Rain overnight but had stopped by sunrise. Overcast and humidity reportedly 92% with a light SSE breeze. Since arriving at Long Point we had been watching the migration of Monarch butterflies, these large butterflies are impressive and sometimes they are passing overhead at height on their way west. Due to the damp conditions this morning large numbers of Monarchs were hanging from shrubs and trees waiting for better weather conditions.
After purchasing the season pass to the Long Point Provincial Park we drove to the farthest parking area and walked beyond the Turtle Dunes campsite and along the beach on the south side. A Turkey was foraging on the beach ahead of us and hundreds of Common Terns were moving west offshore. It is hard to believe that this is a lake as you cannot see land when looking south from this area. It started to rain and made birding difficult and it took some time to find anything but eventually we came across several Swainson's Thrushes, a couple of White-chinned Sparrows, Yellowthroats and a Wilsons Warbler. By this time we were quite damp and we wandered back into the campsite and back to the car where a flock of American Robins and a few Cedar Waxwings were feeding in the rain. Our next stop was the Long Point Obs were given the weather conditions the nets were closed however, shortly after arriving the rain stopped and the nets were re-opened but initial net rounds did not produce many birds. The Hooded Warbler was still present for its third day.
After lunch we went to the bridge at the far end of the causeway and saw a juvenile Hudsonian Godwit that had been found by James Lees. Other waders included two Dunlin, 10 Stilt Sandpipers, 3 Semipalmated Plovers, 5 Semipalmated Sandpipers, two Greater Yellowlegs, 3 Least Sandpipers, 4 Lesser Yellowlegs, four Pectoral Sandpipers and a Baird's Sandpiper.
Our first stop for fuel went ok and after a stop for an afternoon cuppa we headed back to the Campsite after having received some additional gen from James regarding some good areas to focus on. We spent an excellent two hours sat on a bench in one of the unused camping bays watching flocks of warblers feeding and passing through the scrub and woodland around us. Accompanying the warblers which included Blackpoll, Cape May, Yellow-rumped, Wilsons, Black-throated Blue, Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Ovenbird, was a Red-breasted Nuthatch, Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, an Eastern Wood Peewee, three Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and about 20 American Robins
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