills, Red Crossbills and Pine Siskins in bigger numbers and some of these cool finch species that are really awesome to see. You don’t necessarily see them every winter; I think those are the ones that birders are most excited about having irruption years.”-Sorenson
For Waterbirds, Ice Determines Where They Winter
For waterbirds and sea ducks, migration is dictated more by ice coverage than temperature itself. Unlike land birds that follow food availability, ducks, mergansers, and goldeneyes need open water to survive.
“A long-tailed duck might still find food in the north, but things are iced over. They have to come far enough south to find open water where they can dive for food.” -Sorenson
This means that some birds stop migrating once they reach ice-free waters, rather than continuing south for warmth. For instance, the Bay of Fundy remains open throughout the winter due to strong tides, providing a crucial habitat for many species. Goldeneyes and Long-Tailed Ducks stay in places like the Bay of Fundy because the tides keep water open, even in winter. It’s all about access to food.
Some sea ducks tend to winter along northern New Brunswick, where conditions remain suitable.
“There are a whole bunch of Barrow’s Goldeneye wintering in northern New Brunswick, but not many down in the Bay of Fundy. They like the rocky coastlines northern New Brunswick has.” -Sorenson
Meanwhile, shorebirds like the purple sandpiper take advantage of the Bay of Fundy’s tidal mudflats, which remain accessible in winter.
“ And so there’s species like Purple sandpiper and even Sanderling, that — on southern Nova Scotia and maybe parts of southern New Brunswick coast — are able to winter here because there’s open mudflats and feeding opportunities for shorebirds. And I don’t think you get that to much of an extent up in Gulf of St. Lawrence and even the northern coast of New Brunswick.” –Sorenson
Tracking Migration: What the Maps Reveal
Sorenson and other scientists use tools like eBird to track where Arctic and boreal migrants settle in the winter. These maps provide valuable insights into how different bird species respond to changing food sources and ice conditions.
“If you’re interested in a species like Barrow’s Goldeneye, you can look at eBird and see that they’re mostly staying (near) northern New Brunswick right now. The red dots on the map show recent sightings, and it’s clear they’re wintering up there”. Research has shown that on the east coast, this bird is generally a boreal breeder but can go out to molt at higher latitudes in the Arctic (source).
On eBird, the kind of real-time data provided by the community helps researchers monitor bird populations, understand migration patterns, and identify key wintering areas.
How to Get Involved: Community Science for All-Season Birding
If you’re interested in helping keep track of Arctic migrants or other birds in the coming years, you can participate in community science projects that contribute valuable data to conservation efforts throughout the year.
1. Submit Your Sightings on eBird
eBird is a powerful tool that allows birdwatchers to log sightings and track species movements in real time. You can use it to:
- Record your seasonal bird sightings in New Brunswick or beyond.
- Explore interactive maps to see where birds are wintering.
- Contribute to global research efforts on bird migration.
“You can look at eBird and see the latest sightings of Arctic migrants in your area. It’s an amazing tool for both scientists and birdwatchers.”
Get started with eBird: ebird.org
2. Join the Efforts of a Waterbird Survey
At the Port of Saint John and Port of Belledune, Nature NB hosts surveys designed to monitor wintering waterfowl along the coast. These projects aims to engage local birders in structured monitoring efforts where there is a lot of human activity that might disrupt birds in their habitat.
If you’re in the region and want to contribute, check out the survey opportunities through NatureNB’s Waterbird Survey page.
“Trying to cover the whole province is important, so efforts like the Port of Saint John and Belledune waterbird surveys help us track regional trends in Arctic bird migration.”
A Complex Migration Story
In brief, the migration of birds from northern climates to our region isn’t just about escaping winter cold—it’s a highly specialized survival strategy driven by food availability, ice coverage, and habitat conditions.
“It’s all tied to food, but there are two very different stories of why they move. Some come south because of prey shortages, others because of prey abundance. And for waterbirds, it’s all about where they can still find open water.”
For birdwatchers, winter offers a unique opportunity to observe these incredible Arctic migrants. It gives us a small window into the intricate world of bird migration.
Participate in our community science efforts at the link below:
