Chuck Wills Widow, Mississippi Kite and some #PeleeProblems

Chuck wills Widow

Common Nighthawk

Twas' a good year for the Eastern  Nightjar / Goatsuckers at Pelee

Nightjars are awesome. I was lucky this year to have a chance to see all three Eastern Nightjars at Point Pelee and its great to have a birding network (friends & ontbirds) that will share in these fantastic sightings. The nice thing about nightjars is that they sleep all day and they don't seem to be bothered by people's presence. As I was leaving work last Friday, I had read that a Chuck Wills Widow was resting along Post Woods trail and I figured I would try to go see it. I called my wife as I was driving to Pelee and told her: "I probably won't make it home for dinner tonight sweety, I'm twitching a goatsucker". 

A Mississippi Kite was spotted along Fox Run road so I joined a few birders in trying to find it. At one point (no pun intended) S-Pike pointed out this perched raptor to a few birders who were nearby. I had a hard time getting my camera to focus on this bird which was probably over 75m away from where we were on the road, but as it flew, I think I obtained a somewhat diagnostic photo below.

Its been an interesting migration season this year. It seems that I've seen alot of rarities but I've missed a bunch of birds that should be common. For example:

• I've seen 2 separate Summer Tanagers --- but no Scarlet Tanagers (#PeleeProblems)
• I've seen 2 separate Prairie Warblers --- but no Wilsons Warblers (#Pelee Problems)
• I've seen all three eastern nightjar/goatsucker species but didn't see the two rarer Vireo Species (#Pelee Problems)
• I saw a Golden winged warbler --- but no blue winged! (#PeleeProblems)

This is what makes birding so interesting. Every year, the few chances that I get to witness the spring migration fall on different days, with different weather patterns so the mix of birds is always different. 

On several occasions this month, I tried to bird Ojibway Park, Malden Park or Black Oak Herritage park in Windsor. I had some pretty good birds --- not quite the diversity of birds that you might get at Point Pelee but still a good mix at times.  I recently mis-reported a Sedge Wren to our local WEPBIRDS group but I had been informed later - by Blake & by the E-bird Co-ordinator that I had confused a Sedge Wren call for a Tennessee Warbler call! The funny thing is, I swear the call I recorded was coming a low-lying ditch. Can you hear it?

I would like to go to Rondeau this weekend, and perhaps Clear Creek Forest! Maybe even Skunks Misery at the end of the month.

Good Birding!
-DM

Lifer summary:
390-Red throated loon (Kingsville Marina)
391-Worm eating warbler (shawnee state forest)
392-Kentucky warbler (shawnee state forest)
393-Carolina chickadee (shawnee state forest)
394- Mississippi Kite (hillman marsh)