COVID 19 had been a major impediment of the world since March of 2020 and that was true for the Cosgroves as well. Our European river cruise in 2020 had been cancelled and our 2021 repositioning cruise from Australia to Canada had been postponed. As it was clear to us that COVID was going to be around for longer than anyone wanted, we made the decision to sell our motorhome (our home for the previous 3.5 years) and buy a home without wheels and sparkplugs.
We also decided that travel within Canada was the safest so we chose another item on the Bucket List and opted for Point Pelee. Point Pelee in Ontario is a point of land that juts down into Lake Erie and is the southernmost piece of land in Canada. Point Pelee is of great significance to birders as it is one of the places where birds migrating north often first come to rest. Not only do thousands of birds come to Point Pelee but thousands of birders come to see them.
We looked at a number of tour companies and settled on Eagle Eye Tours. They had great reviews and had tours going to the Point Pelee region but also to Algonquin Park in central Ontario. They also had very rigid COVID protocols in place for everyone’s safety.
A plus for us was that WestJet was offering incentives and we were able to purchase round trip airfare for a little over $600 for the two of us.
We drove to Vancouver a day early to spend time at the Reifel Bird Sanctuary but were disappointed to find that the Sanctuary was “by appointment only” due to COVID. We spent some time at the adjacent Alaksen National Wildlife Area but it is a very poor second to Reifel. Stayed overnight at the Accent Inn in Vancouver and then at 0600 we left our Jeep in the long-term parking at the airport. Pouring rain and the shuttle was not running so we had to schlep our bags to the airport on the Sky Train.
The ticketing for our flight was a bit of a nightmare given all the COVID restrictions but we persisted through the 2-hour check-in process and managed to get to our flight just as it was boarding. Our plans for a leisurely breakfast did not happen and we were only able to manage grabbing a fast snack as we boarded.
The luggage problems at Pearson International had not yet hit the domestic area when we landed at 1800 but we watched the luggage tsunami break via the TV news in Toronto as we waited for our birding tour to begin. Turns out our hotel on Dixie Road was in an industrial area with very little shopping or green space around. We had gone to Ontario a couple of days ahead of the start of the tour to allow us to adjust to the 3-hour time change as well as to visit several relatives and 'old' Victoria friends. We also were able to do some birding walks in the local area and found some interesting birds but nothing that we had not seen before.
Because we were eating out at various places, Jim had managed to come down with food poisoning that kept him tied to the toilet for several days. The result was we were not able to depart on our May 5th tour with the rest of the group but Eagle Eye had a second trip leaving from the same hotel 2 days later and we were able to catch on with them.
On May 7th, we left Toronto at 0530 and drove down to Colonel Sam Smith Park on the north shore of Lake Ontario. Chimney Swifts were new birds for us as well as Black-throated Blue Warblers. We also found some nesting Red-necked Grebes. In total, we documented 32 species at the Park. (Click on the photos, then the arrows to see full frame or hover over the photo to see the label )
The birding guides use an app called e-bird which records bird sightings by other birders. There were reports of a rare sighting of a Marsh Sandpiper in some sewage settling ponds near Thetford, Ontario (another lifer but too far away for photos). We hit two other areas after lunch (Mitchell Landing – 17 species) and (St. Clair Wildlife Reserve – 13 species).
Drove to Leamington (the town closest to Point Pelee) where we connected with our original tour and our guides, Steve and Joachim. Next day, (May 8th) we drove to Point Pelee and were amazed at what we found. There are huge parking lots along with shuttle buses to take people down into the Park. There were hundreds, if not thousands of birders and some of them looked like they were staying for a month and they had carts of gear and were dressed in full camo. Millions of dollars in camera equipment too, being pulled around in baby buggies.
We birded for 5 hours straight and got a number of new birds. A break for a picnic lunch at 1300 and then we drove to some settling ponds but it was windy and cold - not many birds moving. Packed it in for the day at 1945 but still needed to write up the log, download the photos, check e-mail and have dinner. 75 species for the day. (Click on the photo below to see the slideshow of Point Pelee birds)
Somehow, we managed to oversleep on the morning of May 9th and were awakened by Steve banging on our door. Missed breakfast to get our gear packed and out to the vans. At 0630 we were driving to Rondeau Park. Birded for several hours and got some good birds but plans were abandoned when two other birders reported the sighting of a Kirtland Warbler, just a short distance away. This was a very rare bird for this area so off we went. Spent several hours searching but had no luck in finding the warbler. Jim was very fortunate in seeing an Indigo Bunting. We also found and photographed an Oven Bird and a Great Crested Flycatcher which were our only two new birds for the day. Left Rondeau at 1630 for dinner and to find our hotel for the night.
We saw quite a bit of Ontario's farmland as we drove from one birding place to the next. We noticed some quilt designs painted on barns and discovered a section of Canada's Quilt Barn Trails.
May 10th found us up at 0530 to pack and have breakfast. Underway at 0630 for Long Point, which is a significant birding area in Ontario and hosts the oldest banding station in Canada. Banding of birds allows researchers to study age, distribution, growth rates, flight patterns. By the way, the mist nets don't harm the birds and the banders have special training in extracting the birds. Isn't that Magnolia Warbler gorgeous?
This was also a great area for large concentrations of birds and we did get a number of new birds. In the afternoon, we drove to the Backus Woods, a beautiful forest of deciduous trees. On the way Steve, one of the guides, suddenly pulled off the road and gave us our best look at a Blackburnian Warbler.
Not many birds in the Backus Woods but a beautiful walk in soft green light. Back to our hotel for dinner.
May 11th had us back to the Backus Woods (Nature Conservancy Canada) and then back to Long Point. We did see a Red-headed Woodpecker, Black-capped Chickadee (note the bugs), Black & White Warbler, Blue Jay, White and Red-breasted Nuthatches and a Red Salamander (click on images below to see full frame of the 7 images). We also saw several new birds for us, but didn't get photos - they move so quickly.
That afternoon we drove north from Lake Erie to Algonquin Park which is a much more forested setting with red fox, moose and porcupine. The temperature went from 17C to 31C in a matter of a few hours and the humidity plus the number of bugs increased significantly. See map below to get your bearings.
May 12th had us checking out several grassland areas (Carden Alvar Important Bird Area - see photos below) and we were successful in finding a number of species but the temperature was approaching 30C. Fellow birders faded earlier than normal that day but we did get some good birds for the list. We retired to Spring Lake Resort (photo above) where a few brave folks took a dip and we convened in the dining area to compare our lists for the day and to enjoy a lovely, home cooked meal.
Jim spent most of May 13th at the hotel as a muscle cramp in his right thigh was making it painful to walk. The rest of the group started the day at 6am, unsuccessfully looking for American Bittens and Pine Warblers near the motel. Then moved on to Lake Opeongo where many adventurers were heading out on canoe expeditions while we listened to the Common Loons and chased a Redstart around for a few minutes. We finished birding at the Algonquin National Park Visitor Centre. After dinner, the guides took us to Ragged Falls for a walk where we discovered a Black-throated Blue Warbler.
May 14th found us spending a morning at Oxtongue River Wilderness Trailhead and we did get some good looks at a variety of birds – see below. A great way to end our time in Algonquin Park.
Drove down to Orillia on a beautiful sunny, warm (26C) day. Stopped for lunch and then drove to a park in Mississauga where a Hepatic Tanager, a very rare bird in Canada since it usually lives in Central or South America, had been reported. We were fortunate enough to find this immature bird and get some good photos.
Back in Toronto on the afternoon of May 14th for a wind-up dinner and a summary of our birding efforts. In total, we saw 165 species and of those, 22 were lifers for Jeannie and Jim. We also made new friends from the tour.
Birding trips are not for the faint of heart. Early mornings, hours of walking, picnic lunches on the go, the weather and insects are sometimes more than people are ready for. We did lose two of our group after a few days. Not sure how the guides managed to keep going every day for 12 days. Howevder, we knew we were in for a long drive, when the guides downed several cans of Red Bull, while we dozed in the vans. Thankfully, we all arrived safely back home.
J&J - stay tuned for a return to northern BC
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