Doing a Bali Bash 21-28th June 2026

June 21

After a packed, standing-room-only train ride from Thetford to Stansted, a 7 hour flight to Dubai followed by a 10 hour flight to Bali and then an hour and half white-knuckle taxi ride through Denpasar, we arrived at Umasari Rice Terrace Villa early evening absolutely shattered. 

June 22

Awake before light, the rice terraces are an excellent place for a wander to acclimatise to Bali, having stayed here when we visited Bali on a shorter stopover a couple of years ago. The rice terraces are full of Javan Pond Herons and Eastern Cattle Egrets and lots of flocks of both Javan and Scaly-breasted Munias and a brief Painted Snipe. A Black-winged Kite eating prey in a tree and then hovering over the hillside, a couple of flyover Brown-backed Needletails and 3 noisy Javan Kingfishers flying around bickering were a good way to get over the jet lag.

Javan Pond Heron

Javan Munia

The main reason for staying at the Rice Terrace Villas apart from being a cheap and very comfortable place to start the trip away from the noise and hustle and bustle of Denpasar or Ubud was that we were able to organise a hire car to be delivered to the hotel by Balico, who I would definitely recommend. This meant we also didn't need to drive through any major cities, which with scooters coming at you from all sides and the rule of who pushes the most wins is a much more relaxing driving experience! The car was delivered at lunchtime (and unlike last time, with a different company, this car was actually roadworthy!) and we set off, with a plan of lunch and a bit of birding at the botanical gardens, about an hour north. However when we got to the botanical gardens, paid to park and get in, we found that the restaurant was closed, so we ended up having to give up and press on and not do any birding other than seeing a Little Pied Flycatcher by the entrance to speak of. 

After finding some food, an ATM and some petrol, we carried on north to the Menjangan Resort, which lies just within the West Bali National Park. Entry to the national park costs IDR200,000 each per day admission which you have to pay up front on arrival, and as we found, they only take cash at the gate, which as we were staying 5 days that pretty much cleaned us out of cash straight away, but luckily, we had just taken out enough! With not much light left, we found our accommodation at the Monsoon Lodges, seeing my first Green Junglefowl by the incredibly rough track on our way in.

June 23

The Menjangan Resort is a fantastic place to stay with 3 different sets of accommodations and 2 restaurants spread out, so you really don't feel like you are in a resort with other people since they just get the little safari bus top and down the road rather than walking anywhere and unlike the main part of the national park (more later), you can wander about freely without a guide, which is how I spent most mornings. 

I always find birding in Indonesia a challenge until you get your eye in as many birds spend their time up in the treetops and you see lots of birds bellies rather than the nice profile views depicted in the field guides. Flocks of Coppersmith Barbets sharing the trees with mixed groups of Orange-breasted and Grey-cheeked Green Pigeons were the first birds I got a good look at. The resort has a Bali Starling Sanctuary, where you can see birds in large aviaries but they aren't very tickable, but thankfully as I walked back toward the accommodation, 3 white birds on a treetop proved to be wild Bali Starlings, much easier to find than I was expecting, and sorted on the first morning!

Grey-cheeked Green Pigeon

Bali Starlings

A short walk further along through track, a Green Junglefowl was busy scratting around for food, fairly unconcerned by my presence, and as it turned out they were very numerous and easy to see with double figure counts most mornings. Returning to the lodges, a Black Eagle circled overhead,

Green Junglefowl

Black Eagle

One of the restaurants on the resort is up a tower which gives great views over the forest and there's always lots of Cave Swiftlets and the odd Grey-rumped Treeswift flying around.

Grey-rumped Treeswift

Bali isn't home to a wide variety of mammals, with Plantain Squirrel and Long-tailed Macaques the most obvious ones you see. One speciality of Bali, and the Menjangan area in particular is a species of deer called the Javan Rusa, which are known to frequent the beach area, though we were surprised when as we left our lodge and headed to the car, a young stag was feeding unconcerned in the car park. Another feature we discovered, if you cut through the Menjangan stable block and look up, a small group of Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bats peer down on you and Black Giant Squirrel (which I failed to find in Thailand last year) were fairly common.

Javan Rusa

Lesser Short-nosed Fruit Bats

Giant Black Squirrel

We left the resort (which seemed to surprise the guys in the gate) and had lunch at a lovely little bakery in nearby Pemuteran where we went to book a dolphin-watching boat for the next morning. While having lunch, a patch of grass and bushes we overlooked had White-shouldered Triller and a few Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters to keep us entertained.

June 24

A very early start as we had a 45 minute drive to get to the dolphin watching place for 6am, though when we got there the bloke (who we sat down and spoke to and even shook hands with) wasn't expecting us, but thankfully he managed to conjure up another captain to take us out on a small boat. The target here was Spinner Dolphins and it wasn't too long before we saw some dolphins but we mostly just saw dorsal fins as they were feeding, and so weren't being acrobatic. Looking at the few photos we did manage, they turned out to be Pantropical Spotted Dolphins, and despite racing around (aimlessly it seemed) for another hour, we didn't see the Spinners were hoping for.

Pantropical Spotted Dolphins

Returning to the resort, I had a wander around while Toni recovered from the early start. A small mixed group of 3 Small and 1 female Scarlet Minivet were entertaining and a Freckle-breasted Woodpecker eventually gave itself up, and as the rain started to fall, a Black-naped Monarch, Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike, White-shouldered Triller and several Chestnut-headed Bee-eaters completed the walk. 

White-shouldered Triller

Freckle-breasted Woodpecker

In the evening we drove the couple of kilometers (which given how rough the track is, feels a lot further) down to the other restaurant that overlooks the sea where a few Little Terns were fishing just offshore and a Cerulean Kingfisher flashed past and we looked longingly at the Beach Villas...

June 25

Pittas are always highly sought after with birders and having failed to see one on previous trips to Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia I was keen to try to see a Javan Banded Pitta while in Bali, though in such a large national park, I didn't know where to look! Having done a quick bit of revision on their call the previous evening, on another early start and after only a short walk from the lodge I heard the distinctive song of a male Pitta, sounding not unlike a yapping Little Owl from back home. What seemed like an eternity, the call seemed to be moving closer, but there was still a lot of cover between me and the sound, but finding a small clearing and sitting quietly, the sound got louder and suddenly there it was, a stunning male Javan Banded Pitta with gleaming yellow and black head markings as he strut around the clearing and perched up on a low stump for a few seconds, allowing me to get some photos before he carried on moving around and into more scrub.

Javan Banded Pitta

After breakfast we left the resort and drove the short distance round to the main body of the West Bali National Park to try to see the Javan Langurs. Having read various conflicting accounts about access to the park, some saying you need a guide, other saying you can just drive straight in without a guide and then some talk of locals who set up a scam of charging a large amount even though the unsuspecting tourist ten gets charged again by officials within then park. Unfortunately, the stories were true and although there is a restaurant and reputable tour companies along the main road in the park, we encountered a barrier where some distinctly unofficial looking lads said we could go no further, even though we had already paid for access by staying at the Menjangan, so frustratedly, we had to give up. We later discovered from another couple staying in the resort that the Menjangan would have organised a guide to take us to see the Langurs and bypassed the issues we had accessing the main park, oh well, it's just a good excuse to have to come back another day!

Having had some noisy neighbours move in next door to our lodge who insisted on winding their shrieking children up when most parents would be trying to get them to settle down for the night, we made the very difficult decision to upgrade our room to one of the beach villas. Having a late afternoon wander from here, I was able to explore a different part of the resort on foot that we had previously only driven through on our way to the restaurant and saw another Bali Starling along with Scarlet-headed Flowerpecker, Brown-throated Sunbird and a confiding Little Heron. 

Little Heron

In the evening at low tide, a couple of Javan Rusa walked along the beach past the villa, again, completely unconcerned by us.

Javan Rusa

June 26

Another pre-breakfast walk around the northern end of the resort was very productive, with a minimum of 10 Green Junglefowl along the edges of the tracks, another calling Javan Banded Pitta, a flock of 5 Bali Starlings, Racket-tailed Treepie, a stunning Long-tailed Shrike and confiding Olive-backed Tailorbirds.

Olive-backed Tailorbird

Bali Starlings

In none of the information we had seen for the resort had there been any mention of an observation tower, and so it was a surprise when I came across a sign to a tower and on a short look from here, a Black-thighed Falconet was perched on a treetop, not a bird I was expecting to see, while a Collared Kingfisher perched on the support cable briefly.

 

Collared Kingfisher

Black-thighed Falconet

We made a return visit to the tower late afternoon though it was much quieter, but a couple of small groups of Small Minivets flew over as did a House Swift.

June 27

Our final morning in the resort and I was awake ridiculously early and so made my way to the tower by torchlight and sat on top of the tower drinking a cup of tea while listening to a Sunda Scops Owl and Large-tailed Nightjar calling from the darkness, a very pleasant way to start the day!

Sunrise from on top of the observation tower

As it got light, the forest started to come to life, and as expected the Green Junglefowl started the dawn chorus. Flocks of Green Pigeons and another Bali Starling flew over while Linneated and Coppersmith Barbets topped the trees. With a fresh breeze blowing, it started becoming quite chilly up on the tower, so I went for a wander around the immediate area, the highlights being 3 Black-thighed Falconets perched together and the Long-tailed Shrike again and showing much better than yesterday.

Black-thighed Falconets

Long-tailed Shrike

After breakfast it was time to say goodbye to the Menjangan and having noticed on Google Maps a Bali Starling feeding site just down the road by the ferry to Menjangan Island, we had a quick stop and sure enough several Bali Starlings, some bearing colour rings were coming to feed, and showed much better than the birds within the park itself.

Bali Starling

With a car to return and a plane to Australia to catch the next day, we decided to do the long drive and returned the Umasari Rice Terrace Villas for the night.

June 28

A final morning walk around the rice terraces again had the usual Javan Pond Herons, Eastern Cattle Egrets, the Black-winged Kite again hovering over the hillside and a Plain Prinia.

Plain Prinia

In total, after a week of some fairly relaxed birding on Bali, I saw 69 species but these did include the Junglefowl, starling and not forgetting the Pitta which I had wanted to see before arriving, and unusually for me, I even found time to sit around and chill too!

Warbler Migration II - Point Pelee Strikes Back

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.

Yellow Warbler

American Goldfinch

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.

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Merlin

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.

Rough-legged Buzzard

White-throated Sparrow

Yellow-rumped Warbler

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.

Eastern Phoebe

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.

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.

Swamp Sparrow

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.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

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.

Cedar Waxwing

Palm Warbler

May 5^th

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.

Wild Turkey

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.

Veery

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.

Great Crested Flycatcher

Magnolia Warbler

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.

Common Yellowthroat

Rusty Blackbird

American Woodcock

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.

Swainson's Thrush

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.

Blue-headed Vireo

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.

Killdeer

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

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.

The view from my Airbnb (complete with hot tub!)

May 6^th

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.

Nashville Warbler

Prothonotary Warbler

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.

Downy Woodpecker

Broad-winged Hawk

Blue-winged Warbler

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 7^th

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.

Red-headed Woodpecker

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.

Turkey Vulture

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.

Muskrat

White-eyed Vireo

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.

American Woodcock

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.

Eastern Screech Owl

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.

Carolina Wren

May 8^th

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.

Veery

Hermit Thrush

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.

Chestnut-sided Warbler

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.

American Redstart

Black-throated Green Warbler

Black and White Warbler

Ovenbird

Baltimore Oriole

Northern Parula

Philadelphia Vireo

Yellow-throated Vireo

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.

American Robin

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.

Eastern Bluebird

Northern Mockingbird

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 20^th warbler species of an outstanding day, it was difficult to know which direction to point the camera!

Bay-breasted Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

Cape May Warbler

Least Flycatcher

Magnolia Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Northern Parula

Tennessee Warbler 

Common Yellowthroat

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.

Sunset over Lake Eerie

May 9^th

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.

Black and White Warbler

Wild Turkey

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.

Red-shouldered Hawk

Orchard Oriole

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.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Blackburnian Warbler

Back in the car park a male Blackpoll Warbler became the 23^rd 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.

Northern Flicker

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.

Lake Eerie Watersnake

Lesser Yellowlegs

Cape May Warbler

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!