Anecdotal Late April Birding Thoughts

Have you ever seen pink Dutchman's Breeches?

an·ec·do·tal

ˌanikˈdōtl/ adjective adjective: anecdotal

1.

(of an account) not necessarily true or reliable, because based on personal accounts rather than facts or research.

Crappy photo of Spring Azure

I once read in Tom Hince's book "A Birders Guide to Point Pelee"  that you will always here birders say "Where have all the birds gone?". He dispels that comment by reminding readers that Point Pelee is a migration trap. Migration traps birding observations (he states) may not be the best place to make overall assumptions about the health of a bird population because factors that allow a bird to show well one year are not necessarily going to be present another year. Some years, the flight of various species may pass right over the park if conditions are right. Even my own meager observations are subject to the five day work-week, and not really optimal weather conditions that are well reported by other bloggers. The random weekend date/ weather mix changes year to year thus giving me a varied/random/intermittent view of migration that I have to take into consideration every year.

My only YBSS this season!

But that being said, I've only seen like 3-4 Eastern Phoebes this April! 1 Yellow Bellied Sapsucker! I haven't seen a single blue headed vireo whereas last year I had seen many by this point! (Actually, last year I felt I had seen abundant blue headed vireos during the earlier part of migration) I can't say I've seen a rusty blackbird this April along the sloughs of Point Pelee's wetter forest trails.  Is anyone else sensing low numbers for these birds? Maybe migration is a little late because temperatures are so low?

Today, I was able to stop by the park for a short 4 hour walk.  A few good birds seen include: Nashville, Palm, Yellow Rumped were well seen as well as my FOS Northern Waterthrush along Woodland Nature Trail. Two young kids asked me what I was looking at and I pointed out this warbler to them. They had a field guide and looked up the bird. It was nice to help them get this life bird.

Northern Waterthrush - Tossing leaf litter!

I thought about driving by the Hillman Shorebird cell as I left Point Pelee to Windsor but decided not to due to fatigue. Bad idea... 12 Marbled Godwits hanging out! Note to self: Don't sleep in during late April and don't skip Hillman at this time of year.:-)

Good birding!

Dwayne