28

Notes

Pileated Woodpeckereating dogwood berries

byJean Iron and Ron Pittaway

On 3 September 1994, along withHeather Mackey and Bryan Bertie,we observed a Pileated Woodpecker(Dryocopus pileatusl near the VisitorCentre and Lighthouse at Presqu'ileProvincial Park, NorthumberlandCounty. It was unusually tamearound people. The apparentattraction for the woodpecker was theRed-osier Dogwoods (Comusstoloniferal growing around the VisitorCentre. Twice we observed thePileated perch awkwardly near thetop of two dogwoods and eat severalberries from each shrub. Ryan (19781states the fruit of the Red-osierDogwood is "eagerly eaten by birds".We also learned from Robert Dawson(pers. comm.l that he saw a PileatedWoodpecker eating wild grapes (Vitissp.l near Hamilton in the fall of 1994.

Neither of us could everremember seeing or hearing aboutPileated Woodpeckers eating fruit. Asearch of the literature revealed someinsights into this behaviour. Bent(19391 reports that PileatedWoodpeckers eat mainly wood-boringinsects, but supplement their dietwith a variety of fruits and nutsincluding acorns, wild grapes, holly,poison ivy, sumac, hackberry anddogwood. Hoyt (1957) summarizes,"In the fall of the year the pileatedwoodpecker may be found feeding on

ONTARIO BIRDS APRIL 1995

many species of fruits as well as mastin the form of wild nuts". However,we could find only one reference toPileated Woodpeckers eatingdogwood berries in Ontario. Mills(19821 says that "It has twice beenreported eating alternate-leafeddogwood berries in the Huntsvilleregion".

We conclude that wild berries arean important part of the diet ofPileated Woodpeckers in Ontario,particularly in autumn.

Why have we not seen thisbehaviour before? It may be becausemost Pileated Woodpeckers inOntario are rather secretive anddifficult to observe in their favouredmature forest habitat. However, inrecent years this "denizen ofextensive forests" has become morevisible as it adapts to urban areas andsmaller woodlots. Therefore, wewould expect more observations ofberry-eating behaviour.

AcknowledgementsWe are grateful to Ron Tozer fordrawing our attention to severalimportant references in the literature.We also thank Bill Crins and HeatherMackey for confirming theidentification of the Red-osierDogwood.

Literature citedBent, A.C. 1939. Life Histories of North

American Woodpeckers. United StatesNational Museum Bulletin 174.Washington, D.C.

Hoyt, S.F. 1957. The ecology of the PileatedWoodpecker. Ecology 38: 246-256.

29

Mills, A. 1982. A Cottager's Guide to the Birdsof Muskoka and Parry Sound. Publishedby the author.

Ryan, G.A. 1978. Native Trees and Shrubsof Newfoundland and Labrador. ParksDivision, Government of Newfoundland andLabrador, St. John's.

Jean Iron, 9 Lichen Place, Don Mills, Ontario M3A 1X3.

Ron Pittaway, Box 619, Minden, Ontario KOM 2KO.

Downy Woodpeckereating elderberries

byWilliam J. Crins

Most species of woodpeckers makesome use of plant material (berries,nuts, etc.l in their diets (Bent 1939,Cramp 19851. However, fruit is notusually a major component of thediets of most species. Woodpeckerstend to specialize on insects ofvarious orders and families. There aresome notable exceptions tospecialized insectivory, however.Some species are quite opportunisticand omnivorous, or even havebecome specialized on certain plantfoods. The Acorn Woodpecker(Melanerpes formicivorusl is oneobvious example of a North Americanspecies that specializes on fruits(acorns of various western oaks(Quercus spp.l I. at least in thewinter. Sapsuckers (Sphyrapicus spp.lare noted for their use of sap, andwill switch to II ••• a vegetariandiet ... " when other sources of foodbecome scarce (Lawrence 1966; R.J.Pittaway, pers. comm.). In Eurasia,

the Great Spotted Woodpecker(Dendrocopos majorl frequently feedson coniferous tree seeds in thewinter, and searches for fruit andnuts on the ground. The SyrianWoodpecker (Dendrocopos syriacuslconsumes significant amounts offruit, including species of agriculturalvalue, such as cherries, plums,apricots, almonds, apples, and pears.It is also unique among woodpeckersin feeding fruit to its young (Cramp19851·

The food sources of NorthAmerican woodpeckers appear to beless well documented than those ofEurasian species. Bent (19391 andTerres (1982) note examples of theuse of fruits in some species, andIron and Pittaway (19951 describethis behaviour in the PileatedWoodpecker (Dryocopus pileatusl, inthis issue of Ontario Birds. Severalauthors, including Jackson (19701.Kilham (19701. Lawrence (19661. and

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Stokes and Stokes 119831, havefocussed specifically on the feedingecology of the Downy WoodpeckerIPicoides pubescensj, but have madeno mention of it using plant food, andBent 119391 and Terres 119821commented only briefly on the use ofplant foods by this species. Therefore,it seems it worthwhile to note anobservation of fruit-eating behaviourby a Downy Woodpecker.

On 29 July 1993, the author andScott Jones were examining a wetlandby canoe at the mouth of StobieCreek, where it enters Lake Huron atDesbarats, about 50 km east of SaultSte. Marie, Algoma District, when aDowny Woodpecker was observed ina Red Elderberry ISambucus pubenslalong the shore. We observed iteating the ripe berries of this shrubfor a few minutes, and then weproceeded on along the edge of thewetland. We do not know how longthe woodpecker continued to feed onthe berries.

Given the variety of plant foodsused occasionally by various speciesof woodpeckers 1Bent 1939, Cramp1985, Terres 1982), it seems likelythat any succulent, non-toxic fruitcan be used when available.However, only one speciJic report ofthe use of elderberry has come to ourattention. Cramp 119851 noted thatthe Grey-headed Woodpecker IPicuscanusl has been known to feed onBlack Elderberry 15ambucus nigral inEurope.

Undoubtedly, DownyWoodpeckers and other species ofwoodpeckers feed on fruit morefrequently than the literaturesuggests. This behaviour should belooked for, especially in late summerand autumn, when many shrubs andtrees are bearing mature fruits.

AcknowledgementsI thank Ron Pittaway for commentsregarding the use of fruits bysapsuckers, and Ron Tozer forreviewing this manuscript andproviding several literaturereferences.

Literature citedBent, A.C. 1939. Life Histories of North

American Woodpeckers. United StatesNational Museum Bulletin 174. Washington,D.C.

Cramp, S. led.}. 1985. Handbook of the Birdsof Europe, the Middle East, and NorthAfrica: The Birds of the Western Palearctic.Volume 4. Terns to Woodpeckers. OxfordUniversity Press, New York.

Iron, j. and R. Pittaway. 1995. PileatedWoodpecker eating dogwood berries. OntarioBirds 13: 28-29.

jackson, ].A. 1970. A quantitative study of theforaging ecology of Downy Woodpeckers.Ecology 51: 318-323.

Kilham, L. 1970. Feeding behaviour of DownyWoodpeckers. 1. Preference for paper birchesand sexual differences. Auk 87: 544-556.

Lawrence, L. de K. 1966. A comparative lifehistory study of four species of woodpeckers.Ornithological Monographs No.5.

Stokes, D. W. and L.Q. Stokes. 1983. A Guide toBird Behaviour. Volume 2. Little. Brown andCompany, Boston.

Terres, j.K. 1982. The Audubon SocietyEncyclopedia of North American Birds.Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York.

William J. Crins, R.R. 1, South Waseosa Rd., Huntsville, Ontario POA 1KO.

ONTARIO BIRDS APRIL 1995

31

Another Dovekie Recordfrom Eastern Ontario

byBruce M. Di Labio

At dusk on 26 October 1993, onthe Mississippi River approximately3 krn east of Carleton Place, LanarkCounty (Figure 1), a small black andwhite bird was shot as it approachedduck decoys. The hunter believedthat he had just shot a "Butterball"or Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola).Upon retrieving the bird, however,he realized that it was somethingquite different. The specimen wasbrought to Ivan Perry, a local

Carleton Place birder, who identifiedthe bird as a winter-plumagedDovekie (AIle aIle). Aware that thiswas a very unusual record, Ivan thencontacted Mike Jaques, another localbirder, who donated the specimen tothe Canadian Museum of Nature inOttawa. The author prepared a studyskin of the specimen.

The specimen was in excellentcondition (Figure 2). A few pellets tothe head had killed the bird, leaving

2L..-_.....L._---I'

Kilometers

DovekieSite

N

~

Figure 1: Location of 1993 Dovekie record.

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Figure 2: Carleton Place Dovekie specimen. Photo by C. Traynor.

all other parts of the bird undamaged.The Dovekie was very thin, weighingonly 118.9 grams. It had no fat, andthe stomach was empty.

Dovekies normally range acrossthe North Atlantic Ocean. They breedcolonially on cliffs from Greenlandeast to Iceland and northern Europe,and winter south to New Jersey, theAzores, and France (AOU 1983,Cramp 1985, Godfrey 1986). The firstNorth American colony was recentlydiscovered off Baffin Island (Finleyand Evans 1984). Outside the nestingperiod, Dovekies are highly pelagic.Nevertheless, like some other migrantalcids (e.g., Thick-billed Murre, Unalomvia) , Dovekies are also known tooccur in inland areas and areas wellsouth of their normal range onoccasion. Sometimes, in "invasionyears", large numbers of birds are

ONTARIO BIRDS APRIL 1995

involved in these inland "wrecks".Such occurrence's have been welldocumented along the Atlanticseaboard of the Up.ited States andinland (Murphy and Vogt 1932,Snyder 1953, Sprunt 1936, Veit andPetersen 1993). Vagrant Dovekieshave been found west to Manitoba,Wisconsin and Minnesota, and southto Florida and the Caribbean Islands(AOU 1983, Godfrey 1986, Robbins1991, Janssen 1987).

Severe northeasterly gales in thelate fall and winter are citedfrequently as the major cause of largeinland Dovekie "wrecks" in easternNorth America. Similar patterns ofvagrancy have occurred in otheralcids also, notably the Thick-billedMurre (Tuck 1960). While Dovekiesare able to withstand most storms atsea, it has been suggested that

33

Table 1: Dovekie Records in Ontario

1. Late Oct. 1924:' One killed by Mr. McDiarmid on Mississippi Lake nearCarleton Place, Lanark County. Mounted specimen wasbrought to P.A. Taverner by Ted White.Specimen missing. (Fleming 19301

2. 25 Nov. 1950: One at Toronto. (Baillie 19511Sight record.

3. 28 Nov. 1950: Cpl. R.E. Brown reported a Dovekie in the taxidermyestablishment of Mr. Ron Cameron, St. Elmo, RoxboroughTownship, Glengarry County. It had been found dead inMr. Cameron's yard. At the time of discQvery, there hadbeen very high winds. Record on file at Canadian Museumof Nature (W.E. Godfrey, pers. comm.l.Specimen missing.

4. 14 Jan. 1951: One at Toronto (Baillie 19511Sight record.

5. 8 Feb. 1955: One found swimming in an apparent weakened conditionby G.A. Scott at the Oshawa Harbour. Sight record(Baillie 19551.

6. 11 Nov. 1959: One shot by hunters Whitmarsh and Pollard as it cameinto duck decoy on Mississippi Lake, near Lake Park.Record on file at C.M.N. Specimen missing (W.E.Godfrey, pers. comm.l.

7. 19 Nov. 1963: One found emaciated and dying at Lot 29, Concession 7,Cornwall Township, Stormont County. The specimen wasdonated to the Royal Ontario Museum. Specimen #93840.It was an immature male, weighing 92 grams.

8. 23 Oct. 1988: One found dying along the shoreline between Port Wellerand Port Dalhousie, Niagara Regional Municipality. Itwas an adult female weighing 87 grams, with no fat andempty stomach. R.O.M. specimen #154509 (Brad Millen,pers. comm .1.

9. 26 Oct. 1993: One shot by a hunter on Mississippi River, approximately3 kms. east of Carleton Place, Lanark County. Specimendonated to the C.M.N. Ottawa. Specimen #96684.Accepted by the Ontario Bird Records Committee.

prolonged gales may cause their mainfood source, planktonic crustaceans,to move to greater depths - beyondthe diving depth of Dovekies (Cramp1985). Dovekies weakened by suchstorm-induced food shortages couldbe blown inshore and inland.Nevertheless, all large incursions

have not been linked exclusively tosevere storm conditions (Veit andPetersen 19931.

The available data suggest thatthe 26 October 1993 Dovekie recordwas an unexplained singleoccurrence. The weather in easternOntario between 21 and 25 October

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was not unusual (EnvironmentCanada, Atmospheric EnvironmentService). If there had been severeweather at an earlier date in theNorth Atlantic, however, it may haveblown this bird off course and led toit wandering subsequently to easternOntario. No other Dovekie records,or inland records of other NorthAmerican alcids, during autumn 1993were mentioned in American Birds foreastern North America.Consequently, this Dovekie recorddoes not appear to have been part ofa larger "wreck".

All known Ontario records of theDovekie are summarized in Table 1.(The first eight occurrences have notyet been reviewed by the OntarioBird Records Committee.) Mostrecords have occurred between lateOctober and late November. Thoughsome records suggest Dovekieoccurrences can be directly linked toweather conditions, the remainingrecords lack sufficient data todetermine the exact cause. A numberof the Ontario Dovekies have beenfound dead or in weakened condition.It appears that Dovekies, by the timethey reach inland locations, cannotsurvive in waters such as the GreatLakes, possibly due to the absence ofappropriate food or being too weak tofeed.

This is the ninth record of theDovekie in Ontario and surprisingly,the fifth for eastern Ontario. It alsorepresents the first record for theOttawa recording district Iwithin 50km of Parliament Hill).

AcknowledgementsI would like to thank Ross E. Harrisand Paul R. Martin for their valuable

input in earlier versions of themanuscript, Brad Millen from theRoyal Ontario Museum for specimeninformation, Norman Crookshank forpreparing the map, Chris Traynor forthe photograph and my wife, Laurie,who edited and typed the final copy.

Literature citedAmerican Ornithologists' Union. 1983.

Check-list of North American Birds. 6thEdition. American Ornithologists' Union.Washington, D.C.

Baillie, J.L. 1951. Winter Season. Ontario-western New York region. Audubon FieldNotes 5: 201-203.

Baillie, J.L. 1955. Winter Season. Ontario-western New York region. Audubon FieldNotes 9: 254-256.

Cramp, S. (ed.) 1985. Handbook of the Birdsof Europe and the Middle East and NorthAfrica: The Birds of the Western Palearctic.Vol. IV. Oxford University Press.New York.

Finley, K.J. and c.R. Evans. 1984. FirstCanadian breeding record of the Dovekie(Aile allel Arctic 37: 289.

Fleming, J.H: 1930. Ontario bird notes.Auk 47: 64-71.

Godfrey, W.E. 1986. The Birds of Canada.Second edition. National Museums ofof Canada, Ottawa.

Janssen, R.B. 1987. Birds in Minnesota.The University of Minnesota Press,Minneapolis.

Murphy, R.c. and W. Vogt. 1932. The Dovekieinflux of 1932. Auk 50: 325-349.

Robbins, S.D. 1991. Wisconsin Birdlife:Population and Distribution Past and Present.The University of Wisconsin Press, Madison.

Snyder, D.E. 1953. A great flight of Dovekie(Plallllls allel. Auk 70: 87-88.

Sprunt, A. 1936. The southern Dovekie flightof 1936. Auk 55: 85-88.

Tuck, L.M. 1960. The Murres. Wildlife Series I,Canadian Wildlife Service. Ottawa.

Veil, R.R. and W.R. Petersen. 1993. Birds ofMassachusetts. Massachusetts AudubonSociety.

Bruce M. Di Labio, 44 Helmsdale Drive, Kanata, Ontario K2K 2S3.

ONTARIO BIRDS APRIL 1995

35

Pomarine Jaeger:a reviewable species in southern Ontario?

byBrian Henshaw

IntroductionThe Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorariuspomarinus) is an annual vagrant insouthern Ontario, usually occurringfrom September through November.In 1994, the Ontario Bird RecordsCommittee announced that alongwith six other species, the PomarineJaeger was no longer on the list ofspecies for which documentation isrequired in southern Ontario (Bain1994). The criterion used for thisdecision was at least 30 southernOntario reports published in AmericanBirds during the five year period from1988 to 1992 (M. Bain, pers. comm.).This five year review found 35reports (M. Bain, pers. comm.), butthe designated time period includedtwo record years (1988 and 1991)which together provided 23 (40%) ofall reports for the decade from 1984to 1993. (An additional three reports.for these two years were reviewed bythe committee and found to beunacceptable l. This note reviewsreports and records of this species forthe decade 1984 to 1993 inclusive,and comments on the recent decisionby the OBRC to remove PomarineJaeger from the review list.

Reports for the period 1984 to1993 were gleaned from AmericanBirds and/or Birders Journal. Thesedata were used as an estimate of themaximum possible occurrences ofPomarine Jaegers in southern Ontarioduring that period. It was assumedthat the few observations notappearing in these publications, with

one or two exceptions, were unlikelyto amount to substantive records.Records accepted and rejected by theOBRC, and itemized in the annualreports of that committee, were alsotabulated. Reports and records (arecord being a report accepted by theOBRC) were tabulated by date andlocality. Reports submitted to theOBRC but rejected were not used inthis summary.

ResultsThere have been 57 reports of

Pomarine Jaeger in southern Ontario(and two in northern Ontario) duringthe period, for an annual average of5.7 . (A report is considered to be anynumber of birds seen together; theaverage number of birds reported atanyone time is about 1.7). TheOBRC received documentation for 31reports during this period (only 48%of a total 64, including the sevenrejected). This 23 % rejection rate isin line with recent annual rejectionrates for all species of 25% to 10%(Bain 1993, Bain 1994/ Curry 1991).There have been 24 accepted recordsfor southern Ontario during thisperiod, for an average of only 2.4records per year.

The fall months were divided intothirds, and reports were tabulated onthat basis. The peak period of .occurrence for all reports (but notindividuals) is extended. There was afairly even spread of reports from 15September to 15 November, with

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fewer in early September and lateNovember. A small peak is evidentfrom 19 October to 11 November,when over one-third of all reportsoccurred. When individual birds weretabulated they showed a strong peakin early November (strengthened inpart by a report of 12 off VanWagner's Beach, Hamilton, on 1November 1993; this report has notbeen submitted to the OBRCJ.

When localities were reckoned,38% emanated from the western endof Lake Ontario, with 16% fromLambton County (mainly the Sarniaareal, and the remaining 46% fromabout 13 locales. The vast majority ofreports and records concernedjuveniles or un-aged birds, and onlyfive reports (8%J concerned adultbirds.

DiscussionHigh numbers of juvenile Pomarineswere often reported in years whenParasitic Jaegers (S. parasiticusJ wereplentiful. The main food source forbreeding Pomarines is tundrarodents; this species does not breedwhen lemming numbers aredepressed (Maher 1974J. BreedingParasitics feed mainly on passerines,birds' eggs, berries and insects, andalso by kleptoparasitism (Maher 1974,Furness 1987J. Although bad weatherduring the northern summer, andweather patterns during migration,may affect numbers of both speciesreaching southern Ontario, it seemsparadoxical that numbers of juvenilesof both species would besynchronous.

The reported dates of arrival forPomarines in southern Ontario alsoclosely follow those for Parasitics.Furness (1987J quotes several sources

ONTARIO BIRDS APRIL 1995

in arriving at the conclusion thatPomarine Jaegers arrive at latitude40-60 degrees North on average threeweeks later than Parasitics. Evenallowing for a differential inbehaviour when reaching LakeOntario, this indicates that earlyjaegers are more likely to beParasitics. These early birds wouldalso arrive at a time when observersare most unfamiliar with their "jizz",making positive identification evenmore difficult. Early Pomarines dooccur in southern Ontario (see OBRCAnnual Reports J, butmisidentifications are likely to bemore frequent at that time.

The identification of jaegers isfrought with difficulties. Adults areusually straightforward (although allthree are misidentified occasionally!J.Juveniles, however, provide one ofthe most challenging regularidentification problems for southernOntario birders. Observers need torely heavily on structure and size, thelatter often being entirely subjectiveand the former being much moredifficult when the observer does nothave comparative experience, butpositive identifications should alwaysinclude plumage detail as well. Large,juvenile, female Parasitics occurringin early September, are primecandidates for misidentification asPomarines. Observers familiar withPomarine Jaeger may well wonderwhat all the fuss is about. Pomarinesoften impart a jizz more like that of askua (Catharacta sp. J than a jaeger.Pomarine Jaegers are much morelikely to catch and kill a seabird, veryrarely, if ever, engaging in theenergetic acrobatics of ParasiticJaegers. I have watched PomarineJaegers killing or attempting to catch

Sooty Shearwaters (Puffinus griseusj,Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissatridactyla), and various alcids. UsuallyPomarines will attack these birdswhile they are resting on the surfaceof the water, soon giving up thechase once the intended victimbecomes airborne.

The total number of Pomarinereports per year (less than six) maytranslate to less than four reliablerecords, but even if all 57 had beendocumented, extrapolation of therejection rate of 230/0 would stillamount to less than five records peryear.

Another factor further obscuresthe situation in southern Ontario. Thehigh percentage of reports (38 0/0)from the western end of Lake Ontarioundoubtedly includes at least someduplication of individuals (d. theaccepted records in the 1993 OBRCreport). Certain individual birds areknown to have lingered for extendedperiods in the western basin area, e.g.the "chip" bird of 1990 (Curry 1991).

37

ConclusionThese comments have been made todemonstrate that undocumentedreports appearing in birdingpublications (not those reportssubmitted to the OBRC) may includea number of unidentifiable birds. ForPomarine Jaeger especially, thesereports are not a good guide toascertain whether or not the speciesshould be dropped from the reviewlist. Given the average annual total ofaccepted records of 2.4, the averageannual total of about 5.7 reports, thedifficulty of identification of juvenilejaegers, and the possible anomalies inthe occurrence patterns of reports,this species may merit reinstating asreviewable by the OBRC.

Literature citedBain, M. 1993. Ontario Bird Records Committee

Report for 1992. Ontario Birds 11: 46-63.

Bain, M. 1994. Ontario Bird Records CommitteeReport for 1993. Ontario Birds 12: 41-58.

Curry, R. 1991. Ontario Bird Records CommitteeReport for 1990. Ontario Birds 9: 18-44.

Furness, R. W. 1987. The Skuas. T. & A.D.Poyser, Staffs., England.

Maher, W.J. 1974. Ecology of Pomarine,Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaegers in northernAlaska. Pacific Coast Avifauna 37: 1-148.

Brian Henshaw, Box 86, Brooklin, Ontario LOB 1CO.

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