Shorebirding at Point Pelee

This past weekend I headed down to Point Pelee for a quick 24 hour trip. The main goal for me was to visit some good friends that I hadn't seen since my last visit during May, but of course I fit some birding in.

After attending Kory and Sarah Renaud's barbeque at their new house, I was eager to go for a paddle in the marsh the following morning. Kory and I took his canoe, while Steve Pike kayaked. Shorebirding in the marsh is one of my favorite birding activities in the Point Pelee area, as the birds often let you approach so close you can nearly touch them (providing great photo opportunities). The marsh is a beautiful place to explore, and you never know what you will encounter out there since few birders check it regularly.

Shorebird diversity was about average for the time of year, with no rarities mixed in, but it was great to observe at close range some of the more common species. Thirty-six Short-billed Dowitchers were a good count; every single one was a juvenile, as expected for mid-August. I did not take any photos of the dowitchers this time, but here are a couple of photos from years past.

Short-billed Dowitchers - Point Pelee National Park

Short-billed Dowitcher - Point Pelee National Park

Short-billed Dowitcher - Point Pelee National Park

Short-billed Dowitchers - Point Pelee National Park

Our "best" shorebird was probably this juvenile Stilt Sandpiper that was hanging out in West Cranberry Pond. It was interesting to hear it call repeatedly as it chased off a pesky Short-billed Dowitcher that was encroaching on presumably the finest feeding area. Not something I can recall hearing before!

Stilt Sandpiper - Point Pelee National Park

While we were paddling in Lake Pond, I noticed a distinctive shape of a heron standing on a small mudflat, with its head pointing skyward. The American Bittern certainly looked out of place out in the open; usually it inhabits stands of aquatic vegetation where it can blend in more easily. Thanks to Kory's paddling, we were able to get in close while I snapped a few photos, my first that I have ever taken of this species (and species #352 photographed for Ontario).

American Bittern - Point Pelee National Park

American Bittern - Point Pelee National Park

On our way back we noticed a few Black Terns, including one individual perching on American Lotus. A few weeks earlier, dozens were present in the marsh but they have cleared out since then, and only a few remained, along with dozens of Common Terns.

Black Tern - Point Pelee National Park

This individual was even banded!

Black Tern - Point Pelee National Park

Common Terns - Point Pelee National Park

After photographing the Black Tern, we stopped to take some photos of the American Lotus flowers that grow in a large patch in Lake Pond. I have some awesome photos of these on my iPhone, however somehow during the ordeal the phone ended up overboard, and now resides permanently in the Pelee Marsh. For a second I debated going in after it, but the phone would have been long fried at that point, plus I did not think that Kory would appreciate me trying to scramble back into the canoe afterwards, more than likely dumping him overboard in the process. Here are a few shots of the flowers with the real camera.

American Lotus - Point Pelee National Park

American Lotus - Point Pelee National Park

Afterwards we checked a few other shorebird locations before driving over to Alan's house for a visit. Our first stop was a stormwater management pond that is located within a future subdivision development just north of the Golf Course. The previous day, Jeremy Hatt had found a juvenile Red Knot at nearby Seacliff Beach, and when checking the stormwater pond soon after, was surprised to see that the knot had taken up temporary residence there! Jeremy met Steve, Kory and I at the ponds, and while the knot was a no-show it was nice to do some birding at a new location. The most interesting bird here was a hatch-year meadowlark that Kory spotted nearby, which we all viewed in the scope. Eastern? Western? Who knows....

A check of Seacliff Beach was our final stop of the morning. Some algae had collected on the beach adjacent to the ferry docks, and here we watched an interesting little group of shorebirds from only a few meters away. Six species were present - A Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Baird's Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, and several Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers.

Semipalmated Sandpiper - Seacliff Beach

Sanderling (right) and Baird's Sandpiper - Seacliff Beach

This was the same group accompanying the Red Knot yesterday, but unfortunately it was nowhere to be seen. I took advantage of the opportunity to take a few photos of the shorebirds from close range. The lighting was not ideal, but its rare that I get an opportunity like this to photograph a Baird's Sandpiper, for instance.

Baird's Sandpiper - Seacliff Beach

Baird's Sandpiper - Seacliff Beach

The Sanderling provided an interesting photo subject. After an extended foraging session, it decided to go wash off in the waves.

Sanderling - Seacliff Beach

Sanderling - Seacliff Beach

Sanderling - Seacliff Beach