Hi-
making a return trip here to PP - haven't been since 1986. Better bins, better scope, better car this time , hope there'll be better birds. It's such a hot spot now that you need to book 6 months in advance to get a hotel room and if the wind is right you need to be in the car park before 0600.
Last time we slept IN the car in the car park when we arrived- trying to be more comfy this time ! Staying at the same place all the time and exploring in all directions. Also there is now a decent 'where to watch' guide to the area so we will save time and miles.
:)
S
For advice about Birding, Identification,field guides, binoculars, scopes, tripods, etc - put 'Birding Tips' into the search box
Point Pelee is in southwest Ontario?
Tiger Signature
Southernmost point in Canada :)
seymouraves said: Southernmost point in Canada :)
Thank you. A question came up some time ago asking how many US States were partly north of the most southerly point in Canada. The answer was quite interesting.
swamp sparrow
Just back from Point Pelee, Ontario Canada
We stayed at a B&B in Wheatley which is a few kms NNE of Point Pelee and has good but different habitat en route to the park; most notably the newly upgraded Hillman marsh reserve . Hillman now has a controllable flood area for waders with a hide. Migrant shorebirds are watchable from 20 yards and in late afternoon you watch looking south. Dunlins, Semipalmated plovers Semipalmated sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, White Rumped Sandpipers, Killdeer show really well.
Full report follows
Here are a few photo tasters from the trip
Bay breasted warbler- male
Amstart male
Great Crested Flycatcher
Flew to Detroit via Chicago- flying to Toronto is easier and you don't have to clear US customs BUT it's a 4 hour drive not a 1.5 hr drive.
The optimum time to go is May 10-20th - we had to go slightly later due to Mrs S's commitments. We saw 169 spp in 10 days.
Stayed at Wenzler's landing B&B in Wheatley- NE of the park for convenience - it's like a small hotel- great rooms, big communal lounge area with sofas and huge windows overlooking 48 acre grounds with woodland surround and has feeders in the garden- Orioles, blue jays, sparrows, tree swallow. Red tailed, red shouldered and sharp shinned hawk flew over ........... and AMERICAN WOODCOCK at night in the grounds !!!
Our hosts also pointed us in the direction of some great eating places- NOT just the usual fast food emporiums :)
The day started with Fresh cooked muffins for breakfast at 6 am and then a 20 min drive via the onion fields ( horned lark, purple martin) to enter Point Pelee national park. You drive in and park in the CP near the visitor centre - if you can- on busy migration days and weekends it can be full and you have to park further out and walk. The electric 'bus/train' runs to the tip and back every 15 mins or so. During the Migration bird festival in May the Friends of PP run food stands by the Vis centre- otherwise its just choccy bars and juice from the Visitor Centre shop.
Scopes are not really needed at Pelee unless you want to have a close look at the gulls on the sand spit at the tip, at Hillman one scope between two is advisable.
Rondeau provincial park is about an hour east of Wheatley and is less busy than Pelee, larger in area with more dense forested areas and more campsites, and less marshy bits and has a different set of birds and a different 'feel' - less birders- particularly less dudes, a more 'informed' feel ( the lady in the VC shop is a birder, lives 200 yards down the road and lets you bird her feeder-filled garden- ) more bugs though. Bugs are normally OK until about 25th May anyhow :)
Detailed bird days to follow
Good start. Sounds like a great trip. Looking forward to hearing more.
Excellent photos. It's nice to see something different from a region which I'm unlikely to ever visit now.
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Tony
My Flickr Photostream
Birding-
common migrants/ everyday birds are Killdeer, Turkey vulture, Eastern Kingbird, Chipping Sparrow, White crowned sparrow, yellow warbler, red winged black bird, common grackle, Least flycatcher, Tree swallow, great blue heron, Great white egret, yellow warbler ( no it's not a typo- they are everywhere)
Day 1-
Pelee then on to Hillman marsh en route back to B&B
Blackpoll warbler- 2, Bay breasted -2, Kirtlands warbler- 1, Worm eating warbler-3, Chestnut sided - 2 Black and white - 2 Palm- 1, Amstart- 20, Hooded warbler-2, Prothonotary-1, Myrtle-5, Black throated Blue-3, Blackburnian 4, Chestnut-sided 1, Magnolia 6, Blue winged -1. Scarlet Tanager, White breatsed Nuthatch, Veery, Swainson's thrush, Chipping Sparrow, Eatsern Towhee, Orchard Oriole, Baltimore Oriole, Blue headed Vireo, Red eyed Vireo, Wood Duck, Turkey, Eastern Screech owl.
Spotted sandpiper, Least sand, Semipalmated plover, Short billed dowitcher, dunlin, Black Tern, Greater scaup.
92 spp.
Day 2- Rondeau and Blenheim sewage farm
Great Northern diver, Yellow throated warbler, Red headed woodpecker, Ovenbird, Wood thrush, Northern waterthrush, Tufted titmouse, Black capped chickadee, Bobolink, Warbling Vireo, Ruby crowned Kinglet, Ruby Throated hummer.
Wilson's Phalarope-7, Solitary sandpiper, Lesser Scaup, Pied billed grebe, Sandhill Crane, Redhead, Nighthawk, Cedar waxwing.
Days 3-9 similar adding Philadelphia vireo, Bald eagle, yellow bellied, alder and Acadian flyca, Cape may warbler, Green heron, Night Heron, Caspian Tern, Tennessee warbler, eastern phoebe, Canada warbler, Blue headed vireo- yellow throated vireo, white rumped sandpiper, bonapartes gull, little gull, forsters tern, Wilson's warbler, Lincoln's sparrow.
Also visited St Clair wildlife refuge- OK but NO yellow headed blackbirds :( and Ojibway park near Windsor- OK but best birds were at the golf course nearby- Eastern meadowlark, mockingbird.