Yellow-breasted Chat | The Ovenbird Blog

Pelee Week 2

by Ellen Horak | May 17, 2026 | 2026

May 9

Traditionally the middle Saturday of the birding festival is the busiest as many birders expect it to be peak migration. The talk was the park would be closed once 750 vehicles were in the gate. I’m not sure it reached that number but It was packed. We made sure to get up and in the park for just after 5am. We walked to the tip as we have done most mornings so I can warm up a bit from the chilly mornings. There were some migrants in but still nothing like a fall out or even multiple birds of one species. This has been such a strange, late year. It was bound to happen sometime. More people than birds.

Still, birders were happy to look and look again at the same species or the same bird multiple times and of course there is a big social element to this festival. There are some birders we only see at Pelee every year and so it is a time to catch up with old friends and meet new people. Most of us recognize names from ebird lists and Discord so it is always nice to meet new people that you feel like you already know. While we walked 11 km of trails the rest of the day we added only 4 new birds for the year, Yellow-throated Vireo, Swainson’s Thrush, Bay-breasted Warbler, and Black Tern. We had some nice looks at Red-headed Woodpecker and went to see the Yellow-breasted Chat again.

We also stopped to take pictures of the celebrity Eastern-Screech Owl that is on everyone’s checklist as it has chosen to nest right along the main road of the park so that almost every birder, I assume, will have it on their list or a picture of it.

In order to see the Black Terns we had to stop along the east shore of Hillman Marsh where we had distant views of them feeding over the water. Our next stop was one of our favourite places, Kopegaron Woods. This Carolinian Forest has a boardwalk meandering through a wetland and forest of large trees. There were reports of Summer and Scarlet Tanager but we only managed to see the male Scarlet Tanager.

Scarlet Tanager still molting from its winter/juvenile plumage of green

I was super hungry having not eaten much and we had walked the the usual 15km so after Kopegaron we headed to Taylor’s Seafood for perch. It was sooooo yummy that I could eat it every day.

Taylor’s 12 perch plus 2 fries – Yes we shared!!! Although I was hungry enough to eat all 12!

May 10

Mother’s Day is also a busy day in the Park but most birders opt to not go in or just do the tip first thing and get out by noon as many families arrive to enjoy Mother’s Day picnics and hikes. This year we went to the tip but no birds again and then opted to stay in the park for most of the day sticking with the seasonal paths that are less used by the other visitors. We only added American Pipit at the tip and no other new species. We managed to see 77 species in the park so there were birds around but again, not the quantity we expect at Pelee. The weather was lovely and we covered the usual trails for 15 km and chatted with birders we met along the way so the number of birds did not matter. We opted to have dinner in as it is always busy at the restaurants. They were handing out complimentary bags of veggies at the festival food desk so we had a lovely fresh salad with our meal of American Goulash.

May 11

It was 6:15 when we got into the park but since it was Monday we still got into the visitor centre parking. There are fewer birders than normal so we even got onto the tram as there was no line-up. Many birders will not show up until they know that there has been a substantial migration flight. The tip, as it has been for the previous 8 days, was quiet with no discernible migration. We did a loop of the beach and interior paths and saw two Clay-coloured Sparrows in a tree but not much else so we then headed up to the Visitor’s Centre via the road and Post-Woods.

We stopped birding at noon because we were not seeing many birds and decided to go back to the cottage for a rest and showers. While we were at home reports of a co-operating Worm-eating Warbler kept coming in on the Rare Bird Alert. It was annoying us to the point where Jerry said we should just go and see if we could see it. We went back to the park and pulled into Park Orientation which was jammed with vehicles. There was a spot at the curb that was not a parking spot but I could see people with cameras and bins looking at something a few feet away. Jerry stopped the car, we both jumped out and ran over and had beautiful views of a Worm-eating Warbler. Just stellar views! The best we have ever seen in Ontario. Jerry snapped some pictures as it landed on a branch right beside him and then the other photographers and birders moved in around him. He took a few more photos and we jumped back in the car and left so others could use the space. it was a 2 minute twitch (chase)!

We then headed to Hillman and saw some shorebirds but nothing new. We had some lovely looks at Short-billed Dowitchers allowing us to practice our identification skills between Long-billed and Short-billed.

When we left Hillman I wanted to stop at Pelee Wings to rent some binoculars for our friends arriving the next day but they suggested we had to go to the Marsh store in the park to get the bins. While that was happening an Ash-throated Flycatcher had been found in the park near Dunes and we were now just 1.5km from there getting the bins so we had to go for that bird, a mega rarity from Arizona/Texas and an Ontario first for us. We walked over from the Marsh boardwalk taunting the bird to leave by taking our time but I’m a bit curious this year to see whether most rarities have to be chased right away or not. When we got to the beach it was not being seen and after some chasing from beach to seasonal path we found the group that had seen it and ended up with wonderful views from the beach. So far the three rarities we have “chased” later have all been seen.

Ash-throated Flycatcher – first for us in Ontario – should be in Arizona or Texas

We had originally planned to meet Dorlisa for dinner but she went for the Ash-throated and then we went so we were texting back and forth and eventually met for dinner at 7 instead of the original 5:30. Birds before anything else! We ate at Crave Bar and Grill – the food was very good – Jerry tried their Jackfruit Tacos and I had the Perch tacos and once again I forgot to take pictures. What is happening to my brain?

We added only two new birds to the Ontario year list on the 9th and both were rarities. This is really unprecedented for spring migration. A few migrants each day but nothing like the numbers we are used to. There are 3 billion less birds in North America since the 70’s and so each year the number migrating is less. Sometimes they bypass Pelee but all along the lakes it is the same story right now – few warblers. The talk now is it might not happen until Friday/Saturday and we leave on Saturday so we might have to make it a very late day on Saturday before heading home. We will see what tomorrow brings.

May 12

Still nothing at the tip. Ten days and not one day of a decent influx of birds. We did have our best looks at Ruddy Turnstones close to the birders instead of down at the tip.

We walked the familiar trails and added nothing to the year list. There are birds but the same birds we have been seeing for the last few days. Our friends Marg and Lawson arrived at noon and spoiled us by bringing lunch. How nice it would be to have a personal chef LOL. Thanks Marg! Marg has been my editor extraordinaire for all the blogs I have posted from 2023 on which has been awesome for me as I hate making errors in these posts. I owe her bigly! We took them into the park and did the touristy things since this was their first visit to Pelee and their first “bird-watching.” We took the tram to the tip and walked out a ways to take the obligatory selfie at the southern most point of Ontario and the 42nd Parallel sign. The guys walked up the tower while Marg and I sat on a bench and caught up.

We took the tram back down to the visitor centre and walked through Tilden. It was birdy and they saw 12 species of warbler including a Red-headed Woodpecker. We had nice low looks at Black-throated Blue, Chestnut-sided, and a Cape May having a bath in one of the sloughs.

Dinner was at Freddy’s and the Fattoush salad and Perch dinner were excellent as they always are. The forecast was for SW winds and rain in the night so maybe something will arrive if there is anything on the other side of the lake. Fingers and toes are crossed.

May 13

We got to the tip later than normal but there had been little there and still limited migration at the tip. Later it was obvious there were more birds that had come in further in the park. But the tip was pretty empty- Day 11. Places along eastern Lake Ontario had mini fallouts of warblers so they are finally starting to move. We took the tram both ways and walked the trails with Marg and Lawson seeing some different warblers from yesterday. They were getting better with using binoculars and getting better at spotting movement and seeing the bird. It was fun to share our passion with them. We saw a beautiful Scarlet Tanager with a bit of yellow/green still on it.

We finally heard a Canada Warbler but did not find it in the tangle of leaves and branches. We spent a bit of time in areas that Wilson’s Warblers were being heard and seen but we could not hear the song or see one. At noon we took them back to the cottage so they could head home and we had some lunch and a short rest and then headed back in for another walk around Tilden. It was still quite birdy and while I was looking at an area I sensed movement beside me and saw an American Woodcock beside me that had walked across the path and then went into the forest leaves. So wonderful to have that experience. It was 6 inches from my foot.

We saw another Red-headed Woodpecker and watched that for awhile. We have seen one almost every day. We talked about going to Hillman Marsh and then back into the park to try for Whip-poor-wills but both of us were tired and just needed a bit of a break from it all. There are clearly birds in the park and we can bird tomorrow and hopefully catch up with a few of the species we are still missing.

May 14

Oh it was a very good day! The trickle of birds everyday and some substantial input through the night made birding very enjoyable with multiples of most warbler species finally seen. I decided to try for the 100 species in a day again. We opted not to go to the tip but started at the top of the park. Then a report came from Hillman that a Willet and a Wilson’s Phalarope were being seen so we opted to drive over and at least get those two rarities that would also be year birds for us. When we arrived people were searching for the Phalarope but the Willet was easy to see. We scoped for a while and then opted to head back to the park. We passed Jean on the way in and just as we were driving out Jean called to say the Phalarope had just been found so we did a u-turn and retraced our steps to find a distant but nice Wilson’s Phalarope. I got Jean her Prairie Warbler and she repaid with this bird. That is the birding karma I talk about in action.

We returned to the park and continued birding down the west and east sides of the park managing to add a few birds and getting nice views of others we have seen. I have not been carrying my camera for a week now and instead am taking all the video you see on my Iphone 16 Pro. I am quite pleased with it and while the birds have to be really close the quality seems to be better than my camera was. At least for showing it on a blog like this.

We finally tracked down a Green Heron at DeLaurier and as always Jerry took some very nice pictures of it.

We also heard the Wilson’s Warbler a few times but did not get eyes on the bird. I imagine we will see it at some point. And we also added a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher to the Ontario list.

When we had exhausted the Pelee Park trails and we were also exhausted we headed out of the park to get some well deserved Mexican food. I managed a picture of the guacamole at Salsa Caliente but can you believe that I forgot to take a picture of my yummy enchiladas? How does this happen? I have birder brain and hunger takes over LOL. Anyway, trust me when I say it looked and tasted delicious! While waiting for our food I put together a trip report from the day so I could see what my species count was. I had seen 90 species at that point.

After dinner we headed to Kopegaron Woods because I thought I had a good chance to add a few birds there that I did not get in the park. Sure enough there were Swainson’s Thrush and then a Rock Pigeon from the farms outside the woods. A bit further along the boardwalk we saw a Hairy Woodpecker. Now I was at 93. A few minutes later Merlin suggested it had heard a Rusty Blackbird. We had not added this bird for the year yet so we retraced our steps and actively checked every blackbird we were seeing. Jerry spotted something a bit different and we both got on it with bins. I confirmed it had a yellow eye and we had our Rusty. #94. It took a bit to get a picture as it was back in tangles but Jerry managed a record shot.

When we reached the end of the loop I opted to start walking the loop again just to see if the Prothonotary had appeared. I had missed seeing it in the Park and it would be a nice bird to add for the 100. As I started down the boardwalk I saw a couple with cameras raised and as I got close they showed me an Eastern Screech Owl sitting in its hole sunning. #95 as the one in the Park had not been visible.

I was getting excited. We still had to go back to Hillman and we planned to walk the Couture Dyke at dusk for rails so I was getting more confident by the minute that I would hit the 100. Jerry took some owl pics, we checked further along the boardwalk but no Prothonotary and so we headed out of the woods to find a group at the entrance with bins and cameras raised – a Golden-winged Warbler! #96 and still two places to visit.

When we arrived at Hillman there were plenty of birds in the marsh and we started scoping right away. I knew I had missed Green-winged Teal earlier so I quickly found those for #97 and then a Greater Yellowlegs for #98. Merlin suggested a Black-bellied Plover had called but we could not find any as we scoped. I found two Ruddy Turnstones for #99. We took turns scanning and suddenly Jerry said he had a Semi-palmated Plover! He tried to get it in the scope and after a few minutes he had it #100 for the day! Woohoo! And it was a year bird for us too. We then added two more species for 102 and one more stop.

Couture Dyke is a walk around a huge marsh land that we visited last year. It is a good place to listen for rails. We ended up hearing Least Bittern, perhaps the one from last week at the tip and a Virginia Rail. While these were not birds we needed to add to our Ontario List they did get added to our day list along with an Osprey and a Field Sparrow giving us a total for the day of 106 species seen! I was more than happy with that and while I was tired I was not exhausted the way I usually am after these 100 day adventures.

May 15

With the ups and downs of this migration it was no surprise to once again have a quiet tip with only a few migrants. We did manage to see a possible Acadian Flycatcher. Flycatchers can be a challenge to ID and so we will wait to hear what others think of the photos taken. It is easiest to identify them when they are singing as their songs are all unique but many look very similar and that causes difficulty in the field with different lighting, distance etc.

With it being our last full day in the park we were not too worried about trying to find the few birds we have not seen this migration. Those left we know we can see elsewhere in the province if we want to do that. Instead we met up with Judy and Cindy and spent a delightful few hours walking the trail chatting, laughing and occasionally birding. There were still birds in the park but the warblers were up high in the trees and so there was little incentive for us to crane our necks to see warblers that yesterday had been seen beautifully at eye level.

Just after noon we decided to leave the park and headed over to Hillman to see a White-faced Ibis that was being seen. As we walked down the path a couple leaving told us that the birds had all flushed, including the Ibis. Oh no! but we continued on and when we arrived at the water the Ibis was just flying back in and landed quite close to us.

We helped a few people see shorebirds in the scope and then opted to call it a day. We had dishes to clean and things to pack at the cottage. We had a nice meal at Freddy’s and spent the evening relaxing. Usually, on our way home we stop at Rondeau but we are going to go to the Tip in the morning to just see if this heavy migration that is forecast actually happens here.

May 16

Well there was migration in the night but the majority of the birds missed the tip and landed further up in the park. We checked out the tip and as it was quiet and rain was forecast we opted to say our goodbyes to the regulars Keith, Jeremy, Cindy and Judy and head for home. We arrived home before noon and the news from Pelee was of a Kirtland’s Warbler that Keith found around 10am. Oh well, that is the way it goes, you get some, you miss some. We were happy to be home after 2 weeks of continual birding. Pelee is always great no matter when you go or how long you stay. While we felt the quantity of birds was less, the quality of our interactions was fantastic this year. We had so many wonderful, up close interactions with these jewels that briefly stop in our area.

We spent 1 day at Rondeau, 13 at Pelee. We went to the tip 11 mornings and walked a total of 167km over the 14 days. The day I got the 100 species we walked 16.6km. The cottage we rent cost $2,200 for the two weeks and our meals out cost around $400 plus gas there and back. We used electric every day in the park. We added 90 birds to the Ontario Bird list for the year and 58 to the Year List of Birds. So at the end of this trip we had seen 223 in Ontario this year and 582 birds seen for the World List this year.

The numbers of birders choosing to go to Pelee has dropped over the last few years with many suggesting it is too packed with crowds but the Park is very large and while there are crowds around the celebrity rarities for a short time most of your time at Pelee can be completely alone on the trails. For those that like to socialize and meet friends you can hang around the more popular trails but there are countless opportunities to be alone too. Hopefully this blog gives you a little taste of what awaits at Pelee. It is a very special place…until next time…

Week 17 Pink Feet!

by Ellen Horak | Apr 27, 2025 | Canada 400

Monday we decided to go to Pelee in the hopes we could add a substantial amount of birds in one place rather than traveling around from place to place adding 1-2 birds at a time. There was rain in the morning so we took our time and arrived at 10:30 just as the sun was coming out. We worked our way to the tip walking through Woodland trail and started adding birds – Eastern Towhee, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Green Heron. We were happy that it looked like it was going to be a good day! When we got out to the Tip there were many tourists walking out. During bird migration people are asked not to go out to the end until after 10am to allow birds time to rest and birders opportunities to see the birds. It was well after 10 so we also walked out to the end and took the obligatory selfies at the most southern point of Canada.

By the time we made it back from the Tip to the Visitor Center it was after 2 and we had added 10 species. We sat to eat our lunch and Rick (Pelee ambassador extraordinaire) joined us for a chat. He commented on how relaxed we looked compared to how we looked last year while doing our Ontario Year, haha. We had to agree! This year has a totally different feel partly because of the external issues we had last year and also because I’ve made it just the 400 goal. He also told us that there were two vireos at the Tip which we had somehow missed seeing. So after our lunch we took the tram back down and walked up the east side of the beach again where there were a number of warblers moving around. Sure enough we eventually found the Blue-headed Vireo and a White-eyed Vireo. Awesome looks at both of them as they moved along the beach and Jerry got some lovely pictures. It turned out to be a 3-Vireo day.

We had to leave because the last tram left at 5pm and I did not want to add another 2.5 kms of walking to our total of 13.4 km. At the end of the day we had added 16 species to our Canada and Ontario lists, had some great looks at birds and Jerry took some great pictures.

On Monday reports floated around on Discord that a very rare Burrowing Owl had been photographed on Sunday somewhere in Wellington County and apparently intrepid local birders took the day driving around trying to find it since no one was sharing where it had been seen. Late in the afternoon someone managed to find it! A few local birders got the first calls and got out to see it. I got the location a bit later but there was not enough time to get there before dark. I expect to see this owl out in the grasslands in Saskatchewan and we have seen them before in a few places so it was not a lifer but I figured it would be a good Ontario bird to get. By late evening the OBA and OFO decided since the location was being shared like wildfire that they try to at least enact some protocols for viewing. It was posted where to park, to keep quiet, to only view from a certain area away from where the owl had been seen, to be courteous with the locals and of course to bird with respect and integrity. Owl sightings are notorious for bringing out the worst in birders and photographers and most sightings seem to end up with some drama and confrontations. I have kinda stopped going to many of the major sightings because I just don’t feel good about it. I don’t like to think that I am contributing to the problems, but of course we are just by choosing to go and see the bird. Against my better judgement, I decided the Burrowing Owl was worth it. We arrived at 6:45am on Tuesday and there were maybe 20 cars with more arriving every minute. Many people were spread along the road with scopes and cameras. The wind was very strong and it was cold! Not really conducive to a small owl from the south coming out to enjoy the day I thought. We spent 30 minutes chatting quietly with birders and searching the grasses a long way away but no sign of the tiny owl. We decided to leave and return when it was sunnier and warmer later in the day, if it was seen. It was not seen again.

When we left we decided to check out the Glen Morris Pond, as we have been for the last week or so, hoping Virginia Rail and Sora had arrived. As soon as we opened our windows we could here the kid-dik, kid-dik calls of the Rail. We stopped for a bit and Jerry got out to see if he might get a picture but the Rail flew up and then back down before he could get his camera up. We heard 2 Gallinules as well but no Sora yet. As we headed home we stopped at a small wet area in a farm field and did a quick scope and found another species to add to the list, a Solitary Sandpiper.

Jerry had a dentist appointment in the afternoon so I went along and we stopped at the Desjardin Canal to add a Black-crowned Night Heron to the list. Before we left a report of a Rock Wren at Pelee had come in but again we will get that species in BC so I don’t have to rush for it as I would have had to last year. A few hours later though a report came in of a Yellow-throated Warbler at Pelee, exactly where we had our lovely vireos yesterday. Ugggh! The vagaries of this hobby! That is the second Yellow-throated Warbler I have missed and there are not that many in any given year.

Wednesday we decided to take our youngest grandchildren out of school and do a birding outing to Long Point. Yes, we wanted to be in close proximity to any potential rarities but also we wanted to spend some time with them before we leave for the west. We visited the banding centre and had a good time seeing all the birds close up. Hannah felt very sad for the birds in the net but they both were happy to follow a netted Blue-headed Vireo patiently through the banding process until it was released again.

Thursday morning we were up at 5:30am and in Dundas by 6:30 to make our 3rd attempt at the Louisiana Waterthrush. We carefully walked the trail along the stream and after about 20 minutes we heard the familiar song! It continued for the next 20 minutes while we attempted to actually find the singing bird in the trees across the stream. It is so frustrating, It sounded like it was coming from directly in front of us but despite scanning with our bins and looking for any movement we could not find it. For the moment it will go in as a “Heard Only”. We headed back home, changed quickly and were on our yoga mats for class just after 9am. The temperature continued to rise and we opted to stay home and get our porch set up for summer with our mosquito curtains attached and the furniture all placed.

Late Thursday (they always arrive late in the day) a report came in of a Blue Grosbeak up near Lake Simcoe so we were ready in the morning to leave as soon as it was confirmed to still be there. On Friday we were on the road just after 7 and arrived at 9:30am. We met up with Margaret who had just seen it and gave us detailed instructions for viewing this skulky bird. It had been flushed many times by people, dogs and vehicles so we tried to stay back. We did manage to find it deep in the shrubs and tangles but it was quite a while before it came out onto the grass to feed and allowed everyone to get great pictures. A group of school kids on a field trip were heading to the area the bird was so I went over to explain what was happening and asked for the their cooperation in not flushing the rare bird. They were very curious and we ended up letting kids use our bins, Jean got out her scope and we had a little impromptu class on bird migration and Blue Grosbeaks!

We decided to head home but stop on the way for a reported Least Bittern in a park in Mississauga. Like all the rails, they tend to be heard but not always seen so I was hoping we would get a chance to see it in a small pond where it was likely very hungry from its flight over the lake. I brought out our scope and scanned all the reeds along the edges but could not see anything. Then I scanned again, and again and saw a slightly darker colour that did not fit the reed colour. It was the back of the Bittern. It moved around a bit but did not give us great views. We waited, scoped and scanned. Finally, it ventured out of the reeds for a full look at it in the scope and Jerry was able to take a picture. Within a minute or two it disappeared back into the reeds.

Saturday the phone was pinging as people got out on a blustery cold Saturday with lots of good birds being found: Summer Tanager, American Avocet, Golden-winged Warbler, and Hooded Warbler. We stayed local and added a Bank Swallow on a quick stop at the Storm pond on our way to see Babi. Our plan was to head to Pelee Sunday and Monday since south winds were in the forecast for a prequel to the big two week adventure starting the following week. I wanted to prepare some food and pack but at 3:00 the “ping” was a Pink-footed Goose 2.5 hours away near Wasaga. We didn’t go for the Ottawa one as I hoped to get the species out in Newfoundland but with one that close we had to go for it. We were in the car in about 5 minutes and arrived at 5:20. It was windy, really windy, and raining. There were a few birders huddled with scopes between cars so we joined them and got our first glimpses of a Pink-footed Goose! A lifer! Henrique found the bird and stayed around helping everyone get onto the bird. Thanks so very much Henrique! It was very far back in the field and not the most satisfying looks but at one point, once I had it in my own scope, it stood up and stretched its wings and I had a lovely view of the bird for a few seconds. Unfortunately, we did not get to see its incredible pink feet! Jerry tried to take some pictures but the rain and distance made it difficult. Hopefully, we will see the Newfoundland bird and get a nice picture then, pink feet and all.

View from the road for the Pink-footed Goose

Sunday morning we arrived at Pelee at 8 am and walked through Tilden because a road race had blocked off the Woodland Trail and the tip until noon. We were hoping to refind a Kentucky Warbler and get a picture of a Louisiana Waterthrush. We did a few loops and heard Louisiana as well as Northern Waterthrush. There are subtle differences between the two and there is often controversy over what species people are seeing. We had it on good authority that there was a Northern and Louisiana showing together in a wet area but by the time we got there only the Northern could be seen. Jerry got pictures and then we waited patiently until we saw another small brown warbler with very white underparts. Unfortunately, it was a quick look and no picture just like last year. We will try many times over the coming weeks to see if we can get a picture. We ended up seeing 4 White-eyed Vireos, a bird we added on Monday’s trip to Pelee. Jerry managed great pictures again.

We headed back to the visitor centre and passed a birder we spent lots of time with at the tip last year and he let us know that a Chat had been found. We had to work around the closed area for the race, found the footpath and waited with another group of birders for another skulky bird to show itself. It only took about 10 mins and the Yellow-breasted Chat popped up. Jerry was down the path and there was a second where I thought, “do I call him?” Of course I would never! So I whisper-shouted immediately and he got back in time to see it and to get some pictures. We will get Chats out in BC but they are sometimes hard to find out there too so anything I can do to limit what I have to find in the heat of June/July is good. A report then came in that the Kentucky Warbler had been re-found in a spot we had walked by twice today so we headed back to that spot and waited again, patiently. After about 10 minutes it popped up a bit further away but everyone waiting got on it and we saw it multiple times as it worked its way across in front of us. Two very good, tough birds to get, and we had them – it was a good day! And Jerry got pictures!

After that things got quiet. We walked 13.8km total for the day. We headed to our hotel around 4 and went out for some yummy Mexican food at our favourite spot in Leamington (Salsa Caliente) with Jude, who also got the Chat and Kentucky for his Big Year. South winds predicted for tonight so hope we start week 18 off with a bang!

Week 17 30 species added 232 species E&J