Spring Migration at Point Pelee

Always An Adventure was hired by Road Scholar Canada / Routes to Learning to guide two back-to-back trips to Point Pelee for spring migration 2012.

Besides Point Pelee, Ontario’s Birding Hot Spot, we made stops at Long Point and Rondeau Provincial Parks. Each tour lasted 5 days and occurred during the peak of spring migration.

Here is the entry for trip #1. Total trip list contains both seen and heard.

TOUR I:

7-12 May 2012

The group came together at the Holiday Inn Select in Windsor. It was an enthusiastic bunch containing mostly guests from across the border, USA, but also a couple of Canadians.

The first full day of birding, we spent in the Long Point area. Highlights were Hooded Warbler, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Cape May Warbler and Orchard Oriole.

At Rondeau, Nina Stavlund did a victory dance at the Visitors Center bird feeder when a Tufted Titmouse came in and became her only life bird of the trip. Other highlights of the day were Virginia Rail, Red-headed Woodpecker, Marsh Wren, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Black-throated Blue Warbler.

The next morning brought us to Comber and Stony Point. Here we had good looks at Indigo Bunting, Magnolia Warbler and Black-throated Green Warbler. After checking into the hotel we went for a hike on the Point Pelee Marsh Boardwalk. Here we had Black Tern, Common Gallinule and a young male Orchard Oriole. We ended the afternoon at Hillman Marsh, where we had a Marbled Godwit.

We started early into Point Pelee where things were generally slow but steady. We had many cooperative song birds such as Blue-winged Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

The top highlights from Point Pelee included a female Prothonotary Warbler so oblivious of our presence, she gathered nest material right at our feet! In addition we had two White-eyed Vireos, one of them singing.

Our total trip-list came to 139 species of birds.

Trip-list:

ANSERIFORMES: Anatidae

Canada Goose

Branta canadensis

Mute Swan

Cygnus olor

Wood Duck

Aix sponsa

Gadwall

Anas strepera

American Wigeon

Anas americana

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Blue-winged Teal

Anas discors

Northern Shoveler

Anas clypeata

Green-winged Teal

Anas crecca

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collaris

Lesser Scaup

Aythya affinis

Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

GALLIFORMES: Phasianidae

Ruffed Grouse

Bonasa umbellus

Wild Turkey

Meleagris gallopavo

SULIFORMES: Phalacrocoracidae

Double-crested Cormorant

Phalacrocorax auritus

PELECANIFORMES: Ardeidae

Great Blue Heron

Ardea herodias

Green Heron

Butorides virescens

ACCIPITRIFORMES: Cathartidae

Turkey Vulture

Cathartes aura

ACCIPITRIFORMES: Pandionidae

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

ACCIPITRIFORMES: Accipitridae

Bald Eagle

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Northern Harrier

Circus cyaneus

Cooper’s Hawk

Accipiter cooperii

Broad-winged Hawk

Buteo platypterus

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

FALCONIFORMES: Falconidae

Merlin

Falco columbarius

GRUIFORMES: Rallidae

Virginia Rail

Rallus limicola

Common Moorhen

Gallinula galeata

GRUIFORMES: Gruidae

Sandhill Crane

Grus canadensis

CHARADRIIFORMES: Charadriidae

Black-bellied Plover

Pluvialis squatarola

Killdeer

Charadrius vociferus

CHARADRIIFORMES: Scolopacidae

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Marbled Godwit

Limosa fedoa

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Dunlin

Calidris alpina

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus

CHARADRIIFORMES: Laridae

Bonaparte’s Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

Herring Gull

Larus argentatus

Caspian Tern

Hydroprogne caspia

Black Tern

Chlidonias niger

Forster’s Tern

Sterna forsteri

COLUMBIFORMES: Columbidae

Rock Pigeon

Columba livia

Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura

CUCULIFORMES: Cuculidae

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus

Black-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus erythropthalmus

STRIGIFORMES: Strigidae

Eastern Screech-Owl

Megascops asio

APODIFORMES: Apodidae

Chimney Swift

Chaetura pelagica

APODIFORMES: Trochilidae

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Archilochus colubris

CORACIIFORMES: Alcedinidae

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

PICIFORMES: Picidae

Red-headed Woodpecker

Melanerpes erythrocephalus

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Melanerpes carolinus

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Downy Woodpecker

Picoides pubescens

Hairy Woodpecker

Picoides villosus

Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

PASSERIFORMES: Tyrannidae

Eastern Wood-Pewee

Contopus virens

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

Least Flycatcher

Empidonax minimus

Eastern Phoebe

Sayornis phoebe

Great Crested Flycatcher

Myiarchus crinitus

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

PASSERIFORMES: Vireonidae

White-eyed Vireo

Vireo griseus

Yellow-throated Vireo

Vireo flavifrons

Blue-headed Vireo

Vireo solitarius

Warbling Vireo

Vireo gilvus

Red-eyed Vireo

Vireo olivaceus

PASSERIFORMES: Corvidae

Blue Jay

Cyanocitta cristata

American Crow

Corvus brachyrhynchos

PASSERIFORMES: Alaudidae

Horned Lark

Eremophila alpestris

PASSERIFORMES: Hirundinidae

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Purple Martin

Progne subis

Tree Swallow

Tachycineta bicolor

Bank Swallow

Riparia riparia

Barn Swallow

Hirundo rustica

Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

PASSERIFORMES: Paridae

Black-capped Chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

Boreal Chickadee

Poecile hudsonicus

Tufted Titmouse

Baeolophus bicolor

PASSERIFORMES: Sittidae

White-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis

PASSERIFORMES: Troglodytidae

Carolina Wren

Thryothorus ludovicianus

House Wren

Troglodytes aedon

Marsh Wren

Cistothorus palustris

PASSERIFORMES: Polioptilidae

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

PASSERIFORMES: Regulidae

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Regulus calendula

PASSERIFORMES: Turdidae

Eastern Bluebird

Sialia sialis

Veery

Catharus fuscescens

Swainson’s Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Wood Thrush

Hylocichla mustelina

American Robin

Turdus migratorius

PASSERIFORMES: Mimidae

Gray Catbird

Dumetella carolinensis

Brown Thrasher

Toxostoma rufum

PASSERIFORMES: Sturnidae

European Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

PASSERIFORMES: Bombycillidae

Cedar Waxwing

Bombycilla cedrorum

PASSERIFORMES: Parulidae

Ovenbird

Seiurus aurocapilla

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensis

Blue-winged Warbler

Vermivora cyanoptera

Black-and-white Warbler

Mniotilta varia

Prothonotary Warbler

Protonotaria citrea

Tennessee Warbler

Oreothlypis peregrina

Nashville Warbler

Oreothlypis ruficapilla

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

Hooded Warbler

Setophaga citrina

American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Cape May Warbler

Setophaga tigrina

Cerulean Warbler

Setophaga cerulea

Northern Parula

Setophaga americana

Magnolia Warbler

Setophaga magnolia

Bay-breasted Warbler

Setophaga castanea

Blackburnian Warbler

Setophaga fusca

Yellow Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Setophaga pensylvanica

Black-throated Blue Warbler

Setophaga caerulescens

Palm Warbler

Setophaga palmarum

Pine Warbler

Setophaga pinus

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Setophaga coronata

Black-throated Green Warbler

Setophaga virens

Wilson’s Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

PASSERIFORMES: Emberizidae

Eastern Towhee

Pipilo erythrophthalmus

Chipping Sparrow

Spizella passerina

Field Sparrow

Spizella pusilla

Song Sparrow

Melospiza melodia

Lincoln’s Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

Swamp Sparrow

Melospiza georgiana

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Dark-eyed Junco

Junco hyemalis

PASSERIFORMES: Cardinalidae

Scarlet Tanager

Piranga olivacea

Northern Cardinal

Cardinalis cardinalis

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Indigo Bunting

Passerina cyanea

PASSERIFORMES: Icteridae

Bobolink

Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Eastern Meadowlark

Sturnella magna

Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

Common Grackle

Quiscalus quiscula

Brown-headed Cowbird

Molothrus ater

Orchard Oriole

Icterus spurius

Baltimore Oriole

Icterus galbula

PASSERIFORMES: Fringillidae

House Finch

Carpodacus mexicanus

American Goldfinch

Spinus tristis

PASSERIFORMES: Passeridae

House Sparrow

Passer domesticus

Ontario’s Birding Hot Spot: Point Pelee National Parkwas organized by

Road Scholar Canada

Visit our website

“Always an Adventure with Tony and Nina”