Trip
Information
Date: May
13 - 24, 2009
Duration: 12
days
Leaders: Blake
Maybank
Limit: 12
people
Cost: $2,825
USD, $2,975 CDN
Single supplement $545 USD, $575
CDN (Prices include
GST)
From: Toronto,
Ontario
tour ends in Detroit or Toronto
Highlights
• Relatively easy and productive birding in scenically
impressive and diverse areas
• The songbird migration spectacle at Point Pelee!
• Kirtland's Warblers in their restricted and specific habitat
• Lots of mammals, from Otters to Moose!
Featured birds:
• Kirtland's Warbler
• Prothonotary Warbler
• Black-backed Woodpecker
• Spruce Grouse
• Upland Sandpiper
• Little Gull
• American Woodcock
Trip Summary
• Moderately easy walking
• Mild and hot, possibly muggy climate
• Lakeside cottages; modern motel accommodation
• 4 to 8 participants with one leader; 9 to 12 with 2 leaders
• One or two15-passenger vans
• Includes all breakfasts and lunches
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On
this exciting tour at Point Pelee, Rondeau and Long Point we search
for species
such as Red-bellied Woodpecker, White-eyed Vireo, and Kentucky,
Cerulean, Hooded and Prothonotary Warblers; in a typical spring migration,
up to 35 species of warblers may be observed at Point Pelee alone!
We then search for the endangered Kirtland’s  Warbler,
a young jack-pine specialist that breeds in central Michigan, and
finally we look for Boreal Chickadee, Spruce Grouse, Black-backed
Woodpecker
and
other northern specialties in Algonquin Park while keeping an eye
out for moose, otter, maybe even wolf!
See detailed itinerary
below.
Click
here to download a list of birds from our 2005 Point Pelee tour.
Click
here to download a list of birds from our 2003 Point Pelee tour.
To download a registration
form click here.
Photos: Prairie
Warbler by Don Freiday, Kirtland's Warbler by Mary Boswell |
Itinerary
Day
1 - Arrival and Orientation
The tour begins with arrival in Toronto. Night in Toronto.
Day 2 - Carden Plain
We will depart early in the morning for Algonquin Park. During the day we will
stop at Carden Plain, which is an open area of thin soils on limestone bedrock
and poor agricultural potential, called an Alvar. Because of this neglect, much
of the area is old field, supporting an abundance of birds like Upland Sandpiper,
Eastern Bluebird, Bobolink, Eastern Meadowlark, Grasshopper, Vesper, Field, Savannah
and possibly Clay-colored Sparrows, as well as Eastern Kingbird, and Loggerhead
Shrike. The Shrike is the Carden Plain's most famous inhabitant, as there are
only a handful of sites in north-eastern North America which support this endangered
subspecies. We will also visit wetlands of the area to see Black Tern, American
Bittern, Marsh and Sedge Wren, Osprey and Northern Harrier. Following this visit,
we will continue on our way to the Algonquin area to spend the night. Night at
Oxtongue Lake.
Days 3 to 5 - Algonquin Park
Algonquin Park is one of Canada's best wildlife viewing Parks. Its rugged topography
lends itself to vast areas of broad-leafed forests, typical of more southern
areas, as well as cold, mossy bogs and coniferous forests found throughout
most of Canada's north. This mix of habitats creates a fantastic diversity
of birds
which use the park to breed. By visiting in early May, we will be present when
returning migrants are at full song. Expected birds include 15+ species of
Wood Warblers, Hermit Thrush (one of North America's best singers), Blue-headed
Vireo,
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Winter Wren, Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets,
White-throated Sparrow, Rusty Blackbird, Purple Finch plus many more. In addition
we will pursue species typical of the boreal forests of Canada like Common
Loon, Spruce Grouse, Gray Jay, Black-backed Woodpecker, Boreal Chickadee and
the wanderers
of the north, Red and White-winged Crossbills. The extensive forests of the
park are good habitat for residents like the Pileated Woodpecker, Barred Owl,
and
Ruffed Grouse. Of course we will always be on the lookout for the many species
of mammals commonly found in the park such as Marten, Black Bear, Red Fox,
Eastern Wolf and River Otter but these species are shy and not often seen.
We should,
however, encounter Algonquin's largest inhabitant on a daily basis: Moose.
In the spring, Moose visit roadside ditches and wetlands in search of salty
water,
created by runoff of winter salting of the highways. At this time of the year,
Algonquin will truly be an amazing place you won't soon forget. Nights at Oxtongue
Lake. In the afternoon of day 5 of our trip we will travel southwest to Long
Point, stopping along the way to check out interesting bird habitats. Night
in Simcoe.
Day 6 - Long Point
One of the "Big Three" migration hotspots of the northern shore of
Lake Erie, Long Point is home to North America's oldest bird observatory. We
will visit one of the field stations early in the morning to see what migrants
have arrived overnight. Later, we will move inland to the some spectaculr forest
tracts to see southern species on their breeding grounds such as Hooded, Cerulean,
Blue-winged and Golden-winged Warblers, Louisiana Waterthrush, Yellow-throated
Vireo and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Near Long Point we will search an area that
has recently held a colony of breeding Prairie Warblers, a species that is surprisingly
difficult to spot as a migrant at Point Pelee. Later in the afternoon we will
continue our westward journey to the town of Leamington where we will spend our
next few nights.
Day 7 - Rondeau Provincial Park
Considered by many to be as fantastic a birding location as the famous Point
Pelee, Rondeau is a beautiful Carolinian forest, which receives fewer visitors,
and hence gives a more personal birding experience. We will walk some of the
many kilometers of trails in the Park, looking for resident Red-bellied Woodpecker,
Red-headed Woodpecker, Prothonotary Warbler, Yellow-billed Cuckoo and sort through
the flocks of returning migrants. . Night in Leamington.
Days 8 to 10 - Point Pelee
Point Pelee is a world renowned birding location which can host thousands of
migrating birds given the proper weather conditions. When warm air is pumped
up from the south and meets a sudden cold front during the night, the resulting
rain can force hundreds of passerines to descend on Pelee during their nocturnal
procession northwards. Amongst these major rarities can occur, which is what
Point Pelee is partially famous for. We will bird the park in the mornings and
visit surrounding sewage lagoons and wetlands in the afternoons for migrant shorebirds,
such as Wilson's Phalarope, Short-billed Dowitcher, Stilt Sandpiper, and Dunlin,
plus Ruddy Duck. Anything can turn up at Pelee - and usually does!
To give you a taste of what the birding is like at Pelee, consider the following.
A day when 100 species are not seen is considered a poor showing! On a good day
you may see between 25 and 30 species of warblers alone, all at the height of
their colorful breeding plumages! There is also variety; you may see birds like
the Little Gull, Worm-eating Warbler, Bald Eagle, White-rumped Sandpiper, Orchard
Oriole, and Philadelphia Vireo all on the same day! Nights in Leamington.In the
afternoon of day 10, we will depart for Mio, Michigan. Night in West Branch.
Day 11 - Search for the Kirtland’s Warbler
The endangered Kirtland's Warbler is found only in central Michigan, specifically
in young Jack Pine stands. We will be allowed access into the breeding areas
with local Rangers who will take us to several territories at roadside for easy
viewing. The Kirtland's Warbler is currently enjoying a population increase which
will further help our chances of fine viewing. Later, we will bird areas nearby
for species we may have missed earlier in the tour. Later in the day we will
head for Detroit for the night. Night in Detroit
Day 12 - Departure from Detroit
The trip concludes in Detroit after breakfast. Alternatively, participants
may wish to return with our leaders to Toronto, arriving in the early afternoon.
What to expect
Our daily travel schedule
will vary to account for weather, bird species and habitat. You can expect
some early morning, before-breakfast walks
as we search out migrating passerines, as well as late evening viewing,
including one or two owling expeditions for those interested. The tour
will involve generally easy walking and some hill climbing, sometimes for
periods up to 4 hours. During these times we will stop frequently to observe
nature. We follow woodland trails and venture forth into low brush and
occasional swampy and uneven terrain. When we have two leaders, we sometimes
split into “faster” and “slower” groups.
Around
noon time we will stop for a sit-down meal at a restaurant or to have
a picnic lunch. If it is hot, as it can be in southern Ontario, we
may rest for an hour or so during the middle to late afternoon. In the
evening, we usually arrange to go to a local restaurant which we have
selected for its good food and comfortable atmosphere. During this time
we often
discuss the day’s activities and review the list of birds seen
and heard.
Spring weather in southern
Ontario can be extremely variable and you
should be prepared for anything from cold rain to muggy heat, however,
the snow
will have gone by then. While Ontario is widely known to be infested
with mosquitoes and other biting insects in late spring and summer,
feel secure
in the fact that our trip will occur before the insect season begins.
For the most part, May is extremely comfortable and a lovely time to
visit
the province.
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