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first discovered in 2006 (Richard 2008); which has been active every year thereafter (Richard 2013), as well as other unpublished occurrences.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! 

Point Pelee - Morning Flight - Sep 14, 2026 (BLPW are here)

 

With 2 hours of sleep under my belt, it was time to try to hand-hold the 600 mm lens & blast at flying warblers... Not terribly showy, but Northern Waterthrush is a species that I am always hoping to improve my images of, so this was a highlight: 

Overall though, my photo-efforts were once again "fine" ... I'm not terribly happy with most of what I put on ebird, but they're good enough to keep for reference. 

One highlight was my 2nd trip in a row with Eastern Whip-poor-will observations (in flight!)... I assume two different birds, but it's hard to know for sure. Perhaps it's a regular occurrence at a place like this. You just need to start your birding 60 minutes before sunrise?! A Northern House Wren flew over a good 40 mins before sunrise too... As a very-rare-in-flight species, I thought it was pretty interesting...

It was my largest flight of the season based on total number of warblers. A real spectacle! I missed a lot of birds due to my photo efforts once again, but did my best to do a rough tally of warbler numbers as they passed. Blackpoll Warblers had arrived in big numbers. 

The tally: 

Mourning Dove  30
Common Nighthawk  1
Eastern Whip-poor-will  2    
Chimney Swift  6
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  20
Sharp-shinned Hawk  8
Cooper's Hawk  1
Bald Eagle  2
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Eastern Screech-Owl  1
Belted Kingfisher  2
Red-headed Woodpecker  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  8
American Kestrel  12
Merlin  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  55     
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher  5
Traill's Flycatcher  1
Least Flycatcher  15     
Eastern Phoebe  1
Great Crested Flycatcher  5
Cassin's/Blue-headed Vireo  1     
Philadelphia Vireo  12     
Eastern Warbling Vireo  1     
Red-eyed Vireo  110     
Blue Jay  5
Black-capped Chickadee  1
Tree Swallow  4
Purple Martin  1
Barn Swallow  1
Red-breasted Nuthatch  40     
Northern House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  1
European Starling  50
Gray Catbird  2
Gray-cheeked Thrush  2
Swainson's Thrush  45
Cedar Waxwing  250
House Sparrow  2
Purple Finch  2
American Goldfinch  40
Red-winged Blackbird  100
Common Grackle  20
Northern Waterthrush  2
Black-and-white Warbler  14
Tennessee Warbler  20
Nashville Warbler  28     
Common Yellowthroat  2
American Redstart  25
Cape May Warbler  60     
Northern Parula  24     
Magnolia Warbler  30
Bay-breasted Warbler  50     
Blackburnian Warbler  8
Northern Yellow Warbler  2     
Chestnut-sided Warbler  2
Blackpoll Warbler  600     
Bay-breasted/Blackpoll Warbler  50     
Black-throated Blue Warbler  4
Palm Warbler  9
Pine Warbler  2     
Yellow-rumped Warbler  15
Black-throated Green Warbler  20
Wilson's Warbler  15
new world warbler sp.  750     
Scarlet Tanager  5
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  8
Indigo Bunting  2

https://ebird.org/checklist/S392967947

I did a short stop at Zion Rd. in Chatham-Kent, and lucked into great looks at a Striped Saddlebags. No photos unfortunately.  18 American White Pelicans flew east with 3 Sandhill Cranes.  It will be interesting to see if the pelicans continue their march east in the coming years. 

A short hawkwatch near Eagle, ON produced maybe ~750 Broad-winged Hawks, but I couldn't stay very long with commitments at home! I've got my fingers crossed that the right combination of winds & rain over the coming days can produce a big flight of this species. Thankfully, the "boring" El Nino weather continues to produce "good enough" birding conditions on a regular basis. More to come! 

Night Watch - Point Pelee - Sep 14, 2026

 

After a small breakthrough in my nocturnal birding efforts, I was quite interested to try again. It was a bit more challenging this time. The birds were a higher and I only had ~2 hrs of sleep. But it was 110% worth it! 

Palm Warbler

The tally is every bird visually confirmed flying at night (i.e., no NFC's): 

Mourning Dove  3

Yellow-billed Cuckoo  1

Black-billed Cuckoo  1

Virginia Rail  1

Wilson's Snipe  1

Lesser Yellowlegs  1

American Bittern  1

Empidonax sp.  2

Red-eyed Vireo  23

vireo sp.  1

Veery  1

Gray-cheeked Thrush  1

Swainson's Thrush  6

Catharus sp.  3

Savannah Sparrow  12

Lincoln's Sparrow  2

new world sparrow sp.  3

Ovenbird  1

Northern Waterthrush  3

Tennessee Warbler  3

Nashville Warbler  10

American Redstart  3

Magnolia Warbler  3

Bay-breasted Warbler  3

Blackburnian Warbler  2

Chestnut-sided Warbler  1

Blackpoll Warbler  7

Bay-breasted/Blackpoll Warbler  12     

Palm Warbler  5     

Black-throated Green Warbler  3

Wilson's Warbler  1

new world warbler sp.  18     

Scarlet Tanager  2

Rose-breasted Grosbeak  3

Indigo Bunting  1

passerine sp.  12     

bird sp.  3   

Wilson's Warbler

Perhaps it is due to my morning flight "training" - but even at night I can fairly quickly tell if I'm dealing with something standard (i.e., a Baypoll or a Red-eyed Vireo) or something unusual (a more colourful warbler species, or something weird like a Cuckoo). Yet there are still many surprises, some of which wait until home when I can look through the photos (i.e., the Lincoln's Sparrows!). 

A host of questions to be answered and many more ideas to test out! Also, some more pics on my ebird list here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S392997719

I've got a host of "opinion" type material in my mind for the olde blog - but the birding has been consistently "good" enough that it has been filling my spare non-family time (and non-work time I guess). More to come! 

Virginia Rail

Point Pelee - Morning Flight - Sep 11, 2026

 

I swear I don't (usually?) bird the same location, over and over again, like this... I also wish I had something slightly different to say, but it has been remarkably & consistently "good" at this location the last two falls. I keep waiting for the "big day" to hit.

One clear cut highlight - a "leucistic" type Yellow-bellied Flycatcher! Full list below: 

"Pastel"? 

Chimney Swift  80
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  10
Black-bellied Plover  2
Solitary Sandpiper  2
Lesser Yellowlegs  1
Osprey  1
Sharp-shinned Hawk  15
Northern Harrier  3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  3
Red-headed Woodpecker  5
Downy Woodpecker  2
Northern Flicker  10
American Kestrel  20
Merlin  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  24     
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher  4

Traill's Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher  10
Empidonax sp.  15
Great Crested Flycatcher  4
Eastern Kingbird  1
Blue-headed Vireo  1
Philadelphia Vireo  8     
Eastern Warbling Vireo  1
Red-eyed Vireo  80     
Blue Jay  5
Black-capped Chickadee  2
Purple Martin  15
Barn Swallow  5
Red-breasted Nuthatch  8
Gray Catbird  2
Veery  1
Gray-cheeked Thrush  3
Swainson's Thrush  70
American Robin  10
Cedar Waxwing  200
House Sparrow  2
American Goldfinch  30
Chipping Sparrow  1
new world sparrow sp.  1
Bobolink  75
Baltimore Oriole  1
Northern Waterthrush  2
Black-and-white Warbler  8
Tennessee Warbler  22
Nashville Warbler  14
Common Yellowthroat  4
American Redstart  75     
Cape May Warbler  45     
Northern Parula  15     
Magnolia Warbler  50
Bay-breasted Warbler  20
Blackburnian Warbler  3
Northern Yellow Warbler  1
Chestnut-sided Warbler  5
Blackpoll Warbler  50
Black-throated Blue Warbler  6
Palm Warbler  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  4
Black-throated Green Warbler  16
Canada Warbler  1
Wilson's Warbler  6
new world warbler sp.  750 
Scarlet Tanager  3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  6
Indigo Bunting  1

https://ebird.org/checklist/S391912969

Putting the "red" in REVI

Conditions were great for a "flight". Not quite ideal for low & close concentration. But overall, an exceptional birding morning. The first flavour of later-season species were present with more YRWA, a few YBSA and a BHVI among others. I'm pretty sure a CONW went by low but I didn't get a critical look. 

The flight was fast and furious early, with birds high and on variable flight lines. Things slowed down fairly quickly too, and were nearly stopped by 9am. 

For the photography, I rocked my 600mm lens here for the first time. I was a bit worried my arms might fall off, but it was manageable. The results were fairly similar, but I'm hoping they will improve with a bit more practice. Which means, I'll have to head back a few more times this year... 

A sign of things to come! Every other YRWA I've had this year has been a ratty molting adult. I have to assume this is a hatch year bird? 

A new milestone in night birding (for me)

 

I made my way to Point Pelee (again...) on Sep 10. This time for a two part birding attempt. First up was a morning flight watch: https://ebird.org/checklist/S391912505

In general, it was pretty slow. A huge highlight was an Eastern Whip-poor-will foraging on the wing (!), extremely early in the morning. The flight itself was uninspired on dead air, but there was enough moving to pass the time (~300 warblers, ~75 SWTH, etc). 

I passed the remainder of my time looking at gulls & seeing what was happening at Zion Road. The main highlight here was bugs (Red Saddlebags, Carolina Saddlebags, Horace's Duskywing etc). But the real action kicked off in the night! 

I spent 2 hours during a fairly heavy movement, doing my very best to identify nocturnally migrating songbirds. It actually worked! https://ebird.org/checklist/S392109483

Red-eyed Vireo 

Savannah Sparrow 

Bay-breasted Warbler

Mourning Warbler! 

I suspect it's not the "type" of birding that would appeal to the masses, but as someone who enjoys bird study and trying to understand bird movements, it's absolutely spectacular. 

Two things have struck me so far in particular: 

1. Is how much they are just sort of "fluttering" along. I had always guessed that these birds must have an ability to adopt a "migratory/power" flight mode when heading to South America. Go up high and just motor - you know? In reality, they seem like they're having a good time - just slowly bouncing along with their friends as they head to their winter home. 
   
   
2. Is how random their directions are. On a different night recently, I had several songbirds flying due north over my place in London. Two nights ago (again in London), the most common direction for songbirds was due east !? ... While some were going due west. Only a handful went generally south. 

Once it started to get light, I went back for another morning at PPNP. I'll save that for another post! 

Point Pelee - Morning Flight - Sep 6, 2026 (Now 10 kph faster!)

Highway 401 between London and Windsor is now 110kph the whole way.

More photos! Sure it was the middle of the long weekend. Sure I didn't have a lot of spare time. However (!) there was a moderate chance that lake-effect rain could notably ground migrants along Erie... The only (real) catch was the 4 hour round trip drive... I'm not sure if it's a side-effect of getting older, or a side-effect of feeling like field ornithology in Ontario has been left in a cage on a strict diet of air and pure abandonment, but I went for it. 

The rain didn't quite cooperate, but thankfully there was still a large overnight movement, not to mention it's near-peak neotrop season. 

The day started off right with 60-70 warblers before the sun came up. The movement was a bit slow for maybe an hour thereafter before the usual mid-morning surge. In the end I tallied ~880 warblers, clicking by rough groups of 10. Other highlights included 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers, an Olive-sided Flycatcher and a Yellow-throated Vireo. Locally rare-in-flight species such as Veery and Song Sparrow were also fun. Nothing earth shattering, but worth it. 

The Tally: 

Blue-winged Teal  1
Mourning Dove  45
Common Nighthawk  2
Chimney Swift  30
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  12
Solitary Sandpiper  1
Green Heron  2
Osprey  1
Sharp-shinned Hawk  1
Northern Harrier  5
Belted Kingfisher  1
Red-headed Woodpecker  2
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  2
American Kestrel  5
Merlin  1
Olive-sided Flycatcher  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  15
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher  15     
Traill's Flycatcher 5
Least Flycatcher  12
Great Crested Flycatcher  6
Yellow-throated Vireo  1     
Philadelphia Vireo  8     
Eastern Warbling Vireo  5
Red-eyed Vireo  90     
Blue Jay  8
Black-capped Chickadee  2
Red-breasted Nuthatch  18
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  4
Gray Catbird  1
Veery  2
Gray-cheeked Thrush  1
Swainson's Thrush  55
American Robin  15
Cedar Waxwing  80
House Finch  2
American Goldfinch  15
Song Sparrow  1
Bobolink  12
Baltimore Oriole  5
Black-and-white Warbler  8
Tennessee Warbler  12
Nashville Warbler  8
Common Yellowthroat  4
American Redstart  100     
Cape May Warbler  140     
Northern Parula  11   
Magnolia Warbler  65     
Bay-breasted Warbler  60     
Blackburnian Warbler  3
Northern Yellow Warbler  6     
Chestnut-sided Warbler  3
Blackpoll Warbler  5
Black-throated Blue Warbler  6
Palm Warbler  3
Yellow-rumped Warbler  2
Black-throated Green Warbler  7
Wilson's Warbler  9
new world warbler sp.  400   
Scarlet Tanager  3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  5
Indigo Bunting  3

https://ebird.org/checklist/S390429855

As noted previously, this location has unusually good photographic opportunities when the conditions are right. I keep messing with my camera settings, trying to improve my "keeper-rate", but ultimately I usually end up with a similar number of decent images. One Kiah R. Jasper suggested recent problems may be heat related distortion. Definitely something to keep an eye on in future visits.... I may regret this decision, but my next trip will likely involve a different lens... 

Hot weather is still on tap, but mercifully, we seem to be getting regular shots of north winds to let the birds pulse through. Birding is always good in the Great Lakes! More to come! 

Not having an "answer" to an interesting bird ID (2005-2025)

 

Way (way) back on March 4, 2005 - I photographed this interesting "Herring Gull" at the Glanbrook Landfill outside of Hamilton, Ontario... At the time, our American Herring Gulls were known to have dark tails. Whereas European Herring Gulls had mottled white tails with a dark band at the tip. Vega Herring Gulls were somewhere in-between. 

Surely this bird was a strong candidate for a European Herring Gull. Right? 

Interesting birds like this were discussed on the ID-Frontiers listserv at the time. Many "big wigs" of North American Gull ID were quick to chime in - that is looked excellent for European Herring Gull! The only problem was that a number of keen European gullers thought it looked whack (i.e., not like any European Herring Gull they were used to seeing). 

Unfortunately, there never really was a clear cut answer. Birders, as usual, fell into the camps of "it's clearly a yes" to "you clearly need to say no" to "we just never know sometimes!" ... Which, can be kind of frustrating. 20 years later, usually on facebook or discord, the same thing happens today. An interesting bird is posted, there is a rush of (possibly attention seeking) folk who yell out their split second thoughts, some people say "clearly yes", some people say "clearly no"... Sometimes, someone even puts a lot of thought and effort into a detailed reply. 

But nothing really happens in the end. Similar to the 2005 gull, the discussion is ultimately lost. Today, if you're not chronically online, there's a good chance you will have missed it entirely. 

After >2 decades of experiencing this happen over and over - I've had some thoughts... About what was happening, and what we could do better. 

I the simplest terms - keen birders were a bit "starved" for material (or knowledge) to consume. There was only so many journals, newsletters or field guides out there. 

The internet & digital cameras created an explosion of "content". But even into the early years of the 2010's, you could still "run out" of things to view in an evening on your computer. This blog was part of that era. Even if it was a bit "slop"y - it was still something. 

Today, the "slop" has completely taken over. We are in the era of the attention economy (have a read, it's worth it). It's bad for our health & well-being. 

So what could be done? 

We could just ignore it, and continue to let everything get sloppier and sloppier... 

Another thought - is to try to de-slop birding information. It won't be a crowd pleaser, it won't get the most likes on facebook. It won't help people sell books or tours. But it could be interesting (and valuable) if a small group of people put some effort on improving the dissemination of birding knowledge - away from social media websites that are rotting our brains. 

So how would that work? 

Take my interesting Herring Gull as an example. Since the observation, it's become clear that birds with a striking tail pattern like this, are rare but regular - particularly in the Great Lakes. 

Hamilton - Sep 25, 2011

The frequency of sightings was high enough that it seemed unlikely true vagrant European Herring Gulls were showing up in my hometown. The most logical explanation was that it represents just how variable first year American Herring Gulls likely are. A less likely explanation is that there are European-influenced Herring Gulls are nesting somewhere in North America - perhaps not unlike Lesser Black-backed Gulls - although the molt timing (advanced 1st basic molt on the bird shown above) may not support a northerly nesting population. 

This still isn't an "answer" to the identification - but how many keen birders are aware of these birds occurring in North America? 

My proposal lands here - in the age of online brain-melting (and polarizing) social media slop - the community could try to 100% reverse course. Instead of trying to add more and more material to the internet - synthesize it !!  Act as a birding encyclopedia if you will. 

Gather, summarize, and organize our knowledge into an accessible space - free of social media algorithms - and free in the monetary sense as well. Many birders will prefer to see how they "rank" on eBird, rather than take part - but at least our notable learning opportunities won't constantly be lost to the digital abyss - for the small number who are keen to learn more. Perhaps equally as important, this learning material won't require you to be chronically online to see it. 

I feel a notable rise in illusory superiority or a growing egocentric bias, in our little hobby - which is becoming a new roadblock to change... Especially when combined with a standard expectation of people who just don't like change... But more on that some other time! 

Morning Flight - Point Pelee - Aug 28, 2026 !

 

I didn't travel with the same gusto as previous visits. But with the prospect of a warm start to September on the horizon, I wanted to make the most of a big night of migration. 

I lucked out, with Birdcast lit all night, and well-timed arrivals of migrants. Birds were moving pre-dawn, another good sign! I also thought I had finally found some settings on my camera to make the most of the photo-chances here - but alas I was a bit disappointed to review my shots when I got home. Nonetheless, I still had some decent images - but it's a bit disappointing to devote my effort to photographs (ie not getting great looks at some of the passing birds) - and not leave with 10/10 gold star material... But that is the way birding goes! 

The Tally: 

Black-billed Cuckoo  1
Common Nighthawk  8
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  8
Downy Woodpecker  3
Northern Flicker  2
Olive-sided Flycatcher  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  11
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher  4
Traill's Flycatcher  12
Least Flycatcher  20   
Empidonax sp.  15
Great Crested Flycatcher  9
Eastern Kingbird  16
Philadelphia Vireo  6   
Eastern Warbling Vireo  5     
Red-eyed Vireo  90     
Red-breasted Nuthatch  3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  2
Gray Catbird  2
Veery  1
Gray-cheeked Thrush  1   
Swainson's Thrush  14
American Robin  8
Cedar Waxwing  100
House Finch  2
American Goldfinch  15
Bobolink  130
Orchard Oriole  1
Baltimore Oriole  32
Northern Waterthrush  5
Golden-winged Warbler  1     
Blue-winged Warbler  1     
Black-and-white Warbler  6
Tennessee Warbler  35   
Nashville Warbler  5
Mourning Warbler  1
Common Yellowthroat  2
American Redstart  80     
Cape May Warbler  250   
Northern Parula  1   
Magnolia Warbler  80   
Bay-breasted Warbler  120     
Blackburnian Warbler  65   
Northern Yellow Warbler  14     
Chestnut-sided Warbler  4
Blackpoll Warbler  3
Black-throated Blue Warbler  5
Yellow-rumped Warbler  2
Black-throated Green Warbler  4
Canada Warbler  1
Wilson's Warbler  2
New world warbler sp.  700     
Scarlet Tanager  3
Northern Cardinal  3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak  8

https://ebird.org/checklist/S387708876

Numbers are educated estimates for most species, given my attention on getting images. I clicked ~610 warblers by x10 for the first while, before the movement picked up and I couldn't do both - so the numbers are still reasonable. 

The Golden-winged Warbler was an obvious highlight - passing through late in the watch. The Blue-winged Warbler was only noticed in photos afterwards. 

The narrow vegetation strip at Pelee is excellent for detecting cryptic or low-moving "Morning Flight" species. Counts of Empids or Thrushes is often quite good here vs. other locations I have watched around Ontario. Several rare-in-flight species were recorded on this front: Black-billed Cuckoo, Veery, 2 Common Yellowthroat, and Mourning Warbler in particular. 

A few years ago I recorded a rather long video sharing ideas on Morning Flight, and while I'm happy with how it turned out, my appreciation for the importance of small-scale habitat features has only grown. Someday I will need to do an update! Perhaps I'll (someday) start with the text of the GGLB website to collect these new-and-improved thoughts. 

A bit of a pattern shift in the weather is underway. I'm not quite sure what the next 2-3 weeks holds, but it seems dynamic enough. Zonal flow in El Nino seems to be supporting a western arrival (FRGU, WEKI, SWHA, etc)...  I'm sure there will be interesting birding opportunities somewhere! There usually is...