I’m ending this week early, on Friday and posting early so that I can write about the trip north in one blog.
When I originally started the blog I imagined a few non-birding friends and family might be casually interested in what we were doing but during my weeks at Pelee I talked to a lot of birders and handed out my card with the blog on it and I think, looking at the blog stats, there are a number of birders that have started following the adventure too. Welcome! I’m happy to share our ups and downs and for any future Big Year Birders perhaps there are lessons to be learned from watching our many mistakes.
Monday it rained and I was quite happy to be at home and not bird, in fact I missed putting in a checklist for the first time since January 1. After the craziness of May I needed to research for our Rainy River trip and cook some food to take on the trip as well as set our house in order. We had things to do for Jerry’s mom and so the “time off” from birding extended to Tuesday and then Wednesday we had a bottle drive for our local Lions and then Thursday more caregiving and packing. There were almost no reports of birds I needed or were chaseable. There was a Lazuli Bunting up north but just a one off sighting as is often the case with Buntings. A Western Kingbird was momentarily seen at Pelee, but not chaseable.
I also finally had time to go through all the videos I have been taking. Since it is quiet this week I thought I would share some of them. I’m still working on this, it is tough to be zoomed in and hold the camera on the bird without movement so I apologize for the “boat” ride in some of them LOL. Still I like the idea of capturing some of the bird behaviour we see and hearing the sounds around the birds we are seeing. Hopefully, it brings our adventure a bit closer to you too.
Bobolink and the “R2D2” songBarn Swallow gathering mud and grass for nestNorthern Waterthrush tail bobbingRed-headed Woodpecker
There were a few birds I needed to still get in Southern Ontario but I needed proper weather conditions and it looked like Friday would be the day. We headed out at 5am and picked up bird #299, an Alder Flycatcher that we only heard singing its “Free Beer” song. It is probably the one bird song that EVERYBODY remembers! Who doesn’t like free beer?
At our second site we were searching for another flycatcher but this time it was the Acadian. Its one song is often described as “peet-sah” or “pizza” as some have suggested. Do you see a theme with birder mnemonics? The forest was shaded, leafy, muddy and full of mosquitoes. Trish had given us some direction as to where she had seen the birds the day before and so we stopped in the same area. We were prepared for the bugs and not too bothered as we listened for the song among all the other songs. We could hear Eastern Wood-pewee, Hooded Warbler, Scarlet Tanager, Red-eyed Vireo, and a few Ovenbirds. A few minutes later another sound, not the song but just the “peet” call and we both said “Acadian” at the same time. We had bird #300. We didn’t celebrate, or even high five because we were intent on seeing the bird so we had to wait and listen and see if we could zero in on where the call was coming from and then search the trees for a tiny olive green bird. It was a challenge and was finally made easier by a bird flying past us and we had good quick looks at it. Jerry managed only one picture in the shadows of the forest but there was no doubt we had our 300 species. Then it was time for our traditional high-five! Thank you Trish!
Acadian Flycatcher
We stayed for a while hoping to see more of the Flycatcher, there was another one singing and we hoped to get a chance for better photos but they were not co-operating and eventually the mosquito repellant started to wear off and so we headed back to the car. Once in the car I let the relief of 300 wash over me. I know the year is not over, but it is nice to have hit the original goal as early as we have. Five months to get 300 and now I have six months to get 20-30 more birds? I have 7 birds to get on this next trip plus any rarities and then another 12 in the Fall migration and anything else will be rarities that show up so 320 should happen with 330 looking maybe possible. We will see…
There was one more stop I had planned, a Dickcissel had been heard and seen near Exeter in Huron so we headed up there and as we pulled up to the field we could hear the Dickcissel singing. Jerry got out and quickly went to try and find it and managed some photos of it in the grass. Again, we waited hoping for another view and it did come out and sing and I had great binocular views and Jerry got better pictures. Eventually, the bird flew further back in the field and so we ended our bird blitz and headed home to get ready for the Rainy River Trip.
Monday was a holiday and we said we were not going to be on any highways and just take another day off. We spent Sunday doing some gardening and enjoyed a pool day at our daughters. But there were birds being seen and so just at noon we found ourselves on the road back to Pelee to give the Tip one more chance. We had a free night at Best Western to use in the next few months so it made sense to use it up. The last two days a Neotropic Cormorant and Yellow-throated Warbler had been at the Tip, we hoped they might go for a third day with SW winds forecast. On the way we stopped at Keith McLean and added White-rumped Sandpiper to our list.
The Birding Festival was officially over so Tuesday the park was back to its regular hours and only opened at 6 so it was almost 7 before we got to the tip. There were only a few of us with scopes and we started scanning and checking any Cormorants that flew by. The Neotropic is smaller and has a wider white edging where its bill meets its face.
Neotropic Cormorant smaller with visible white edgingDouble-crested Cormorant larger with tiny bit of white
Jeremy found it floating just off the tip shortly after we arrived and we all had great views and photo ops as it moved a bit closer and then further away. It would end up returning 4-5 times through the morning. After 10am with little reverse migration and no sign of a Yellow-throated Warbler we started heading back to the Visitor Center but a Yellow-billed Cuckoo calling ka-ka-ka-kow-kowp got our attention and we tracked it down for photos and really nice looks. Can you believe we have birds that look like this nesting in Ontario? And their songs are fantastic. Google them.
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Cameron had suggested we could hang at the Visitor Center most of the afternoon hoping for a Kite to go past but when you have been standing for 3-4 hours and its 25C you start thinking nothing will happen. We headed out just before noon and shortly after Red Knots flew past the Tip and then a Mississippi Kite flew from the Tip parking lot! Ugggh! two birds missed by 30 minutes. We are never patient enough. We stopped at a few shorebird habitats on the way home and then word arrived of Arctic Terns in Toronto at the Whimbrel Watch. I had not expected to get Arctic Terns this year. A few of them are seen yearly in Ottawa on the river the last week of May but predicting which day is not possible and so I opted not to try for them by camping out in Ottawa for a week at a hotel. And here they were suddenly in Toronto where one or two might be seen, again, for only a day. A report had them flying east after the sighting and I figured that was it. Of course, the Terns turned back (lol) and were seen for hours during the afternoon and we had driven home instead.
Wednesday we headed into the Whimbrel Watch hoping for Terns or Red Knots to show up. They start watching at 5am but that was too early for us having just arrived back from Pelee the night before. We arrived at 8:30 and had been receiving updates from Margaret that an Arctic Tern was floating on a piece of driftwood! It was a bit tense as we battled rush hour Toronto traffic inching closer to the destination and hoping the bird would stay. As we made our way up the hill to the point Jean called over and said the Tern is in the scope! Thank you Jean! and Margaret for the updates! We had our Arctic Tern and had great looks of it as it flew around the point 5-6 times throughout the day.
Arctic Tern
The Whimbrel Watch has taken place at Colonel Samuel Smith Park in Toronto since 2009 during the last week in May. Birders set up scopes and count each flock as well as shorebirds and raptors that head past the tip. These large shorebirds migrate from the Caribbean and South America to Hudson Bay and the Yukon. They stop over in Virginia and Georgia and counters there let counters here know how many birds have left the night before. It was our first watch and we really enjoyed ourselves as did the many Toronto birders that make it an annual event. Head counter Eric did a fantastic job of making sure everyone was on flock after flock.
Whimbrel Watch 2024
Thursday with no rarities to chase we headed down near Long Point to hike Backus Woods. Louisiana Waterthrush breed here and on occasion Worm-eating have been heard as well as Acadian Flycatchers. Jerry needs pictures of some species still so we were trying to bird areas that would also net him a photo op. We had only hiked a very short while when Discord chimed and it was a big one! A possible Cassin’s Vireo had been found. Near me? of course not, up near Barrie 3.5 hours away from where we were currently. I didn’t leave right away, waiting for a bit more confirmation. Cassin’s Vireo is the western equivalent to our Blue-headed Vireo and the two species are almost identical and very difficult to separate in the field.
Cassin’s VireoBlue-headed Vireo
There has never been a confirmed sighting in Ontario. This bird though was singing and the songs are different so that made the sighting pretty legitimate. We started walking back to the car. Back across Toronto for the second day, I was beginning to hate the highway. Before this Big Year we hardly ever drove on the Toronto highways but lately it has felt like we spend all our time on them.
We arrived at the marsh where the Vireo had been seen and a number of people were leaving having just seen and heard it. We waited around and then heard what sounded similar to a Yellow-throated Vireo but more raspy/gutteral. The bird sang a number of times but it was difficult to see with the leaf out. We waited, it was a beautiful afternoon with no mosquitoes and a bit of shade and in the company of the “usual” group of “chasers”. Ezra noticed a nest and was sure he was watching a Vireo with spectacles sitting in the nest ( a feature of Cassin’s and Blue-headed). Shortly after we finally saw the Cassin’s out and people rushed to look and take as many photos as possible. In order for the record to be accepted documentation will be needed. Ezra then realized that there was a Yellow-throated Vireo in the nest! Hmmmm! Was the Cassin’s mated with the Yellow-throat? Most of us left and later that evening Markus got proof via a photo of the “Cassin’s” in the nest. Now suddenly there were differing opinions suggesting a possible hybrid instead of full Cassin’s. The call maybe was not quite right etc etc. This bird will need to go to the OBRC and they will not make a decision until August 2025. I had a bit of a predicament as to how I add the bird to my list. If I put it as a Cassin’s it adds to my Big Year list but then if it is not accepted I will have to take the bird from my list but well after my Big Ontario Year is finished. I felt that the chance of it being accepted had gone down significantly with the nesting situation and the “odd” song. I ended up putting it in as a Solitary Vireo Species, meaning either Cassin’s or Blue-headed and that way it did not increase my total but if by chance it is accepted I can add it to my Big Year list after the fact. This made sense to me as I do not know 100% what this bird is so I cannot in good conscience, add it.
I have had another situation recently where I had to make a decision about what to add or not. Last week we did a Lake Watch on Zion Road and Josh was with us. Josh is an excellent birder and had a camera to take pics of birds flying over. I stuck with him trying to make sure I saw what he saw in case a rarity went over. A week later he was going through photos and realized he had a photo of a Blue Grosbeak from the watch. It is a bird that I really want to add to my list but we did not realize it was that bird at the time. It was likely called out as an Indigo Bunting, which I have on my list. But I cannot say with certainty that I saw that bird, I most likely did, but I could not, in good conscience again, add it to my list after the fact. Two birds I could have added…
The drive back home was brutal through Toronto at 5pm and we knew we wanted to go to the Whimbrel Watch in the morning again which meant another highway drive.
Friday we left early to get to Toronto before traffic and it was a pleasant drive in. It was quiet at the watch and after a few hours we opted to head east to Darlington Provincial Park for a Red Knot that had been on the beach the day before and was still there. It was not too hot and it was a nice walk along the beach in the sun. We almost walked over the Red Knot as it was tucked right beside a log completely camouflaged and jumped up on the log as we stepped near. We backed off quickly, giving it space and thankfully it did not fly off. Jerry took some nice photos. Since we were now east of Toronto we decided we might as well go for a Loggerhead Shrike on the Napanee Limestone Plains IBA instead of making another trip. We arrived around 1:30 on a hot day so not the ideal time for birding. Michelle and Paul from Ottawa had just seen one before we arrived and we chatted for a bit with a Conservation Officer who monitors the Loggerhead Shrikes as an endangered species. She was happy to tell us there is a nest in the area that has 7! nestlings in it. Great news for the program trying to bring this bird back from the brink in Ontario. We drove slowly up and down the road hoping for a sighting, we stopped for a bit, we drove, and almost two hours later we finally saw a Shrike in the same tree the birders from Ottawa had it. We had some very nice views watching it preen and clean its beak on the branch. We then headed home ending up crossing Toronto at 6 with horrible traffic once again. Bird #296
Saturday was a caregiving day and rainy. The dings from Discord have significantly slowed down and my Needs Alerts emails now have 1-3 birds on them most of the time. I was grateful for the “day off”.
Sunday we headed down to Long Point as a Laughing Gull had been reported the day before and we kinda hoped we might finally catch up with it. There have been 4-5 reports of a Laughing Gull (a southern Gull) at different spots along the Lakes in the last few weeks but never where it can be chased because it never stays long enough. Sunday would be no different and we did not see the gull. We cruised along Lake Erie stopping at some spots east of Long Point and then eventually heading for home around 2. An alert that a Red-necked Phalarope was up at the West Perth Wetlands came in and we decide to head there as it is only an hour from home. When we were almost at the wetlands I get a note that a Godwit has been found at Windemere Basin in Hamilton. We continue on to the wetlands, see the Phalarope, enjoy it for all of 7 minutes and get back in the car and start the drive to Hamilton. This is the weekend the Linc is closed so all traffic is routing over the skyway or the city. We arrive at Windemere at 6 and Mourad and Markus do not have the Godwit in their scopes because they are thinking they have an ArcticTern. No problem, we know the bird is still there somewhere. We search and scope for about 20 minutes in fading light and finally the Godwit flies in and lands behind the Caspian Terns and we all get on it for good, distant looks. It is a Hudsonian Godwit and a welcome addition to my list at #298. Big thanks to Mourad and Markus for helping us get onto the bird!
Red-necked PhalaropeHudsonian Godwit
It is crazy to me that we are 2 away from 300 and it is not the end of May yet. I also know I still have a few spring migrants to add to the list and then the birds from the Rainy River trip. I am declaring tomorrow a rest day – it is supposed to rain- and I need to prep for the Rainy River trip and get some things done around the house while Jerry does errands with his Mom.
Week 21 Only 4 more needed for the Migration List 3 more rarities seen 7 more species added 298 for J&E
Monday found us at the Tip again for a bit of reverse migration but no great amounts of migrants and no rarities going off. Once we started up from the Tip with Theresa, Angela and Michael, we found our first of the year Philadelphia Vireo. It was high in the tree but Jerry managed some photos that show the yellow on the chest and the undertail coverts. It was HOT! The birding was ok but we did not add any other species. We did have good looks at an Olive-sided Flycatcher again and very nice views of roosting Common Nighthawks.
We staked out a few areas where Mourning and Canada Warblers had been seen and heard but we dipped on those. We spent the evening in the park because in the past we have found it can be quite birdy but the heat continued and things were quiet. We decided that we would head home on Tuesday, still do the tip in the morning but then head to Rondeau.
Tuesday at the Tip started with more shorebirds than there had been with closer looks at Ruddy Turnstone, Plovers and some Spotted Sandpipers. And then someone yelled out Pelicans and we all watched 7 American White Pelicans fly closer and closer and eventually land at the Tip! We will see these huge birds up near Rainy River but it was nice to get them off the list now and add them to my Point Pelee list.
American White Pelican
A few minutes later Keith and Cameron looked down at their phones (I had little reception as usual) and said White-faced Ibis at Hillman, start walking! This was the morning that the Trams had broken down and we had already done the walk up 3.7km but now were faced with the walk back and at a faster pace. It would be a great bird to add to my list. As we walked we fretted about the ID – Glossy Ibis and White-faced Ibis are very similar and many get mis-identified. We had to go for it though. We ran into Josh near the Visitor Center and had a quick convo with him assuring us the finder of the bird was a careful birder and the ID was probably correct. We reached our car a bit winded, ok a lot winded!, we are in our 60’s ya know, and started the excruciatingly slow drive (40km) out of the park and then to Hillman. My phone finally caught up and a note came in that the Ibis had flown, uggggh, then two minutes later, it was back! Yes! Then as we got closer to Hillman, a note from the Tip – a rare Yellow-throated Warbler had just reversed off! AHHHHH!, then a few minutes later, a rare Eurasian-Collared Dove had flown by the Tip. WHAT!!! There were a lot of choice words uttered in the car! The emotions went from low, high, low and ended in frustration. I have been at that Tip waiting for just those birds to go by for days and days and the one time I leave to get something else!! GRRRRRRR! We got to Hillman and I ran/walked to the Shorebird Cell terrified that the bird would fly before I could see it and there was the Ibis calmly feeding, without a care in the world. I got a great bird but missed two I really wanted to get. And that is this crazy hobby, best laid plans but nature has its own agenda and I have really little control as to how this will all pan out. And as it would turn out the White-faced Ibis stayed for 2 days so I could have stayed at the Tip for those other birds and sauntered over later, as many other birders did, but YOU JUST DO NOT KNOW!
White-faced Ibis
With Trams not working it made little sense to go back into the Park and do the 3.7km walk twice more in the hopes that the two rarities would reverse a few more times. They did reverse but not within a time frame that we could have got there again from where we were. We continued towards Rondeau and home and decided to make a stop at Zion Road, a spot for Lake Watching, with the thought that maybe the Dove would make a fly past as it did about a week ago. We met Tim and Jeremy doing a watch and joined them to see about 900 Black-bellied Plovers, Dunlins and Turnstones land in the fields and then take off and land again. Whimbrels joined them, other Passerines migrated overhead. What was also flying around? Millions of Midges had hatched. When we walked to the Tip in the morning I had heard this weird humming and commented that it sounded like a horror movie before some swarm of killer bees arrived and we had discussed what it might be and now I was seeing what it had been.
Eventually, the migration slowed and we had not seen a Eurasian-collared Dove or a Swallow-tailed Kite go past so we headed on to Rondeau. We spent the afternoon walking some of our favourite spots at Rondeau and finally tracked down 2 Gray-cheeked Thrush to add to our list as well as Jerry getting some better pictures of birds previously seen. Late afternoon we headed home arriving around 7pm. The heaviest migration week was over, we had survived and seen most of what we wanted to. Laundry, food, photos, lists all needed to be done. For the first time in 3 weeks we were not waking to an alarm although I was awake at 4:40 am anyway LOL.
Wednesday we chased a Stilt Sandpiper George and Marcus had found the day before but dipped on it, before heading to Jerry’s moms for caregiving duties. While home we missed a Bell’s Vireo found by Bob and Glenda at Pelee and a White-winged Dove found by Tim and Jeremy at Rondeau. Such are the constraints we have with this Big Year and there is nothing we can do about it. I’m grateful his Mom does not currently require more care and that we can get away for birding as much as we have. And I have my fingers permanently crossed that it continues until after our trip to Rainy River at the very least.
Thursday morning we were on duty to get our grandkids to school and then headed out to some of our local patches to mop up a few of the species we were still missing. We added Willow Flycatcher in the wetland behind their house to complete our list of 144 Common Species! We headed to Gilkison Flats where we met up with George S. and had a leisurely walk trying in vain to actually see the birds we were hearing. Within 10 minutes we had heard both Yellow-billed Cuckoo, a first for Jerry, and a Black-billed Cuckoo, a first for both of us. We will see these birds in the coming weeks as they routinely come through our yard and often stay in the area for the summer. We headed home and enjoyed some time on our back porch, listening and watching our yard Orioles and Grosbeaks and feeling quite relaxed for the first time in a few weeks. I even managed a nap. After dinner we headed out to local swamps to add our last two warblers we missed at Pelee when a report of a Blue Grosbeak came up in London, only an hour away. We headed there but a report came in when we were half-way there that it was a misidentification – it was a molting Indigo Bunting, that can look somewhat similar. Jerry suggested that we should have waited for confirmation but if we had and it was really the Grosbeak there would not have been enough daylight left to drive there and try to get the bird. So you can never win with these situations. We headed home, having not got our warblers or a Blue Grosbeak.
Willow Flycatcher the 144th and last Common Species
Friday morning we once again headed to the local swamps and quickly heard a Canada Warbler where we hear it most years. We tried for 10-15 minutes to find it in the dense shrubs and trees but despite it sounding like it was right in front of us we were not able to find it.
This is the continual frustration of this very quick spring and leaf out. We usually have a few weeks of barren branches with just buds allowing great looks at all the warblers but this year it has been almost impossible to see anything really well. I hope that we will see this bird on its breeding grounds on our north trip in a few weeks so that we can get a photo. We looked for a few other species that were singing and then moved on to the next swamp area where we heard the “churry churry churry” song of the Mourning Warbler to complete our needed Warblers list. Again, we hope to see this bird at some point at one of the breeding areas close by so that Jerry can get photos and we can actually see the bird.
On Saturday a Kirtland’s Warbler was finally heard singing at Pelee and since we were in the area we drove over to see if it could be seen or heard again. There had been some migration and birds were lower in the trees and in a bit more quantity than previous weeks so we enjoyed seeing some warblers including a Canada that we had just heard yesterday. We also had quick looks at a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher to add to the list. No one refound the Kirtland’s although it might have been re-heard a few times before we arrived. While we were searching for the Kirtland’s 6 hours east of us a Worm-eating Warbler was found and seen that day. I suspect that those were our last chances at those two rare warblers and they will not be added to our list this year.
This week we did add King Rail to our list. This is an Endangered and Sensitive Species in Ontario so I am not at liberty to tell the whereabouts or the story behind our getting it. Their nesting locations are kept very secret and we were fortunate to have an experienced birder take us to hear one. I have hidden the checklist as I know that people can see those on my profile and I do not want the birds put in jeopardy. Usually, I love nothing more than sharing locations and helping others find birds but this is one that, sadly, I cannot.
I expect that we will hit 300 species on the Rainy River trip in a few weeks unless some more rarities arrive in the next week. We are close…9 birds away.
Week 20 144 Common Species are completed All 28 expected Warbler species seen or heard 19 rare birds and 9 mega rare have been seen 10 more species added Total Species seen this year 291 for J&E
Pelee Target Birds: Last week my targets were the Avocet and Willet. My targets now are birds that tend to overshoot their nesting grounds, show up at Pelee and then, I assume, return south not to be seen again. I don’t get a second chance at these species in the fall so they are the birds I am most after. Worm-eating Warbler, Kirtland’s Warbler, Kentucky Warbler, Yellow-throated Warbler, Summer Tanager and Yellow-breasted Chat. There is also the rare Chuck’s-will-widow and the Henslow’s Sparrow. I saw the Kentucky on Saturday evening so one is already off the list.
Sunday morning we were in Pelee National Park at 6:15 and at the Tip by 7am. It was a bit rainy but clearing once we got to the Tip. There are two reasons to go to the Tip each morning – to see if any new migrants have arrived and to witness what is called “reverse migration”. It is still not known why birds do this but many birds will fly repeatedly back off the tip and then circle back to land and then reverse off again. You would think they would be happy to have arrived and be tired from the flight across the lake. Birders stand with their backs to the tip and watch the birds as they head off the tip and try to ID as many as possible in flight. Many birders have telephoto lens cameras to take pics and determine species. Many of us have rarities on our birding lists from these reverse migrations as long as you actually get on the bird they are identifying.
Despite south winds it did not appear that many new migrants had come in but there was a bit of a reverse migration. We stuck around only for an hour or so and then started working our way up through the Park. A report came in to watch for a possible rare Bell’s Vireo and as I walked up the path I could see what looked like a vireo, I called over to other birders and Jerry got on the vireo to see that it was a White-eyed Vireo and then Barb looked at a bird beside it and yelled Prairie! A Prairie Warbler is one of the tougher warblers to find so we were happy to have that one added to the list and to see these two colourful birds beside each other. We found a few more warblers and common migrants to add to the list. A rainstorm at lunch kept us from birding for a bit and then we needed to check into our hotel for the week so it was not all birding. We went back into the park for the evening and ended the day having walked 17 kms and added 11 species to our list.
White-eyed VireoPrairie Warbler
Monday morning found us at the Tip again with much better lighting than Sunday and way more of a reverse migration and obvious new migrants in the park. Group after group left the tip to fly out over the lake and circle around. One of the best was from the Red-headed Woodpeckers, as many as 11-12 kept flying off and then returning to a tree and then flying off again. I have never put that many Red-headed Woodpeckers on my list. Warblers, Gnatcatchers, Blue Jays, Red-winged Blackbirds all were reversing off the Tip. Despite a very good reverse migration we did not see any rarities reverse off. A Cerulean Warbler was spotted along the beach and everyone got a chance to see and photograph her. Another difficult and highly prized warbler to usually see.
Cerulean WarblerChestnut-sided Warbler
We finally left the Tip and chose the tram to save a few steps and headed up through the park to see if we could re-find a Yellow-breasted Chat that had been reported. It was hot again, with temperatures in the mid-twenties and the birding was decidedly uncomfortable. There were more birds around though and we were adding species regularly through the day. Blue-winged Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, our first Hummingbird, Orchard Oriole to name a few. With no luck with the Chat we opted for a lunch in the park by our car and then we walked another trail where we finally got some nice pictures and video of a Northern Waterthrush. I got a report from Rondeau (1 hour away) of a Summer Tanager and we decided to go for it as the birding was slowing in the park.
I could see I had many Discord messages but the cell service can be horrible in the park at certain times so I got Jerry set with directions and finally could read my Discord messages. Markus (of Hamilton Big Year Birding Fame) had sent a note telling me I had a wrong ID on my list from the night before. I knew right away what it would be – the Tanager! Summer and Scarlet Tanager males are easy to tell apart but the females are more difficult and we had put in a female tanager as a Scarlet when in fact it was the Summer Tanager we were currently driving to find. I told Jerry to pull in and stop and he turned into Hillman Marsh, a birding spot that just happened to be where we were. I confirmed with Markus that it was the Tanager that was wrong and we both changed our checklists laughing about how ridiculous it would have been to drive an hour away for a bird we already had seen! Crazy! Since we were at Hillman’s we figured we would check it out although our stop yesterday had yielded no shorebirds and we had ended up not even putting in a checklist.
Summer Tanager NOT Scarlet
Paul and Liz from England quickly came over to tell us a Glossy Ibis was in the marsh! What?? You might remember that weeks back we drove from Pelee the 5 hours to Orillia to add a Glossy Ibis to our list and this week there is one right in Hillman, minutes from Pelee this week! Such is the birding life. We stayed and birded a bit and added another 3-4 species including a beautiful Wilson’s Phalarope.
While we were there other birders from Ottawa came over to let us know they had just come from getting the Snowy Egret – it was still in the same marsh. Jerry and I looked at each other and decided we would give it another try. We didn’t arrive until 5:30 and they were calling for thunderstorms in the next hour so the pressure was on. A photographer told us they had seen it just before but it had flown out of view. We went and checked the marsh carefully. And, no Egret. We walked, we scoped, we moved. We were viewing through reeds and shrubs and grasses and nothing. I was calming myself, willing the bird to please come out. Finally, one hour later Jerry saw some white birds fly in from where he was standing and we got the scope on them to see that one of them was very much smaller and had a black bill. It flew up a bit and the bright yellow feet were clearly visible. We had ourselves a Snowy Egret, another rarity! Jerry managed some distant record shots and the rain drops started. We drove down the road to a spot in Southwestern Ontario that you can get Yellow-headed Blackbirds to see if there were any around. The owner of the Trailer Park allowed us to go in and we found one by a feeder to end the day with 15 more species added.
Great Egret with the Snowy EgretYellow-headed Blackbird
On Tuesday before heading to the Tip we stopped at Cactus Field to try for the Chat. They are often more vocal in the morning and we were hoping to at least hear it. It was raining and then it was pouring and we were quickly drenched but it was short-lived. We made a couple of rounds on the path and then stopped at an area close to the first report that I had commented on being “good chat habitat” the day before and suddenly I heard the burbling and ch-ch-ch-ch of a Chat! I had Merlin running trying to record it and Jerry got his bins up and saw a bit of yellow in the tangle under a downed cedar tree! I got bins on it and it moved enough for both of us to see the yellow underparts, white spectacles and the olive back. It did not come out for a full view and Jerry could not get a picture before it disappeared on the other side of the log. But we had our Chat! Nothing much was happening at the Tip and the park seemed less birdy. South winds bring birds in but they also take birds out as they continue to head north to their breeding grounds and it seemed as if that might have happened. The only other bird we added to our list that day was the Prothonotary Warbler, a stunning bird with a golden yellow colour that really pops.
Prothonotary Warbler
I made a mistake on Tuesday. A report came in while I was at the Tip that a rare Tricolored Heron was at Sky Lake – I tried a few times to get google maps to show me Sky Lake (shitty cell service again) and when it finally popped up I quickly clicked and it said 11.5 hours away so I instantly made the decision that it was too far. It wasn’t until mid afternoon having seen a few reports that it clicked that there are two Sky Lakes and the Heron was in Bruce-Grey County and not Algoma. UGGGGGH! Only 4.5 hours away. We could have gone for it. I was upset with myself for making a stupid quick mistake without taking the time to read the initial post properly. Later it was reported the bird had flown away around 2:30-3:00 so I rationalized that we probably would have missed it anyway. You cannot get them all.
Wednesday was even quieter in the Park and we started considering leaving early with north winds and cooler temperatures forecast for the next few days. We added a Veery and saw another Chat and then around 1:00 a report came in that the Tricolored Heron was back in the spot and had been seen by a number of people in the morning. I wish that someone had reported it to Discord first thing in the morning but not everyone thinks to do this so while some reports are instant many go unreported for hours or days. We made the decision to try for the Heron Thursday morning and head home a day early. It meant leaving Pelee for 5 days, which made me very nervous that I would miss something good but its all about playing the odds.
Thursday we drove up for the Tricolored Heron and waited around for about 3-4 hours hoping it would put in an appearance but it never did. Small consolation was 2 Brewer’s Blackbird that we would see in Rainy River but with it off the list gives us more time to spend on other species we will need to see.
Brewer’s Blackbird
We drove home disappointed but trying our best to foster our zen state of mind. We decided to try and get out to hear a Yellow Rail that had been reported in Guelph so headed up there after dinner. The Yellow Rail is a tiny, very secretive bird that you seldom see but can be heard. Its call sounds like stones/rocks being tapped together. We can generally get the Yellow Rail at Carden or Rainy River in June but nothing is guaranteed so, again, if we can get it off the list now, all the better. There were quite a few birders out, lined up along the area it had been heard and being very quiet. We all listened. It was a bit windy, the spring peepers were very loud, there was street traffic a short distance away and I was beginning to think that it had been a bad idea to try the night calling. After about an hour a few people at either end of our “line” heard the bird call with just a tic-tic. And then another birder thought he saw a small rail fly and that it might have been it. I could not honestly say I had heard it or seen it and Jerry had not either. We made the decision to leave as it was not likely even if it called again we would hear it clearly. A disappointing day with just 1 species added.
Friday morning we were heading into Hamilton to care give and bird a bit when a report of a Tufted Duck in Exeter came in from Max. We turned around and headed to Exeter. Rain started about an hour later and it was still lightly raining when we arrived. Jerry realized he had no rain boots in the car but a Tufted Duck was waiting. It was brutal conditions, with heavier rain and almost a fog as we tried to scan duck after duck. Not seeing it in the first lagoons we eventually made it around to the last back lagoon and I did a quick scan. We were looking for a duck with a tuft of hair (think mullet) off the back of its head and a blacker back then the other Scaup that are similar. We scoped and then I scoped again and suddenly there it was in the scope! I did a happy dance in the rain! Even though we were soaked we enjoyed watching him preen and toss his tuft around like humans toss their hair. He seemed very happy with his tuft LOL. Jerry got some pictures in very poor lighting and we headed back to the car sharing the sighting with a couple of other birders coming in. Jerry was sloshing in his shoes (he needs new ones) and we took off as much wet stuff as we could for the ride home. I love my heated seats in these circumstances! We headed home to change and get Jerry different shoes and then headed back into Hamilton to help out his Mom.
Tufted Duck
Our birding friend Cindy had gone back Friday morning and heard the Rail call around 7 so we opted to go back on Saturday morning to try for it without the spring peepers and other noise. It was much quieter at the marsh and a few birders from Hamilton came out to join us. Just after 7 the Rail called for about 30-40 seconds the tic-tic-tic-tic call.
We then birded a bit in Hamilton and Burlington in between visiting our daughters family and seeing Jerry’s mom again. We added 5 birds including an American Redstart in our yard when we got home. Unfortunately, we missed another Tricolored Heron in Collingwood and a Worm-eating Warbler at Pelee. Still migration is just starting so you never know, another Tricolored Heron was reported near Rondeau in the morning, Cattle Egrets and Little Blue Herons all have been seen but not staying in one place long enough to chase.
Sunday morning I woke early and looked up the Tricolored Heron in Collingwood and realized it had been there in 2023 and had stayed almost 2 weeks. I woke Jerry and we headed up there to try and see it. Jude from Hamilton was also on the way and let us know that it was there when we were still 15 minutes away. By the time we got there it had been flushed by a photographer getting a bit too close and was no where to be seen. Jude then refound it but it disappeared before we could get to where he was. We moved out into the Bay area for better site lines, walked around the area and waited. I was determined to see this bird. About an hour later the bird finally flew out of the reeds into full view. We have seen this species in Florida and the southern states and it is stunning.
Tricolored Heron
After some time feeding, the bird headed back into the reeds and then while we were still talking with some local birders Roy and Will, the bird flew out and returned to its original spot. We left and added a Least Flycatcher on the path on the way out and then headed to the airport where Roy had suggested we might find Upland Sandpiper and we did. A beauty on the fence.
Upland Sandpiper
Since we were 20 minutes from Wasaga Beach it made sense to stop and see the Piping Plovers that had already returned to the beach to breed. The Piping Plover is an endangered species in Ontario that returned to breed on our beaches in 2007 after a 30 year absence. Volunteers guard the plovers when they arrive and once nests and eggs are laid the nests are protected with wire cages and the area is cordoned off to avoid disrupting the birds and the young when they hatch. Wasaga Beach still has an active population but the numbers are still very small and the nests are not always successful. Our picture is just a record shot as the volunteers make sure that people stay a good distance away from the birds to give them every chance for success.
Piping Plover
We headed home to pack for Pelee and spend some time with our other grandkids and son. After dinner we took a short drive around the corner to Grass Lake to see if the Bobolinks were back and we heard and then saw two performing their mating dances. Bobolink was our 260th bird! Only 40 away from our 300 goal. We have only 4 more common species to see and then continue to add migration birds. It was a wild first week of migration and much more to come.
Week 18 3 more rarities for a total of 23 rarities 44 species added this week to bring us to 260 species seen J&E
Background on Pelee: Point Pelee National Park (not the Island) is arguably the best place to bird in Ontario because of the migration of 40 warbler species in the spring and fall and the 400 species of birds that have been seen there. The southern most point of Canada sits at the same latitude as northern California – It’s true, look at a map! It is a mecca for birders in the spring and the Festival of Birds every May is a rite of passage for any birder to experience at least once. We have been every year since 2013 but there are birders who have been going for 50+ years! The stories they can tell of the sheer numbers of birds back in the day. Pelee is packed, it is busy, but it is exciting to be with your tribe, to stop and talk with anyone and have a connection. Some people we only see at Pelee each year but enjoy their companionship and stories. It can be daunting in time and energy. The early tram to the tip leaves at 5:15 now, it used to be 6, so that means up at 4:30, in the park by 5 because that first tram is FULL. Otherwise, it is the 3km walk to the tip, which we sometimes opt for. Then 2-3 hours at the tip and then working your way back up through the park through the day. We usually have an early dinner at 3-4 and then get back in the park for the evening when it tends to be empty of people but some good birds can be found. We often walk 14-20km in a day. Then it is back to the hotel for an hour or two to sort pictures and notes and bed before 10 to get up at 4 the next day.
What birders want more than anything in the spring is south winds because birds want to fly over Lake Erie or Ontario with tailwinds to push them and help them use less energy. Bird Cast is an online migration tool (birdcast.info) that forecasts how heavy migration will be based on those winds and fronts. In spring I check the weather and Birdcast daily. The second thing birders hope for is a “Fallout” situation where migrating birds suddenly hit heavy rain or north winds that cause them to be forced to land, hopefully at Pelee or your backyard. We have been at Pelee for a couple of these events and it is fantastic to witness. Colourful warblers can be just hopping on the ground, landing on people and sitting while they regain strength from feeding. There can be so many birds it is difficult to know where to look. These events are now few and far between though as bird numbers have declined and there are many more days of fewer birds and lots of walking and talking about birds and the weather. Still Pelee is always worth the visit and have the chance to experience birds you would not normally see in your yard.
Week 17
Monday we were getting ready to head to Pelee on Tuesday when a report of a Swallow-tail Kite came in from the Long Point area. While not a chaseable bird we talked about going down and driving the lakeshore and the marsh areas in case it was re-found. Then we thought if we drive there we might as well continue to drive to Pelee so we quickly finished up packing and were on the road by noon. We had a leisurely drive along Lake Erie, stopping at areas with good views and never found the Kite but we did have great views of a Golden Eagle at Port Rowan. I had two target birds for Pelee this week – American Avocet and Willet, both southern shorebirds that show up in Ontario fairly regularly. The Avocets generally in the window of April 21-May 7 with a 53% chance the third week in April. One had crossed over the Tip of Pelee on the 21st but was not seen again. We arrived in Leamington at dinner time and had our usual hotel travel meal.
Not bad for a microwave hotel meal!
Then we headed into the park for the evening. Things were starting to green up a bit and it was lovely to walk some of the trails we had missed on our half day here last week. Pelee is a beautiful park with trails that all have different habitat. Before the birders arrive in the next week we had the place mostly to ourselves.
Shagbark Hickory or Green Monster Foot?
It was pretty quiet, not a lot of birds but we managed to add 3, Chimney Swift, Louisiana Waterthrush and Northern Waterthrush. There are very subtle differences between the two Waterthrushes and although we did not get pictures we are confident in the identification as other birders had them in the same spots and the ID had been confirmed. That left us at 199. What would bird 200 be?
The forecast was for south winds Monday night and Birdcast had predicted low migration so Tuesday morning we were up and in the park just after 6 for the 3km hike to the tip (the tram doesn’t start early runs until May 1) and met up with 2 birders to watch the skies and lake.
There had been no migration that we could see, no warblers, no thrushes, if birds had migrated they had blown right past the Tip which does happen. There were also no shorebirds out on the sand of the Tip which is also why birders head there. The temptation to look and leave is strong, but the rule at the Tip is you start every day there and you stay a few hours because good things can come by at any moment. Lake watching is very boring for hours and then super exciting for seconds so much of the time is spent talking with whoever else happens to be there. While scanning for birds we passed the time talking to Cameron and Keith about, well, birding and weather.
At 7:50 Jerry yelled out and all of us saw a flock of 58 American Avocets fly down the east side, land briefly on the tip and then take off over the west side. Our 200th bird was American Avocet! We were thrilled! We had picked the right day by coming early.
American Avocets
About 20 minutes later they made another pass, coming down the east side, stopping briefly (seconds) and then continuing on across the lake heading west. Now all we needed was a Willet. We waited another hour but nothing else appeared and so we headed into the woods to see if we could find some new birds. The woods were pretty quiet again but we did find a few pockets of birds and managed to add 1 more new bird, a Blue-headed Vireo before it started to rain. Four Avocets had been re-found a bit earlier by Max, who had missed them at the Tip earlier, so we headed to the spot hoping to get better pictures.
The wind was howling and the rain was coming at us sideways but we made it down the short path to see the birds and there in the pond with them was a Willet. It had been reported the day before but we did not have the right directions to look for it. We had both of our targets on the first full day!
Willet -this is not the picture he took in the rain – we went back the next day for this better picture.
I had booked the hotel for the week not knowing how long it might take for these birds to arrive and we had just got very lucky! It was nice after the bit of a mess last week. With the rain coming down quite hard we opted to celebrate getting our targets with the standard go to at Pelee – Freddy’s for perch!
Freddy’s Perch and Chowder – YUM!
Wednesday morning we once again were in the park by 6am and at the tip before 7. It was much colder with north winds and very little was happening. We did add Common Tern for bird 203 and then headed back to the visitor centre through the woods and added Common Yellowthroat as well. We decided to check out Hillman Marsh to see if there were any shorebirds but there was little around. We were hungry and chilled so headed for an early dinner of delicious Mexican food in Leamington and then decided to stop in Kopegaron Woods after dinner. It seemed full of bird calls and birds, more than we had seen at Pelee and we quickly added Nashville Warbler, Black-throated Blue, Eastern Wood Pewee and Swainson’s Thrush. Although we only heard the Pewee and Thrush we know that we will be seeing and hearing lots of them in the next weeks. We also heard Louisiana Waterthrush and hung around trying to find it so Jerry could get pictures. We added 7 new birds on Wednesday!
Gorgeous Black-throated Blue Warbler
Having got our targets and with north winds continuing until Friday we opted to head home Thursday and moved up returning to Pelee to Sunday. We stopped at a few places on the drive home and added Green Heron at Erieau Marsh Trail. Friday we headed down to the Trail Head in Glen Morris to see if the Cliff Swallows had returned and saw 5 of them with some already checking the nests from last year.
I haven’t said much about the Top 100 Birders but we have been in the top spot for quite a few weeks now. I don’t know if we will remain there. Migration can make or break things depending how the rarities fall and where. So, I’m taking the screen shot now so there is “proof” that at one point this year we were quite comfortably in the lead LOL.
We have been in the number one spot for a number of weeks but will we maintain it through spring migration?
There was Hype about the weekend forecast – 4 days of south and southwest winds with rain and some front coming up from Texas – I don’t understand much of it but the keen birders were getting pretty pumped that “something” was happening this weekend and it might be big, or epic, or so-so, LOL. The forecast is rain most of the day tomorrow after south winds and we will not be at Pelee.
Saturday the Discord dings started coming in mid morning not only from Pelee but from Rondeau and Long Point – Kentucky, Worm-eating, Chats, Henslow’s, a Snowy Egret near Chatham etc etc. It was excruciating to continue our caregiving chores knowing that great birds were 3 hours away. We finally left around 12:30 and headed to where the Snowy Egret was. A friend had it about 45 minutes before we arrived and no one was “on” the bird when we got there. The weather had gone from cloudy and cool to 25C and humid and I was overdressed. I paced the area back and forth, sweating and hoping for a sighting of the Egret through the branches but only saw Great Egrets. After 90 minutes we called it and headed to Pelee hoping to get at least one of the target birds that had been reported.
We arrived at Pelee 5:20pm and optimistically thinking we could see the Kentucky Warbler, bounce over to where a Yellow-breasted Chat was seen and then walk to the Tip for the Henslow’s Sparrow. Ahhh, the naivety!! LOL! Seven o’clock and we were still standing on the path where the Kentucky had last been seen, apparently minutes before we had got there because I had stopped to use the washroom! People told us it pops up every 10-15 minutes but it had been 90. Finally around 7:15 Jerry and Cameron saw it on the other side of the path we were all watching and then disappeared again. Ugggh I was trying to control my negativity – Jerry had a bird I didn’t – and a good one! We kept looking, other people had not seen it either, the tension was building and then it popped up, flew back across the road, we all raced to the spot and got good looks of it on a log. Yes! Stunning yellow and black! Jerry did not get a picture as it was too quick but perhaps we will have another encounter. And most importantly he went home with a happy wife! Whew!
I’m including Sunday on next weeks blog as this has gotten rather long and migration means long days and no time to write. Pelee to be continued…
So Week 17 ends with 19 rarities 216 species seen J&E
