Point Pelee, Canada

Nothing says "party" like boarding the Jet Express, the fastest means of transporting across the water to the Lake Erie Islands.  We boarded with 150  of our closest birding friends for our annual Biggest Week in American Birding extension trip to Point Pelee, Canada.   

 Don't forget your passport and don't be late.  They don't hold this boat for anyone.
  

After an hour long trip by ferry and a short bus ride, we are cued up outside the visitor's center.                                    

C'est  tres bon!  You know we have arrived in a foreign land, as signs are posted in both English and French.

Birdsong filled the air.  Baltimore Orioles were both abundant and conspicuous.  Even if our list of warblers was heavy on Yellow Warblers, no one was complaining.  

It was a beautiful day and there were numerous trails through the woods to be explored. 

One led to West Beach, a reminder that we are on a point, with water on three sides.  The temperatures at Point Pelee are moderated by the lake.  

An American Snout butterfly was surprising find.  This adventurer has traveled even farther than us!  It is likely  to have arrived with the southern winds from Texas.  Usually we do not find Snouts until the hot days of mid-to-late summer.  One look at that proboscis and you'll know why it was named "Snout."

 Star-flowered Solomon's Seal, Maianthemum stellatum is an indicator of a lime rich soil.  These calciphiles are found on the Lake Erie Islands as well as this Canadian point.  They are a reminder of the importance of the unique vegetation along the coast and islands of Lake Erie.

This quickly disappearing plant community is called the Carolinian Forest, as it replicates the plant communities along the coast of the Carolinas.  Unfortunately, it is also the most threatened by developement along the lake shore.  This habitat  is now receiving well deserved conservation attention, as it hosts the largest number of varieties of Canada's plant and animal species.

 Another similar plant is the close relative, False Solomon's Seal, Maiathemun racemosum.

Both are easily confused with the more common Solomon's Seal, Polygonatum biflorum.  Note the flowers on this plant hang beneath in pairs- hence the specific epithet -bi (two) florum (flowered.)

There has been evidence of the Emerald Ash Borer invasion in Canada as well. Many trees had been cut down,scattered throughout the forest.  One in particular caught our attention, as it was animated with the wings of butterflies.  

 Opening and closing.  The Red Admirals and anglewings (Commas) nearly disappear against the bark, only to flash beams of orange when re-opened towards the sun.  These butterflies were warming themselves in the golden rays that drifted down to the forest floor.

It was a most memorable day of sunshine, bird song, botany and butterfly wings.  I  hope you'll consider joining us next year.

Gooseberry, eh?

One of the most fascinating plants on the Point Pelee trips was this Gooseberry. After spending hours in the books, I can officially say I know quite a bit more about the individual species enough to say one thing: YIPES Ribes! These species are maddeningly difficult to key out.

OK, maybe I know two things. Not only does it take a true botanist to sort these bad boys, there are many species around, some of them non-natives. Should we just totally avoid them? I don't think so, but maybe it is OK to just note they are one of the Ribes. They are quite interesting, and provided a great case study in the relationships of birds and flowering plants.


This is the Gooseberry in question from Point Pelee. I am fairly confident it is Bristley Gooseberry, Ribes cynosbati.

However, I am only confident because that is how it is listed on the FLORA of Point Pelee, a handy little list I will take on my next visit to Canada! Click on this and scroll to the bottom of the page for their complete listing.

Note: it may cause some confusion that the list is broken down into monocot and dicots, and Large-flower Bellwort is list as simply "Bellwort."

But why were we so interested in Bristley Gooseberry? Because it was a bird magnet.

This Tennessee Warbler was nectaring on the flowers, entertaining us for the longest time as it popped about acrobatically. A lucky moment finally revealed the tell-tale eye line.

Most of the time, it would have done Dave Lewis proud- only giving us views of its underside.

This Tennessee was not the only bird in this bush, I first started watching this gooseberry when an Orchard Oriole had flown in to sip on the flowers. In the half-hour or so we watched it during lunch, several other species came by for their lunch- including a Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

Trip leader Dan Donaldson (standing center) called out many species to an appreciative crowd. The gooseberry bush was just beyond this railing where we enjoyed our very birdy lunch.

Thanks to BSBO for scheduling this boat trip to a foreign land, filled with interesting birds and plants. The talented leaders on these trips make it fun to see and savor so many species in a short amount of time. And while the Magee Marsh boardwalk remains a great place to see warblers- and gooseberries- there are plenty of other interesting trips and locations offered at The Biggest Week. I hope you will try a few of them next year.

Thanks to Kim and Delores for allowing me to help BSBO in any little way I could, and a huge tip-of-the-hat to all the fabulous birders and leaders I enjoyed rubbing shoulders with through out the week, especially Greg Miller. And many thanks go to the Tropical Birding guides who helped at least a thousand people see their first Connecticut Warbler!

What an incredible 10 days it has been!

Perspective from Point Pelee

Another amazing trip hosted by Black Swamp Bird Observatory is the Jet Express boat ride to Point Pelee. The Elderhostel crew from Put-In-Bay joined us, adding Tom Barlett and crew's talents to the leadership pool.



Large-flowered Bellwort, Uvularia grandiflora was the head-turner of the trip. So many folks asked what this was- I started to just answer "large-flowered bellwort" whenever asked a question...



The vegetation at Point Pelee, Canada was surprisingly good. Very few alien plants were seen, despite the obviously human-made trails, buildings and amenities. This Canadian National Park was very well maintained, and we barely scratched the surface of all the places to bird on this excellent preserve. There is a tram system available too, but if you are able- I recommend the woodlot trails.

We had an excellent day of birding with well over 100 species. This Magnolia Warbler was so up close and personal, I was able to snap a decent shot. The bird du jour was Baltimore Oriole. There were times we could see 4 or more chasing about, with a Orchard Oriole as the trump card.

Cheryl Harner and Julie Davis at Point Pelee, Ontario

But what is Point Pelee if you don't visit "the point?" Here is your blogger with fellow OOS board member Julie Davis posing on the point. There were numerous birds lounging off-shore, and a decent collection on birds on the lee side, resting from their journey.

More later... have another trip right now.