Pelee weekend part 2 - Goatsuckers and more

The big news on the Saturday was the presence of not one, not two, but three species of Caprimulgidae found roosting in the park. These birds are sometimes referred to as goatsuckers due to an old belief that they sucked the milk from goats, but in reality these cryptic, crepuscular critters prefer to eat moths and other insects. In Ontario we have two regular species - the Eastern Whip-poor-will and Common Nighthawk - the former more easily heard than seen, and the latter most commonly seen at dawn and dusk as it hawks insects overhead. Day-roosting Eastern Whip-poor-wills and Common Nighthawks are occasionally reported at Point Pelee during the spring on day-roosts, allowing many birders to enjoy great views of these normally hard to see birds. The third species of Caprimulgidae that we occasionally detect in Ontario is the Chuck-will's-widow. The largest of the three species, Chucks are found to the south of us but sometimes appear in the spring far north of their range. They have even attempted nesting in Ontario on occasion.

Chuck-will's-widow - Point Pelee National Park

The Chuck-will's-widow, shown above, was found perched on a log just north of Sparrow Field. This is possibly the same bird that Ken and Mike Burrell had found along the park road near here during the previous morning (they only saw it in flight). I was pretty excited to finally see this species well in Ontario, and to obtain my first photos of it (my 377th photographed species in Ontario). Previously I had only seen two - an individual that flew over the road near the Carden Alvar on June 20, 2010, and a bird calling at dusk north of the Visitor's Centre parking lot at Point Pelee on May 3, 2012.

The Eastern Whip-poor-will was found roosting close to the ground just off of the main road, south of the Visitor's Centre. These were the best views I had ever had of the species.

Eastern Whip-poor-will - Point Pelee National Park

After seeing the Chuck earlier in the day it was great to have a nice comparison with a Whip. The size difference is super noticeable, as are some plumage and structural details, that I doubt I would ever confuse a Chuck for a Whip now, if I came across one sometime.

Eastern Whip-poor-will - Point Pelee National Park

Common Nighthawks are the most likely goatsucker to be seen at Point Pelee in mid to late May. This one had been found by others roosting high up in a tree at Sleepy Hollow.

Common Nighthawk - Point Pelee National Park

Other than the goatsuckers there were many highlights on another busy morning of birding in the park. We saw several rare warblers,  including a Cerulean Warbler feeding on insects on the ground, only a few feet away from us just south of the Visitor's Centre, and a Worm-eating Warbler along the Redbud Footpath. 

Cerulean Warbler - Point Pelee National Park

Cerulean Warbler - Point Pelee National Park

Earlier in the day, Dave, Josh and I had walked some of the trails on the west side of the park. It was fairly birdy with many warblers, but the highlight for us was a sharp Clay-colored Sparrow on the beach near Black Willow. 

Clay-colored Sparrow - Point Pelee National Park

Speaking of sparrows, last weekend marked the transition where White-crowned Sparrows outnumbered White-throated Sparrows. White-throated is an earlier migrant and numbers have certainly dwindled, but White-crowned are now going strong. 

White-crowned Sparrow - Point Pelee National Park

Just after finishing up our lunch at Birdie's Perch, I received a notification that Henrique Pacheco had just discovered a Summer Tanager along Point Pelee Drive near Freddy's restaurant. I was only a minute away and raced over there, seeing the Summer Tanager well with several others. Henrique had a pretty good start to his Point Pelee visit, as he later found a Yellow-breasted Chat and Kentucky Warbler that evening in the park!

Summer Tanager - Point Pelee Drive, Leamington

Summer Tanager - Point Pelee Drive, Leamington

Following a check of the onion fields and Hillman Marsh, we headed back into the park and met up with Dan Riley and Nikki Huculiak for an evening walk at DeLaurier. It was relatively birdy for the time of day, though we did not turn up any rarities. A Green Heron was hunting not far from the boardwalk, providing awesome views. 

Green Heron - Point Pelee National Park

The following morning was a beautiful day to be out, but it appeared that many of the songbirds from the previous day had vacated the park. I met up with Kory Renaud around the tip and walked back up to the Visitor's Centre, though it was rather slow for birds. One highlight was a Yellow-breasted Chat at the Botham Loop, but it neglected to stick around for very long. There were a lot of birders walking around aimlessly all morning, waiting for their phones to ping, but there was not much reported early on. Josh, Dave and I met up with Jeremy Hatt later in the the morning and had an excellent walk along some of the trails on the west side of the park. While we did not turn up anything crazy, it was great to see decent numbers of warblers, which included a Blue-winged and a Brewster's (hybrid with Golden-winged). A bit later, we wandered into Tilden's Woods as there had been several Canada Warblers reported, and it was one of the few species we had not yet crossed paths with.

Canada Warbler - Point Pelee National Park

One of the Canada Warblers was foraging on the ground, oblivious to the birders and photographers, like so many other warblers this weekend. Again, the best views I've ever had of the species.

Canada Warbler - Point Pelee National Park

At one point I was crouched along the side of the trail taking its photo when it started walking towards me. It ended up walking right underneath me as I crouched!

Canada Warbler - Point Pelee National Park

A few more photos of the beaut...

Canada Warbler - Point Pelee National Park

Canada Warbler - Point Pelee National Park

We noticed several warblers (mostly Nashville Warblers and Tennessee Warblers) along with many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds feeding on Prickly Gooseberry nectar. When insects are scarce, nectar will do in a pinch!

Tennessee Warbler - Point Pelee National Park

Tennessee Warbler - Point Pelee National Park

The clock was ticking and it was soon time for me to head home to Niagara. However, a brief chat with Jeremy Bensette convinced me to walk back to Sparrow Field, as the Chuck-will's-widow had been refound and was roosting in a more photography-friendly location. Along the way, a cheeky American Redstart stopped me in my tracks for a brief photoshoot.

American Redstart - Point Pelee National Park

It was a good decision to see the Chuck again, as I was the only one there initially and was able to enjoy the bird for a good five minutes before others arrived. It was super easy to find, roosting right beside the trail.

Chuck-will's-widow - Point Pelee National Park

Chuck-will's-widow - Point Pelee National Park

An Acadian Flycatcher that Jeremy Bensette had found was nearby, so I paused to check it out on my way back to the Visitor's Centre. It was great to have an opportunity to study this species from eye-level, even if it was a little distant at the time.

Acadian Flycatcher - Point Pelee National Park

And with that, it was time to head back. But wait! Kory Renaud had just rediscovered the Piping Plover at Seacliff Beach in Leamington so I dropped in briefly before continuing on.

Piping Plover - Seacliff Beach, Leamington

And that's all she wrote. Another great Pelee weekend in the books!