Lawrences Warbler "Lifer" at Point Pelee

Today at Point Pelee - things seemed to be a little "slow". There seemed to be fewer birds in the park than it seemed that were present earlier in the week. Yet, even still, there were some great birding opportunities.

Some highlights for the day include Northern Waterthrush, Prothonotary Warbler, Lawrence's Warbler [link], Worm eating Warbler and Kentucky Warbler!

The Lawrence's Warbler is a hybrid between Golden-winged and Blue winged Warbler, but occurs much less frequently than the Brewsers Warbler (someone mentioned 1/16 ... but I'm not sure if that is correct). I noticed this bird while eating a sausage at a picnic table near the visitor center tram loop.  I noticed the warbler (which I thought was a "brewsters") and went to notify Josh who was sitting nearby. It flushed behind the VC and was found again by Tim Arthur [link] and Paul Nicholson [link] seemed to have found it and alerted us about the bird. I think hundreds of people had a nice chance to see the bird. Just a heads up that Laurences Warbler can't officially count as a lifer, as it is not a distinct species. But still, its a mega rarity!!!

I ended up with about 80 species, and I did not really go see Hillman Marsh, Wheatley or scan the water for waterfowl species. 

https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S45332848

Good birding!

Dwayne

Olive Hairstreak at Point Pelee

Juniper Hairstreak at Point Pelee 

A recent posting on the Ontario Butterfly Watchers Google Group mentioned that an Olive Hairstreak was seen near the Point Pelee Visitor Center and it really got me wanting to try for it myself. I figured my chances of finding this butterfly, this late in the season was very small...Trying for it was basically a Lepidopterist's Leap of Faith. Another amazing thing about me finding this today was that I had my 1-year old son with me, so I was walking down the west beach path rockin' a stroller! Amazingly, my son simply fell asleep and did not get a single mosquito or fly bite. I think it was just too windy for either today! Upon leaving the trail, I did a quick tick check on my son, and noticed that he was covered in grass seeds. If you shook him off over some tilled dirt, you would have gotten a tall-grass prairie! Needless to say, it was very exciting to find this beautiful butterfly today. Thanks to Blake and Sarah (from PPNP) for advice on seeing this butterfly. I was looking at Junipers along West Beach but simply found this nectaring on a trail-side wildflower. I might have not seen it unless it alighted from one stem to another as I walked by.

Juniper Hairstreaks are basically restricted to two sites in all of Ontario. Point Pelee and an area near Kingston in Eastern Ontario.  This source rates the Juniper Hairstreak as S2- (Imperilled) in Ontario... So its pretty rare!

More reading:
http://www.cbif.gc.ca/spp_pages/butterflies/species/JuniperHairstreak_e.php
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Callophrys-gryneus
http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/factsheets/11726.pdf

Verde Ventral View

Other butterflies seen along west beach trail were 4-5 or so fresh, dark-form Easter Eastern Commas. Eastern Commas can be distinguished from Grey Commas by the nice mix of reddish brown colours on the underside of the wing, plus a very crisp C-shaped silver marking. Giant Swallowtails were very present as well along West Beach with about 10-12 in the first 300m south of the west beach parking lot.

Eastern Comma at Point Pelee - Dorsal and Ventral looks

A few days ago, I was butterfly watching at Ojibway and noticed two or three birds zooming by me. I was standing at the edge of a meadow, and I noticed an Eastern Wood Pewee perched. When I got home, I was happy to see another one behind it. I think this is a fledgling with its mother! Very cool to see, as I have heard that Eastern Wood Peewees, (although pretty common in eastern deciduous forests) are declining. It was nice to see a bird not feeding a brown headed cowbird as well. I've seen several such occurrences lately, particularly with chipping sparrows.

Eastern Wood Peewee - Always nice to see

Good birding!
Dwaynejava

PS: Anyone know what flower the Juniper Hairstreak is nectaring on? Is it nodding ladies tresses orchid (Spiranthes cernua)?(*** I realized later that it was nectaring on White Sweet Clover***)

Cicada killer

Kirtland's Warbler at Pelee

At noon on Wednesday May 15, 2013 I had checked my email at work to find an amazing Ontbird Posting. Barb Charlton & David 'The Machine' Bell found a Kirtlands Warber in the far northwest corner of the park, not too distant from the front entrance gate. I figured there was no way I was going to find it after working into the afternoon and driving to Leamington. But, to my amazement, it was still in the area it had been reported when I arrived at the park, easily seen foraging high in the single row of trees lining Sanctuary Pond. A large group of birders (and park staff directing traffic) made finding the bird simple. It was very high in the trees during my time viewing the bird, and I just got a few decent ID shots of this rare beauty. Hundreds of people got a chance to see this rare bird so Barb and Dave... Thank You!

Migration path and the chances of seeing this bird outside of Michigan:
Even though this bird migrates from the Bahamas Archipelago through Georgia and the Carolinas up through Ohio and finally ending in the northern lower peninsula Michigan, it is very rarely seen in migration. Magee Marsh and Point Pelee though have the advantage of being a popular migrant stop, being geographically small, and having huge numbers of talented birders scouring the place. To find this one bird in Point Pelee National Park though still takes more than luck, you have to be a brilliant birder.

A Brief History of the Kirtland's Warbler:

Discovery in 1851 - A specimen was shot and collected on Dr. Jared Kirtland’s farm near Cleveland, Ohio(US FWS). The birds name obviously honours its finder . Oddly enough, 1851 was the year John James Audubon died. It must have been amazing to discover a new bird that was never described!

Wintering Grounds Found in 1879 - The winter range of the Kirtland's warbler was discovered in 1879 when a specimen was collected on Andros Island in the Bahama Islands archipelago.(Michigan DNR)

Breeding Grounds found in 1903 - It was not until 1903 that Norman A. Wood discovered the first nest in Oscoda County in northern lower Michigan (Michigan DNR).

Jack Pine Habitat Requirements:
-Requires pine habitat with trees between 6-20 years old.
-Prescribed burns (or logging) has provided more optimal breeding habitat for the birds.
-Kirtlands Warblers prefer a nesting site with Blueberry bushes as that is a favored fruit of this bird... cool!
-Michigan and US Wildlife employees have done an amazing job helping this bird's population recover.
-A successful breeding nest was discovered at Petawawa Ontario in 2007 (Drake).

Cowbird Parasitism:
Besides it habitat requirements, Cowbirds had been hurting the breeding success rates, so a successful cowbird management program has been put in place to reduce the numbers and increase the nest success for the Kirtlands Warbler. Nature lover and blogger Kristen Martin features some photos of the cowbird traps here.

Improved Outlook for the Future:
This chart below shows a trend in the number of singing male Kirtlands Warblers in Michigan. Since 1990, a continual increase in the number of singing males is evident. Props to Michigan and the US-FWS for putting resources towards saving this wonderful species. I'm just a humble birder from Ontario, but perhaps Michigan should consider changing its state bird from the American Robin to the Kirtlands Warbler? :-)

Image Source: Michigan DNR

Other birds seen on May 15th were this Cape May Warbler (Setophaga tigrina)... I have not seen a northbound breeding-plumaged Cape May since May 1st, 2010 !!! Oddly, I have seen many southbound Cape May Warblers every year since.

The Tiger-Warbler! (Setophaga tigrina)

How many Tern species do you see? Can you see the SB Dowitchers?

Blenheim SL - Finally figured out where the gate is after 4 entrance attempts!

I had missed a Worm-eating Warbler by a five minutes again after seeing the Kirtlands Warbler, but, I can't complain. My friend Rick from Leamington reminds me when I miss a rarity is that I need to "save something for retirement". So, Worm-eating Warbler... we have a date for late April 2030!!!

Good Birding!
Dwaynejava

Sources:

USFWS, "Kirtland's Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii)",January 3, 2013 , WEB, May 16, 2013, http://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/birds/Kirtland/kiwafctsht.html

Michigan DNR, "Kirtland's Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii)", ND, WEB, May 16, 2013
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,1607,7-153-10370_12145_12202-32591--,00.html

Drake Laura, "Endangered warbler found nesting in Petawawa, Canada.com, NOVEMBER 2, 2007, WEB, May 16, 2013, "http://www.canada.com/story.html?id=a111ac43-2210-4785-a2b5-cd118a102e1f

Lifer Summary: Kirtlands Warbler  -332

Pelee Sunrise

I had taken a photo of the sun rising over the boardwalk, but I did not have my wide angle lens. I was told once that the sun rises directly over this boardwalk on May 1st. This photo is from the first week of May last year.

Birded Pelee today with the Ojibway Birding Group. This is the first time in a long time I was able to join the group on their outings. I arrived at Point Pelee early (6:45am) and walked the marsh trail first thing. One highlight (besides the sunrise through the light mist over the marsh) was the sound of Virginia Rail calling at one point along the boardwalk. Next, I walked Tilden's Trail to have another great highlight... A Waterthrush! I'm torn on the identification, I did not hear it make so much as a chip note! It foraged the slough along the northern boardwalk at north end of Tilden's Trail.  (David Sibley has a small writeup here on  differentiating Northern from Louisiana Waterthrushes: http://www.sibleyguides.com/2012/08/identification-of-waterthrushes/)

 

The Ojibway birding group met in the parking lot and walked the West Beach path northward. Some West beach highlights include:
Black and White Warbler
Brown Thrasher
Yellow Warbler
Yellow rumped Warbler

Amazing raptors flew overhead all afternoon... they included: Broad-winged Hawk, Coopers, N. Harriers, Bald Eagles... (No Kites!). Even Sandhill Cranes flew overhead on a few occasions.

After a quick lunch at Paula's Fish Place, Kory and I walked Northwest Beach where we found a small but nice pocket of warblers. We had:
Pine Warbler (my first in Canada?),
Black throated Green,
Palm Warbler,
Yellow rumped Warbler
Blue headed Vireo
Eastern Phoebe
House Wren (FOS)! ... Oddly, the House Wren was not calling when we saw it.

At 3:30, I left the park and dropped by Hillman Marsh. I had very little time to really bird the shorebird cell, but I did get a glimpse at a pair of Long billed Dowitchers, as well as many Dunlin, Black-bellied Plovers and  Caspian Terns.

Thanks to the Ojibway birding group for a great morning of birding. Birds were sparse today, but it was great to be out there!

Good birding!
Dwaynejava


http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S13908493
68 species total

Western & Rednecked Grebes and a Little Larus

After reading Kory's Blog this week, I somehow convinced my wife (and myself) to wake up early one day this weekend and visit Col. Sam Smith Park in Etobicoke. Kory had seen Western Grebes, Red necked Grebes, as well as a Harlequin Duck all three of which would be lifers for me. Another great birder, Ken Burrell had Little Gulls at Turkey Point, which was kinda on the way... A possible four life birds. Two extra birds I was hoping to see were Ruffed Grouse and Bohemian Waxwing (which was ontbirded in Etobicoke around the time I was leaving Etobicoke). I dipped on both of these later birds as well as the Harlequin Duck. I did see the Western & Red necked Grebes which were both lifers, as well a a few other goodies, in particular, Long-tailed Ducks (I've only seen Long-tailed ducks once along the Detroit River at great distance).

Two lifers in the same photo? Awesome.

Birds seen at Col. Sam Smith Park:

Western Grebe
Red necked Grebe
Long-tailed Ducks
White winged Scoter
Northern Mockingbird
Eastern Phoebe
Tree Swallows
Ring-necked Ducks
Lesser Scaup
Redhead
Goldeneye
Wigeon
Gadwall
Red-breasted Merganser
Hooded Merganser
Bufflehead

Long-tailed Ducks.... Only my second time seeing them ...Rare in SW Ontario.

On the way back from the park, I drove through Hamilton, then Haldimand and Norfolk Counties. What a beautiful drive. It was nice to see that Norfolk County has some forested area preserved.  This site here discusses why they decided to preserve some forest (http://swcr.ca/history) . The sandy soil was blowing away without tree cover, which was still apparent as I drive through the agricultural areas in Norfolk Co. I would have liked to have seen Ruffed Grouse in St. Williams Conservation Reserve, but I didn't really have time to so much as get out of my car.  Turkey Point was surprisingly beautiful and natural. The beach (at least where I found the gulls) was like a flooded lagoon, very natural and beautiful. Eastern Phoebe, Song Sparrows, Belted Kingfisher, Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, Bonapartes, and of course, Little Gulls were all present. Little Gulls are a lifer... I was really excited to see them. The warm air from the latest southern air flow, and the beauty of Turkey Point made this a very nice moment to enjoy.

The smallest gull in the world has black on the bottom of its wings, and the biggest has black on top... Interesting eh?

Birding Backlog...

I birded Point Pelee last weekend but did not see much outside of the expected. A personal highlight was an Eastern Meadowlark. Meadowlarks are very rare and local in Essex. This is my first Eastern Meadowlark I've self found in migration.  Going WAY back (March 20th, 2013), I had two Eurasian Wigeons (Thanks for the help Jeremy Bensette) on "Road E" just outside of the Point Pelee Park Gates.

Eurasian Wigeon & American Wigeon

Good birding!
Dwaynejava


Eurasian Wigeon - Point Pelee#325
Red necked Grebe #326
Western Grebe #327
Little Gull  #328

Northern Saw Whet Owl at Point Pelee

Seeing a lifer owl to me is basically a religious experience. This owl absolutely blew my mind today. I was sitting in a 3.5 hour human resources seminar this morning, and at about 11am, I had two people text me, (with images) of this incredible owl. It was found by Paul Pratt and the Ojibway Birding Group on their fall birding walks. Upon arrival to Point Pelee, I met up with Rick & Dan and we found the area quickly as many Yellow rumped Warblers, Cedar Waxwings, and even a Caronlina Wren were very active (mobbing) in the surrounding trees. Even still, it took about 10 minutes for me to find this 'lump' in the trees before me.

 The song of Eastern Bluebirds was heard all morning, and this little beauty was perched over the west beach pathway. Overhead, thousands of Crows, Turkey Vultures and various hawks were seen. Out on the water, huge rafts of thousands of ducks, mainly scaup were seen.

 Of course, many Yellow-rumped warblers were seen, but this Cape May was a nice surprise to see in the tram loop woods. A Carolina Wren was singing his heart out just meters from the owl. He was singing 'breeet, breeet, breeeeeet'.

On friday after work, I went out to Holiday Beach to help observe at the Hawk Tower. Finally met Jeremy Hatt, a great birder and blogger that I've been reading for years. On the way to Holiday Beach, I saw hundreds of Swallows perched on a powerline, and several Horned Larks and American Pipits were hanging out on the road. I stopped to snap a few photos. Its been said that once you lifer a bird, its easy to find it after!

 Great birding!
Dwaynejava

Lifer summary: #308