WINTERING GOLDENEYE 
     
    
   
   
    
     NINTERlNG BARROW'S GOLDENEYE' “by Rosemary Curley 
     
    
   
   
    
     Unlike its close relative, the Common Goldeneye, the Barrow's Goldeneye 
     
     has a curious breeding distribution, with isolated populations on Canada's 
     
     west and east coasts. In eastern Canada especially, the Barrow's Goldeneye 
     
     is a rare fowl, with a breeding range restricted primarily to northern 
     
     Labrador. Perhaps its isolated breeding territory has contributed to the 
     
     paucity of knowledge about this attractive bird. 
     
    

    
     Luckily we don't have to go to Labrador to see a Barrow's Goldeneye; 
     
     when winter closes in they can be seen in open waters around causeways and 
     
     estuaries, along with other wintering waterfowl such as Black Duck, Common 
     
     Merganser, and of course, Common Goldeneye. The Maritime provinces lie at 
     
     the southern edge of the wintering range of Barrow's Goldeneye, with most 
     
     girgs wintering along the St. Lawrence estuary and the north shore of the 
     
    

    
     u . - 
     
    

    
     In an effort to gain more information on numbers of wintering Barrow's, 
     
     Al Smith and Stuart Tingley of the Canadian Wildlife Service in Sackville 
     
     organized a Maritime count during the week of February 8-14. Here on the 
     
     Island,Natural History Society members and Fish and Wildlife Division staff 
     
     censused the open water areas and came up with a grand total of 102 birds. 
     
     (See Table.) Participants also counted Common Goldeneye, and except at 
     
     Murray River where viewing was distant, reliable counts of Commons were also 
     
     documented. The total numbers of both species seen, 1552, agrees well with an 
     
     aerial census taken January 21, 1981 when 1643 goldeneye (not separated by 
     
     species) were recorded by Randy Dibblee of the P.E.I. Fish and Wildlife 
     
     Division. ' ‘ 
     
    

    
     Elsewhere in the Maritimes, Al Smith reports that fewer than 20 Barrow's 
     
     were seen in Nova Scotia, while approximately 60 were found in New Brunswick. 
     
     Perhaps the relatively high numbers in P.E.I. can be attributed to the 
     
     attractive wintering areas created by fast flowing water around causeways. 
     
     What makes one causeway area more attractive than another is something that 
     
     remains a puzzle. Common Goldeneye seem to find most open estuary areas 
     
     attractive, but Barrow‘s on P.E.I. were limited to only six locations. At 
     
     West River Causeway where the most Barrow's were seen, the heaviest concen- 
     
     tration of Barrow's was in deep water on the east side of the causeway. At 
     
     the same time and with a rising tide, the majority of Common Goldeneye was 
     
     located on the west side, actively feeding on still exposed mussel beds. 
     
    

    
     It is hoped that long term surveys of Barrow's Goldeneye on wintering 
     
     grounds will provide more knowledge on the numbers and habits of this chunky 
     
     winter resident. Many thanks to all who participated in this first survey. 
     
    
   
   
    
     WINTERING BARROW'S GOLDENEYE SITES 1981 
     
    
   
   
    
     Mill River (1) 
     
     Foxley Bay (23) 
     
     Grand River (2) 
     
    

    
     Bayview (2) 
     
    

    
     Oyster Bed Bridge (5) 
     
     West River Causeway (69) 
     
    
   
   
    
     C‘IU‘l-wao—I