A singing male Yellow Warbler, an image captured at Point Pelee by Lee Dingain.
- This peninsula on the north shore of Lake Erie is one of the best places in the world to observe visible bird migration during the spring
- And certainly the best inland location in spring for passage migrant passerine birds on the North American continent
- On a good day it is possible to see flocks or 'waves' of brilliantly coloured birds, including a day total of 20 even 30 species of warbler, many of them in full song
- As well as vireos, orioles and tanagers
- And some of North America's and the world's other most spectacular birds including Blue Jay, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Red-headed Woodpecker and American Woodcock
- The best weather conditions for ‘waves’ of warblers are usually when warm fronts accompanied by southerly winds meet cold and/or wet fronts from the north. The wind and rain which usually results forces tired birds in the air above Lake Erie to drop down on to the first land they see and in such conditions up to 34 species have been recorded in a day! The record for a season is 39 and the peak period usually falls between 10th and 20th of May. One-day peaks include 620 Nashville Warblers, and for other species, 1400 Baltimore Orioles, 3000 Ruby-crowned Kinglets and 5000 Golden-crowned Kinglets.
- Unfortunately Pelee is as popular with birds as it is with people and there are usually as many birders as birds, often hundreds of them. However, there are usually fewer people at Rondeau and Long Point further east along the Lake Erie shoreline and these parks may be as birdy as Pelee.
- A few tour companies combine Pelee with what some regard as the even better Magee Marsh on the opposite side of Lake Erie in Ohio, 30 miles away, where the concentrations of birds don't seem to be as weather dependent and the woods are more open, making viewing easier, although the very best weather conditions for a ‘fallout’ are when southerly winds (with birds on them) meet north/northwesterly winds and/or rain. The peak time at what is known as the 'Warbler Capital of North America' is mid-May when The Biggest Week in American Birding, an annual event, is held near Toledo. At nearby Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge it is possible to see a good variety of ducks, herons and shorebirds. Cerulean, Hooded and Yellow-throated Warblers, as well as birds such as Acadian Flycatcher and Wood Thrush more typical of the southern Appalachians can be seen in eastern Ohio in Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
A rare image of an American Woodcock, captured at Magee Marsh by Francesco Veronesi.
- Many tour companies include northern Michigan, eight hours by road from Pelee, in their itineraries. This is where the rare Kirtland's Warbler nests, as well as Upland Sandpiper, and it is also possible to see a few boreal species such as Ruffed and Spruce Grouse, Grey Jay and Evening Grosbeak (Hartwick Pines SP). Almost the entire world population of Kirtland’s Warbler (2365 singing males were recorded in 2015) breeds in Michigan, mostly in the counties around Mio and Grayling. With the help of a U.S. Forest Service guide visitors usually see one or more, and may also see Golden-winged Warbler and Hermit Thrush. At the owl ringing station at Whitefish Point in a good year it is possible to see, in order of likelihood, Northern Saw-whet, Boreal, Barred, Great Horned and Great Grey Owls. Another good place for passage migrants in Michigan is Tawas Point.
Best Birds and other wildlife at Point Pelee and nearby, Ontario
Birds
The species listed below are usually present during the northern spring.
Trumpeter Swan, Wood Duck, Hooded
Merganser, Wild Turkey, Great Blue and Green Herons, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Virginia Rail, Sora, passage migrant and breeding shorebirds including
American Woodcock, Short-billed Dowitcher and Wilson's Phalarope, Bonaparte’s Gull, (American) Black, Caspian and Forster’s Terns, Black-billed and
Yellow-billed Cuckoos, (Common) Nighthawk, Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Red-headed Woodpecker, tyrant flycatchers including Eastern
Kingbird, Blue-headed, Philadelphia, Red-eyed, Warbling, White-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted
Nuthatch, Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Eastern Bluebird, Swainson's and Wood Thrushes, Veery, Grey Catbird, Northern Mockingbird, Brown Thrasher, Cedar
Waxwing, Bay-breasted, Black-and-white, Blackburnian, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Blue-winged, Canada, Cape May, Chestnut-sided,
Golden-winged, Magnolia, Nashville, Palm, Prothonotary, Tennessee, Wilson’s, Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers, American Redstart, Northern Parula,
Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird and Northern Waterthrush, Scarlet Tanager, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Indigo Bunting, sparrows, Northern Cardinal,
Baltimore and Orchard Orioles, Yellow-headed Blackbird and American Goldfinch. Also a chance of American and Least Bitterns, Bald Eagle, Sandhill
Crane, American Avocet, Stilt Sandpiper, Eastern Screech Owl, (Eastern) Whip-poor-will, Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker,
Tufted Titmouse, Grey-cheeked and Hermit Thrushes, and Cerulean, Connecticut, Hooded, Mourning, Orange-crowned, Prairie, Worm-eating and
Yellow-throated Warblers.
Other Natural Wonders near Point Pelee, Ontario
Niagara Falls These falls include the 320 m (1050 ft) long American Falls and the 790 m (2600 ft) long arc of the Horseshoe (Canadian) Falls, with a maximum height of 53 m (174 ft). Together they are still narrower and shorter than Iguassu Falls (the longest of the ‘big three’) and Victoria Falls (the highest of the ‘big three’). The peak flow occurs in the late northern spring and early summer, although even this is controlled by the nearby hydro-electric power station.
Long Point At about 40 km long (and up to about one km wide) this is possibly the longest freshwater sand spit on Earth!
Best Sites for Birds and other wildlife at Point Pelee and nearby, Ontario
- Niagara Falls Often a good selection of gulls and a chance of passage migrants, especially warblers.
- Long Point PP Prairie Warbler and Louisiana Waterthrush (both breeding species), passage passerine migrants especially vireos, warblers, thrushes and orioles, and waterbirds, especially ducks. Also a chance of Bald Eagle and Sandhill Crane.
- Rondeau PP Prothonotary Warbler (a breeding species), Red-headed Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch, and passage passerine migrants especially vireos, warblers, thrushes and orioles. Also a chance of Tufted Titmouse.
- Point Pelee NP Passage passerine migrants especially vireos, Blue Jays, warblers, thrushes and orioles, and waterbirds including Wood Duck.
- Hillman Marsh Waterbirds especially shorebirds when water levels are suitable, including Short-billed Dowitcher and Wilson’s Phalarope. Also a chance of Stilt Sandpiper.
- St Claire WR Yellow-headed Blackbird (a breeding species). Also a chance of both bitterns.
Red-winged Blackbird at Point Pelee by Steve Rogers.
Best Times for Birds and other wildlife at Point Pelee, Ontario
Spring migration usually lasts from March to June and the greatest diversity of warblers normally occurs during mid-May. Just as many birds usually appear from September to November but they are in less spectacular plumage. This period is also a good time for passage migrant raptors which are best seen from Holiday Beach Conservation Area. Species include Bald Eagle (mostly Sep), Golden Eagle, Broad-winged Hawk (mostly Sep), Red-shouldered Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk (mostly Nov). In some years there are spectacular numbers of Blue Jays on the move too; 264,410 in late September 2001 for example!
Recommended Bird Books etc. for Point Pelee and nearby, Ontario
Field Guide to the Birds of North America edited by J Dunn and J Alderfer. NGS, 2011 (Sixth Edition).
Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America by K Kaufman. Houghton Mifflin, 2005.
The North American Bird Guide by D Sibley. Helm, 2014 (Second Edition).
Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Eastern and Central North America by R T Peterson. Houghton Mifflin, 2010 (Sixth Edition).
The Crossley ID Guide: Eastern Birds by R Crossley. PUP, 2011.
The Warbler Guide by T Stephenson and S Whittle. PUP, 2013.
Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of North America by J Brock and K Kaufman. Houghton Mifflin, 2003.
Mammals of North America by R W Kays and D E Wilson. PUP, 2009 (Second Edition).
Mammals of North America by F A Reid. Peterson North American Field Guides, 2006 (Fourth Edition).
Peterson Field Guide to Finding Mammals in North America by V Dinets. Houghton Mifflin, 2015.
Apps etc.
National Geographic Birds: Field Guide to North America.
The Sibley eGuide to the Birds of North America.
Peterson Birds of North America.
Audubon Birds - A Field Guide to North American Birds.
iBird Ultimate Guide to Birds.
Birding and Wildlife Trip Reports for Point Pelee and nearby, Ontario
Many trip reports, some for Point Pelee and nearby, are posted on the websites listed here. On some of these websites some reports are independent and some are posted by tour companies who organize tours to Point Pelee and nearby. These tour companies and others also post their own reports on their websites, which are listed under 'Some Organized Tours to Point Pelee' below.
- The best website for trip reports is CloudBirders
- but these are also worth a look
- Birdtours
- Fatbirder
- Jon Hornbuckle
- Mammal Watching
Local bird and wildlife guides at Point Pelee and nearby, Ontario
The costs of organized tours partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ. If you are travelling independently, employing such local guides will greatly increase your chances of seeing the wildlife you wish to see.
Accommodation for birders at Point Pelee and nearby, Ontario
Some Organized Tours for birds and other wildlife to Point Pelee, Ontario
There are many tour companies who organize tours to see mammals, birds, other wildlife and other natural wonders. The cost of these tours vary considerably according to such variables as the airlines used, the number of days the tours last, the number of sites visited, the number of people in the group (an important consideration if you wish to see such wildlife as rainforest mammals and birds), the number of tour leaders, the standard of accommodation and transport, and the percentage profit the company hopes to make. Generally, where the number of days tours last and the number of sites visited are similar, the cheapest tours are those that use the cheapest airlines, accommodation and local transport, that have the largest groups with the least number of leaders, and that make the least amount of profit. The most expensive tours tend to be those which are exceptionally long, use the most expensive accommodation (ridiculously lavish in some cases, even for single nights) and which make the most profit. Some tour costs partly reflect the quality of the tour leaders. Some leaders are certainly better than others and many companies claim their leaders are the best but even the best rely at least to some extent on the exceptional skills of the local guides they employ.
While tour companies organize tours with set itineraries many also organize custom tours for individuals and private groups who instead of taking a tour with a set itinerary want to follow their own itinerary to suit their own personal tastes, whether it be mammals, birds, other wildlife, other natural wonders or even man-made attractions, or a mixture of them all. Many organized tours with set itineraries are also fast-paced and target as many species as possible, whether they are mammals, birds or other wildlife or everything, which usually leaves little time to enjoy the best sites and individual species, but on a custom tour those taking part can specify the pace and the sites and species they wish to concentrate on. Custom tours also suit people who like to travel with people they already know, rather than with a group of strangers, and people with partners with different interests. Individuals and small groups will almost certainly have to pay more than the price of an organized tour with a set itinerary but a large group of friends may be able to travel for less than the price quoted for a set tour.
Tour companies who run organized tours or can arrange custom tours to Point Pelee include the following.
