Not 'Regret', Per Se....

And now, of course, I already want to go back to Pelee and hunt for all the things I missed yesterday. I did my best yesterday not to 'chase' birds that other people had seen (because inevitably I wouldn't find them, and end up frustrated) but rather just enjoy the day and appreciate what I saw. And that strategy worked very well for me at the time.

But now, of course, I'm looking at other people's records and seeing Hooded Warbler, Philadelphia Vireo, Red-headed Woodpecker, Mourning Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Prairie Warbler, Eastern Bluebird... and I would dearly love to give it another shot. Fifty-odd species is really not that fantastic a tally for that park during migration, I'm sure there's birds I walked right past because I was too focused on something else.

Definitely going for two days, next time.

A Trip Long Overdue

So I finally made it to Point Pelee National Park during migration. I had originally planned to go on Saturday, but Saturday was cold and rainy so I decided to take Monday off instead. Given how busy it still was on a weekday, the weather was probably a blessing in disguise; I can't imagine what kind of crowd would have been there on the weekend.

Overall: A++, would bird again. I think I'd go for two days next time, though, give me a chance to revisit the best trails, get an earlier start (with opportunity for napping in the afternoon), and maybe hit up Hillman Marsh as well.

My day's highlights included: 5 new lifer species (for a grand total of 250), a nest of fluffy owl chicks, a near-deafening dawn chorus, and a lot of really good looks at really pretty birds. A full tally follows, with my new ones bolded.





Canada Goose
Blue-winged Teal
Wild Turkey
Double-crested Cormorant
Turkey Vulture
American Coot
Short-billed Dowitcher
Ring-billed Gull
Black Tern
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-pewee
Eastern Kingbird
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo
Warbling Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Tree Swallow
Barn Swallow
House Wren
Marsh Wren
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
American Redstart
Cape May Warbler
Northern Parula
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Chipping Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Lincoln's Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
Scarlet Tanager
Northern Cardinal
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Grackle
Brown-headed Cowbird
Baltimore Oriole
American Goldfinch