7OntheTrail

A TRIP TO CANADA WITH DAVID HEMMINGS

ON ARCTIC WINGSHEREGOOGLE EARTH COORDINATES HERE

A TRIP TO CANADA WITH DAVID HEMMINGS

ON ARCTIC WINGSWelcome to the middle of nowhere:

photographing breeding birds in the tundra of Churchill, ManitobaWelcome to the middle of nowhere:

photographing breeding birds in the tundra of Churchill, Manitoba

An Arctic Tern Sternaparadisea caught frozen in mid-air, as it comes in to land with some freshly-caught fish prey.

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Flashes of color in the barren landscape of the iced tundra

Grounded Arctic TernsSterna paradiseasomewhat lack theexquisite gracefulness theydisplay while soaring.

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hen a nature photographerhappens to ask you during aconversation, “Have you ever been toChurchill, Manitoba?”, more often thannot the first vision that comes to mind isPolar bears and freezing cold weather. Itis, after all, the Polar bear capital of theworld. I can tell you that most people willnot think about photographing birds onthe tundra in spring. If you are one ofthose, then you are really missing a greatpart of what this area has to offer otherthan the bears.

Every serious (and not so serious) birdand nature photographer should visitChurchill and its whereabouts at leastonce in a lifetime during mid- to lateJune. June in Churchill is fresh and full oflife and there are beautiful species ofbirds everywhere in glorious breedingplumage. With beautiful breedingcolored feathers and scenic backdropsof light purple flowered and tundralandscapes you will be sure to capturestunning images of the beautiful birdsmating and nesting there.

W TEXT AND PHOTOS BY DAVID HEMMINGS

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An Arctic Tern Sternaparadisea with a fish in its beak zooms overthe dark, freezing, ice-covered waters of theChurchill River andHudson’s Bay in theManitoba province of Canada.

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One of the most beautifulduck species seen inChurchill at this time of theyear is the truly stunningCommon Eider Somateriamollissima, the largest duck in the NorthernHemisphere. This is anadult drake gloriouslyshowing off its full breeding plumage.

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Churchill is located where the Hudson’sBay meets the Churchill River. It stands atan ecotone on the Hudson’s Plains wherethree distinct eco-regions meet. It hasboreal forest to the south, the arctictundra to the northwest and Hudson’sBay to the North.The climate in Churchill is subarctic,with long cold winters and short, coolsummers. These cool summers are whenthe tundra hosts many different speciesof breeding arctic birds as well asArctic Fox. More than 270 species ofbirds have been recorded within a 25mile radius of the town of Churchill. This is truly amazing in a place that lookslike it holds no life at all at first glance!Upon arrival you may think to yourselfsomething like “So this is Churchill” or“Where is everything, all I can see arebig open tundra plains?”. Then you

One of the morecommonly seen,

but not lessinteresting, species

in Churchill is theSemipalmated

Plover Charadriussemipalmatus.

The term“semipalmated”

refers to thepartially webbedfeet on this bird.

They usually nest inareas with verylittle or no plantgrowth such as

open tundra,beaches and, quite

often, on gravelroadsides. Theyforage for food

close to their nestsand usually eat

insects, crustaceansand worms.

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A scenic view of therather desolate butnonetheless spectacularlandscape of Hudson’s Baysee from Cape Merry.

A barren, muted landscape echoing of old tales and legends

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One of the more interestingspecies found in Churchill is theBonaparte’s Gull Chroicocephalusphiladelphia. This gull has adistinctive black head with red feet in breeding season.

might ask yourself, why have I spent allthis time and money getting here? Don’tworry though; many travelers haveprobably thought the same thing. It is notuntil you get settled in and spend thenext few days roaming about the tundraand visiting the mouth of the ChurchillRiver where it meets Hudson’s Bay thatyou will have the answers to yourquestions. Once you have experiencedbeautiful lichen-covered rocks, seen andheard the gloriously colorful birds of theArctic, seen and touched the gentleBeluga whales and gazed out at the softglowing arctic sunset at midnight youwill know why you are here.Churchill in June can be downrightpleasant, weather-wise. Averagedaytime temperatures range from 50to 65 degrees Fahrenheit with freshbreezes coming in off Hudson’s Bay,

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AnotherBonaparte’s GullChroicocephalus

philadelphia. Thisspecies is namedafter a nephew of

Napoleon, CharlesLucien Bonaparte,

who was a leadingornithologist in the1800’s in America

and Europe.An interesting factabout this species

is that it is the onlygull species that

will often nest in trees.

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Scant vegetation andnooks and crannies in thecraggy landscape aroundChurchill offer refuge andnesting opportunities tomany bird species.

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The ParasiticJaeger (also knownas the Arctic Skuaor Parasitic Skua)

Stercorariusparasiticus gets itsname from the two

main strategies itemploys to acquire

food. “Parasitic”refers to the habit

this bird has ofchasing gulls and

terns to make themdrop their food so it

can pillage it. The second word

is German for“hunter”, as

the Parasitic Jaegerwill at times

actively hunt for itsfood feeding on

small birds,lemmings and

eggs.

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A Common EiderSomateria mollissima drakeflying low over the watersof the Churchill river. A famous colony of theseducks is found on the FarneIslands in Northumberland,Great Britain. This colonyhas been the subject of oneof history’s first knownbird protection laws.About 1,000 pairs still nest there every year.

feeding the soft grasses and flowers ofthe tundra and creating one of theplanet’s nicest natural air fresheners. InJune the frozen tundra springs to life.As the ice melts, birds arrive andmating and nesting begins and chicksstart to hatch. Beautiful wildflowerssuch as Purple Paintbrush and TuftedSaxifrage blossom everywhere,creating fantastic backdrops.On my first visit to Churchill in June2007, I stared out at the somewhatbarren looking tundra landscape andthought, “Where in the world will wefind birds to photograph out there?”That question was quickly put to rest aswe headed out with our guide to closelyexplore the landscape and look for ourquarry. Bird species to photograph

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A Harbour orCommon SealPhoca vitulina

emerges from theice-cold waters of

the Churchill River.This species is found

in coastal waters of the Northern

Atlantic and PacificOceans, as well as

those of the Balticand North Seas,

making it the mostwidely distributed

among thepinnipeds (walruses,

eared seals, andtrue seals).

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include Common Eiders, AmericanGolden Plovers, Whimbrels, Red-necked Phalaropes, Arctic Terns,Willow Ptarmigans, HudsonianGodwits and more - but finding thebirds to photograph is the firstchallenge here in Churchill. The firsttime I came here we hired a fantasticbird guide by the name of BonnieChartier. She has written a great bookon birding in this area and knew all theplaces to look. Like in many arctictowns, there are a few dirt and gravelroads that traverse around theimmediate area. A good portion of the

first day or two is spent scouting thetundra looking for movement and colorsamongst the lichen-covered rocks, mossand just starting to bloom tundraflowers. Once you are out there yourealize just how diverse the pockets oflandscapes and rock formations are inthe area. We were photographingCommon Eiders flying by us where theHudson’s Bay meets the Churchill River,then we were photographing beautifulAmerican Golden Plovers in stunningtundra flower surroundings and then wefound ourselves photographing Red-necked Phalaropes in a pond in

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A CommonEider Somateriamollissima hen

takes off.

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A late-afternoonportrait of a Red-

necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus

bathed in warmlight. This small

migratory wadercommonly breedsin North America

and Eurasia.

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A colorful Common EiderSomateria mollissima drake“brakes” in mid-air as itcomes in for a not-too-elegant water landing.

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waders. And this was all on the firstday! This place really produces in thespring as far as the variety of birdspecies is concerned.And not only is Churchill amazing forthe diversity of species to photograph inJune, it is also a great place forlandscape photography. The endlessvariety of rock formations along withthe flowing rises in the tundra with all ofits color in the spring make for somewonderful images.Churchill is also steeped in history. Awide variety of mostly nomadic Arcticpeople have lived and hunted in thearea since about 1000 AD. The Thuletribe arrived during this time and theylater became widely known as thepresent day Inuit people. They survivedby being great hunters of caribou, sealsand musk oxen. In the early 1600’s a

Arctic TernSterna paradisea

calling. Notice theexceedingly small-

sized feet of thisspecies.

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Above, anotherHudson’s Baypanorama. Right, HudsonianGodwit Limosahaemastica. Theywill often hangout on the top ofsmall pines andcall to their mate.After breeding inthe Churchillarea, this bird willmake a severalthousand milenon- stop flight to southern SouthAmerica. Left, the very colorfulWillow PtarmiganLagopus lagopusmale is white withred eyebrows(commonly knownas wattles) andrust brown colors.

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Danish expedition landed and stayed forthe winter where Churchill now stands.Only 3 or 4 of the 65 who ventured theresurvived to return to Denmark. In 1717the Hudson’s Bay Company built thevery first permanent settlement known asthe Churchill River Post. This wasprimarily a trading post for the NorthAmerican fur trade. The French laterinvaded and took over the fort from thevastly outnumbered English and fordecades this fort was used on and off asthe fur trade declined. With the successof North American agriculture, Churchilleventually became, and still is, a majorshipping port for the export of grains toEurope, Japan and Russia. As of todaythe population of Churchill is about 50%non native, the other 50% consistingmostly of Chipewyan and SwampyCree. Only about 5% are Inuit. .

Parasitic Jaegeror Arctic Skua

Stercorariusparasiticus - notice

its strong, partlyhooked bill,

indicative of itsoccasional

predatory habits.

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The undulating, irregularand rocky coastlineenvironment, rich insemipermanent ponds,offers a multitude ofmicrohabitats to allbreeding bird species.

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Mixed flight ofCommon Eider

Somateriamollissima with

three drakes andone hen. This

beautiful speciesshows a strong

sexual dimorphism.

Three suitors and a princess flying in magical unison

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A common EiderSomateria mollissimahen shows her mutedlivery, which offersexcellent camouflage whennesting among the reedbeds of the riverbank.

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Here is some information aboutChurchill that you should know.Camera Gear:- Your longest lens (at least a 300mm +1.4x and / or 1.7x tele-converter)- A wide angle lens- 1-2 camera bodies- Batteries and chargers- Storage (flash cards and laptop or digital storage media is recommended)- A tripod- A flash- A good bag to carry all of your gear in the van / in the field.

Additional Gear:- Weatherproof Boots (Goretex hikingboots or good quality rubber boots)- Warm clothes – layers are best as the temperature can vary at this time of year.- Waterproof jacket- Fleece jacket- Long underwear- Warm socks!- Bug nets- Neoprene or rubber gloves (just incase the mosquitoes get nasty)- Bug sprayPlus all of your normal personal itemsand equipment

A note about bugs:Churchill at this time of the year generally has a cool breeze that keeps

TUNDRA TREKKING TIPS

the mosquitoes away (or at least bearable). The most important thing forthis photo adventure is to be prepared.If you have a physical barrier betweenyourself and the bugs they are no problem! We are recommending thateveryone bring long pants that bugscan’t bite through, a weatherproof shell,gloves that are thick enough that bugscan’t bite through and a bug net mask.If we all are prepared for the bugs theywill not be a problem.

Photography Plan: All of our days will be spent primarilywithin a 30 minute drive to and fromthe hotel. For some species we travelone and a half hours likely twice during the workshop.There is no set itinerary as we planeach day according to the weather andspecies we want to shoot that day. For example, if we have done reallywell photographing American GoldenPlovers and have shot WillowPtarmigans, but the light was not great,we may opt that day to go for the Ptarmigans again... you get the idea.

Weather:Don’t forget that Churchill is far north!The daytime temperatures in June rangefrom about 2-15 degrees. Churchill is one of those places that can get all seasons in one day. So be prepared for all types of weatherby dressing in layers.

Shooting in thelate spring-earlysummer tundra

environmentrequires a degreeof motivation and

specific equipment(right), but

spectacularencounters such as

this one with a curious - and

rather endearing -Harbour or

Common SealPhoca vitulina

are virtuallyguaranteed.

TUNDRA TREKKING TIPSNATURE’S PHOTO ADVENTURES OPERATESPHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS IN CHURCHILLEVERY YEAR IN JUNE. WE HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME THERE AND WE KNOW ALL THE BEST SPOTS FORPHOTOGRAPHY OPPORTUNITIES.

Check out our website at www.naturesphotoadventures.com

Left top, aPacific LoonGavia pacifica.Pacific Loons nestin the Churchillarea but can bedifficult to find.Right top, aRuddy TurnstoneArenariainterpres.Right bottom, a WhimbrelNumeniusphaeopus. Thisspecies is one ofthe largest in theCurlew family,averaging 16inches in length.They too nest outon the tundra andfeed on smallinvertebrates,small crabs andbutterflies. Theywill also fill up onberries beforemigration. Leftbottom, femaleWillow PtarmiganLagopus lagopus:females are subtlycamouflaged in a mixture ofbeautiful brown,rust and yellowishgold tones.

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A large, colorfulCommon Eider Somateriamollissima drake takesflight from the river surface.High shutter speeds aremandatory to freeze the action whenphotographing fast-movingsubjects such as this -notice the water dropletssuspended in mid-air.

AmericanGolden Plover

Pluvialis dominicain its beautifully

colored breedingplumage.

This species ofshorebird is

considered to bethe fastest flier of allshorebirds with topspeeds of 60mph!

They fly up to20,000 miles per

year to migrateand nest,

sometimes flyingnonstop over

the Atlantic for3500 miles.

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The barren, severelandscape of the Hudson’sBay in late spring. Drab-colored clothes are a mustwhen photographing here.

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An Arctic HareLepus arcticus inits summer coat -evolved to offerbetter camouflageamong thebarren, lichen-covered rocks ofits habitat. Withthe coming ofwinter and snowits coat will turn apure unblemishedwhite, making itvirtually invisiblein the icedlandscape.Together with theArctic Fox Vulpeslagopus it is oneof the very fewmammalianspecies commonlyseen aroundChurchill in springand summer.

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Another beautiful birdfound in the Churchill areais the Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseus: this species is very colorful in its breeding plumage. It was the last day of thetrip before we actuallyfound one foraging in a small pond by the side of a road. Never stoplooking! It is fascinating to watch one of these birdsfeeding as it rapidly probesits beak in and out of themud like a sewing machine.

A muted symphony of browns, greys and ancient gold

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USEFUL TIPS FOR YOUR EXPEDITIONSome simple, common sense, field-tested advice and information to make the best out of your trip and avoid hassles, worries and problems

ROUTE: The city of Winnipeg, Canada, is the mainhub for travel to Churchill. Since there are no actualroads to Churchill, there are only two primary modes oftransportation to Churchill, air and rail.The flight from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Churchill,Manitoba is approximately two hours in length. Twoairlines serve Churchill, Calm Air International (Tel:1-800-839-2256) and Kivalliq Air (Tel: 1-877-855-1500)with daily flights to and from Winnipeg, throughChurchill and into the Kivalliq District of Nunavut. CalmAir also offers three flights a week to and fromThompson, Manitoba. The Railway train, known as the Bayline or the MuskegSpecial, departs Union Station in Winnipeg forChurchill every Sunday and Tuesday morning at

9:00am. The train ride is approximately 48 hours long,arriving around 6am. The train arrives to and departsfrom Churchill every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturdays.

MEANS OF TRANSPORT: While in Churchill, yourmeans of transport will depend a lot on the season youare there. If you are there in June photographing birdsand fox your main means of transport will be a good 4x 4 or an ATV. There are only a couple of roads that youcan travel while in Churchill and except for the mainroad in town, they are all dirt and gravel. In the winteryou will need a 4 x 4 for sure.

CURRENCY: Canadian currency, the Canadiandollar, is the local currency in Churchill. If you are

planning a trip to Churchill, hotels and vehicle rentalscan be paid in advance. While in town mostestablishments accept major credit cards and of course,cash. There is also a Royal Bank of Canada in town.

ACCOMODATION: Do not expect any 4 or 5 staraccommodations in Churchill - but the hotels are cleanand very functional. Room rates per night averagearound $150.00 CAD. When I stay in Churchill thereare two hotels that I can highly recommend. One is theSeaport Hotel. The Seaport is Churchill’s only fullamenity hotel which offers a licensed restaurant, 71seat dining room, 47 seat cocktail lounge & 200 seatbeverage room with V.L.T.’s. The hotel has a 3.5 starrating thru the Canada Select hotel program. The rooms

At-a-glance travel guideCOUNTRY OF DESTINATION: CANADA

include private bath/shower, free cable tv, clock radios,hair dryers, coffee makers, microwave ovens, fridgesand wireless internet. Smoking rooms are available.ATM is available. All major credit cards are accepted.Complimentary shuttle to and from the airport isavailable too.The Polar Inn & Suites offers high standards of guestroom comfort through their 3 Star Canada SelectRating. Whether you are traveling for pleasure orbusiness you may select from their one bedroomapartments with full kitchen facilities or kitchen studiosuites or standard units. All rooms are equipped withfridge, private bath, remote tv, free cable and moviechannels, complimentary in-room tea and coffee. Non-smoking rooms, VCR’s, double, queen or king beds areavailable. The Polar Inn & Suites is closely sited torestaurants, shops, tour offices and the train station.

FOOD: Gypsy’s Bakery, Restaurant and Coffee Shop!Whether you are in the mood for a charbroiled burgeror a gourmet meal, Gypsy's Bakery has it all. Ownedand operated by the Da Silva family, this licensedrestaurant can seat up to 100 guests. Their great food

and friendly service come highly recommended by themany residents, visitors and tour companies who havemade Gypsy's Bakery the place to be in Churchill,Manitoba. Gypsy’s has a cafeteria like atmosphere.The food is fantastic and the service is top notch. Theyeven have wonderful expresso and lattes!The Seaport Restaurant at the Seaport Hotel also servesup some great local and standard cuisine. Prices arein line with standard food fare and your pocket bookwill not be too stressed out by the bill.

LANGUAGE: English.

WORRIES: About the only worry you might have inChurchill is a rogue Polar bear around town. It is veryrare but it can happen. If you ever do come across aPolar bear, back away slowly while keeping eyecontact and get to a safe area asap. Report the bearimmediately to the RCMP in Churchill - remember, Polarbears can be extremely dangerous to humans!

HEALTH: Not really any health issues to worryabout in regards to local concerns. If you happen to

fall ill while on a trip in Churchillthere is a fully staffed medical center in town. TheChurchill Regional Health Authority is located in theTown Centre Complex.

CLIMATE: The winters in Churchi l l can bedownright freezing, with average temperatures ofabout -27 degrees Celsius. The summer is cool withsome warm days occurring in July and August. Theaverage summer temperature is around 15 degreesCelsius daytime.

BESIDES: In addition to being a great place fornature photography, Churchill is steeped in Inuitculture. There is an Inuit museum in town with Inuitart and artifacts. There is also a National HistoricSite, Cape Merry. This site is the former cannonbattery designed to complement Prince of WalesFort, visible on the other side of the river. The capeis an excellent vantage point for observing theBeluga whales that frequent the tidal area of theriver throughout the summer. Good sunset shots ofPrince of Wales Fort can also be taken here. .

No-frills accommodation and the occasional rogue Polar bear36