PP Birding

And no, I'm not talking about watering trees in the woods, when a washroom is nowhere in sight.  Here in Canada, we have Provincial Parks where, this week at Long Point PP a Connecticut Warbler had been seen, and on Saturday joined a group outing with Sue to Presqu'ille PP, where we had a veritable Warbler Festival.  I ended the week looking for a Western Kingbird and Peregrin Falcon out in Hamilton.

On Wednesday of last week a sighting of a Connecticut Warbler was reported on eBird and on Thursday morning I headed out to Long Point PP to see if I could get a photo.  I had seen one very clearly almost exactly a year ago, on September 8, 2012 in Higbee Beach in New Jersey, but as is often the case with skulking warblers, failed to get a photo.  I hoped for better luck this year.  The bird had been seen in campsite 419 and I headed straight there after a 2 hour+ drive from Toronto.

I parked a few sites down from 419 and walked over to the empty campsite and as I walked into the site, in a bush, amongst the grape vines was a small bird.  I got my binoculars on it and low and behold, within 30 seconds of my arrival I had my second Connecticut Warbler in two year.  It posed for about 20 seconds, gray hood, very significant eye ring, and then, as I was getting my camera ready, it flew off and wasn't seen the rest of the day.  Bummer.  It's the Worm-eating Warbler all over again.  I've seen that bird twice in the last two years without a photo.  That being said, the rest of the day was fun-filled birding from the park to the Old Cut Bird Studies Centre.  I think I saw more American Redstarts in the park in a few hours than I had in the last 20 months since I began birding, along with a good number of Black-and White Warblers.

The rest of the week was spent in various local hot spots, such as Ratray Marsh, Colonel Sam Smith Park, and Humber Bay East, where I had middling success with the birdiness of the parks.  But that would all change when we got to Presqu'ille PP where we walked along with the annual OFO outing, led by a great guide, Ian Shanahan.  Though photos were hard to get of many of the warblers we saw first thing in the morning by the lighthouse parking lot, we did get great looks at Blackpoll, Tennessee and Palm Warblers, a Northern Parula and even a Great-crested Flycatcher.

The bird of the day was a very close look at three Baird's Sandpipers.  We also got great looks at a good  handful of Semipalmated Plovers, along with great photos of each bird.  We also got to watch a Merlin on the road out of the park, at the end of the day, just sitting and posing on a tree at the side of the road.

While we were in Presqu'ille Ontbirds was reporting another Western Kingbird out near Hamilton,(I had missed seeing the one close to home a week or so ago), so I went early Monday morning to see if it was still there.  Alas, this particular bird doesn't work the morning shift and I missed out on it.  Eventually, at 7:15 that same evening, it was re-found.

Since I was out in the Hamilton-Burlington area anyway, I decided to check out the lift bridge where a pair of Peregrin Falcons hang out all year.  It only took about 5 minutes of scanning the girders to find one sitting soaking up the sun, but it flew across to the other side before I had my camera ready.  However, I was able to make my way around to the side it was sitting on and get some good photos before heading back to the city.

So, fall birding is under way, migrants are starting to show up and perhaps this year I will get a photo of a Nelson's Sparrow.  Speaking of which, 3 were seen in Ratray Marsh yesterday.  So, I better get going...


Now, here's an odd looking Blue Jay... Or is it...

Sharing my lunch at Campsite 419 in Long Point PP