middlsex Archives • PAUL ROEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

8754414717 e14ca5a5b6 b 1 - Warblers Will Be The Highlight Of The 2014 Festival Of Birds — Palm Warblers will be among the many warbler species that draw thousands of visitors to Point Pelee for the Festival of Birds.

Point Pelee National Park, located on the north shore of Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario, is about to come alive with birds and birders. Every May the park hosts the Festival of Birds, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors wanting to view some of the thousands of birds that migrate through the area. This year’s 2014 festival runs May 1st through May 19th.

8751680718 b9b445f32e b 1 - Warblers Will Be The Highlight Of The 2014 Festival Of Birds — Common Yellowthroat

8732837300 b9a7cce4e3 z 1 2 - Warblers Will Be The Highlight Of The 2014 Festival Of Birds — Black-throated Green Warbler

Point Pelee is the southernmost tip of mainland Canada and sits at the crossroads of two major flyways. This combined with it’s mixed Carolinian habitat makes it the perfect stopover location for migrating birds that have just crossed Lake Erie. More than 380 bird species have been recorded in the park with over 100 of them breeding within its boundaries. In fact, 80% of all the birds recorded in Ontario have been seen at least once within Point Pelee’s birding area.

8929513078 5c0a6b1feb b 1 2 - Warblers Will Be The Highlight Of The 2014 Festival Of Birds — Several species of shorebird like this Sanderling will be observed on the sand point during the Festival of Birds.

The many shorebird species found feeding along the sandy spit are a popular draw, but the main attraction for most birders is the warbler species. Of the regularly occurring warblers in North America 42 of the 55 species have been observed in Point Pelee National Park, giving it the distinction of “The Warbler Capital of Canada”. On average 36 warbler species are seen each spring in the park. Prothonatary Warblers, an endangered species in Ontario, are a favourite among many birders.

9541559578 aeb2e4caa7 b 1 - Warblers Will Be The Highlight Of The 2014 Festival Of Birds — Beach areas and mud flats throughout the park will provide excellent views of shorebirds like this Semipalmated Plover.

It is not just birds that Point Pelee National Park is famous for. The park is home to over 750 native plants, some of which are rare, threatened or endangered in Canada. Plants of concern include, but are not limited to: American Water Willow, Common Hoptree and Eastern Prickly Pear Cactus. There are also several rare forms of animal life including: Fox Snake, Spotted Turtle, Five-Lined Skink, and the recently reintroduced Southern Flying Squirrel.

8731767397 190e9be22e b 1 - Warblers Will Be The Highlight Of The 2014 Festival Of Birds — Black and White Warbler

The American Birding Association has published daily updates on the birding news section of their website in previous years during the festival. This is a great place to keep on top of recent sightings, as well as where within the park they were seen. The link to the site can be found here.

8729469910 e585220de8 z 1 3 - Warblers Will Be The Highlight Of The 2014 Festival Of Birds — Cape May Warbler

The Point Pelee National Park Festival of Birds is something that is on every serious birders’ bucket list and attracts visitors from all over the world. For more information on the festival including daily activities, fees, directions, and hours visit their website here. If you are planning a visit to the park for the festival be sure to read the code of ethics section, as this is something that is taken quite seriously and any infraction can result in your removal from the park.

If you happen to make it to this year’s Festival of Birds, please let me know of your sightings either in the comment section below this post or by using my contact form. I am always interested in hearing from fellow birders!

Good birding,
Paul

IMG 2072 1 - Good Birding Report: London, ON April 13-19 2014 — This week’s warm weather didn’t just bring new birds to the area; Painted Turtles could be seen basking in the sun.

This past week saw more consistency to the daytime highs and consequently more migrating bird species arriving in our area. Several first of year species were seen and with the weather looking to remain stable for the upcoming week, more will follow.

I finally saw my first Yellow-rumped Warblers of the year this past week after mentioning them as early returnees in previous posts. The number of sparrow species that have returned continues to grow with Field Sparrows now being added to the list. Chipping Sparrows have been regular morning visitors to my feeders this past week and White-throated Sparrows are more abundant. Northern Rough-winged Swallows can now be seen, along with increased numbers of Tree Swallows flying overhead in search of insects in areas close to water.

Many of the local ponds in the area are turning up several waterfowl species. Saunders Pond located in the Westminster Ponds ESA is a perfect example of this. Wood Ducks, Horned Grebes, American Coots, Common Mergansers, and Pied-billed Grebes were all present. A Great Egret was also observed on the north side of the pond, visible from the lookout behind Tourist Information on Wellington Road. In fact, the entire Westminster Ponds ESA provided great looks at many birds. The forest floor was alive with activity, with Hermit Thrushes and Brown Thrashers sifting though the leaf matter in search of insects. Eastern Meadowlarks could be seen and heard in the open field areas within the ESA. Five woodpecker species, the highlight being a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers, were also found deep in the forests. A rather early Blue-headed Vireo was seen on the edge of the forest capturing insects. Vireos typically arrive later in April or early May, so this was a nice surprise.

IMG 1795 1 2 - Good Birding Report: London, ON April 13-19 2014 — This Blue-headed Vireo was seen at Westminster Ponds ESA.

A complete list of birds observed this week is as follows:

IMG 1985 1 - Good Birding Report: London, ON April 13-19 2014 — Brown Thrashers could be seen sifting through leaves on forest floors in search of insects.

American Coot
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Robin
American Wigeon
Bald Eagle
Black-capped Chickadee
Blue-headed Vireo
Blue Jay
Brown Headed Cowbird
Brown Thrasher
Canada Goose
Carolina Wren
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Common Merganser
Dark-eyed Junco
Double-crested Cormorant
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
European Starling
Field Sparrow
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Great Egret
Hairy Woodpecker

Hermit Thrush
Horned Grebe
House Finch
House Sparrow
Killdeer
Mallard
Mourning Dove

IMG 1825 1 2 - Good Birding Report: London, ON April 13-19 2014 — Hermit Thrushes are another species that can be found on or near the forest floor searching for insects.

Merlin
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Osprey
Pied-billed Grebe
Pileated Woodpecker
Song Sparrow
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-winged Blackbird
Ring-billed Gull
Tree Swallow
Turkey Vulture
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-throated Sparrow
Wood Duck
Yellow-rumped Warbler

IMG 2003 1 - Good Birding Report: London, ON April 13-19 2014 — Several Butterfly species emerged this past week including this Milbert’s Tortoiseshell.

It wasn’t just bird activity that increased this past week. Reptiles, amphibians, and butterflies were all more prevalent. The calls of Spring Peepers and Chorus Frogs echoed from within flooded wooded areas. Painted Turtles could be seen basking on logs in the warm sun, and several butterfly species including Mourning Cloaks and Milbert’s Tortoiseshells emerged.

Spring Migration is really starting to pick up now that spring-like weather is finally here. The numbers of species previously reported will increase and new arrivals will be appearing over the next couple of weeks. If you get the chance over this period, head out to your local park, ESA, or Conservation Area and see what incredible nature we have right here in our own backyard.

Good birding,
Paul