What a difference a day makes! Despite the foggy conditions first thing this morning, birding has been pretty lean. After the sun came out, activity picked up a little bit. Nevertheless, the numbers of birds declined significantly from yesterday. It is still too early to say whether the diversity of species was affected much. As of 11:00 a.m., 22 species of warblers have been reported in the Park.
Some of the highlights written in the Daily Sightings book include: TIP AREA - A Mississippi Kite was reported at the Sparrow Field/ Woodland Nature Trail interface. No details have been provided as yet. Should it be reported again, an update will be put out. A Dickcissel was observed flying south along the west beach, north of the Tip Tram loop (near the Honey Locust). A Prairie Warbler was seen just south of the tram stop. At the Tip itself, a Black Tern was present briefly. Also seen flying by were two White-winged Scoters and a lone Long-tailed Duck. An Eared Grebe was seen off the Tip. Songbird activity was low but at least one Blackpoll was reported. WOODLAND NATURE TRAIL AREA - Red-headed Woodpeckers continue to be seen. Also reported was a Solitary Sandpiper from one of the wet sloughs, and an Orange-crowned Warbler along the Redbud Trail. Little else has been reported so far. VISITOR CENTRE and TILDEN WOODS AREA - A small group of Pine Siskins briefly stopped in the trees in the tram loop. Nearby an Orchard Oriole put on show singing loudly. An Eared Grebe was once again was reported from the West Beach area, this time off the north end of the West Beach. Tilden Woods continued to be relatively productive. Most noteworthy was Blue-winged Warbler, numerous Northern Waterthrushes, a few Black-throated Blue Warblers and Magnolia Warblers. The Prothonotary Warbler observed repeatedly yesterday has not been reported so far. Also entertaining was a Mourning Dove feeding two large young. A Hairy Woodpecker was noted near the wet spot on the Seasonal Trail. A Philadelphia Vireo was noted on the Shuster Trail. DELAURIER AREA - Nothing has been reported so far. SLEEPY HOLLOW/DUNES AREA - Nothing has been reported so far. MARSH BOARDWALK/BLUE HERON/NORTHWEST BEACH AREA - A Lawrence's Warbler was reported from Northwest Beach. Otherwise, staff were informed it was relatively quiet, like the rest of the Park. HILLMAN MARSH CA - Birds reported there this morning included: Lesser and greater Yellowlegs, Dunlin, Black-bellied Plover, American Pipit, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler and Mallard. A Ring-necked Pheasant was also observed running along the south end of the shorebird cell. Good Birding, Festival of Birds Hike Leaders Pete R, Karl, Todd, Justin, Sarah, Jeremy, Jean, Geoff, Ian, Chris, Dave, Bruce, Cameron, Scott, Ken and Iain The Festival of Birds runs from May 1-18. For a detailed schedule visit: www.festivalofbirds.ca For highlights and other updates follow us at www.twitter.com/PointPeleeNP The Festival is brought to you by Parks Canada - Point Pelee National Park and the Friends of Point Pelee. Hikes are generously supported by Quest Nature Tours and Tropical Birding Tours. Shorebird Viewing Nights are brought to you in partnership with Ontario Field Ornithologists and Essex Region Conversation Authority and Pelee Wings Nature Store. _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
