Morning Flight Watch - Point Pelee - Aug 25, 2026

 

My desire for some "earlier" season Morning Flight was still high (after missing an "early early" season day in late July). So it was back to Point Pelee!

https://ebird.org/checklist/S386892288

A bit of "night birding" went well, with EASO, CONI, 5 SESA, a few high passerines & a low warbler sp... A variety of bat species was also a major highlight. 

The overnight radar was decent but not amazing. Things started slow, and got slower, to the point I was convinced that I had totally and unexpectedly busted on this attempt. The bird gods were just testing my faith however as a mad flurry of birds (30-45 mins) started around 8am. 

The Tally: 

Ruby-throated Hummingbird  5

Downy Woodpecker  3     

Eastern Wood-Pewee  5

Yellow-bellied Flycatcher  3

Traill's Flycatcher  5

Least Flycatcher  3

Empidonax sp.  5

Great Crested Flycatcher  4

Eastern Kingbird  18

Eastern Warbling Vireo  5

Red-eyed Vireo  15

vireo sp.  5

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2

Gray Catbird  3

Swainson's Thrush  1     

Cedar Waxwing  55

American Goldfinch  10

Chipping Sparrow  2

Bobolink  250   

Orchard Oriole  1     

Baltimore Oriole  60     

Black-and-white Warbler  2

Tennessee Warbler  15

Nashville Warbler  4

American Redstart  20

Cape May Warbler  75     

Magnolia Warbler  3

Bay-breasted Warbler  40     

Blackburnian Warbler  35     

Northern Yellow Warbler  2     

Blackpoll Warbler  1     

Black-throated Blue Warbler  1

Black-throated Green Warbler  2

Wilson's Warbler  2

new world warbler sp.  150   

Rose-breasted Grosbeak  5

Not too bad in the end. Perhaps my best fall flight of BAOR to date. 

The bird gods fully smiled on my route home. A stop at Zion Rd. in Chatham-Kent (for insects & hummers) turned up one of my bigger nemesis birds in Ontario. SWALLOW-TAILED KITE! I don't think I could have asked for better viewing. 10+ minutes of the bird slowly moving westward - constantly distracted by dragonflies - pulling off every aerial acrobatic maneuver you can imagine to catch them. 

Sometimes you just get lucky!