Point Pelee: May 13, 2014 - one of the BEST birding days I've EVER had!!!!!!!!!

WOW ... I really need to go to sleep ... But I'll write a little...


Dawn - walk to the tip from the VC: Mourning (female), Hooded (male), Yellow-bellied Fly

Tip Reverse: YT Vireo, lots of warblers (incl multiple Blue-winged, Parula, Bay-breast etc).


NEOTROPIC CORMORANT -

Bam - less than 10 Canadian records. 

I picked out the NECO in flight as it flew close to the tip with 2 DC Corms. I wonder if this is the bird seen in Ohio??

MORE reverse - lots of warblers, indigo's, orioles, vireos etc. (including some flycatchers). Also weird species like Horned Lark, House Finch, House Sparrow etc. 

DICKCISSELS (2) - male and female reverse 90 seconds apart - 

BAM - I photo'd both. Here's the male. 

What a day so far!

More reverse migrants! - Then came the Bunting... I spent the whole morning birding with Ken Burrell - we had this female bunting flying overhead (slowly) - that wasn't calling like an Indigo Bunting. It was higher pitched and less raspy. We decided that I should take a few photos of it:

A look in the camera showed a bird that looked just how the books says a LAZULI BUNTING should look - 

The plumage seems to match quite well, and the flight call was obviously different (the only reason we gave the bird this attention), and beyond that - I'm not sure what more I could add. Maybe some "experts" can shed some light on the situation beyond what I have here...

To Northwest Beach! - Summer Tanager! Kentucky Warbler! 2 Yellow-breasted Chats!!! WOW!

Sanctuary - more migrants! Grasshopper Sparrow, Orange-crowned Warb etc..

Text - MIKI at VC (so I drove to the VC) - boom! Mississippi Kite!!!!!

Thanks to Barb and Doug for getting this one out there. 

Does the insanity ever stop!?

Around this time I had my FOY Giant Swallowtail and a Painted Skimmer near the tip....

Marsh Boardwalk! -

I saw some really crazy turtle behaviour - photographed TWO SPOTTED GAR!!!!!! - And THEN (then) had an adult LAUGHING GULL way out in the marsh! 

It just never ends!

A drive of the Onion fields had some regular gulls/shorebirds - and a VERY pale Savannah Sparrow - 

Where do you think this weirdo came from?

I checked Hillman late (pretty slow actually, but cool birds) - Hooded Merganser seemed odd...

Then I had a Peregrine Falcon kill a Yellowlegs just outside Hillman on my drive home for one of my last "new" birds for the day...

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I don't know why the Pelee report looked so BAD for today. I had 150 (!!!!!) species inside the Pelee circle doing my normal birding! The Kite was the only species I went after. I wasn't even trying to get a high number! That was just regular birding!!! (missed several common species).

zzzzzzzz......................