Long Point Friday 18th September

A day with blue skies and a north westerly breeze causing plenty of leaf movement in the tall trees at the campsite but slightly cooler than yesterday  We headed towards the campsite and managed to start finding feeding flocks of mixed warblers in the sunny scrub adjacent to the park track although the number of birds we encountered was less than yesterday. We then ended up at the gate located at the eastern end of the campsite at the base of the protected area of the point. Here we were able to look down into a bowl of scrub and low trees of which warblers were moving through.

1st year female Northern Parula

1st year female Northern Parula

1st year male Northern Parula

1st year male Northern Parula

Field Sparrow

Field Sparrow

Eastern Phoebe

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Cape May Warbler

Cape May Warbler

Cape May Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Black and White Warbler

Black and White Warbler

Arriving at the obs around 11:00 a net round had just arrived back within which a first year male Northern Oriole had been caught. There were quite a few visitors watching the ringing process and trying to take photos as the birds were being released. Chris did show the Oriole in the hand but I missed the photo opportunity as he quickly released it.

After lunch we headed to Port Rowan wetlands and located a brood of Hooded Mergansers with the drake and duck in eclipse. 

Hooded Merganser

Hooded Merganser

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

Belted Kingfisher

From there we went to Backus Woods, a remnant piece of Carolinian old-growth forest but given it was late afternoon and humidity had increased we didn't come across that many birds although the Chipmunks kept an alert eye on our progress through the woodland. We did manage to find Black-throated Blue and Magnolia Warblers along with White-breasted Nuthatch and a Red-bellied Woodpecker along with many annoying and biting Mosquitos.

From there it was on to Big Creek and watching a good selection of shorebirds from the bridge. 

Song Sparrow

Long Point Thursday 17th September

Early morning visit to the campground and now that we have a better idea of a good place to park the birding started shortly after wandering towards the campsite playground. Flocks of mixed warblers were moving through the canopy and some birds were visible at mid-storey and at lower levels. The sky was overcast and a south-easterly breeze made it challenging to keep tabs on warblers moving in the high canopy amongst the swaying leaves. We spent a very rewarding few hours wandering around the campsite and encountering flocks of mixed feeding warblers and our first Eastern Towhee and a drake Ruddy Duck offshore. It was difficult to leave the campground as the birding had been very good but we headed to the Obs and arrived just as the ringers were processing a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. After processing Chris kindly showed the bird in the hand and after being released it flew a short distance before landing on a branch remaining visible for even more photos. 

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Numbers of Swainson's Thrushes seem to have increased today and there were flocks of mixed warblers moving amongst the vegetation near to the ringing station and occasionally coming down to the water drip to drink. On the last net round a superb juvenile Chestnut-sided Warbler was trapped and shown in the hand after processing.

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Parula Warbler

Parula Warbler

American Redstart

American Redstart

Male American Redstart

Male American Redstart

Bay-breasted Warbler

Brown Creeper

Downy Woodpecker

Grey-cheeked Thrush

Grey-cheeked Thrush

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Tennessee Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

Wilson's Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Blackpoll Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Parula Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Tennessee Warbler

American Redstart

Magnolia Warbler

After lunch we went to the bridge at the end of the causeway and a selection of waders including Stilt Sands, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Sandpiper and Plovers and one Least Sandpiper. A few more duck than yesterday with Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teals a single Black Duck and Mallard. Other species included Caspian Tern, Ring-billed Gull and Great White Egret. It started to rain so we went back to the Cozy Cove where we were staying and had a cuppa waiting for the rain to stop. Once the rain stopped we headed back to the campsite and were treated to large flocks of mixed warbler species feeding as before.