Saturday 21 April 2012

First day at Pelee

Its been a fantastic two days! I currently have a place to stay tonight, thanks to the kind hospitality of Rick Mayos. Internet, the hockey game on TV, a shower, a bed...it doesn't get any better than this!

Anyways, I left home yesterday morning, making it to Pelee by 6:00 that evening. I checked out a number of decent areas along the way (Aylmer lagoons, Port Stanley harbour and lagoons, Ridgetown Lagoons, Blenheim, etc), without seeing a whole lot. Here are a few photos...

European Starling

Blue-winged Teal

American Toad

Lesser Yellowlegs

Savannah Sparrow

Dunlin


Hillman Marsh was fantastic, and it didn't take me long to find the White-eyed Vireo that was hanging around the banding nets. I watched the shorebirds for quite some time, eventually having a flock of 53 American Golden-Plovers land for 10 minutes before continuing on.

American Golden-Plovers

shorebirds!

A Short-billed Dowitcher also flew in, calling. After about 60 seconds it too took off, never to be seen again that evening. This is undoubtably one of the earliest spring records for Pelee - I'm not sure of what the record early date is, though Alan told me today. This is the best I got as it flew away...

Short-billed Dowitcher - Hillman Marsh CA


Yesterday I saw 12 new year birds, bringing me up to 195 for the year. Here they are, with their code in brackets.

Pectoral Sandpiper (1)
Dunlin (1)
Sora (1)
Solitary Sandpiper (1)
Bank Swallow (1)
Great Egret (1)
American Golden-plover (2)
Least Sandpiper (1)
Short-billed Dowitcher (1)
Forster's Tern (1)
White-eyed Vireo (2)
Gray Catbird (1)

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