Pt. Pelee Spectacle! - 06 Oct. 2007

The Washtenaw Audubon Society hosted a field trip to Point Pelee yesterday, and I couldn't resist the chance to tag along. Cathy Carroll organized the outing, and Karl Overman led the field trip, which took place on a sunny October morning that would reach 90F before day's end. Although birding was relatively quiet for most of the day, we did have the opportunity to witness a somewhat rare occurrence involving thousands of Blue Jays and Sharp-shinned Hawks trapped at the point.

I arrived at 7:30am and had an hour to kill before meeting the WAS group at the Interpretive Centre. The sunrise appeared like a fireball over the lake and I couldn't resist a pic or two. 

Stopping at the Marsh Boardwalk I met up w/ a couple of birders who told me that things were quiet there. Walking out onto the wooden trail I immediately began to hear Marsh Wrens all around me. Blue Jays were flying toward the point by the hundreds, and I could hear a small flock of American Pipits overhead. Great Blue Herons were out in open water, as well as a number of Wood Ducks. A flock of (7) Lesser Yellowlegs flew by and disappeared into the lily pads. 

Both sides of the boardwalk were completely engulfed by cattails, but I still managed to see several Marsh Wrens up close as they chattered and chased each other within a few feet of the deck. Swamp Sparrows were ducking in and out along the boardwalk ahead of me and were also trilling deeper in the marsh. I spotted the first of (4) Sora as the marsh opened up just past the first lookout. I had to stand on my toes to scope the first Sora at 60X as it was far out across the marsh. Several birds were calling in the vicinity, and I managed to ID my bird based on its bright yellow beak.

A small flock of Rusty Blackbirds were feeding and chasing each other amid a small mud mound amid the thick lily pads. I managed a single digiscoped image of a young bird 

before it flew off and joined a group of immature and female Red-winged Blackbirds.

With Marsh Wrens continuing to call across the small pond ahead of me, I broke out my iBirdPod and tried to lure some out into the open so that I could digiscope them. Just then another Sora appeared at the base of the cattails and I tried to digiscope it for the next 15 minutes. The bird was well camouflaged and rarely came out completely into view, but I managed a couple of keepers. 

With time running short I reluctantly continued back toward the car. 

Another Sora appeared just ahead of me alongside the boardwalk, and I managed a single photo of it w/ the D70 and Sigma 400 f/5.6. 

Yet another Sora flushed just below me and disappeared before I could even raise my camera. Slow birding? Not from my point of view!

Arriving at the IC at 8:48 am I found the parking lot covered with dozens of Blue Jays on the ground and in the trees. I caught up w/ the WAS group just before the tram arrived to take us to the point. Hundreds more Blue Jays were flying overhead, 

and we were shocked by the numbers. Arriving at the point, birds were now in the thousands! The skies literally sparkled with blue and white flashing wingbeats as flocks flew overhead at all elevations. 

Among the flocks of Blue Jays were dozens of Sharp-shinned Hawks flying low over the trees. Some darted in and out of trees looking for a blue-feathered meal. Despite the number of birds, we saw almost no other passerines. Only a single Broad-winged and Cooper's were the only other hawks seen.

Arriving at the tip we were amazed to see it extending out into the lake for almost a 1/2 mile! Folks there were commenting that just weeks ago there was no tip. We spotted a Peregrin Falcon fly by carrying a fresh kill. We spotted (6) Sanderlings about 1/2-way along the spit, and several worked the shoreline toward us until they were within a few yards of our scopes. 

Among the dozens of Ring-billed Gulls at the tip were a flock of (6) Black-bellied Plovers. We also managed to see a Northern Harrier attempt to fly out over the lake agains the South winds that were trapping all of the Jays and Sharpies at the point. 

Leaving the point and heading through the woods to the tram stop we managed only a couple of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a fly-by American Kestrel, and a single Cooper's Hawk. I stopped to digiscope a Turkey Vulture that was roosting along the shoreline in a dead tree.

After a few minutes stopped at the Interpretive Center we headed to the DeLaurier Trail where we had to work hard to see a handful of Northern Flickers, Chipping Sparrows, 

White-throated Sparrows, a single Gray Catbird, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Carolina Wren and a Swainson's Thrush. The highlight was an immature Merlin that posed in a dead snag out in the parking lot. I took dozens of digiscoped images before we headed back to the Marsh Boardwalk for lunch.

Although Karl did his best Screech Owl imitations to lure in songbirds in the wood, all he could manage was a noon-time Eastern Screech Owl that returned his calls and flushed from its roost farther back along the trail! A Red-breasted Nuthatch was the only other bird we heard.

Point Pelee National Park (general location), Essex, Ontario, CA
Oct 6, 2007 7:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Protocol: Traveling
4.0 mile(s)
Checklist Comments:     The Washtenaw Audubon Society hosted a field trip to Point Pelee yesterday, and I couldn't resist the chance to tag along. Cathy Carroll organized the outing, and Karl Overman led the field trip, which took place on a sunny October morning that would reach 90F before day's end. Although birding was relatively quiet for most of the day, we did have the opportunity to witness a somewhat rare occurrence involving thousands of Blue Jays and Sharp-shinned Hawks trapped at the point.
31 species

Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)  2
Sora (Porzana carolina)  4     Marsh boardwalk near parking lot. All four seen near parking lot.
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)  6
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  7
Sanderling (Calidris alba)  6
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)  24
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  1
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)  1
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)  1
Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)  1
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus)  100     flying among blue jays and trapped at the point. Several hundred counted that day
Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  1
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1
Broad-winged Hawk (Northern) (Buteo platypterus platypterus)  1
Eastern Screech-Owl (Megascops asio)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  1
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius)  1
Merlin (Falco columbarius)  1
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)  1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  1000     flying toward the point; winds trapping them and Sharpies at the point. Spectacle!!! Several thousand counted that day!
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Corthylio calendula)  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  1
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  1
Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris)  2
Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)  1
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis)  1
Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus)  1
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)  12     flocks flying overhead
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)  1
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  1
Swamp Sparrow (Melospiza georgiana)  6

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S42017082

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Before the group headed off to Hilmann Marsh a quick stop behind the Pelee Day's Inn yielded a couple dozen Dunlin, a Lesser Yellowlegs, several Killdeer, Great Egrets, and a fly-over Bald Eagle. I took my leave and headed back toward the bridge. It was a mixed day overall, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Thank you Cathy, Karl and the rest of the gang for a great day!

Pelee Day's Inn, Essex, Ontario, CA
Oct 6, 2007 12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
Protocol: Stationary
5 species

Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus)  4
Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes)  1
Dunlin (Calidris alpina)  24
Great Egret (Ardea alba)  3
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)  1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S170564123

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)