The fall bird migration at Presqu'ile Provincial Park is slowly gaining
momentum, with new species returning every few days.
There are still several scaup that have been spending the summer near
Sebastopol Island, too far away to determine their specific identity. A
male White-winged Scoter was near the lighthouse on July 11, and a
female Hooded Merganser near Gull Island on July 15. Two Common Loons
flew eastbound high over the beach calling to each other. A Least
Bittern was found on July 11. A high count of six Great Egrets by one
observer on July 14 indicates how easy that species is to find in the Park.
An Osprey carried a large fish past the beach on July 17, and a week
earlier an immature Bald Eagle was seen around High Bluff Island. A
Cooper's Hawk was seen in two different locations this week. An earlier
report has just come to light of a Wild Turkey with young just inside
the Park gate on July 4. Six species of shorebirds, only two of which
are summer residents have been on the beach this week. The most
numerous of the migrants have been Least Sandpipers, with a high count
of 43 birds on July 11. There was a Semipalmated Plover on July 16,
three Lesser Yellowlegs on July 17, and single Semipalmated Sandpipers
on July 16 and 17. Other species, including some such as Stilt Sandpiper
that are absent in spring, should soon be appearing. Caspian Tern
numbers, augmented by this year's young, have reached triple digits,
with 120 individuals counted at Owen Point on July 16.
A silent Black-billed Cuckoo, almost hidden among leaves, was spotted by
a keen-eyed observer at the Owen Point Trail parking lot on July 16.
Three Barred Owls were calling in Jobes' Woods on July 12, and another
was observed in flight the next day near the beach 2 access road. A few
flycatchers of various species have appeared at the lighthouse in recent
days, probably early migrants. Among them were an Eastern Wood-Pewee
and an unidentified flycatcher of the /Empidonax/ genus. Swallows of
several species are lining the wires along Bayshore Road. Both American
Redstart and Northern Waterthrush have appeared near the lighthouse
recently, as has an Orchard Oriole.
To reach Presqu'ile Provincial Park, follow the signs from Brighton.
Locations within the Park are shown on a map at the back of a tabloid
that is available at the Park gate. Birders who have not visited
Presqu'ile in the past few years may not be aware that the boardwalk
that provides access into the marsh has been closed and is unlikely to
be re-opened for another year or so. Access to the offshore islands is
restricted at this time of year to prevent disturbance to the colonial
nesting birds there.
Questions and comments about bird sightings at Presqu'ile may be
directed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Fred Helleiner
186 Bayshore Road,
Brighton, Ontario, Canada, K0K 1H0
VOICE: (613) 475 5309
If visiting, access via Presqu'ile Provincial Park.
_______________________________________________
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