There's only one problem with spring migration--it's over far too quickly! The changes in bird numbers and variety from the previous trip were obvious; some species were all but gone, while others were just turning up, some were more numerous than a week earlier, others much less so. Another week and migration would be almost done. But, short as it is, man is it a lot of fun!
Fun is definitely what we had over the several days we spent along the Lake Erie shoreline. The shorebird spectacle this trip was particularly amazing, and we enjoyed some huge numbers of lovely breeding-plumaged Black-bellied Plovers both in flight and on the ground. Finding a handsome American Golden-Plover hiding amidst a flock of 1000+ plovers was a hard-earned bonus! We also were treated to the site of a large contingent of gorgeous Ruddy Turnstones at Wheatley Harbor. Close to 200 birds there was probably the largest concentration of these I'd ever seen! Upland Sandpipers sneaking through the grasslands in the Carden Alvar and a stray Black-necked Stilt at Hillman rounded out the shorebird highlights of the trip.
As great as the shorebird passage was, the north shore of Lake Erie is most renowned for the spring Passerine migration, and the songbirds did not disappoint. This tour found us tallying all 6 of the regular vireo species, thanks to a singing White-eyed Vireo and a pair of Yellow-throated (the two toughest species) on our day at Rondeau. We also tallied most of the thrushes (save the early migrating Hermit), with a cooperative Gray-cheeked Thrush among a large movement of Swainson's Thrushes, again at Rondeau. And while sparrow numbers were most definitely dwindling, we still managed to track down nearly all the regulars, including a handful of skulking Lincoln's Sparrows (an easy species to miss) and those super singing Grasshopper Sparrows in the Long Point region.
And what of those most famous of migrants, the colorful wood warblers? Well, they were pretty great, too. Our total of 30 species tied my highest count ever from 2015! Most of the regulars were moving through in fair numbers, and we enjoyed recurring looks at such stunners as Cape May, Magnolia, Bay-breasted (especially at Rondeau-wow!), fiery Blackburnian, Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Blue, and Black-throated Green, plus several glowing Prothonotary Warblers, which happily seem to be easier to find at Pelee these days. We also fared quite well with some of the later migrants, which still hadn't peaked in this late spring, but were starting to appear in small numbers. Among these were a singing male Mourning Warbler at Long Point, a smattering of Blackpoll Warblers, and a few each of of Wilson's and Canada warblers. There were also a few we missed in migration but picked up on their breeding grounds, including Hooded and Blue-winged in the Long Point region, and several striking male Golden-winged (and a bonus Brewster's) in the Carden Alvar. All that would have been good enough, but we also scored with a couple of species that we miss far more often than we see, a singing male Prairie Warbler at Long Point, and a singing Worm-eating that we twitched in City View Park on our way north.
As much as I enjoyed the birds, I also enjoyed sharing these sightings with all of you. I love when my groups mesh well, and I was truly fortunate to have that happen on both my Pelee trips this spring! Thanks for joining me, your good humor, enthusiasm, and genuine love of birds made this a wonderful week, and almost made me forget I was working! Would love to see you all on another trip soon. In the meantime, have a great summer!
KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant
CANADA GOOSE (Branta canadensis)
A daily bird, as it should be on a Canadian tour. Lots of goslings around, too, so this trend should continue.
MUTE SWAN (Cygnus olor) [IN]
A nesting pair on the marsh at Pelee, and a couple of others in Big Creek marsh.
TRUMPETER SWAN (Cygnus buccinator) [I]
Though introduced here in Ontario (or reintroduced), the pair on the marsh up near Orillia did not look out of place there.
WOOD DUCK (Aix sponsa)
A pair along the Woodland Nature Trail on our first morning at Pelee were the only ones for the tour.
BLUE-WINGED TEAL (Spatula discors)
One in the lake off the Tip was a bit unexpected there, 5 at Hillman Marsh were more usual.
GADWALL (Mareca strepera)
Just one pair at Hillman Marsh.
AMERICAN WIGEON (Mareca americana)
A lone drake at Hillman.
MALLARD (Anas platyrhynchos)
The most numerous duck and recorded all but one day, though our grand total was a paltry 20 birds.
GREATER SCAUP (Aythya marila)
Most of the diving ducks had moved on (there were small numbers on the first tour) but a single drake of this species was seen on two mornings at Pelee.
SURF SCOTER (Melanitta perspicillata)
A trio of females off the Tip on our first morning was a nice surprise, as it's not a species we record often on this tour.
RED-BREASTED MERGANSER (Mergus serrator)
Often numerous here, but most birds had moved northward already. We saw mergansers on all 3 mornings at the Tip, with 4 females and a male on the first, 3 females on the second, and a lone female on day three.
NORTHERN BOBWHITE (Colinus virginianus) [I]
Undoubtedly this bird was an escapee, but it was still nice to hear it calling at Rondeau, then get fantastic looks as it finally strolled out of the scrubby lot it was calling from, and onto the lawn of the neighboring property.
WILD TURKEY (Meleagris gallopavo)
Numbers were low at Pelee this year, though we did see a couple in the park, as well as a small group or two in the Carden area.
RUFFED GROUSE (Bonasa umbellus) [*]
The drumming display of males was heard a couple of times in the Carden Alvar.
ROCK PIGEON (Columba livia) [I]
MOURNING DOVE (Zenaida macroura)
Small numbers were seen daily throughout the trip.
EASTERN WHIP-POOR-WILL (Antrostomus vociferus) [*]
Always wonderful to hear these birds calling, even when you don't get to see them. We heard at least 3 birds singing at the St. Williams Tract on our evening visit.
CHIMNEY SWIFT (Chaetura pelagica)
A lone bird on our first morning at Pelee, and a pair over the Tulip Tree Trail at Rondeau.
RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD (Archilochus colubris)
Just two sightings, a male near the Tip and another at the Old Cut banding station.
VIRGINIA RAIL (Rallus limicola)
We heard a few in the marshes around Orillia, and had great looks at one that crossed the road ahead of us at the Sedge Wren Marsh on Wylie Road.
SORA (Porzana carolina) [*]
A couple of birds were calling in a roadside marsh near Orillia, but we couldn't coax them into sight.
SANDHILL CRANE (Antigone canadensis)
Holly spotted our first as we crossed the causeway at Big Creek Marsh, but our best experience was up on the Carden Alvar where we saw a pair with some very young rusty-colored colts.
BLACK-NECKED STILT (Himantopus mexicanus)
One of the rarer birds of the trip was this elegant shorebird which was found in the shorebird cell at Hillman Marsh and spent two days there.
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER (Pluvialis squatarola)
There were some impressive numbers of these beautiful plovers moving through during our time at Pelee, and we saw some large flocks both near Wheatley, and at the Tip, where we had an estimated 400 birds on our final day. Though I estimated about 1000 birds in the fields along Fox Run Road, and another 1000 flying over at the harbor, the actual numbers might well have been significantly higher.
AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER (Pluvialis dominica)
Searching carefully through the big flock of Black-bellied Plovers in the field along Fox Run road paid off when I picked out a single one of these much scarcer birds among them. Initially it was tricky to get everyone on the right bird, given the distance, similar plumage, and the fact that the birds were constantly on the move, but at one point the vast majority of the Black-bellied took off, and the Golden remained, making it much easier to find!
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER (Charadrius semipalmatus)
A few birds were on the rocky beach at Wheatley Harbor, then at least 40-50 in the shorebird cell at Hillman the next day.
KILLDEER (Charadrius vociferus)
A common and familiar species, and we saw a few of them each day.
UPLAND SANDPIPER (Bartramia longicauda)
We had to work a little harder to find this species than on the earlier tour, but our persistence finally paid off with some nice looks at 4-5 birds foraging among the wildflowers and grasses in the Carden Alvar.
RUDDY TURNSTONE (Arenaria interpres)
Big numbers at Wheatley Harbor were a trip highlight, as the estimated 180-200 birds, most in gorgeous high breeding plumage, was by far the most I've ever seen in one spot. In fact, the 40 we had at the Tip a couple of days later would have been among my higher counts of turnstones, too. Lois was a big fan of these, and chose the turnstone as her top bird of the trip.
SANDERLING (Calidris alba)
Three birds at the Tip with all the plovers and turnstones was a nice find. Also interesting and fun to note that while two were still in winter plumage, the third was already in breeding dress.
DUNLIN (Calidris alpina)
As usual the most numerous shorebird at Hillman Marsh, with an estimated 250+ on the afternoon we visited, with smaller numbers at a few other spots. These birds in their handsome breeding plumage caught Joan's eye, and she picked them as her top trip bird.
LEAST SANDPIPER (Calidris minutilla)
A couple of birds at Hillman was all we could muster.
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER (Calidris fuscicollis)
A careful search through all the Dunlin at Hillman turned up a couple of these long-winged peeps. It took some patience and time, but eventually everyone got reasonable looks at this uncommon shorebird in the scope.
SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER (Calidris pusilla)
Just one single bird among the many shorebirds at Hillman.
SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER (Limnodromus griseus)
Six birds scattered across three different locales. our first was on the beach with all the turnstones at Wheatley Harbor, then we saw 4 at Hillman, and finally a single at the Tip with a bunch of other shorebirds.
AMERICAN WOODCOCK (Scolopax minor) [*]
Unfortunately one that had been displaying outside the Leamington hotel the previous week was not present this week, so we tried to track down these birds near Long Point. Though we did hear a couple in the same area as the Whip-Poor-Wills, neither was in an accessible place.
WILSON'S SNIPE (Gallinago delicata)
Only in the Carden region, where we saw about a dozen, with exceptional views of one on its favored roadside fencepost!
SPOTTED SANDPIPER (Actitis macularius)
Just a few singles: at the Tip, along the West Beach near Sleepy Hollow, at Wheatley Harbor, and along the South Point Trail at Rondeau.
LESSER YELLOWLEGS (Tringa flavipes)
A lone bird was all that was left in the shorebird cell at Hillman.
BONAPARTE'S GULL (Chroicocephalus philadelphia)
Good numbers at the Tip, with most in non-breeding plumage, but with a few black-headed ones mixed in.
RING-BILLED GULL (Larus delawarensis)
Surprisingly small numbers around the Pelee area, with a few birds also on the Carden Alvar.
HERRING GULL (AMERICAN) (Larus argentatus smithsonianus)
This was the most numerous white-headed gull this trip, with plenty at Pelee, as well as at Rondeau, where a large number were following the fishing boats as they steamed along towards the harbor.
CASPIAN TERN (Hydroprogne caspia)
Just a single one of these large terns flew over the shorebird cell at Hillman.
BLACK TERN (Chlidonias niger)
A group of 5 flew past as we looked out over Lake Erie from the beach at the end of the Shuster Trail.
COMMON TERN (Sterna hirundo)
I counted about 27 birds at the Tip on our second morning there, and the following day saw the numbers nearly tripled, with an estimated 75 birds among the gulls and shorebirds.
FORSTER'S TERN (Sterna forsteri)
Three birds flying by at Wheatley Harbor was all we had for the trip.
COMMON LOON (Gavia immer)
A bird that was still in winter plumage was seen off the Tip one morning, and a pair of birds, one in winter plumage the other in breeding, were offshore near Sleepy Hollow the next.
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT (Nannopterum auritum)
Lots daily at Pelee, with a few birds seen at Rondeau and Long Point as well.
AMERICAN BITTERN (Botaurus lentiginosus)
A quick but reasonable view of a bird that flew in and landed in a marshy area along Wylie Road while we were looking for the Sedge Wren.
GREAT BLUE HERON (Ardea herodias)
In small numbers daily.
GREAT EGRET (Ardea alba)
Lois spotted out first one at Hillman Marsh, and we saw a few others along the causeway at Big Creek Marsh.
GREEN HERON (Butorides virescens)
I think most people missed a trio that flew over the Tip one morning, but we later had one perched in a tree at Old Cut and saw another in flight along the causeway.
TURKEY VULTURE (Cathartes aura)
Common and seen in fair numbers daily.
OSPREY (Pandion haliaetus) [N]
A bird on a nest near Orillia was either Ricky or Lucy according to a sign at the base of the pole the nest was on.
NORTHERN HARRIER (Circus hudsonius)
A single female over a marsh in the Carden region was the only one for the trip.
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (Accipiter striatus)
One flew over the Woodland Trail on our first morning at Pelee.
COOPER'S HAWK (Accipiter cooperii)
One on our first morning at Pelee, then a couple more on our final day there.
BALD EAGLE (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
A couple of sightings at Pelee, including an adult on a nest along the DeLaurier Trail. We also had nice looks at another adult flying over as we birded the South Point Trail at Rondeau.
BROAD-WINGED HAWK (Buteo platypterus)
A lone bird flew over as we birded the Redbud Footpath at Pelee.
RED-TAILED HAWK (Buteo jamaicensis)
The most common Buteo in the region, and we saw one or two nearly every day.
EASTERN SCREECH-OWL (Megascops asio)
A handsome gray morph bird was seen on a day roost along the Redbud Footpath, luckily emerging from its roost hole without making us wait too long. Unfortunately we weren't able to find a reported rufous morph bird later the same day.
BELTED KINGFISHER (Megaceryle alcyon)
One seen in the Orillia area was the only one for the trip, though we heard another at the new Long Point PP.
YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER (Sphyrapicus varius)
John M. spotted a male along Wylie Road that turned out to be the only one for the tour.
RED-HEADED WOODPECKER (Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
Singles along the Woodland Trail at Pelee and the Tulip Tree Trail at Rondeau. Neither bird stuck around for long, but the views were pretty good while they lasted.
RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER (Melanerpes carolinus)
A pretty common bird in southern Ontario, and we recorded them daily until we left the lake shore for points north.
DOWNY WOODPECKER (Dryobates pubescens)
Pairs or singles were seen regularly except for on our final day in the Carden area.
HAIRY WOODPECKER (Dryobates villosus) [*]
Though we heard one in the St. Williams Tract near Long Point, we failed to get eyes on this woodpecker.
PILEATED WOODPECKER (Dryocopus pileatus)
John L. spotted our only one feeding on a fallen log near the Pony Barn in Rondeau.
NORTHERN FLICKER (Colaptes auratus)
More often heard than seen, but we recorded this woodpecker daily throughout.
AMERICAN KESTREL (Falco sparverius)
Nice spotting by Holly, who picked out this declining species perched on a distant shrub in the Carden Alvar.
EASTERN WOOD-PEWEE (Contopus virens)
Heard or seen most days along the Erie lakeshore, with especially good views of one feeding at eye level in the Post Woods at Pelee.
LEAST FLYCATCHER (Empidonax minimus)
This seemed to be the only Empid to have arrived yet (though we did have an unidentified Willow/Alder type). We had a few daily in the Lake Erie shoreline sites
EASTERN PHOEBE (Sayornis phoebe)
Just a single sighting of a single bird on our first afternoon along Wylie Road.
GREAT CRESTED FLYCATCHER (Myiarchus crinitus)
Heard or seen daily, but only in ones or twos, as this was one of many flycatchers that seemed a bit behind schedule.
EASTERN KINGBIRD (Tyrannus tyrannus)
Easily the most numerous flycatcher, and we had several birds daily throughout.
WHITE-EYED VIREO (Vireo griseus)
A singing bird in the Maintenance Loop at Rondeau was less cagey than usual, and gave some excellent looks as it foraged in the cedars around the compound.
YELLOW-THROATED VIREO (Vireo flavifrons)
A pair of these beautiful birds along the South Point Trail at Rondeau gave us a clean sweep of the regular vireo species! If we'd had a Philadelphia Vireo that day, we would have swept them all in a single day.
BLUE-HEADED VIREO (Vireo solitarius)
Numbers of this early migrant were down considerably from the previous week, but we still saw a handful at Pelee and a single at Rondeau.
PHILADELPHIA VIREO (Vireo philadelphicus)
A total of about half a dozen between Pelee and Long Point was a pretty good tally for this uncommon species.
WARBLING VIREO (Vireo gilvus)
The most numerous vireo this trip, recorded every day with a total of about 45 birds.
RED-EYED VIREO (Vireo olivaceus)
I think the peak of their migration was still to come, as numbers were growing daily along the Lake Erie shoreline.
BLUE JAY (Cyanocitta cristata)
Recorded daily, though our second day at Pelee accounted for nearly 75% of our sightings, with a significant movement that day, with an estimated 250 birds passing overhead along the Shuster Trail alone!
AMERICAN CROW (Corvus brachyrhynchos)
Recorded daily, but in smaller numbers than one might expect.
COMMON RAVEN (Corvus corax)
A lone bird flew over one of the marshes we birded in the Carden region.
BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE (Poecile atricapillus)
Like the crow, this common species was recorded every day, but with very few individuals overall, mainly just 1-3 per day.
HORNED LARK (Eremophila alpestris)
Some so-so views of a couple of birds in the field with all the Black-bellied Plovers along Fox Run Road, then Joan spotted a pair in the shorebird cell at Hillman the following day that were much closer and provided a much better look.
NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW (Stelgidopteryx serripennis)
A couple of birds at Wheatley Harbor, and a single one at the Old Cut Field Station were all for the trip, but we rarely see many more of this uncommon swallow.
PURPLE MARTIN (Progne subis) [N]
A few birds were recorded at both Pelee and Rondeau, but by far the largest numbers were at Long Point, where there are plenty of artificial nests being used.
TREE SWALLOW (Tachycineta bicolor) [N]
Probably the most abundant swallow (though Barn Swallow made it close), and we saw these daily, including many at nest boxes placed out for other species (Prothonotary Warbler, Eastern Bluebird).
BANK SWALLOW (Riparia riparia)
Roughly half a dozen were among the many swallows at Wheatley Harbor.
BARN SWALLOW (Hirundo rustica) [N]
Common, and especially approachable around the bathrooms at the shuttle stop at the Tip, where the birds nesting there seem to have become quite inured to the hordes of photographers.
CLIFF SWALLOW (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
About 4-5 at Wheatley Harbor, followed by singles at Hillman and along Wylie Road.
RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET (Corthylio calendula)
The large numbers from the previous week had mostly moved on, but there were still a few of these early migrants at the lakeshore sites. We saw them daily until we moved north, but the numbers were steadily dropping through the week.
GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET (Regulus satrapa)
This tour's dates are very late for this species, which has usually moved north before the tour starts. So our records of a single bird at the Tip, and another a few days later at Old Cut, were pretty surprising.
RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH (Sitta canadensis)
Another early migrant which we saw in much smaller numbers than the previous week, and we saw a total of only 5 birds, all at Pelee save for a lone bird at Rondeau.
WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH (Sitta carolinensis)
This one breeds locally, but can be hard to find when they're nesting as they become rather quiet and secretive. Our only sightings were of a couple at Rondeau, though we heard them at Pele and the Carden region as well.
BROWN CREEPER (Certhia americana)
Another early migrant that is usually gone by the time of this tour, but we had a singing bird along Pelee's Woodland Trail. It made us work pretty hard for a look, but eventually we spotted it and had some pretty decent views.
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER (Polioptila caerulea) [N]
Quite common at the Lake Erie shoreline sites, and we saw fair numbers, including a pair working on a nest along the DeLaurier Trail at Pelee. Another pair along South Point Trail at Rondeau likely had a nest nearby as well, as they were frantically harassing a female cowbird perched over the trail, eventually forcing her to leave.
HOUSE WREN (Troglodytes aedon)
There were more heard than seen, but we recorded this familiar bird every day of the trip.
SEDGE WREN (Cistothorus stellaris) [*]
None in the Sedge Wren Marsh, but we heard one or two at another site along Wylie Road, though they were very unresponsive and remained out of sight.
MARSH WREN (Cistothorus palustris) [*]
We heard a very reticent bird in a small marsh in the Carden region, but it never showed its face. Odd, as there had been several calling enthusiastically here a few days earlier.
CAROLINA WREN (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
We saw one at the Tip rest rooms on our first morning at Pelee, then heard the rollicking song daily until we moved north.
EUROPEAN STARLING (Sturnus vulgaris) [I]
Unfortunately quite common.
GRAY CATBIRD (Dumetella carolinensis)
A common breeder in southern Ontario, and we saw them daily, with the largest numbers being recorded at Rondeau, where they were hard to miss.
BROWN THRASHER (Toxostoma rufum)
The Carden region is a favored breeding area for these great birds, and we saw a handful singing loudly from the tops of bushes in the alvar.
EASTERN BLUEBIRD (Sialia sialis) [N]
Only seen along Wylie Road, where at least one or two pairs had successfully raised a brood in the nest boxes along the fence-line.
VEERY (Catharus fuscescens)
Most of these lovely thrushes had probably already moved through, and we saw just a handful of lingerers, with a single at Pelee and all the rest at Rondeau.
GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH (Catharus minimus)
A bird along the trail at Sleepy Hollow wasn't as cooperative as we would have liked, but we managed to find another among the swarms of Swainson's Thrushes along the Tulip Tree Trail at Rondeau. An uncommon species, so this one is always a good one to track down here.
SWAINSON'S THRUSH (Catharus ustulatus)
By far the most common of the brown thrushes, especially at Rondeau where there seemed to be a pretty good movement going through. The Tulip Tree Trail was especially crawling with them and they seemed to be everywhere we looked.
WOOD THRUSH (Hylocichla mustelina)
Mainly just heard, though we had a great encounter with a bird singing along the Tilden's Woods boardwalk. We couldn't find it at first, but finally were able to spot it in the hollow bottom of a large tree. Guess it likes the acoustics the hollow provided!
AMERICAN ROBIN (Turdus migratorius)
It would have been near impossible to go through a day of this tour without seeing one of these familiar birds. Several nesting pairs were included in our total of 150+.
CEDAR WAXWING (Bombycilla cedrorum)
A flock of 9 birds at the new Long Point PP were the only ones for the trip.
HOUSE SPARROW (Passer domesticus) [I]
Almost daily, though happily missing from Pelee this year.
HOUSE FINCH (Haemorhous mexicanus)
Lois managed to see one at the feeders at Old Cut, though the rest of us missed it.
PURPLE FINCH (Haemorhous purpureus) [*]
A singing bird along Wylie Road never showed itself.
AMERICAN GOLDFINCH (Spinus tristis)
A few birds were seen almost daily, though overall numbers were pretty small.
GRASSHOPPER SPARROW (Ammodramus savannarum)
Great looks at the reliable ones in some old field habitat in the Long Point region.
CHIPPING SPARROW (Spizella passerina)
Less conspicuous than they often are, likely as they were beginning to nest, but we still saw a few on many days.
CLAY-COLORED SPARROW (Spizella pallida) [*]
We were unable to get eyes on a singing bird in a brushy field at City View Park in Burlington.
FIELD SPARROW (Spizella pusilla)
A bird of old field habitat, and we saw a couple at the same site as the Grasshopper Sparrows, and heard them at City View Park and along Wylie Road.
WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW (Zonotrichia leucophrys)
Numbers of this species and the next were way down from a week ago, to be expected as they are both early migrants. We did see a few birds daily at the Lake Erie sites.
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW (Zonotrichia albicollis)
We heard a couple at Pelee, then saw a few birds each at Rondeau and Long Point.
SAVANNAH SPARROW (Passerculus sandwichensis)
We didn't get these grassland sparrows until we got up to the Carden Alvar, but they are one of the more common sparrows there, and we saw several on the fences along Wylie Road.
SONG SPARROW (Melospiza melodia)
You wouldn't have know it based on the few that we saw, but this is one of the most common birds in rural areas of southern Ontario. We had them almost daily, but never more than 1 or 2 birds.
LINCOLN'S SPARROW (Melospiza lincolnii)
The aptly-named Sparrow Field at Pelee turned up our first couple of birds in the brush piles that have been created there. We had just a couple more along the South Point Trail at Rondeau.
SWAMP SPARROW (Melospiza georgiana)
We saw our first along the boardwalk on the DeLaurier Trail, but they were far more numerous in the Carden region with loads of them singing in the marshes there.
EASTERN TOWHEE (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)
At Pelee we only heard this species, but we caught up with a couple along the South Point Trail at Rondeau, then again in Long Point. We also had a few along Wylie Road, where they are a common breeder.
BOBOLINK (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)
John L. spotted the first one, a handsome male, at the Sparrow Field in Pelee, we saw another male near the parking area at City View Park, then enjoyed several displaying and singing their bubbly songs along Wylie Road.
EASTERN MEADOWLARK (Sturnella magna)
Like the above species, this is considered a Species at Risk in Ontario, primarily due to the loss of suitable grasslands for them to breed. The Carden Alvar is a stronghold for them in the province, and they are still quite numerous there, judging from our experience.
ORCHARD ORIOLE (Icterus spurius)
It seemed a poor spring for this species--while we did see a few at Pelee, and a single at Rondeau, there were far fewer than I'm used to coming across on this trip.
BALTIMORE ORIOLE (Icterus galbula)
There was no shortage of these brilliant birds, and there almost always seemed to be one or more to look at at Pelee, often quite low and close. We averaged about 35-40 per day at Pelee, then lower numbers daily after we moved on from the park. Holly was particularly impressed by all the good views and chose the orioles as her favorite birds of the trip.
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD (Agelaius phoeniceus)
One of the most numerous and visible birds at Pelee, and similarly abundant everywhere else we visited.
BROWN-HEADED COWBIRD (Molothrus ater)
Common and seen daily, but never nearly as abundant as the Red-wings and grackles.
COMMON GRACKLE (Quiscalus quiscula)
Not as numerous as the Red-wings, but we still saw bunches of these every day.
OVENBIRD (Seiurus aurocapilla)
My Ebird records showed that we tallied 19 of these skulking warblers, but the vast majority were tallied thanks only to their loud and distinctive songs. I think there were only 3 or 4 that were actually seen, though I don't remember any one bird showing well for everybody.
WORM-EATING WARBLER (Helmitheros vermivorum)
A rainy final morning at Long Point along with the news that one of these rare warblers had been seen for several days running at a park just a little off our planned route northward saw us stopping by the lovely City View Park in Burlington. After a short walk, we found the right location and the bird easily enough, though getting a view of it was another story. Holly and I both had a quick look shortly after we arrived, but then the bird went into stealth mode and spent the next 20+ minutes moving up and down the ravine, singing almost constantly, but staying completely out of sight. With time winding down, I finally managed to track it down on a song perch on the opposite side of the ravine, where it stayed long enough all to see well! My favorite bird of the trip, as I've only seen a couple in Canada before, and Tara agreed, placing it atop her list of favorites.
NORTHERN WATERTHRUSH (Parkesia noveboracensis)
Most had likely moved through already, but we found one straggler along the beach in Post Woods, and another the following morning at Rondeau's Pony Barn. We also heard one at the Sedge Wren Marsh along Wylie Road, where they breed.
GOLDEN-WINGED WARBLER (Vermivora chrysoptera)
We usually only get this one in its Carden Alvar breeding areas, and that was the case again this trip. We found one singing male at a long-used territory on our first afternoon along Wylie Road, and another along a different road the next morning. Another territory along Wylie Road had both a male Golden-winged and a male Brewster's (a hybrid between this and the next species) seemingly sharing the same territory.
BLUE-WINGED WARBLER (Vermivora cyanoptera)
All of our sightings came from various old field habitats around the Long Point area, where this species is a common breeder. One bird in the St. Williams tract was especially cooperative, giving us fine, close views along the sand road.
BLACK-AND-WHITE WARBLER (Mniotilta varia)
A handful daily at both Pelee and Rondeau, but curiously none at Long Point. We also heard these in the Carden area, where they breed.
PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (Protonotaria citrea)
I've been seeing the lovely "swamp candle" more frequently in Pelee in recent years, and that trend continued this trip. We saw 4 different birds on our first morning, with 3 along the Woodland Trail and another in Tilden's Woods. The following day we had yet another along the boardwalk at DeLaurier, a first for me at this location. We heard one on the Tulip Tree Trail at Rondeau, but didn't try all that hard for it.
TENNESSEE WARBLER (Leiothlypis peregrina)
Moving through in pretty good numbers during the tour, and their distinctive song was heard throughout the tour. We had a few birds daily, with a high of about 8 of them on our second day at Pelee.
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER (Leiothlypis celata)
A rather scarce and easily missed migrant in southern Ontario. We were told by other birders we met that one had been seen at the washout along the South Point Trail in Rondeau, and sure enough, we spotted it in some low scrub next to the trail as soon as we arrived there. Not a surprise that it was the only one for the tour.
NASHVILLE WARBLER (Leiothlypis ruficapilla)
The majority had already moved through the region, but we saw (and heard) a few stragglers. A couple were in a small party of warblers along the boardwalk on the DeLaurier Trail, and another was seen at the old Cut banding station.
MOURNING WARBLER (Geothlypis philadelphia)
A bonus bird when we went into the new Long Point PP to try and track down a reported Prairie Warbler. We heard a singing male right at the parking area when we got out of the van, and soon had excellent looks as it foraged at the base of a large tree near a pile of compost. Always a nice one to see, and John L. put it at the top of his tour favorites.
COMMON YELLOWTHROAT (Geothlypis trichas)
One of the most numerous warblers of the tour, and we saw plenty of them daily, with the Woodland Trail being particularly good for them.
HOODED WARBLER (Setophaga citrina)
A usually reliable male in Backus Woods was not this time around; he was there, but stayed stubbornly out of sight. Luckily there were several males proclaiming their territories along the sand road at St. Williams, and we were able to spot a couple on their song perches for some superb scope views.
AMERICAN REDSTART (Setophaga ruticilla)
Another of the most numerous warblers of the trip, recorded daily, with plenty of good sightings, including a number of first-year males in their very female-like plumage.
CAPE MAY WARBLER (Setophaga tigrina)
Seen in small numbers daily at the Lake Erie sites, with the majority of them at Pelee, including some excellent eye level views of several in a party of warblers along the boardwalk at DeLaurier. Holly seemed especially adept at spotting these birds. ;-)
NORTHERN PARULA (Setophaga americana)
Redstart, yellowthroat, and this species were neck and neck in the running for second most numerous warbler of this trip. They were most common at Pelee, with numbers noticeably dwindling as we made our way east along the Lake Erie shoreline, but we had plenty of smashing looks at these gorgeous little warblers.
MAGNOLIA WARBLER (Setophaga magnolia)
Moving through in fair numbers, and we saw a handful pretty much daily through the trip.
BAY-BREASTED WARBLER (Setophaga castanea)
Never one of the more abundant species, though we saw them in ones and twos over the first few days. So the Bay-breasted bonanza along Rondeau's Tulip Tree Trail was a bit of a surprise. This was easily the most numerous warbler in the woods there, and we had plenty of awesome views of this subtly beautiful warbler.
BLACKBURNIAN WARBLER (Setophaga fusca)
Who could ever get tired of these gorgeous birds? Certainly no one did during this tour, despite seeing them over and over again every day along the Lake Erie shore.
YELLOW WARBLER (Setophaga petechia)
By a large margin, this was the most abundant warbler of the trip, with 300+ birds tallied along the way. Their abundance doesn't make them any less attractive, so it was good to see them getting some votes, with John M. choosing it as his favorite overall, due in part to the fact that they were always around and provided plenty of photographic opportunities.
CHESTNUT-SIDED WARBLER (Setophaga pensylvanica)
Not especially numerous, but there were a few birds daily at all the Lake Erie sites.
BLACKPOLL WARBLER (Setophaga striata)
One of the latest of the migrant warblers to come through southern Ontario, and often a tough one to get a good view of. We had a total of 6 birds scattered across our days at Pelee and Long Point, and eventually we managed to get some decent looks, including at a low feeding bird near the entrance to the Old Cut banding station on our rainy final morning before heading north.
BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER (Setophaga caerulescens)
Numbers were definitely down somewhat from the previous week, but a few of these dapper warblers were still hanging around at the lakeside hotspots. Many of the ones we saw were the later-arriving females, but we did have some fine views of several males, too.
PALM WARBLER (Setophaga palmarum)
An early migrant that is never numerous on this tour, but we had 8 birds over three days at Pelee and Rondeau with especially good looks along the DeLaurier Trail at Pelee and the South Point Trail at Rondeau.
PINE WARBLER (Setophaga pinus)
Another early migrant that I rarely get at Pelee, though they breed commonly in piney woods in the Long Point region. We had a bit of difficulty seeing one, but finally tracked down a cooperative male along the sand road at St. Williams.
YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER (Setophaga coronata)
Usually most would have gone through by the time of this tour, but a delayed migration led to small numbers still straggling through, and we saw a few daily at the lakeshore hot spots.
PRAIRIE WARBLER (Setophaga discolor)
A friend at the Old Cut banding station told us that one of these locally rare species was in the new provincial park, so we headed there for a look. While we could hear it singing, it was in an inaccessible area, far from the track, so we were pretty much resigned to having it as a heard only. But after a quick look at the beach, we walked back through the area, and were surprised to hear it singing very close to the trail. And luck was with us, as not only did we quickly find it, but it was perched perfectly inside an obvious loop of vine, where it was easy to point out and get everyone on it! Good thing, too, as it quickly flew off back to its previously inaccessible location.
BLACK-THROATED GREEN WARBLER (Setophaga virens)
The big push of these early migrants had already taken place earlier in the month, but a handful were still moving through and we saw a few each day at Pelee as well as at Rondeau.
CANADA WARBLER (Cardellina canadensis)
Another late arriving migrant, and not an especially easy one to see. We came across three birds at Pelee and a single at Long Point PP, and while I believe everyone managed to get decent views of at least one, none of them cooperated well enough for the everyone to see.
WILSON'S WARBLER (Cardellina pusilla)
A much more common species out west, this late migrant never seems numerous on spring migration here. We had a couple of males on our first morning at Pelee, and a single bird each along the South Point Trail at Rondeau and in Long Point PP.
SCARLET TANAGER (Piranga olivacea)
Always a pleasure to see these flashy birds lighting up the forest! We had a handful daily at Pelee, and a few at Rondeau, including an orange variant male at the Pony Barn.
NORTHERN CARDINAL (Cardinalis cardinalis)
A common breeding resident across southern Ontario, and we saw and heard them daily.
ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK (Pheucticus ludovicianus)
Compared to the huge push of these going through the previous week, these lovely birds were far less numerous, but we still saw plenty at all three Lake Erie hotspots.
INDIGO BUNTING (Passerina cyanea)
Not many, and it took us a while to get everyone caught up. A male at the Tip was only seen by a few of us, ditto another male on the ground along the entrance road to Rondeau (where a large truck on my tail made it unsafe to pull over), but we finally got some scope views of a pair in a tall roadside tree at the Grasshopper Sparrow site in the Long Point region.
EASTERN COTTONTAIL (Sylvilagus floridanus)
A few bunnies were seen at Rondeau and Long Point.
PLAIN EASTERN CHIPMUNK (Tamias striatus)
I don't really understand why there are no chipmunks at Pelee, but they're common at both Rondeau and Long Point.
EASTERN GRAY SQUIRREL (Sciurus carolinensis)
Numerous and seen daily.
RED SQUIRREL (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
One or two on our final morning at Long Point.
MUSKRAT (Ondatra zibethica)
One seen at Big Creek Marsh on our evening visit. A briefly seen aquatic mammal in the Sedge Wren Marsh on Wylie Road was almost certainly this species as well.
NORTHERN RACCOON (Procyon lotor)
Holly spotted the first of a couple of them at Pelee, curled up in a ball above the trail out to the Tip.
WHITE-TAILED DEER (Odocoileus virginianus)
Just a single one, feeding in a grassy yard next to an isolated farmhouse near Orillia.
COMMON FIVE-LINED SKINK (Plestiodon fasciatus)
Canada has just 6 species of native lizards (one of them extirpated) and this is the only one found in Ontario. It's been a long time since I've seen one, so I was happy to get some great views of one scrabbling along across a compost heap at Rondeau's Pony Barn.
NORTHERN WATERSNAKE (Nerodia sipedon)
One along the DeLaurier Trail at Pelee.
AMERICAN BULLFROG (Lithobates catesbeianus) [*]
Heard only at Pelee.
PAINTED TURTLE (Chrysemys picta)
One sunning itself on a log along the DeLaurier boardwalk.
BLANDING'S TURTLE (Emydoidea blandingii)
A rather large one of this threatened turtle species was basking on a log along the DeLaurier boardwalk.
COMMON SNAPPING TURTLE (Chelydra serpentina)
A monster one was in the swamp along the Tulip Tree Trail.
AMERICAN TOAD (Anaxyrus americanus)
The common toad in the province, though we saw just one.
SPRING PEEPER (Pseudocris crucifer) [*]
Plenty of these small frogs were calling in the Carden area marshes.
GRAY TREEFROG (Hyla versicolor) [*]
Heard at Rondeau and Long Point.
Totals for the tour: 168 bird taxa and 7 mammal taxa