Curiosity in hen watching has elevated dramatically for the reason that begin of the COVID-19 pandemic however has lengthy been an exercise loved by those that stay on or go to Manitoulin Island. It will get folks open air and places them in contact with that pure world, and also you don’t need to be an ornithologist to get pleasure from it. However what occurs when a hardly ever seen hen seems in your yard, removed from its typical habitat?
That’s what occurred to Phyllis and Bob of Billings Township about two weeks in the past. Phyllis loves to look at the birds from her kitchen window. She has a number of feeders arrange in her yard, which is visited often by pileated woodpeckers, crows, mourning doves, chickadees, even geese. When she first noticed the Lewis’s woodpecker she has since dubbed ‘Meriwether,’ she knew he was particular.
The identify refers to Meriwether Lewis, of explorers Lewis and Clark who surveyed the areas purchased by the USA as a part of the Louisiana Buy. Meriwether Lewis introduced a specimen again from their expedition and gave it to Alexander Wilson, a pioneering Scottish American who painted birds earlier than Audubon did. He named the species scientifically (Melanerpes lewis), primarily based on the specimen given him by Lewis.
It took Phyllis a pair days to establish the hen. “He was perched, which was uncommon behaviour for a woodpecker,” she mentioned. “I saved going by my subject information entrance to again. Lastly, one morning I used to be out and he was pecking, so then I used to be fairly fast to establish him.”
The Lewis’s woodpecker is uncommon for a woodpecker, mentioned Bruce Kirkland, an envoy with Ontario Subject Ornithologists’ uncommon hen ambassador program. For one factor, it’s a flycatcher, nevertheless it additionally eats ants (like a northern flicker). “You’ll typically discover them on the bottom consuming ants. This hen has a extra wide-ranging curiosity in meals.”
Lewis woodpeckers fly otherwise than different woodpeckers, extra like a small crow. Additionally they don’t excavate their very own nest however take over one other woodpecker’s nest. Phyllis believes Meriwether nests at evening in a tree already noticed with holes created by a pileated woodpecker. He’s territorial, and has chased away a pileated woodpecker, a squirrel, two crows and mourning doves.
Its colouring is exclusive for a woodpecker, with a darkish olive inexperienced again and small patches of pink round its beak. It’s the breast that makes him stand out, mentioned Phyllis. It’s pink, with hints of pink and silver.
The hen’s regular vary is the west coast of the USA and British Columbia. They don’t usually enterprise a lot additional east than western Alberta and even then, it’s in the course of the summer time season. “They’re principally discovered within the west into the inside a bit,” she mentioned. “I’m instructed there’s solely been two sightings in Ontario in 20 years.”
Mr. Kirkland mentioned the hen might be from the northern inhabitants of Lewis’ woodpeckers, seemingly British Columbia or Washington. “The southern inhabitants within the western United States are quick time period migrants,” he defined. “Those within the north migrate additional distances.”
Lewis’s woodpecker shouldn’t be endangered however is a species of concern in Canada, with solely about 1,000 birds remaining in British Columbia.
When a uncommon hen reveals up in Ontario, it generates a number of curiosity. After she decided that Meriwether was certainly a uncommon sight, Phyllis invited a buddy over to take a look. They reported the sighting with photographs on a Sudbury-Manitoulin birding Fb web page. “Anyone who’s actually into birding, it caught their consideration,” she mentioned. “From there folks screenshotted it and posted it on different websites. However a few of the feedback had been from OFO and after I learn the posting I reached out.”
The OFO Uncommon Fowl Ambassador program was developed to coordinate entry to uncommon birds with property homeowners to make sure a constructive expertise for all. Ambassadors assist owners develop a plan for guests and help with parking, ensuring folks aren’t blocking driveways, that individuals don’t transcend the marked viewing space.
“We assist with logistics, letting folks know to not put up the handle publicly,” mentioned Mr. Kirkland. “If folks put up actual handle these poor people would get folks displaying up always, displaying up in entrance of their home and we don’t need that have. We wish them to be actually comfortable.”
Phyllis was involved in regards to the presence of many guests stressing the hen and inflicting it to depart. With OFO’s assist, Phyllis and Bob had been in a position to give you a plan they had been snug with. “I used to be very involved as as to if I ought to open this up,” she mentioned. “I didn’t need the hen to depart, as a result of I understand how necessary it’s for the hen to eat to outlive proper now and if he received scared away from this nice useful resource, as a result of I’ve every thing possible for him proper right here together with mealworms as of this morning, anyone introduced a bit of container from Sudbury at my request. We simply need him to construct up his power in order that no matter the remainder of his journey holds, he’ll make it.”
“This program is nice and Phyllis and Bob are probably the most implausible, welcoming folks,” Mr. Kirkland mentioned.
You can not discover folks extra accommodating than Phyllis and Bob, he added. “However they wanted some steering and a few assist from our group. One of many issues we do is assist arrange a donation jar and a visitor guide, issues that make the expertise extra enriching for the owners and it’s turned out properly for them.”
“We had 60 folks yesterday (Saturday) on the viewing organized by Ontario Subject Ornithologists,” Phyllis instructed The Expositor. “It was wonderful and everybody noticed the hen and was thrilled. We have now had many donations of cash, most of which can go to the Manitoulin Nature Membership.”
She has additionally been gifted varied forms of hen seed, an exquisite suet feeder, a guide on hawks, amongst different issues. Since Meriwether was definitively recognized on January 13, he has had 105 guests, together with members of the Manitoulin Nature Membership and birders from Sudbury. Different fans travelled from as far east as Ottawa and as far south as Leamington and Level Pelee.
We most likely gained’t know the hen’s final destiny, mentioned Mr. Kirkland. “Up to now when a Lewis’ woodpecker has been recorded manner outdoors of its breeding grounds or migration grounds, if it reveals up and has an excellent meals supply, it tends to remain for weeks. It might even keep the winter, however there are different elements. It might be predated by a hawk. It might die of illnesses we don’t even understand it has. Maybe the birds that wander the farthest away from the place they need to be, perhaps they’re harbouring some type of illness. It’s troublesome to essentially say and that’s the thriller of it. A few of these tales finish badly. Particularly in case you have an emotional attachment to the hen. It’s powerful being a hen. They’re not as lengthy lived as different creatures, like us. Someday, she (Phyllis) would possibly come out and it’s gone and she or he gained’t know why.”
Anybody who’s fascinated with respectfully viewing Meriwether can contact Phyllis by the Manitoulin Nature Membership e-mail: manitoulinnatureclub@gmail.com.
