Fall Birding And Paddling At Pinery Provincial Park

Wanting somewhere to bird and paddle close to home, Pinery Provincial Park seemed like the perfect destination. After strapping my 14′ Prospector pack boat by Swift Canoe and Kayak to the top of my car, loading my camera and lenses, and packing a lunch, I hit the road. Having not visited the Pinery in roughly 25 years, I was excited about the possibilities of exploring somewhere new. 

Arriving at the park just after 9 a.m. I was greeted by blue skies. I glanced down at the dash thermometer which read 3 degrees Celcius. A cool start to the day no doubt but that was okay as I brought plenty of layers to choose from. After showing my Ontario Parks annual vehicle permit at the gatehouse, I slowly made my way into the park. Immediately on my left, a male Eastern Towhee flitted through the thick shrubs lining the road while two Hermit Thrushes scattered to my right. I was pretty excited about the towhee sighting and was hoping this was a sign of things to come.  

I meandered through the park and came to the canoe launch. As I exited my vehicle, Blue Jays could be heard calling while several White-throated Sparrows moved along the forest floor adjacent to the river bank. A lone Gray Catbird disclosed its location in a dogwood by letting out its cat-like meow call. After getting my boat off the car and all my gear loaded on board I was ready to start paddling. Heading north along the Old Ausable Channel I decided to stick the west side. Not only would this provide the best light for photos, paddling in the sunshine was much more comfortable on this chilly morning.  

Making my way along, several more songbirds could be heard including White-breasted Nuthatches, American Goldfinches, and Black-capped Chickadees. Yellow-rumped Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were abundant as they moved through the trees along the water’s edge. Hearing a splash, I looked to my left to see four Wood Ducks taking flight from underneath an oak tree; not surprising considering acorns are a favourite food of this waterfowl. 

As I continued to paddle, I remembered my Dad taking me canoeing at the Pinery as a kid and seeing a Red-headed Woodpecker. The dead trees on the west side of the river looked just as I remembered them so many years ago. I scanned up and down them as this is where I had seen the rare woodpecker more than two decades earlier. Not alerted by sound or movement, I noticed what looked like the large white wing patches of a Red-headed Woodpecker high up on a broken-off tree trunk. Resting my paddle across the gunwales I coasted along fixated on the tree. Sure enough, it was a Red-headed Woodpecker. Raising my camera I captured several images of this bird. I watched as the bird flew back and forth between the dead tree and live oaks returning with what appeared to be acorns. From what I could tell the bird was caching the nuts in the loose bark and crevices of the deceased tree. Making my way further north, another one of these beautiful woodpeckers came into view, this time a juvenile bird lacking the red head. 

Happy with this observation I continued north. Up ahead, an Osprey took flight and was coming straight at me. I managed to capture several images as the bird passed by. Other birds of prey present on this day were several Cooper’s Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Turkey Vultures all clearly migrating as they made their way south through the park. 

As I rounded the next bend another small group of Wood Ducks was seen resting on a fallen log. I managed to capture a distant shot before they took flight. On this day I saw more Wood Ducks than I have anywhere else in a long time but getting close enough to these skittish birds for a quality shot was impossible. 

Next, a Great Blue Heron preening on a dead branch caught my eye. Having paddled this 2.5-mile section of the river, I reached the culvert at the end of the channel. A Red Squirrel chattered as it moved through the fallen leaves and jumped up into the cedars while the chuck, chuck, chuck call of an Eastern Chipmunk could also be heard.  

Now afternoon, a strong south breeze had picked up as predicted. Battling a headwind on the way back I was happy to have my 5 lb folding anchor on board so I could quietly slip this over this side and continue to take pictures without losing ground. Despite a rather cool wind, the afternoon sun was warm enough to draw Painted Turtles out of the water as I saw several basking on fallen logs. 

Continuing south in the direction of my car, three Wild Turkeys made their way through the tall grasses of the shoreline. Pausing to take pictures, the south breeze was quite appreciated as it pushed me along at the same rate of travel as the turkeys affording me the opportunity to capture several images.

With my paddling complete and my pack boat secured to the top of my car, I decided to hike a couple of the trails Pinery Provincial Park has to offer. I started at the Cedar Trail behind the Visitor Centre. Here I was delighted to see several Tufted Titmice. This is a bird I don’t see too often but I know is regularly observed by others within the park. Even more exciting, one of the birds perched nearby allowing me to capture several images of this species I had not previously photographed. Golden-crowned Kinglets and Hermit Thrushes were also readily seen from the Cedar Trail.  

Having completed the 2.3 km Cedar Trail, I made my way over to the Heritage Trail. Immediately upon entering the trail I could see an abundance of Hermit Thrushes and a less common Wood Thrush. Winter Wrens, Blue Jays, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers were also seen as I navigated my way through the forest. What I really enjoyed about this trail is the wooden observation platform looking out over the Old Ausable Channel. From here, I located two Eastern Phoebes as they moved from limb to limb just above the surface of the water. Higher up in the treetops were more Yellow-rumped Warblers. As I was heading back to my car passing through a section of small White Pine trees, I flushed a Roughed Grouse.   

With daylight and my energy level dwindling, it was time to call it a day. Incredibly satisfied with the birding, paddling, and hiking within Pinery Provincial Park, I could only wonder to myself why I waited so long to return. One thing is certain, it won’t be long before I return again. I have already made plans to visit this amazing park again this fall. If you have never visited Pinery Provincial Park, I highly recommend checking it out. Whether birding, paddling, hiking, cycling, or camping this great park offers something for everyone. 

Good birding,
Paul

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