Spring migration at Point Pelee
Bird watching is now our thing, we normally vacation in May and let’s face it, tropical after a pandemic is NOT appealing. We decided to stay home and did you know? There is a spring migration, I did but in no way did I understand it, the way I do now. Point Pelee is the place to be, we booked our vacation with work and started planning. How could we possibly identify 100 birds in the four days of birding at Point Pelee, it seemed impossible.
Welcome to the Tip of Canada
For those who don’t know, the Tip, is the southernmost point in Canada. It boasts the same temperature as southern California and for migratory birds, this is the first piece of land they see when crossing Lake Erie. Once at the visitor center the park provides a trolley out to the tip every 10 minutes or so. Although you can choose to walk, it is about a two-kilometer hike and the number of birds is eye-opening.
We decided to come out a bit early to get a lay of the land and figure out the park, as a result we were not disappointed. There are so many different habitats and walking trails that you can feel like you own the place; during our time we walked for hours without running into another person. Here we discovered warblers and how small they are and how many different species come during the migration. By the time we made our way down to the tip of the tip we saw the ducks, waterfowl and shore birds floating and flying about, it was extraordinary. It was very obvious that birding at Point Pelee was something we were enjoying and would want to continue.
Birders at Point Pelee National Park
It is clear that many people come from all around to search for birds and build their life lists at Point Pelee. We met many birders during our hike through the park. Some were beginners like us, as well as people who have been bird watching their entire lives.
Another added bonus, if you get in early enough you can book birding tours with experienced birders through the Friends of Point Pelee group. We booked two hikes, one in the evening and one in the morning and both were exceptional.
We walked more than 36 kilometers over the four days we were out, there was so much to see that I did not feel the walk until we got back to our hotel.
So many birds
It wasn’t long before we were running on information overload. With such a large amount of birds to look at, it is difficult to figure out how much time to spend on one. When it came to turn in our checklist I could not answer the question “Did you have a favorite bird?” there were too many to remember as a result I sat there stumped. We did get our pin, this will fuel the need to collect them every year.
Honestly, it is a beautiful park, we bought an annual pass and we will continue to attend the Festival of Birds. There will be more posts from us soon about Point Pelee National Park. There is too much to say about the various trails, habitats and nature you can encounter in such a beautiful park in one post.
Point Pelee National Park: A drive from Niagara in time lapse
Point Pelee Maps
A national park in Essex County in southwestern Ontario, Canada where it extends into Lake Erie. The word pelée is French for ‘bald’.
Point Pelee National Park (pc.gc.ca)