Kirtland’s Warbler Consuming Ants at Point Pelee (2018 Note)

RIP Michigan Birds & Natural History News...  I wrote this short note for the journal, that was published in 2018: 

Holden, B.R. 2018. Kirtland’s warbler consuming ants during migration in Ontario. Michigan Birds and Natural History. 25(3): 172–174

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Figure 1. Female Kirtland's Warbler actively foraging on ants

At 0900 on 18 May 2013 my Father and I were birding along the west beach footpath of Point Pelee National Park (Ontario, Canada) when an alternate (Humphrey and Parkes 1959) female Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) caught our eyes. We secured record photographs and subsequently reported the sighting to the Ontbirds listserv, which allowed many other observers to enjoy the sighting. The habitat was that of a westerly facing beach dune community, notable with scattered Juniperus species. The bird was present in the same general area for the remainder of the day allowing us to return in the evening to obtain additional photographs. Known for their accommodating nature (Bocetti et al.), I was able to obtain a number of detailed images with a Canon 1DM4 DSLR and 600mm lens. Review of these images, both in the field and afterwards, showed that the bird was catching and consuming ants (Order: Hymenpotera) (Figures 1,2).

While the order is known to account for a sizeable portion of the species diet on the breeding grounds (Deloria-Scheffield et al. 2001) seemingly little has been published on migrant individuals at stopover locations; presumably due to the general scarcity of observations and subsequent inability to complete any detailed study.

The Kirtland’s Warbler is a rare but regular migrant in Ontario with 75 records accepted by the Ontario Bird Records Committee through 2016 (Burrell et al. 2016), with this individual representing the 58th (Holden 2014). The majority of observations have occurred in the extreme south-west portion of the province during spring migration, presumably on route to the species stronghold in the lower peninsula of Michigan (Probst 1991). Recent records well east in Ontario may be attributed to isolated breeding populations in Ontario, such as Renfrew County first discovered in 2006 (Richard 2008); which has been active every year thereafter (Richard 2013), as well as other unpublished occurrences. It is hoped that this note and associated images will shed a small amount of light on the species diet during at a stopover site during migration, a poorly known period of its life cycle.

Figure 2. Kirtland's Warbler eyeing up ants on a small trunk

Literature Cited

Bocetti, C.I., Donner D.M. and H.F. Mayfield. Kirtland’s Warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, ED.). Ithaca: Cornell Lab of Ornithology; Retrieved from the birds of North America Online: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/019doi:10.2173/bna.19

Burrell M.V.A., Charlton B.N. and K.G.D. Burrell. 2017. Ontario Bird Records Committee Report for 2016. Ontario Birds 34(2):58-85.

Deloria-Sheffield C.M., Millenbah, K.F., Bocetti, C.I., Sykes Jr., P.W. and C.B. Kepler. 2001. Kirtland’s Warbler Diet as Determined Through Fecal Analysis. Wilson Bulletin

Holden, B.R. 2014. Ontario Bird Records Committee Report for 2014. Ontario Birds 32(2):54-81.

Humphrey, P.S. and K.C. Parkes. 1959. An approach to the study of moots and plumages. Auk 76:1-31.

Probstm J.R. 1991. Kirtland’s Warbler. In: The Atlas of Breeding Birds of Michigan (R. Brewer, G. McPeek, and R. Adams Jr., Eds.), Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, Michigan, USA. pp. 414-417.

Richard, T. 2013. Seven Years Later: Kirtland’s Warbler at Garrison Petawawa, 2006-2013. Ontario Birds 31(3):148-159.

Richard, T. 2008. Confirmed Occurrence and Nesting of the Kirtland’s Warbler at CFP Petawawa, Ontario: A First for Canada. Ontario Birds 26(1)2-15.

A funny thing happened on the way to ... Michigan Birds and Natural History News

 

Another fun thing that I wrote... That wasn't published... But not due to any bizarre internal politics (this time)...  Here is what followed; a "letter to the editors" or "commentary" to Michigan Birds and Natural History News: 

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Regarding a reported Slaty-backed Gull from Whitefish Point, Chippewa, Michigan from May 19-20, 2017 and the role of Bird Records Committees 

Figure 1. Slaty-backed Gull at Whitefish Point, May 19, 2026. Photo by Skye Haas. 

This note pertains to a reported adult Slaty-backed Gull (Larus schistisagus) from Whitefish Point, Chippewa, Michigan from May 19-20, 2017. While conducting a review of available media of Slaty-backed Gull from the Great Lakes region, I was surprised that photos of this individual were unavailable for retrieval on the eBird.org website (eBird). Further investigation revealed that the record had been “rejected” by the Michigan Bird Records Committee (MBRC) which was the trigger for their suppression from the public output of eBird. 

This discovery led to a slight detour in my undertaking. I then sought out the original photos as well as the rationale provided for why the record was rejected. This ultimately led to further reflection on the role and intent of bird record committees, including my limited experience with the MBRC and my extensive experience with the Ontario Bird Records Committee (OBRC) of my home province.

 

Observer notes from the initial date of observation are as follows: 

Adult bird. Observed in small flock of gulls bathing and loafing in pools at tip of Whitefish Point. Immediately stood out as being intermediate in size between LBBG &GBBG. Structure was readily apparent with SBGU displaying a projecting "goose-like" breast, rounded head and thin THGU-like bill structure. Legs a deep bubblegum pink, a stronger color than the GBBG and HERG it was observed with. Substantially wide white tertial skirt, and in flight the white trailing edge of the wing was noticeably wider than the other gull spp present. Subterminal white spots were not the boldest marked I've seen on the species, but still present and observed in photos. Observed in both photos and through scope looks was the reduced black on the upper outer primaries, with the black restricted to the outer webs of the primaries creating a Venetian blind look ala THGU. Also noticed in both the field and from photos was the reduced black on underwing as compared to LBBG or GBBG.

Figure 2. Photo by Skye Haas. 

 

The reasoning provided to the observers regarding the rejection of the May 19-20, 2017 Slaty-backed Gull is as follows: 

Slaty-backed Gull 2017-0480-02 (initial vote: 5-2)

Those voting to reject based their concerns on traits viewed in the photographs, namely that they thought the underwing pattern was too pale, the tongues were too narrow, and that the secondary trailing edge was not thick enough and appeared uniform with the primary trailing edge. Their thinking was that maybe one of these features is ok for a pure Slaty-backed but certainly not all of them. One member thought that the legs seemed long for this species. Those present who had voted to accept recognized these concerns but were undecided as to how they would vote the next time.

Figure 3. Photo: Steve Kolbe. 

These comments revived feelings of my own experiences with the OBRC on unrelated observations. I provide my thoughts not as a direct critique of the MBRC or the members of the 2017 committee, but as a representative example on how these decisions may affect the reporting observer(s) of a rare bird, the birding community and the ability for a records committee to achieve their stated objectives. 

To start, the first sentence raises concern. “Those voting to reject based their concerns on traits viewed in the photographs…”. There is a growing trend for validators of bird records to formulate their opinions strictly on available media, rejecting the field notes and particularly field experience of those taking the time to submit a report. While I cannot provide any basis on the potential for photographs to be misleading, observers to make mistakes, and/or the greater likelihood of either scenario unfolding – this approach ultimately does work to discredit the observer. This may lead to a reluctance from observers to take field notes or to provide text with their submissions to a records committee at all. 

Items regarding observed field marks raise further concern, specifically the “concerning traits” noticed by dissenting MBRC members, that the: 

- “the underwing pattern was too pale”; 

- “the secondary trailing edge was not thick enough”; and, 

- “the secondary trailing edge … appeared uniform with the primary trailing edge”. 

These comments are representative of a growing problem where validators of bird records may be searching for justification around the rejection of a record which leads to a subsequent explanation that is not necessarily rooted in fact or reality. I am of the opinion that each one of these traits, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3 respectively, are comfortably within the expected appearance of an adult Slaty-backed Gull. The underwing pattern shows the expected darker colouration on the underside of the primaries and secondaries (Figure 3), the secondary trailing edge is notably thick (Figures 2 and 3), and the trailing edge of the secondaries and primaries is not uniform (Figure 3). Using proper fieldmarks as justification for the rejection of a record surely leads to dissatisfaction and would lead to a reluctance from observers to make future submissions to a records committee. 

Finally, I was intrigued by this last perceived issue with the identification:

- “One member thought that the legs seemed long for this species”.

This brings forward another growing concern that I have with the validation of bird records, the notion that an observer must somehow be cognizant of, or dare I say omnipotent, in order to predict the potential concerns a reviewer may have with a bird record. I will boast that there may be few other observers in the Great Lakes region that enjoy gull study as I do, yet I would not have considered discussing the length of the legs for a potential SBAG. In hindsight, an observer might note that the apparent length of the legs may be affected by warmer weather conditions in May. Or perhaps the belly of the bird was slim due to illness or the pressures of long northward flights in spring migration? Alas, this feedback is only received following the initial rejection of a record – which as noted, is likely to have had a detrimental effect on the desire for an observer to bother supporting a records committee in the future. 

Many committees are adequately serving community members who are focused on competitive bird-listing endeavors, capturing records that are well observed and widely documented. Yet I would note that modern websites such as eBird would be similarly capable of similar undertakings if allowed to conduct their own validations outside of committee decisions. I would therefore like to encourage records committees and their members to consider how these decisions may be working against their goals to turn these records into valuable scientific data. Suppression of this Slaty-backed Gull observation, and similar records, would only reduce our ability to know the limits of occurrence of this species within the Great Lakes region. This effect is compounded when the most proactive members of the bird watching community, those who push to make new discoveries regarding bird identification and distribution, become disenfranchised with the process and have subsequent documentation that never reaches a records committee in the first place. 

In their foundations, these committees provided some of the best possible means to compile and disseminate information about vagrant bird identification and distribution given the technology available at the time. If the MBRC or other committees viewed their modern undertakings through this lens, how to best enhance the scientific value of our hobby through the sharing of knowledge, I suspect there would be improvements that can arise to the betterment of our community as a whole. 

(Submitted Aug 2025)

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Maybe a bit sassy or self-centered on my part... But I sent it in anyways... And then I never heard back! 

I figured it was the standard issue regarding the fear of critique or potential change/improvement... Instead, it was because the journal had folded! At the time, the website was still up and the email for submissions as still posted - but the journal had gone under a few years previously. Ouch. 

There were a few other events beyond this instance that eventually convinced me to try to support/improve the process at home (in Ontario)... I'll be randomly sharing them here as time allows. 

Hot-Sauce Hawk-Watch - Oct 5, 2026

 

I teamed up with the legend known only as J B - for some good olde Lake Erie hawkwatching on Oct 5.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S399784454

A late RTHU, ~120 AGPL, ~175 AWPE, ~2600 TUVU, 6 PEFA, 4 swallow species including Bank and ~30 Barn (!!) Swallows, ~165 PISI, ~300 warblers... 

Pretty spectacular. Perhaps the only thing keeping it from being an all-time great day would be to bump the TUVU numbers over 10k... Or 2-3 SWHA... or something like a COKI...... Alas, if those things happened all the time, they wouldn't be so special. 

One interesting bird is this Merlin (above). At the time, we were talking about cameras and autofocus ... A Merlin had zipped by close earlier in the day, but I didn't think about grabbing a picture until it was too late. I saw one coming, went for my camera, and managed a few images. It seemed dark, but I assumed it was just the backlighting. I saved the image because I thought it looked neat. I looked closer and boy it really was very dark & unusually marked...

A less artistic / better exposed view. I remembered Tom Johnson and Tim Lenz had a Black Merlin in New York several years ago... I pulled up the checklist for reference. They noted "the general lack of pale spotting/ barring on the remiges, which are very important to the subspecific identification" ... The reference link no longer works, but it's the Systematics and Evolution of the North American Merlins by S. A. Temple. Link here. 

Other features of Black Merlin are reduced tail bars, a darker head... Long story short, it very much has features of Black Merlin. My big question is - is it really? Or is there variation in other populations that has a bird that can look like this? I queried the Great Lakes Bird Study Group (on discord) and got a 10/10 response from Lucas Wilson who has looked into this question before. 

I went back and saved the 3 other pictures I had of the bird. While I wish I had "noticed" it more in the field, it will be something fun to revisit in the future! 

Rapid Fire Recent Birding - OFO Convention Edition

 

More recent birding! I'm really sharing these for a few small reasons: 

1. Birding is fun - and I feel like it's good to share what you can see when you spend time in the field (looking...) 

2. Some stuff I hope to post isn't as much fun (like talking about how the OBRC could really use an update... or some thoughts on eBird... or the ABA...) 

3. See point #1 .. 

Great Horned Owl

I wasn't registered for the OFO convention, but I was excited to see some friendly faces! Not to mention the night birding, as previously noted. 

I sauntered my way to Essex County, stopping first at some light sources in the dark, just to see what was happening in the rain. It wasn't much! I ended up along the Lake Erie shoreline for the morning hours: https://ebird.org/checklist/S398385684 

50 species, including 4 RHWO, 3 PEFA, ~1000 AGOL, 11 BOBO (late)... Not bad at all... While not a direct comparison on time/effort, it is neat to see the differences in numbers between you and someone birding the same way nearby!

Little to report after that. It is quite amusing that both American White Pelicans and Trumpeter Swans have now set up shop at Hillman Marsh. Times have changed. 

Song Sparrow

Soon it was tomato time (as previously and previously noted). The lights went off around 12:30 am - and everyone else sensibly went to bed. Not this guy. I really enjoy testing different locations on the same day - or night - just to get a handle on how each site compares. I moved to a backup location and was (once again) shocked at the differences between species & flight styles - even on the same night and over short distances. 

A big highlight was a Dickcissel calling very loudly around 1:40 am! ... A Longspur (presumably Lapland, right?!) called very loudly as well ... Ruddy Ducks continued their surprise appearances. Perhaps most interesting of all was some photos of a bird that looks like a White-eyed Vireo. I was able to get a Blue-headed Vireo in the same night, showing structural differences well. 

After an hour or so, I drove around to scout for other locations, ended up back at the initial location, and eventually went to bed around 4:30 am ....... 

Apparent WEVI .. I think the huge head and short tail supports the ID? 

Instead of sleeping in, I set an alarm for 7am. I was fortunate to have a place to stay near the east beach of Hillman Marsh with the Burrell twins! I knew it wouldn't be an amazing location to bird, but I have always been interested to see what this location might be capable of. It was pretty boring so I ended up driving to Zion Rd:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S398781244

CHSW, PEFA, my fof PISI, some warblers ... Not bad ...  

I really needed to sleep, so I went back to my dig... I just wanted to do a quick check of the East Beach of Hillman Marsh again....... REKN, a flock of AGPL, more AWPE. Pretty good! Now off to slee-waaaaaittttttttt there's an adult Golden-Plover on the spit. Despite the flock of juv AGPL flying around, it didn't join them... Staying low, hiding in debris etc . Weird. It's legs are super long. The bill seemed really long too. The distribution of black below, while heavily in molt, sure isn't "wrong" for Pacific Golden-Plover... 

It was enough to keep me there for an extra hour... ahh! I'll share more about the plover in the future - but a key part of the story is that Max Segler and Liam Thorne went out and got some pictures of the beast (1000x better than mine)... 

I managed ~2 hrs of napping before one last hurrah of night birding. It was slow (as expected) but once again highlighted by some great company. I wanted to be home for Sunday - so I did a very sleepy drive back to London and I was back around 1:30 am. 

Tomatoes in Light

 

This past weekend was the OFO Conference at Point Pelee... While I was not keen on the conference itself, and I'm sometimes dismayed at the decline of actual "field ornithology" within the org... I cannot deny that it did facilitate an amazing birding experience. A chance to share greenhouse birding with some of Ontario's finest!

Long story short - in my recent night birding explorations, I've discovered some spots where the intense growing lights of local greenhouses shine up into the night sky. Check out this CBC news article for some context. It's pretty much a giant flashlight pointing up - and it's enough to very clearly see the birds flying overhead with your eyes / optics - at night. 

As always, I was a bit worried about crowds - or people who don't know how to park (and upsetting the locals) - trespassing - or appreciate potential disturbance to birds etc. etc.... but my concerns are always overridden with the chance to bird with (and "talk shop") with the newer generations of ON birders. It was really fun. 

(American Golden-Plover)

Thankfully it was a huge migration night, so there were birds to see. Birds were higher than some of my previous visits, so many warblers & sparrows went unidentified to species - but there were still some striking observations (Least Bitterns & Cuckoo's really stand out, for example). Ruddy Ducks were interesting too. Here's the tally (which isn't an exact tally - I didn't keep track & just guessed): 

Mallard  3
American Black Duck  1
Redhead  1
Ruddy Duck  5
duck sp.  30
Yellow-billed Cuckoo  3     
Virginia Rail  1
Sora  2
American Golden-Plover  1
American Woodcock  1
Wilson's Snipe  3
shorebird sp.  1
Bonaparte's Gull  3
Ring-billed Gull  1
Pied-billed Grebe  1
American Bittern  1
Least Bittern  2     
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  1
Northern Flicker  2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Gray-cheeked Thrush  3
Swainson's Thrush  1
Hermit Thrush  3
White-throated Sparrow  10
Savannah Sparrow  10
Song Sparrow  1
new world sparrow sp.  15
Bay-breasted/Blackpoll Warbler  10
Yellow-rumped Warbler  3
new world warbler sp.  25     
passerine sp.  30

Ruddies!

Probably pretty low estimates on the "species" - and I'm probably forgetting some birds... 

The next night was much slower for migration, and the lights actually turned off early - leaving us in the dark! But it was once again great to catch up (and meet) some more super-talented youth. So much to do and learn with this crazy hobby!

Yellow-billed Cuckoo - strictly with the light of the greenhouse (i.e., no supplemental light)

Ontario Bird Study Group Proposal - scrapped OFO News Article

 

This is some text I wrote for the June 2026 issue of OFO News. Which is a newsletter? Correction. Apparently it's a magazine now. Who knew. 

Ultimately, the editorial team didn't care to publish it... Not that anyone told me. Whoops. I've even offered to help out as an editorial consultant - which meant my name ended up on the issue - but I was never actually involved or had a chance to look it over. At the very least, I would have caught the Wilson's Phalarope labeled as a Red-necked Phalarope on page 18. I'm not sure it matters though. 

Anyways, here's the text: 

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Ontario Bird Study Group Proposal: Modernize the Ontario Bird Records Committee and Provide Added Value to OFO and OFO Members.

Starting in 2025, I began working on a system that could modernize yet also maintain the core functions of the Ontario Bird Records Committee (OBRC). The new process was tentatively named the Ontario Bird Study Group (OBSG), chosen to demonstrate a collaborative approach and designed to add value to notable bird observations and to our community, rather than strictly adjudicating and archiving material. This would reflect a deliberate shift away from a traditional records committee model toward a structure better aligned with how bird study, documentation, and collaboration now occur in Ontario.

Today, modern bird discoveries are often supported by high-quality digital media, instantaneous communication, and broad access to comparative material, with observations quickly entered into publicly accessible databases. While social media and online platforms have expanded access to information, they have also created an environment where sustained analysis, thoughtful discussion, and preservation of notable material is increasingly difficult. The OBRC process, first implemented in 1981, has had little tangible change to keep pace with the world evolving around us. 

The core goal of the OBSG proposal is to go beyond the archival process, to grow our collective knowledge about the birds of Ontario, which is an objective that aligns closely with the founding goals of OFO. The emphasis would shift more strongly toward analysis rather than simply the voting outcome. The process aims to refine and consolidate research into permanent OFO publications through Ontario Birds, the OFO website, and OFO News. The framework has also been designed to create opportunities for greater involvement in provincial eBird review decisions. 

This proposal was ultimately brought to the attention of the OFO Board of Directors and the current OBRC, and was presented to OFO members via webinar in early April. A recording is available on the OFO YouTube page here: 

Preliminary Bylaws and Guidelines Documents are available for review upon request, as links to the OFO website are anticipated to change. 

At the time of writing, an open consultation period is occurring for OFO members to provide their input regarding the proposal. While this period will have ended by the time of publication, it does not mean that feedback is no longer requested. OFO members are encouraged to reach out to Mark Peck at president@ofo.ca with any comments, questions or concerns. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out! It is difficult to fully convey how the new process will operate through a few guidance documents and a single webinar, and it is important that OFO members who are interested in the activities of the OBRC are heard. Stay tuned for more information. 

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Fast forward to September 2026 - and I'm in the 90-95% confidence range that the proposal may not pan out - and that the OBRC may stay equally as bad (or worse) pending upcoming changes. Not all hope is lost, but hope is definitely getting low. 

The good news is - it doesn't really matter! Most people I bird with have generally lost faith in the OBRC and OFO. It's not a great situation, but it doesn't prevent us from enjoying birding at all. I'm still quite interested in getting feedback - or having a discussion - with any parties interested in this type of "BRC" reform. 

More to come on the blog about these experiences! 

Pelee Area Triple Threat: Sep 17-18, 2026

 

I figured this "night" birding business would mean I'd sleep less. I was right. 

Run-of-the-mill Warbler "flock" ... at night ...

I was "night birding" from sundown until maybe 3 am... I probably would/could have stayed awake all night, but I'm still learning how best to take advantage of these newfound opportunities... Years of testing theories, techniques, locations etc. ahead... 

Some results: 

17th (PM): https://ebird.org/checklist/S394292904

18th (AM): https://ebird.org/checklist/S394237930

I think I had more species visually identified at night - than most checklists I see from people who keep telling me my ideas about the OBRC are wrong   😅

After my sold 2-2.5 hrs of sleep, I zipped over to the north end of Point Pelee to see what the morning flight was like. Turns out, it was "pretty good"! ... Just like every other "pretty good" morning I've had here over the last 2 falls. 

https://ebird.org/checklist/S394237794

~1100 Warblers - but still no CONW - and a slow increase in the number of later-season migrants. I had forgot to charge my spare camera battery, so no images this time... 

Off to Zion road! 

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The previous 2 days had rain/drizzle in the SW, with north winds in central Ontario. The table was set for a massive Broad-winged Hawk migration. Given the species reluctance to move near the lakeshore, I was a bit worried the wind was "too east" - but I really hoped to finally hit a really good Broad-winged Hawk migration at Zion Road... It really isn't an ideal spot for one, but maybe this time would be different! 

It wasn't .... 

Conditions were great right at Zion, but I suspect the air was a bit dead (light) further east of us, and it allowed large numbers to push FAR inland. Like, almost to Lake St. Clair inland... I had seen 1 Broad-winged Hawk by 2pm... 

All was not lost however; given the spectacular insect migration, but the flight line finally got close enough for us to "find it" around 2pm... I am not a good counter, but I suspect we had 20-25,000 Broad-winged Hawks in a ~2.5 hr window - including one massive kettle-line that may have had upwards of 10,000 birds. I had taken a photo of a portion of the line and counted later at home, just to try to get a handle on the numbers (my 600 mm + 1.4x TC setup - so a narrow field of view - still managed to get a single picture with 491 BWHA in it!). J B estimated the "flock" (which was dense, the entire way) was maybe 1.5 km long! 

They made us wait, and it wasn't the 50,000 + day I have always dreamed of, but it was still quite the spectacle. 

Don't you just love good birding! More to come!