Local Provincial Park A Hidden Gem For Area Birders

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Red-headed Woodpeckers are one of the many birds found at John E. Pearce Provincial Park.

Here in Ontario we are fortunate to have a magnitude of provincial parks many of which offer great birding opportunities. In Elgin county, only about a 30-minute drive from London, there is a small provincial park that over the past few years has quickly become one of my favourites. John E. Pearce Provincial Park located on Lakeview Line is a hidden gem when it comes to great areas for birding. Each time I have visited this park, I have been impressed with the assortment of birds observed within its 68 hectare area.  

When I visit John E. Pearce Provincial Park there is one species in particular that I hope to observe, the Red-headed Woodpecker. Often confused with the much more common Red-bellied Woodpecker, the Red-headed Woodpecker is currently listed as special concern on Ontario’s species at risk list and populations seem to be limited to isolated areas throughout southern Ontario. Fortunately, John E. Pearce Provincial Park happens to be one of these isolated areas. In fact, I have yet to visit this small park without adding one of these beautiful woodpeckers to my daily list. 

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Within minutes of arriving at the park, this Red-headed Woodpecker landed on a telephone pole at the north end of the parking lot.

Early June is my favourite time to visit John E. Pearce Provincial Park. The birding at this time of year there is great, and I have always had rewarding days. This past week, I made the short drive down to the park for a day of birding with the hopes of observing a Red-headed Woodpecker. In a previous blog post, How To Prepare For The Image Of A Lifetime: A Step By Step Approach I talked about the importance of being ready when a shot presents itself. After arriving at the park mid-morning I was a bit hungry so decided eating an energy bar would be a good idea before getting started. Fortunately, I had already performed many of the preparation steps mentioned in that post because as I was standing beside my car enjoying the bar a Red-headed Woodpecker landed on a telephone pole at the end of the parking lot. With my camera at the ready, I was able to quickly raise it to my face and capture several images of the bird while clenching half the bar between my teeth. Though not the most orthodox style of shooting it does demonstrate the importance of having your camera and settings ready. 

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June is my favourite month to visit John E. Pearce Provincial Park in search of the Red-headed Woodpecker.

Having had an encounter with a Red-headed Woodpecker only minutes after arriving at the park, I knew that it was going to be a special day.  In my previous visits to John E. Pearce Provincial Park, all of my Red-headed Woodpecker sightings have been within close proximity to the parking lot located next to the Backus-Page House Museum, so very little walking is required for anyone wishing to locate and photograph these birds. After circling the old barn located on the museum site, I noticed a second Red-headed Woodpecker in a large tree on the other end of the property. With two of these beautiful birds located in this small area, I spent much of my time here observing and photographing them.

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This Brown Thrasher was among the many birds observed within the park.

Wanting to get a walk in, I decided to hike the 1.5 km Spicer Trail that runs through the Carolinian Forest. Several other bird species were observed including great views of a Brown Thrasher. House Wrens and Baltimore Orioles were also abundant. A nice variety of flycatchers were seen with Great-crested Flycatcher, Eastern Kingbird, and Eastern Phoebe all being recorded. Yellow Warblers, Indigo Buntings, Gray Catbirds, and Chipping Sparrows rounded out the birds that were easily located. 

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A curious fawn was an added bonus to an otherwise great day of birding.

As I walked through the forest, Eastern Chipmunks and White-tailed Deer could be seen on either side of the trail. At one point, I came across a doe with two young fawns. Watching these small deer was quite enjoyable and an added bonus to an already amazing day. Below is a short video I recorded of one of the fawns. For best quality, be sure to choose HD from the settings in the bottom right corner and make sure your speakers are on to hear the accompanying bird sounds. 

A birding first came for me while visiting John E. Pearce Provincial Park. This did not come in the form of a new bird for my life list but rather I observed all seven woodpecker species found in our area at one location. Red-headed, Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy, Pileated, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and Northern Flicker were all seen within the park and as someone who loves woodpeckers this was a pretty awesome experience. 

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If seeing a Red-headed Woodpecker is on your bucket list, I highly recommend planning a visit to John E. Pearce Provincial Park.

John E. Pearce Provincial Park is a great destination for any birder and I cannot recommend it enough. On this day I had the park to myself and was treated to some amazing encounters with nature as I have on all my visits. There is no fee to enjoy the park and amenities including washrooms and picnic tables are available for park users. If you are looking for a new place for your next birding excursion, one that is home to an abundance of species including the uncommon Red-headed Woodpecker, give John E. Pearce Provincial Park a try, I think you will be glad you did.

Good birding,
Paul 

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John E. Pearce Provincial Park Reveals A Nice Mix Of Species At Risk

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Red-headed Woodpeckers are currently listed as special concern on Ontario’s species at risk list. This particular bird is one of three I observed last week while birding at John E. Pearce Provincial Park.

Last week I decided to pack up my gear and head to Elgin county with John E. Pearce Provincial Park my destination. Situated on the north shore of Lake Erie and only a short drive from my home in London, this park is an area I had never birded before. With migration numbers having already peaked I was unsure what to expect, but knew this Carolinian habitat would be home to variety of birds.

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Baltimore Orioles could be seen and heard high in the treetops as I made my way through the park.

Upon arriving, I parked in the large lot on the north side of the road next to the Backus-Page House Museum. I was instantly greeted by the songs and calls of several birds with Baltimore Orioles and Yellow Warblers being the first identified. Before strapping on my camera and binoculars, I walked over to a large sign containing a map of the area in order to formulate a plan of where to begin. I decided to commence my hike on the Spicer Trail, a 1.5 km loop that circled the north side of the property. This trail would take me through a mixed habitat of meadow and hardwood forest before leading me to the entrance for the trail on the south of the road overlooking Lake Erie.

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Yellow Warblers were one of the most prevalent birds observed within the park.

As I entered the Spicer Trail, a House Wren was observed perched on the sign marking the trail entrance. I could hear a loud ruckus of breaking sticks and shaking grass just ahead of me to the right. Glancing through the trees and shrubs I saw a White-tailed doe as she ran through the meadow and into the cover of the thick timber. A variety of wildflowers lined the trail where several butterflies were observed including a Canadian Tiger Swallowtail. From within the dense thicket as the meadow transitioned to forest, Gray Catbirds could be seen and heard. Once in the forest, ostrich ferns and moss covered logs concealed much of the forest floor. Great-crested Flycatchers and Red-eyed Vireos could be heard singing high up in the canopy. Deeper in the forest, I saw a White-breasted Nuthatch emerge from a tree cavity, presumably in search of more food for its brood.  

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Canadian Tiger Swallowtails were among the variety of butterflies observed.

After exiting the Spicer Trail, I crossed the road and picked up the path on the lake side. Again, Great-crested Flycatchers and Red-eyed Vireos were heard high overhead. A Hairy Woodpecker called as it flew in front of me and landed on a leafless branch. The sound of rustling leaves on the forest floor directed my attention to an Eastern Chipmunk. At the midway point of the trail I stopped at an opening in the trees overlooking Lake Erie. Due to erosion, a fence has been installed running parallel to the lake keeping visitors away from the edge of the bluff. As I looked past the fence out over the lake I could see several Bank Swallows, a species at risk in Ontario, circling the sky. As their name suggests, Bank Swallows build their nests in the high banks after burrowing a tunnel in the sand. The addition of the fence will also prevent park visitors from disturbing the nesting colonies of this threatened species.

Heading back towards the road a flycatcher grabbed my attention as it flew from one side of the trail to the other. I watched as the bird landed in a small tree, one of only a few in a isolated group in this otherwise mature forest. I raised my binoculars hoping to get a better look and identify the species. As the sun filtered through the canopy onto the bird, I could see that it was greener than other flycatchers and displayed a thin eye ring. Given these field marks and the surrounding habitat, I was thinking this bird might be an Acadian Flycatcher. I watched this flycatcher for several minutes as it seemed quite content on its chosen perch. Before taking flight and moving to the next tree it let out a distinctive “peet-sah” call. I knew at that point that this was in fact an Acadian Flycatcher, a species currently listed as endangered in Ontario. Excited by this sighting, I continued down the trail as I did not want to disturb this bird especially if it was nesting in the area.    

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There were plenty of colourful birds to see on my visit to John E. Pearce Provincial Park including this male Indigo Bunting.

Exiting the woods, I scanned the trees and shrubs as I followed the main road back to the parking lot. This is not a busy road and the shoulders are quite wide, so I felt safe with my decision. Hearing the song of an Indigo Bunting I glanced up and saw a beautiful male singing from a tree top. Sensing my presence, the bird dropped down into a low lying area beside the road surrounded by the forest. While trying to relocate the bird I noticed a second male bunting perched low in the grasses not far from a female. This area had all the characteristics of typical nesting habitat for buntings, so I was not surprised to find three of these beautiful birds in such a small area.

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Red-headed Woodpecker

Continuing along the gravel shoulder, a bird flying from south to north across the road caught my eye. After watching it land in a tree adjacent to the road, I raised my binoculars. To my delight the bird was a Red-headed Woodpecker. This was the second Red-headed Woodpecker I had seen in as many days as I had observed one the previous day in my backyard. As I lowered my binoculars and raised my camera I could hear a second Red-headed Woodpecker calling from across the road. While watching the first bird move to another tree, I picked up yet another Red-headed Woodpecker in my line of sight. Tallying three of these birds, currently listed as special concern in Ontario, in such a small area was one of the many highlights of my visit. 

I was certainly impressed with my first visit to John E. Pearce Provincial Park, and will definitely visit again. The park’s geographic location and Carolinian habitat make it an incredible place to bird any time of year, but I can only imagine what it must be like during the peak of spring and fall migration not only for songbirds, but birds of prey too. I am already planning on returning in September to observe the large flights of raptors that make their way down the Lake Erie shoreline each year on their journey south. I highly recommend John E. Pearce Provincial Park to anyone that has not visited. It truly is a beautiful park loaded with wildlife and offers an excellent opportunity to observe some our province’s most fragile bird species.  

Good birding,
Paul

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