On September 18th, a small but enthusiastic group of four attended the Big Sit at Northwest Beach at Point Pelee National Park. We ended up finding a total of 61 species just within the Northwest Beach parking lot area and nearby trails. After the Big Sit, two of us continued north to bird Sanctuary Picnic Area and added an additional 5 species bringing our day total to 66. Northeast winds and sunny, warm weather made for a productive day w/ a good raptor flight and lots of migrant songbirds.
In the early morning hours, many warblers were seen flying over the parking lot but lighting and the height of their flight made for difficult ID. Fortunately, as the day went on, lots of warblers, vireos, and thrushes were seen around the edge of the parking lot as well as in the nearby trails. The forest was very active! We ended up w/ a total of 18 warbler species w/ Blackpoll Warbler being the most abundant. Lots of Swainson's and Gray-cheeked Thrushes were around and Blue-headed, Philadelphia, and several Red-eyed Vireos also gave great looks. Other select migrants included Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Least Flycatcher, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Northeast winds made for exciting raptor migration. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, we saw an estimated 50 Sharp-shinned Hawks (by far the most numerous raptor), as well as Turkey Vultures, Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles, Broad-winged Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, and Merlin flying over the parking lot. On the beach, two Lesser-blacked Gulls provided good study and a flock of Sanderlings and a couple Caspian Terns were nice additions. The only other shorebirds were two flyover Killdeer and a single Greater Yellowlegs. Thank you to our small group who kept the energy high throughout the day. It was a fun experience to see how many species we could tally in a single area during the Big Sit. Jeremy Hatt -- Ontbirds and Birdnews are moderated email Listservs provided by the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) as a service to all birders in Ontario. Birdnews is reserved for announcements, location summaries, first of year reports, etc. To post a message on Birdnews, send an email to: [email protected]. If you have any questions or concerns, contact the Birdnews Moderators by email at [email protected]. Please review posting rules and guidelines at http://ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines During the COVID-19 pandemic, all Ontario birders should be taking extra precautions and following local, provincial, and federal regulations regarding physical distancing and non-essential travel. To find out more about OFO, please visit our website at ofo.ca or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OntarioFieldOrnithologists.
