Scenic Port Stanley, Ontario has always been a favourite destination of mine for birding.
The village of Port Stanley, Ontario located on the north shore of Lake Erie has always held a special place in my heart. As a kid, I spent many weekends there fishing, waterskiing, celebrating holidays, and exploring nature with my Dad. As an adult, I find myself returning to the port often to enjoy the incredible birding opportunities I discovered at such a young age.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird photographed at Hawk Cliff just outside the village of Port Stanley.
Regardless of the season, there is always a multitude of birds to be seen across the various habitats encompassing the village. September and October are two of my favourite months to visit because not only is fall migration in full swing, the post-Labour Day crowds are much smaller and it often feels like I have the entire village to myself.
Turkey Vulture doing its part to help keep the village clean.
On a recent trip, I birded at three of my favourite locations around the village and was rewarded with some nice views of several species. I started my day at the pier and main beach area on the west side of Kettle Creek. With fog still in the air, I saw a large group of Turkey Vultures feeding on a dead Ring-billed Gull in the municipal parking lot. While it didn’t provide the most appetizing view it did remind me of the importance of these large scavengers to our ecosystem. By consuming carcasses that would otherwise be left to decompose, vultures are extremely beneficial in preventing the spread of disease. For this reason, I have always had a fascination and special appreciation for these birds.
Red-breasted Merganser
Making my way out on the pier two Double-crested Cormorants were observed. An adult bird was rather successful catching several small fish on repeated dives against the concrete structure. An immature bird was busy preening on the rocks abutting the pier. Closer to the lighthouse, a single Red-breasted Merganser swam along as it periodically ruffled its feathers. In front of the main beach Ring-billed, Herring, and Bonaparte’s Gulls could be seen at the water’s edge.
This flock of Bonaparte’s Gulls was observed from the main beach in the village of Port Stanley.
After leaving the beach area I made my way to Hawk Cliff. As the name suggests, this is a great location to observe migrating birds of prey. It is not uncommon to see hundreds even thousands of raptors on a given day. On this day as the wind picked up from the northwest and the fog cleared a decent flight was seen. Broad-winged and Sharp-shinned Hawks were the most abundant with American Kestrels also being observed in good numbers.
Many of the wooded habitats around the village are home to a variety of birds like this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher photographed on my most recent visit. Despite being situated on a Great Lake, there is far more to see than just waterbirds when visiting Port Stanley. On my last visit, Red-eyed Vireos and other songbirds were abundant.
Along the roadway and within Hawk Cliff Woods many songbirds were observed. On this visit, I enjoyed great views of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds as they perched in the sumacs while taking a break from feeding on the plenitude of jewelweed lining the road. Red-eyed Vireos, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, various warblers, and Carolina Wrens were all seen and heard to name a few. Large flocks of blue jays totaling hundreds of birds were also observed overhead as they too were migrating.
Late blooming jewelweed lining the road at Hawk Cliff always attracts Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during fall migration.
Hawk Cliff is also a great location to observe Monarch Butterflies as they migrate along the shoreline. Several Monarchs were observed stopping briefly to nectar on the New England Aster and Goldenrod as they too were taking advantage of the northwest wind.
Monarch Butterfly nectaring on New England Aster at Hawk Cliff.
For me, no visit to Port Stanley is complete without a stop at the sewage lagoons. Located on Scotch Line there is always something to see from the two viewing stands overlooking the four cells. Water levels varied by cell with Wood Ducks, Northern Shovellers, and Canada Geese observed in the deepest and Lesser Yellowlegs being observed along the muddy edges of the shallowest.
Fall migration is one of the best times to observe Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the area.
On top of great birding, the village is filled with unique shops and restaurants that add to any visit. Mackies on the main beach has some of the best fries around and the pralines and cream in a waffle cone from Brodericks’ Ice Cream Parlour on Bridge Street is absolutely delicious. Great birding opportunities exist throughout the fall and into the winter months. I enjoy birding here regardless of the season due to the variety of species present throughout the year. If you’ve never birded in the village of Port Stanley, I highly recommend planning a trip in the near future.
Good birding,
Paul
*My2019 calendarshave arrived and are now available for purchase. For more information including the images featured and how to purchase, please follow the link provided.*
Shorebirds includingSanderling are readily found at area beaches during spring migration.
For any birder, spring migration is the greatest time of year. The sight of so many birds moving through one area on route to their breeding grounds is truly remarkable. I consider myself a shorebird fanatic and particularly enjoy searching area beaches for the wide variety of these birds that make their way across Southwestern Ontario each spring.
Whimbrel are a large shorebird with long legs and a long down-curved bill.
Last week, I devoted an entire day to finding and photographing as many shorebirds as I could with hopes of locating one of my favourites, the Whimbrel. Whimbrel typically move through our area around the Victoria Day Long Weekend give or take a few days and are regularly found on beaches, piers, and breakwaters along the north shore of Lake Erie.
A Dunlin foraging in the shallow water of the shorebird cell at Hillman Marsh Conservation Area.
I planned my day in advance and decided to begin at Hillman Marsh Conservation Area east of Leamington, Ontario. After completing a hike around the conservation area, my idea was to drive east along the Lake Erie shoreline to Port Stanley, Ontario making several stops along the way at various ports, harbours, and other points of access to the lake. The light south breeze off the lake forecast for this day would not only provide comfortable birding conditions, it should also help propel shorebirds down the lake making for an excellent day.
Several muskrats were observed feeding on vegetation as I made my way around the conservation area.
Arriving at Hillman Marsh shortly after 8 a.m. I was greeted by the sounds of a Grey Catbird, several Yellow Warblers, and a Red-eyed Vireo. After grabbing my camera, binoculars, and applying insect repellant I made my way to the shorebird cell located within the conservation area. Scanning the shallow pond with my binoccualrs, I could see an assortment of shorebirds probing their bills into the mud as they foraged away. Shorebirds noted here were:
Dunlin
Black-bellied Plover
Least Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Spotted Sandpiper
Loud splashes could be heard as Carp were busy spawning in the various ponds.
Several species of waterfowl were also observed in the shorebird cell and included:
Canada Goose
Mallard
Northern Shoveller
Blue Winged Teal
Gadwall
Trumpeter Swan
Great Egret
Satisfied with my observations, I decided to walk the roughly 5 km trail encompassing the conservation area to see what else I could find. In the back section of the property, I observed a juvenile Bald Eagle as it landed in a mature tree located on the water’s edge. From a tall viewing tower a Great Egret was seen wading in front of the emergent vegetation on the far side of the pond.
Sandhill Cranes flying high overhead.
Songbirds present in good numbers at Hillman Marsh were Eastern Kingbirds and Common Yellowthroats. Of course, no visit to any wetland in May would be complete without observing dozens of Red-winged Blackbirds. As I made my way back to my car, a pair of Sandhill Cranes passed by overhead.
Whimbrel were among the many shorebirds observed on the beach at Wheatley Harbour.
Having completed the trail at Hillman Marsh, I drove east along Lakeshore Dive to Wheatley Harbour. Parking on the east side of the harbour I slowly made my way out to the beach. Mixed in with a large flock of Ring-billed Gulls I could see three buff, long-legged, shorebirds, with long down-curved bills, key characteristics of Whimbrel. Not wanting to spook the birds, I stayed low and did not approach too closely.
Whimbrel are similar in body size to a Ring-billed Gull with long legs and a long bill.
By this time it was late morning and the sun was positioned high in the southern sky which meant I would be shooting directly into it. It’s always best to have the sun at your back when taking photos, but with roughly 60 miles of lake in front of me, my options were limited. In order to properly expose the Whimbrel and avoid silhouettes, I increased my exposure compensation to +1. Lake Erie was a beautiful shade of turquoise blue on this day providing an excellent background.
Sanderling on the beach in Wheatley, Ontario
After capturing several images of the Whimbrel a fish tug entered the harbour from out on the lake. As the boat reversed hard at dockside, the diesel engine roared scaring the flock of gulls and three Whimbrel from the beach, At first it looked like the Whimbrel were going to land on the rock breakwater just offshore but instead continued in a westerly direction out of sight. With the beach now void of birds, it was time to head back to the car for a sandwich and wait and see if more shorebirds would show up.
Several flocks of shorebirds including these Semipalmated Sandpipers were observed making their way along the north shore of Lake Erie.
Following a quick lunch break, I ventured back out on the beach hoping for more shorebirds to arrive. To my delight, a small flock of mixed shorebirds containing Dunlin, Black-bellied Plover, and Ruddy Turnstones made their way past. Shortly after that, a flock of Semipalmated Sandpipers flew by. Unfortunately, none of these birds landed but I managed a few images as they flew past.
Remarkable views of this Ruddy Turnstone were achieved at Wheatley harbour.
As I was getting ready to leave and continue on to my next location, several Sanderling landed within a few feet of where I was sitting on the beach. I watched as these birds foraged and bathed where the water met the sand. Seconds later a Ruddy Turnstone landed joining the group of Sanderling. With my camera still set to +1 exposure compensation, I enjoyed fantastic views and captured several images of these beautiful shorebirds.
Whimbrel in flight.
As it was now afternoon, I decided it was time to carry on as I still had several locations I wanted to check on my indirect way back to London. While walking across the beach to my car a small flock of 14 Whimbrel passed by. Shortly thereafter, a much larger flock which I estimate to be well over 100 birds made their way toward the beach. These Whimbrel were looking to land amongst the large flock of Ring-billed Gulls, which were now positioned further east down the beach after being dispersed by the fish tug. It was evident that these birds were wary of my presence and reluctant to land. Some touched down briefly while others kept circling without landing. Knowing how far these birds travel during their migration and that they were likely hungry and exhausted, I could not watch them circle any longer, so I vacated the beach hoping they would land. Before I could make it to my car the birds disappeared out of sight to the east.
This large flock of Whimbrel was observed in a cornfield west of John E. Pearce Provincial on Lakeview Line.
Leaving Wheatley, I continued east following the Lake Erie shoreline making several stops along the way. At the various beaches, more shorebirds were observed. As I made my way down Lakeview Line just west of John E. Pearce Provincial Park, I noticed a large flock of birds out in a field. Recognizing that these birds were too small to be Canada Geese and knowing that geese are typically paired off raising young at this time of year and not found in large flocks, I pulled over for a closer look. With the aid of binoculars, I could see this was a large flock of Whimbrel, perhaps the same flock I had seen earlier in Wheatley.
In breeding plumage, Dunlin are easily identified by their rusty backs and black bellies.
Next stop was Port Stanley, Ontario. As I searched the main beach and pier area, I was treated to great views of Dunlin. Having had an excellent day birding and the fact it was approaching the dinner hour, I packed up my gear and headed back to London.
This Dunlin was forced to take flght as a small wave broke on shore.
Even though the big flocks of shorebirds have already moved through our area, great views can still be achieved at area beaches. The north shore of Lake Erie is obviously one of my favourites, but similar success can be achieved along any of the Great Lakes throughout the first few weeks of June. If you can, plan your visit on a weekday before school ends, which will result in beaches that are less crowded resulting in more shorebirds.
In Southwestern Ontario, we are fortunate to be surrounded by the Great Lakes and their beautiful beaches. Birding on these beaches can be quite rewarding and now is the perfect time to get out there and take advantage of these opportunities.
