Birding Churchill, Manitoba - June 7-12, 2001
by Kay and Ken Beerthuis

SPECIES & WEATHER:
Almost any birder will find something to add to their life list here.
75 to 130 species were found, by different birding groups, the six days we were there. Our trip to Churchill was June 7-12, 2001 and the weather was warm. Unusual for that time of year. Last year, the same week, it was 32 degrees and snowing. This year we arrived to 75 degree weather and hordes of mosquitoes. Fortunately, they were not at the windy cape where we went to bird the first day, and the following days the temperature dropped to the balmy upper 60's and the mosquitoes all but disappeared.

GETTING THERE:
This is not easy. Since there is no road, you must take the train or fly. We found flying was extremely expensive in this area. The train was very reasonable, but sleeping cars from Winnipeg were already booked up in late December. Rather than sit up two nights on the train, we drove to Thompson. Boarding the train at 6 p.m. there, we went only one night sitting up (very uncomfortable, if you think you are going to sleep) and arrived early the next morning. On the return train we were able to get a sleeping chamber;a better way to go.

THOMPSON:
When you leave Winnipeg, be sure to stop at Oak Hammock Marsh, just north of the city. It has wonderful ponds and trails. We added a Wilson's Phalarope to our life list there. Riding Mountain National Park and Whitewater Lake are other great areas in southern Manitoba. Whitewater Lake surprised us with lots of American Avocets.

The road to Thompson is easy to drive; accommodations are few, but attractions and wildlife are worth the drive. One surprise was the White Pelican groups we saw at rivers. A Sandhill Crane on the road, a wolf trotting down the road, hawks, and flyovers of Snow Geese were interesting. Pisew Falls, almost to Thompson, is a must-see.

Accommodations at Thompson's AAA rated Country Inn & Suites by Carlson were great. The library right across the street provided a chance to e-mail with four computers donated by the Melissa & Bill Gates Foundation. Thompson is a nice town, but one look at the train station told us we could not leave our car there if we ever wanted to see it again. We parked our car at the Airport secure parking just outside of town & took a taxi to the train station. Another solution would have been to ask the motel manager if we could leave the car there, but she was out of town. The taxi driver said some people arrange to park at the city hall - police station area.

CHURCHILL ACCOMMODATIONS:
There are motels and restaurants within walking distance of the train station. If you stay in town you will also be able to walk to the best birding area, the Granary ponds and the Churchill River. The ponds provide all kinds of ducks and shorebirds. The river has Eiders, Jaegers, Gulls, and some shorebirds. Here is where everyone goes to find ONE Ross' Gull. The gull is no longer found breeding here...birders would not leave it alone. So we felt lucky to scope out the one Ross' Gull who showed up. A Franklin's gull was an unusual find for Churchill also, but they are common in southern Manitoba. If you stay in town, you will want to rent a truck or find a guide to take you to other areas outside of town where you will see many Hudsonian Godwits, Pacific Loons, nesting ducks, warblers, and a variety of northern species.

CHURCHILL NORTHERN STUDIES CENTER:
We stayed 14 miles out of town at the Northern Studies Center where we were signed up for an Elderhostel. This is an old government missile center. Their web site has information on accommodations and Churchill birds at: http://www.cancom.net/~cnsc/
Only one other woman from Newfoundland was signed up with us. Since our guide, Dr. Bob Alison, was coming to Churchill anyway, as he has done for over 20 years, they decided to go ahead with the Elderhostel. We were very happy with the program of five days of birding with only the three of us and our expert ornithologist guide. Accommodations at the center are fairly good, with two bunk beds to a room and a bath down the hall. Since there were so few Elderhostelers, we were able to have our own room. Other groups who use the center when they are full have to have four to a room. One other birding group, from a college in Manitoba, was also at the center . Birders eat with the researchers there and it is interesting to learn what they are working on.

The well-known birding tour companies, however, do not stay at the center. Their tours of usually 16 people stay in town with motels & restaurants. If this is important to you, take one of the tours. You also get excellent guides on these tours who do not let you miss a thing. We talked to four people on one such tour and their only complaint was that they were exhausted with the pace of the tour. In fact, some were sick because of lack of sleep between flying and taking the train and still birding dawn to dusk (10 p.m. here). We were glad our tour ran us only from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m., then we had interesting programs at the center in the evenings.

POLAR BEARS:
One thing you learn in Churchill, is that Polar Bears are dangerous! Around July they come off the ice and spread out quickly into the Canadian wilderness. In October, after a summer of practically fasting, they gather up at Churchill because it is the first place they can get back on the ice to get their favorite food: seals. Tourists flock to Churchill in the fall, to ride out on the safe tundra vehicles to see Polar Bears. Motels are booked three to four years in advance.

The day before we left Churchill, a helicopter went up and reported that there was not a Polar Bear within 100 miles...they were still out on the ice. As we were about an hour out of Churchill on the train, we saw a huge Polar Bear (1,000 to 1,500 lbs.) running the other way next to the train. Everyone on the train said that this was a really unusual sighting for June 12.

Global warming is a major threat to the Churchill bears and the economy of the town which is based on tourism. If the bears come off the ice too early, they will starve to death before they can return to the ice in October or later.

In the Spring, birders do not encounter large crowds of people and can enjoy birding, beautiful scenery, wildflowers, and seeing and hearing whales in the river. It is a trip worth taking.