Churchill in the "Off" Season

Hoar Frost

The overwhelming majority of Churchill's 12,000 annual tourists visit during less than 20% of the year. Birders are highly concentrated during the last three weeks of June and polar bear enthusiasts are present during the latter part of October and the first two weeks of November. Visiting any other time has some real benefits for the nature lover, one being that you might just be the only tourist in town!

While the dead of winter is clearly not the most desirable time for anyone to seek out Churchill, almost any other time has major attractions. Mid-winter temperatures are usually below zero (fahrenheit), with wind chills approaching -50 or lower. The only birds that can withstand these extremes are Ravens, Gray Jays, Boreal Chickadees, Hoary Redpolls, House Sparrows (unfortunately), woodpeckers and ptarmigan. Pretty slim pickings when compared to what can be seen in June.

Things start to pick up toward the end of April as the first migrants begin to arrive. April of 1998 was unusually cold due to El Nino or other weather variations. When the author arrived on April 23, it was still quite chilly. The temperature reported on the weather screen of local cable TV registered 3 above the next morning. But what a morning it was! Heavy hoar frost covered every blade of grass, spruce needle and willow twig. It one was of those spectacularly beautiful mornings that one experiences only a few times in a lifetime.

A trip down Goose Creek/Hydro Road revealed the first harbinger of the waterfowl hordes that would follow, when a single Canada Goose flew by. Alongside the road and occasionally on it were many coveys of Rock Ptarmigan, still resplendent in their winter white. Unlike the resident Willow Ptarmigan, Rocks are birds of the open country and at Churchill they can be seen on the tundra, where the wind keeps the willows widely scattered and growing to a height of only a foot or two.

Willow Ptarmigan

Later that day, two coveys of Rocks were seen flying 400 feet up in tight flocks resembling shore birds, heading to the northwest, brilliant white against a cobalt blue sky. While we do not often think of the gallinaceous birds as migratory, Rocks often move several hundred miles to the south for winter, returning in spring as soon as the thaw occurs. These birds were probably on their way up the west side of Hudson Bay to the barren lands north of Churchill.

Pine Grosbeaks, Flickers and Common Redpolls had all returned for breeding, while Snow Buntings were massing around the grain elevator preparing for continuing flight to the north. Pine Grosbeaks, both redpolls and Gray Jays could be seen at feeders at Goose Creek Village, all so tame that they could be easily approached.

A major thaw a few days later brought thousands of Canada Geese to the area and the first ducks -- Pintails and Mallards. All could be seen resting on melt water pools along the side of the road. High overhead, a Red-tailed Hawk circled, a bird quite uncommon in these parts and usually not seen until June. A pair of Peregrine Falcons that had been feasting on ptarmigan for weeks were seen dive-bombing an unlucky Raven.

Even though snow was still nearly three feet deep in drifts, the Snowshoe Hares had begun their transition to summer brown from winter white. A lone (and tiny) muskrat was out and about, its size suggesting that it was born in the den at the beginning of winter, a most unusual event.

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Rock Ptarmigan