In 2023, I had an amazing week in Ontario, Canada, watching the warbler migration at Point Pelee. Unfortunately, plantar fasciitis causing me too much pain in my feet to walk many miles a day put paid to a return last year, but having mostly recovered, I couldn’t resist another visit this year.
May 3
Following a slight delay to my flight, I arrived at Toronto
Pearson International Airport at 4pm and despite a further delay in sorting the
hire car out, I was able to get clear of the airport in decent time and headed
to my accommodation for the night in Simcoe, just over an hour away. With a
decent amount of daylight still as I neared Simcoe, I took a detour to some lakes
that became a local patch last time I visited.
One of the first birds that I laid eyes on when I got out of the
car was a glowing male Yellow Warbler, soon followed by a couple of very showy
Palm Warblers and a stunning make Yellow-rumped Warbler, all around the car
park, and then a male Common Yellowthroat on the edge of the nearby marsh - a
very promising start to the trip! Having been such a long day, I didn’t stay
long, but not before a male Baltimore Oriole shone like a beacon in a tree.
May 4
When I visited two years ago, my first day was spent at Long
Point, in cold northerly winds and heavy cloud and rain, far from ideal
conditions, surely this year would be better….oh how wrong I was!
After a now traditional pre-dawn Tim Hortons breakfast to
help alleviate the jetlag, I set off to Long Point and arrived with a feeling
of deja vu - heavy grey cloud and a strong, cold, north-easterly wind. Not to
be put off I set out, and very soon found a Yellow Warbler and then nearby, a
singing Common Yellowthroat and an equally stunning singing male American Goldfinch,
already an improvement on last time.
I spent the rest of the morning working the lee side of a plantation, which was quite productive. A singing Nashville Warbler showed a few times but never well enough for photos, but a delightful pair of Blue-grey Gnatcatchers and a group of 4 Eastern Kingbirds performed much better until a female Merlin perched in trees causing most birds to take cover.
Moving toward the campground, a small dell held both Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers, another pair of Blue-grey Gnatcatchers, several White-throated Sparrows and a brief Least Flycatcher. As I was watching these, an unseasonal Rough-legged Buzzard flew low overhead, a most unexpected bonus.
As the cloud turned to light showers, I headed back to the car, pausing to enjoy an Eastern Phoebe, a pair of House Finches and a confiding Chipping Sparrow.
With the rain becoming heavier and the wind showing no sign of easing, I headed inland to Backus Woods, a few miles away that I had thought looked promising when I passed it earlier and thankfully by the time I got there, the rain had eased and the wind here much reduced than on the lake shore. Although it originally looked promising, a walk along the edge of the wood was incredibly quiet so I turned back and then out of nowhere, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker landed in a birch tree next to me, but quickly moved off before I could raise my camera. This seemed to spark a flurry of activity, with singing Nashville Warbler, Eastern Towhee and 5 Blue Jays, and then near the car park a male Eastern Bluebird, Common Yellowthroat and an Eastern Kingbird.
After a lunch stop, the rest of the afternoon was spent back at my patch at Waterford Lakes. The Palm Warblers were still around the car park with another by the lake and at least 4 singing Yellow Warblers and 2 Yellow-rumped Warblers along the footpath by the marsh along with a couple of Swamp Sparrows, several Grey Catbirds, lots of Red-winged Blackbirds and an Eastern Kingbird.
Lots of hirdundines were feeding low over the lakes, mostly Swallows, Tree Swallows and Rough-winged Swallows but also a couple of Cliff Swallows, Sand Martins and a Chimney Swift.
Back in the car park, a brief Warbling Vireo, a delightful group of 8 Cedar Waxwings and a confiding Palm Warbler finished an excellent day.
May 5th
With the weather still cold and grey when I woke up, I
decided to head straight to Point Pelee, about a 3 hour drive away. Along the
way, many Turkey Vultures soared overhead and several were sat around a carcass
by the road as I came around a bend, thankfully they flew away from the car! As
I got a slight diversion off the main highway due to roadworks, an Eastern
Meadowlark on wires was an unexpected bonus.
I arrived at Point Pelee just after 9am, bought my pass, and
needing a loo break, stopped in the Sanctuary car park, one of the first stops
down the point. As I walked up to the loo block, a group of 4 Wild Turkeys were
strutting around just behind the block, the male all puffed up with his harem.
The immediate area around the car park while I had a cup of tea was very productive, with Cape May, Nashville, Black and White and ubiquitous Yellow Warblers, along with Red-breasted Grosbeak and a very tame Veery that hopped around my feet.
Being so relatively late in the morning, I knew the main car park would be full (if you aren’t in the park by 6am when it is still pretty much dark at this time of year you might not get a space in the main car park!) and so I parked in White Pine and walked from there. Almost immediately, a Great Crested Flycatcher showed well by the path along with a stunning male Magnolia Warbler, quickly followed by a Northern Parula.
Heading towards Tilden Woods, past the Cactus Field where a Common Yellowthroat eventually showed well and a male Eastern Bluebird was present, a Rusty Blackbird subsinging as it walked around a pool was unexpected, and then I came across a gathered crowd on the path staring intently at what seemed like some leaf litter. Curiously, I asked one of the crowd what they were looking at as it wasn’t immediately obvious and was surprised that the reply was “A Woodcock”. Like one of those magic eye posters from years ago, staring into the leaf litter, following careful directions, the motionless figure of an American Woodcock could be seen, though once it then began walking around with its funky strut, it was much more visible.
The rest of the Tilden Woods trail was fairly busy, with a Red-headed Woodpecker, 3 Baltimore Orioles, several Veery and Swainson’s Thrushes, a brief Northern Waterthrush and a few American Redstarts among the highlights.
In contrast, the Woodland Nature Trail was much quieter though a brief White-eyed Vireo was nice to find, having failed to see one last time and Wood Thrush, Blue-headed Vireo, Least Flycatcher, Ovenbird and a second Great Crested Flycatcher were also seen here.
With my check-in time at my Airbnb approaching, on my way out of the park, I stopped off at The Sanctuary, where a quick walk along the beach produced confiding Chipping Sparrow and Killdeer along with 4 Savannah Sparrows. The woods here again held several Nashville and Yellow Warblers, and also a pair of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds that buzzed around, with the female also perching close to me.
After doing a quick supermarket shop and checking in to my Airbnb on Point Pelee Drive which was to be my base for the week, just outside the park, I spent the rest of the day relaxing on the deck staring out at Lake Eerie. The garden of the Airbnb was quite small with a couple of small birch trees and one large Willow, and I was delighted when at one point, a Cape May Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler and a couple of Yellow Warblers flitted around, while several flocks of Common Terns, Bonaparte’s Gull and a few Red-breasted Mergansers flew past.
May 6th
A very early, and very grey and foggy start to the day was
spent wandering around the Woodland Nature Trail. A confiding Blue-headed Vireo
and a group of 3 Nashville Warblers attempted to brighten the gloom and then
one of the stars of this trail, a Prothonotary Warbler was in the same place as
last time I visited by one of the wooden bridges, and then further around the
trail a second bird gave point blank views feeding just a matter of feet from
the path.
By the time I had gone back for a cup of tea and checked the sightings board the sun had started to come through, I headed down the West Beach path where a Broad-winged Hawk circled overhead briefly and then went along the Redbud Path where both Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warblers had been seen earlier. A male Downy Woodpecker proved a welcome distraction while waiting for the warblers to give themselves up, and while the Blue-winged Warbler eventually showed superbly, frustratingly, I only heard the Golden-winged Warbler singing.
With the fog rolling back in, and the woods becoming fairly quiet, I left the park and went to nearby Hillman Marsh Conservation Area. The shorebird cell was almost devoid of any shorebirds, just a handful of Lesser Yellowlegs and a Killdeer could be seen, while on the deeper pool groups of Blue-winged and Green-winged Teal and a few American Wigeon were gathered along with a small group of Caspian Terns and Bonaparte’s Gulls. The surrounding scrub was slightly more productive, with Eastern Kingbird, Warbling Vireo and signing Common Yellowthroat. As I was driving to Hillman, I noticed a group of cars further along the road past the turnoff, but I ignored them to go to the reserve. Curious as I headed back to my Airbnb, I went down the road to the beach where a group of birders were stood on a raised bank, though I was unaware of what they were looking at. While scanning around, 13 American Avocets flew over and headed in the direction of Hillman Marsh, which as it turned out was what the twitch was for!
May 7th
With an improvement in the weather, I was again up and out
very early and headed straight to the Woodland Nature Trail to try to find the
Golden-winged warbler that I had only heard yesterday, but despite walking up
and down the Redbud Trail several times, neither it nor the Blue-winged Warbler
could be found, though the White-eyed Vireo did show better than yesterday.
After this I headed south towards the Tip along the Seasonal Trail. A Red-headed Woodpecker perched briefly in a
tree at the head of the trail and then along the trail the first wave of
warblers appeared, but frustratingly, they were all up high in the treetops,
with at least 6 Black-throated Green and 2 Blackburnian Warblers along with a
couple of Northern Parula and Black-throated Blue Warblers.
At the Tip, a group of Turkey Vultures sat on the sand while a small crowd looked for a Pacific Diver that had been seen earlier, but despite it being claimed while I was there, all I could find were a handful of Great Northerns. As I and a couple of others walked down the sand of the Tip to get a better look at the collection of gulls and terns, an Osprey flew north, and then the vultures took off and flew low overhead giving ample photographic opportunities.
Back in the bushes at the Tip, a White-eyed Vireo showed very well and then more unusually, a Muskrat was swimming just offshore in Lake Eerie in the middle of the day, a most unexpected sighting.
With the heat of the day increasing, I made my way back to the car, via the Tilden Trail where the American Woodcock was present in the same spot as a couple of days earlier and showing much better.
After an afternoon break and to follow the Man United match, I went back out in the evening and headed straight to The Dunes car park where a group of British birders had earlier told me of a roosting Screech Owl. Sure enough, following their instructions I located the broken off limb of the tree and there was the Eastern Screech Owl taking in some evening sun.
I then tried to find a Great Horned Owl along the Woodland Nature Trail that had been regularly seen, but despite my best efforts, it eluded me, scant consolation came in the form of a nest building Carolina Wren by the path.
May 8th
Waking up to a cold grey morning with a stiff northerly wind didn’t do much for my spirits for my final full day in the park, but I set out regardless, with the nagging feeling that the day could be a real struggle. Having hardly seen a thrush yesterday, they were suddenly jumping out everywhere with conservative counts of 8 Veery, 6 Swainson’s, 3 Hermit and 1 Wood Thrush.
As I walked along a seasonal trail in Tilden Woods, a bit of movement in a treetop caught my eye and expecting it to be just more Yellow Warblers (hard to get blasé about such a stunning bird, but they are very common here and you soon dismiss them in the hope of something else!) I was delighted to see they were in fact a couple of Chestnut-sided Warblers, my first new warbler that I had laid eyes on (heard only Golden-winged not withstanding) of the trip. As the first drops of rain began to fall, I took shelter under a tree by a pool and almost immediately a male Black-throated Blue Warbler appeared on some close branches over the water, quickly followed by a Chestnut-sided Warbler, but as the rain became heavier, I made a bolt for the car and a warming cup of tea.
After a thundery 20 minutes, the rain stopped and so I returned to the pool where a Prothonotary Warbler had now appeared but so had the number of people along the track! It was clear the rain had forced birds down from the treetops, and over the next couple of hours walking back and forth along the same stretch of path produced both Yellow-throated and Philadelphia Vireos, Baltimore Orioles, Northern Parula, female Black-throated Green Warbler, several Black and White Warblers, a showy American Redstart and an Ovenbird.
Whilst walking back and forth looking mostly up in the trees, I had completely failed to notice an American Robin nest just on the edge of the path in the fork of a small tree until I noticed the parents with a beak full of food appearing to feed their ravenous young.
I headed back to the car via White Pine and then along West Beach with the sun now breaking through and the temperature finally rising. A smart male Eastern Bluebird in Cactus Field showed well, but a Northern Mockingbird in the dunes was a real surprise, being very scare here, but was probably the same one seen at the Tip a few days ago.
After returning back to my Airbnb for a short afternoon break, I again went back out for the evening, by which time the skies were clear and the sun beamed down. My first port of call as I entered the park was to Northwest Beach, hoping that some of the warblers from further down the point that morning had made their way north, and on getting out of the car, it was apparent that the sheltered sunny edge of the car park was a magnet for warblers keen to warm themselves up after a cold damp day. The first tree I looked at held Northern Parula, Cape May, Black and White, Blackburnian and Nashville Warblers while nearby a cracking male Black-throated Green and Magnolia Warblers and Common Yellowthroat fed low down along with a brief Orange-crowned Warbler. The next couple of hours were amazing, exactly why I visit Point Pelee as new birds materialised out of thin air; one tree held 3 male Cape May Warblers, posing for photos while Tennessee Warbler was another new addition to the list followed shortly after by a male Bay-breasted Warbler - the 20th warbler species of an outstanding day, it was difficult to know which direction to point the camera!
Elated, I finished the day on the Point with another visit to see the Eastern Screech Owl which was again enjoying the evening sun in his broken off tree.
Back at my Airbnb, 2 Least Flycatchers busily fed around the
garden while I enjoyed my final soak in my hot tub and watched the sun go down
over the lake for the final time.
May 9th
After the excitement of the previous evening, after loading
the car and checking out of my Airbnb, I headed back for a final morning of
birding and went back to Tilden Woods for a last look to see if any of
yesterday’s warblers and vireos were still in evidence. A huge male Wild Turkey
blocked my path as I walked the season trail but otherwise it was fairly quiet,
with only a handful of warblers around and mostly high in the trees, though,
Black and White Warbler, Wood Thrush and Rose-breasted Grosbeak did show much
better.
As I walked back towards the car at White Pine, a hawk sat in a tree on the edge of the Cactus Field was causing a bit of discussion among a few birders, which was finally identified as a Red-shouldered Hawk, a late record for here apparently. Nearby an Orchard Oriole sang from a bush top.
Heading out of the park, I had one last stop at Northwest Beach. It was clear that most of the previous day’s birds had moved on, but along the short trail here, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was a surprise, and then 2 male Blackburnian Warblers showed well, and for the first time on this trip, fairly low down, but never quite as low as I would have liked.
Back in the car park a male Blackpoll Warbler became the 23rd warbler species of the trip while a few Black-throated Blue Warblers and American Redstart were the only other remnants of the previous evening, though a Northern Flicker excavating a hole on the edge of the car park was entertaining to watch.
With it being much quieter, I decided to head off in the vague direction of the airport for my evening flight. With a few hours to kill before I needed to do the long drive back to Toronto, I had a pleasant walk around Hillman Marsh. It was still very quiet on the Shorebird Lagoon, though around the edges at least 10 Lesser Yellowlegs were present along with a Lake Erie Watersnake, while in the surrounding bushes a male Cape May Warbler was a fitting end to an amazing week’s birding.
In total, I saw 134 species during the week, 12 of which were new to me. The birding in Ontario at this time of year is fantastic, and the local birders and photographers very welcoming and friendly, and I’m sure it won’t be too long before I am back!
