By the middle of May, over 200 species of birds had been found in
Presqu'ile Provincial Park this year, an achievement that probably can
not be matched in any other park in Ontario. It bodes well for visitors
to the forthcoming Warblers and Whimbrels weekend in the Park. Birding
has been excellent for the past week, especially last weekend, and the
weather forecast looks promising for the coming weekend.
On May 18, three Red-throated Loons were visible in Popham Bay,
including one in alternate (summer) plumage. One of the others was seen
again on the following day. Six members of the heron family appeared at
Presqu'ile since the previous report. Among those was a Least Bittern
in a most unexpected location, a semi-open area surrounded by forest
along Paxton Drive. Birds do interrupt their migration in unusual
habitats from time to time, for example the King Rail which appeared at
the lighthouse on May 17-18, 1996. On the other hand, the one which
several people heard calling in the marsh while this was being written
(and which caused the process of composing this to be interrupted for an
hour) was in its proper habitat. Great Egrets and Black-crowned
Night-Herons nest on the offshore islands and can usually be found
during a day's birding, but the Green Heron spotted on May 14 was likely
just passing through.
Beginning with a flock of over 300 birds on May 13 and 200 on May 14,
flocks of Brant have been flying past Presqu'ile on five of the past
seven days. A drake Northern Pintail in Popham Bay on May 18, two
Lesser Scaup in Presqu'ile Bay on May 14, and two Buffleheads on Lake
Ontario on May 18 were remnants of larger numbers earlier in the season
and may prove to be the latest of this season for those species.
An Osprey was seen on May 14, and on May 15 a very vocal Merlin was seen
and heard near Paxton Drive by a number of birders.
Shorebirds have been on the move all week, the majority being
Semipalmated Plovers, Least Sandpipers, and Dunlins. Others of note
were a few Ruddy Turnstones, Sanderlings on two different days, one each
of Semipalmated Sandpiper and White-rumped Sandpiper, and twelve
Short-billed Dowitchers on May 15. Whimbrels and Red Knots should be
arriving within a few days. A Little Gull was at Owen Point on May 18
and 19.
For half a day on May 15, a Black-billed Cuckoo played hide-and-seek
with frustrated birders in the shrubbery at the lighthouse. On May 19,
a Great Horned Owl serenaded campers in the High Bluff campground during
the night. A Red-headed Woodpecker was at the lighthouse on May 16, and
Red-bellied Woodpeckers are being seen in various locations.
On May 15, some observers were able to find five species of vireos,
including a Yellow-throated Vireo and two Philadelphia Vireos. A Sedge
Wren was reported on May 14 and another was found near the Owen Point
trail parking lot on May 19. Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers have a nest south
of the park store. Eastern Bluebird, Veery, Gray-cheeked Thrush,
Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, and Wood Thrush were all present on
May 14, and most of them have been seen on subsequent days. A Northern
Mockingbird made its way past the lighthouse on May 19.
Warblers have certainly been the highlight of the week, with 27 species
and an additional hybrid being recorded in the Park (22 on one day by a
single observer). There have been two Blue-winged Warblers, a few
Golden-winged Warblers, a "Brewster's" Warbler (hybrid of those two
species) on May 14, a few Tennessee Warblers, Northern Parulas, and Cape
May Warblers, a first-ever-for-Presqu'ile Yellow-throated Warbler that
gave splendid looks to about 20 observers on May 18, a few Blackpoll
Warblers, two Cerulean Warblers on May 14, and a male Hooded Warbler on
May 18. Most of these sightings have been within a kilometre of the
lighthouse, where Mourning Warblers are likely to be the next to return.
One of the biggest surprises of the past week at Presqu'ile has been the
presence of Clay-colored Sparrows every day since May 14. Two were seen
on that day, an amazing seven on the next day (in three widely separated
parts of the Park), and one or two each day since in the calf pasture
and/or High Bluff campground. Lincoln's Sparrows have also been found
in various places by a number of birders. There was a report of a
female Evening Grosbeak on May 15.
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. 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,
R.R. #4,
Brighton, Ontario, Canada, K0K 1H0
VOICE: (613) 475 5309
If visiting, access via Presqu'ile Provincial Park.
