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May birding
Tuesday, May 6, 2003
This year migration got off to a slow start due to the cooler weather. Things have now picked up to a good pace. Last Thursday, May 1, we had thundershowers in the early morning hours. This was ideal for bringing down migrating birds just before sun-up. Birds don't like moving while a thunder-shower is in their path because they use stars and lights to migrate. They will drop down at the nearest point of land.
The shore of Lake Erie is a good place to look for new migrants. Sandspits like Point Pelee, Rondeau and Long Point are concentration points. These places reported an "avalanche" of migrants at first light on May 1. Of course, there were lots of other birds at other locations inland. Warblers, sparrows, Orioles and others were in abundance.
This past weekend, Point Pelee recorded a Lark Sparrow on Saturday. One or two are recorded there each spring. Each year, Pelee records an astounding number of rarities, hence living up to its name. Time will tell what Pelee has in store for us this year.
At Rondeau, no real rarities were reported, but some decent birds were found after a slow start to the spring.
I helped lead the annual outing of the Ontario Field Ornithologists on Saturday. We recorded a total of 86 species in the park. We missed some of the reported birds, so it was an excellent day. Uncommon ones we observed were Hooded Warbler, Blue-winged Warbler, and Grasshopper Sparrow. The Grasshopper Sparrow was near the beginning of the Marsh Trail. It is always an excellent bird to see because it is uncommon, and sometimes elusive as it feeds in the grass. The Grasshopper has declined dramatically due to loss of habitat, namely grasslands and pastures.
Other birds I saw on the weekend included Orange-crowned Warbler (elusive species), Cerulean Warbler, and Prothonotary Warbler. The latter two have also declined due to loss of habitat. The Cerulean nests in the treetops of mature forests, while the Prothonotary likes wooded swamps. I also heard a Louisiana Waterthrush, a more southern species.
Of note on Sunday, was the report of a Pileated Woodpecker at Point Pelee. This species habits large mature forests, a rare commodity in Essex and Chatham-Kent. The last record of a Pileated at Point Pelee was apparently 1953. What a unique find! The Pileated is essentially a non-migratory species, so it would be interesting to know how it ended up at Pelee.
Peak migration is around the middle of May, so many more birds and rarities are yet to come. The attached photo is one I took of a Scarlet Tanager in the sloughs of Rondeau a few years ago.
