Point Pelee May 1st: TOWNSEND'S WARBLER!???!

So yeah, the Townend's Warbler was obviously the highlight of the day, but also super frustrating since we never saw the bird! For the real account of the TOWA, check out Brandon's blog...http://www.blog.peregrineprints.com/2013/05/the-real-townsends-warbler-story-may-1.html

Needless to say nothing could top the Townsend's Warbler, but we still had quite a few other highlights throughout the day.

We watched every single Black-throated Green Warbler migrating off of the tip, hoping to catch a glimpse of the TOWA. No luck on that front, though we did get a Prairie Warbler that Brandon managed to photograph in flight! The photo is also on his blog...

I photographed some displaying Surf Scoters off of the west side of the point.

Surf Scoters - May 1, 2013

Surf Scoters - May 1, 2013

My first Great Egret I have seen sitting on the tip of Point Pelee. The gulls didn't like it and scared it away.

Surf Egret - May 1, 2013

Some reverse migration action...

Red-bellied Woodpecker - May 1, 2013

Baltimore Oriole - May 1, 2013

Another highlight was finding a nice White-eyed Vireo near the tip - an overdue first of the year. I also managed my first usable photos of this species. Super stoked with these images!

White-eyed Vireo - May 1, 2013

White-eyed Vireo - May 1, 2013

The tip was absolutely crawling with birds on May 1. Among the many species was an exceptionally early female Tennessee Warbler and female Cape May Warbler. A very early Philadelphia Vireo was also present.

female Tennessee Warbler - May 1, 2013

female Cape May Warbler - May 1, 2013

Anyways, once again Pelee has been absolutely fantastic!! It was the second day in a row where I never left the south end of the park all day. I was at 111 species for just the park on May 1, and 159 for the past 3 days.  Rarities have been seemingly everywhere, so I thought I would list a few of them...All of these are since April 24.

Self found (or found along with others)
probable Townsend's Warbler (9 accepted records for Ontario)
Henslow's Sparrow (less than 5 annually in Ontario)
Lark Sparrow (around 5 annually in Ontario)
King Eider (very rare in spring at Point Pelee)
Northern Goshawk (accidental in spring at Point Pelee)
5 Grasshopper Sparrows
3 White-eyed Vireos
2 Yellow-throated Vireos
Golden-winged Warbler
4+ Blue-winged Warbler
3+ Louisiana Waterthrush
Prairie Warbler
Willet

Twitched
Kentucky Warbler
Worm-eating Warbler (x2)
Painted Bunting
Golden-winged Warbler
Long-billed Dowitcher


So yeah...Pelee is kinda the best.

Willet - May 2, 2013