Fall 2002 Sightings Archive

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Nov 9 - Nov 15

   This week marked the end of the banding season. The last week was relatively quiet especially at the Tip. Between 30 and 50 White-throated Sparrows continued to feast on birdseed at Old Cut along with lesser numbers of White-crowneds. Lingering Song, Fox and Field Sparrows were seen at the Tip. There were a few Ruby-crowned and Golden-crowned Kinglets at both sites as well. A flock of 73 Cedar Waxwings brightened the Tip on the 11th. Other birds lingering at the banding stations included Grey Catbird, Hermit Thrush, Eastern Bluebird and Yellow-rumped Warblers at Old Cut.
   A few somewhat unusual species were spotted during the week. Both the Tip and Old Cut had Red-headed Woodpeckers on the 9th and 10 respectively. The Tip also had a Northern Shrike on the 9th. Two Northern Saw-whet Owls were seen on the 9th at Old Cut.
   Winter birds reported include Tree Sparrows and Rough-legged Hawks.
   For sheer spectacle the large numbers of blackbirds that continue to roost in the Long Point marshes provide the most impact. These can best be viewed as they flock in to roost at sunset. No unusual species have been found among their midst but it is worth looking.
   Unfortunately the biggest news is the tragic die off of waterbirds on Lake Erie at Long Point. Counts on 2 km of beach and a 3 km long sand bar put the total deaths over 1000 birds over the last 2 weeks. Bird Studies Canada staff counted over 500 dead birds (mostly Red-breasted Mergansers) on the beach and a similar number on the sand bar. On the 14th BSC staff counted 202 Common Loons along a 9 km stretch of Long Point's south shore. Other waterbirds found included 21 Horned Grebes, 30 Pied-billed Grebes, 10 Long-tailed Ducks, 79 Scaup spp., 3 Common Loons, 8 White-winged Scoters, 8 Ring-billed Gulls and 1 Common Goldeneye.

Nov 1 - Nov 8

   Huge flocks of blackbirds have been roosting in the Long Point marshes this week. Estimates of their numbers range into the tens of thousands. The birds are primarily Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles and European Starlings. At least one young Red-tailed Hawk has been practising its hunting skills with these blackbirds. Swans, geese and ducks are also in good numbers in the Long Point area. A walk along mudflats at Long Point Provincial Park revealed 74 Dunlins on the 3rd. A good variety of raptors has been seen this week at Long Point including Red-shouldered Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin and the season's first Rough-legged Hawks. Banders at the Tip even got to band one of the goshawks. This week also brought the first Northern Shrike at Old Cut on the 6th. At the same time songbird numbers have continued to diminish for most species including Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned kinglets, and White-throated and White-crowned sparrows.
   The week saw several rarities including a Hudsonian Godwit feeding on mudflats in Big Creek Marsh on the 7th and 8th. This bird was visible from the causeway Friday morning. A LeConte's Sparrow was seen on the 1st at the Tip and 2 Red-throated Loons created excitement at the Tip on the 3rd. A Black-and-white Warbler was lingering at Old Cut on the 4th.

Oct 25 - Oct 31

As migration moves into November, the majority of songbirds have passed through. However, fall migration continues to be fairly heavy for Golden-crowned Kinglets, Brown Creepers, White-throated and White-crowned Sparrows. On the 28th, an estimated 95 Brown Creepers passed through the Old Cut field station. Late individuals included a Nashville Warbler banded on the 28th at Old Cut and a Western Palm Warbler on the 27th at the Tip. Snow Buntings at the Tip foretell of the impending winter. Colder weather has brought thousands of Tundra Swan into the area along with hundreds of Mallards, scaup, Ring-necked Ducks, Ruddy Ducks, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Redhead and Canvasback. There are estimated to be 100 Sandhill Cranes in the area. Owl banding has been good with 122 Saw-whets banded in the last week including a re-trapped bird from north-eastern Ontario. A Screech Owl was heard in Long Point Provincial Park on the 30th. Unusual birds include several Northern Goshawks, Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered Hawks, Peregrine Falcon, Little Gulls, and most spectacularly, a white-phase Gyrfalcon which was seen at the Tip on the 30th. A late unidentified hummingbird was seen in Port Rowan over several days and was last seen Oct. 25th.

Oct 18 - Oct 24

Migration this week was marked by heavy numbers and unusual species. Species moving through in good numbers this week included large numbers of kinglets, Robins and sparrows. The total estimated number of White-throated Sparrows moving through Old Cut over the period was over 1000. The estimated number of White-crowneds here was almost 800. The 19th saw an estimated 325 Ruby-crowned and 160 Golden-crowned kinglets at Old Cut. The 19th also saw 42 Wilson's Snipes and 5 Merlins fly past Old Cut. Unfortunately, poor weather prevented staff and volunteers from doing any banding. 
   The period was not without its rarities. The Tip had a juvenile light-phase Parasitic Jaeger on the 22nd, a Tufted Titmouse on the 19th and 2 LeConte's Sparrows. The Tufted Titmouse had originally been banded in August at the same location and then presumably spent the intervening 2 months somewhere in the area. Old Cut managed to catch a Long-eared Owl on the 21st, a prelude to the deluge of Saw-whet Owls on the 23rd. In that one night an incredible 72 Saw-whet Owls were banded!
   On a sobering note, the death toll of waterbirds at the Tip continued to mount. A daily census revealed 587 dead waterbirds along a 2 kilometre stretch of the shoreline during the last week. Red-breasted Mergansers were the most heavily hit - 431 birds. Greater and Lesser scaup have been killed in unprecedented numbers. The unfortunate situation is likely due to botulism, and believed worsened by the large number of Zebra Mussels and Goby fish - both exotic species in Lake Erie.

Oct 11 - Oct 17

The species composition of migrants continued to change this week at Long Point. Large movements of kinglets, Brown Creepers and Yellow-rumped Warblers were joined by several species of waterbirds. Ruddy Ducks were estimated to be several thousand strong off the South Beach on the 16^th while Horned Grebes showed good numbers with 63 on the 12^th at the Tip. The Tip also had all three species of scoters including 19 Surf Scoters on the 11^th. Snow Geese were reported from Big Creek Marsh on the 12^th. A half dozen warbler species pushed the tail end of their migration period. These included Magnolia, Cape May and American Redstart on the 15^th, and Tennessee, Black-and-white and Black-throated Green on the 17^th. A Red Knot was also rather late at the Tip on the 17^th. Unusual species over the period included 2 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the 11^th, a Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow on the 12^th and 3 Little Gulls on the 13^th, all seen at the Tip. Old Cut had a Red-bellied Woodpecker on the 15^th which they managed to band on the 17^th. The first migrant Fox Sparrow, Lapland Longspur and Long-tailed Duck were reported this week. Unfortunately, victims of botulism continued to wash up on the shores of Long Point. The Tip had an estimated 80 dead Red-breasted Mergansers as well as Horned Grebe, Common Loon, White-winged Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, both scaup and Ring-billed Gull.

Oct 7 - Oct 10

Bird migration was moderate over the period except for a large movement of Brown Creepers. These were estimated at 500 at the Tip on the 10th. Other species moving in numbers were Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned kinglets, White-throated and White-crowned sparrows, American Robins, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Turkey Vultures.  Unusual species included a Northern Mockingbird on the 9th at Old Cut and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo on the 9th in Long Point Provincial Park. Three Stilt Sandpipers and a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron were seen at Big Creek Marsh on the 7th. At the Tip, the Lesser Black-backed Gull was seen on the 8th. Peregrine Falcons, Surf and Black Scoters were also sighted at the Tip during the period. Finally, although owl banding to date has been rather slow, a bat was caught in an owl net at Old Cut on the 10th.

Oct 2 - Oct 6

Bird migration was very slow early in the week but increased markedly from Oct. 4th to 6th. During this time, hundreds of White-throated Sparrows, Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers, Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were estimated to have moved through the Old Cut and Tip stations. The 5th was especially busy; Old Cut banded 244 birds while 310 were banded at the Tip. Large movements of Turkey Vultures, Sharp-shinned Hawks and Northern Harriers were also noted. Banders at the Tip were rewarded with an adult Harris's Sparrow in their nets on the 4th. They also banded two American Pipits. A cuckoo captured at the Tip on the 6th appeared to be a hybrid Yellow-billed x Black-billed, a mix rarely reported. The Tip had its first Snow Goose of the fall and a lake-watch there after Tropical Storm Isidore passed through on the 5th yielded 6000 Bonaparte's Gulls, 1200 Common Terns, 12 Little Gulls and a Lesser Black-backed Gull. Other interesting migrants in the area included several Peregrine Falcons, Merlin, Orange-crowned Warbler,  and a tardy Common Nighthawk on the 6th. New species banded for the fall were Red-headed Woodpecker on the 2nd, White-crowned Sparrow on the 3rd, Saw-whet Owl on the 5th, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Dark-eyed Junco and Blue Jay on the 6th.

Sept 23 - Oct 1

Sept 16 - 22

Large movements of thrushes and warblers dominated migration through the Long Point area during the last week. An estimated 2000 Blackpoll Warblers past through the tip area on Sept. 16th and Cape May Warblers also moved through in large numbers. Warbler diversity was also high with 22 species banded over the week at the three stations combined. Connecticut Warblers were banded at both the tip and Old Cut. Swainson and Gray-cheeked Thrushes were estimated to be in the hundreds as they migrated through Long Point on the 16th and 17th, but numbers had dwindled considerably by the end of the week. Thirty-two Nighthawks were noted over Old Cut on the 17th. Finally, a number of species made their first fall appearance, namely, Parula and Yellow-rumped Warblers, Lincoln's and White-crowned Sparrows, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Ruby-crowned Kinglet.

August 26  - September 1

The best bird of the period was a juvenile male Yellow-headed Blackbird seen during the week at the old Long Point Provincial Park.  Also noteworthy was the sighting of two Willets feeding at Pottahawk Point towards the end of the reporting period.  Otherwise, migration moved at a slow pace.  Diversity, rather than numbers, took the spotlight, with over twenty species of warblers being recorded for the week from the three field stations.  The first Bay-breasted, Yellow-rumped and Wilson's Warblers for the fall were seen at Old Cut, while the Tip had a Hooded Warbler.  Sharp-shinned Hawk and Northern Harrier have been moving through the area in small numbers daily, with a Red-shouldered Hawk and Cooper's Hawk seen mid-week at Old Cut.  Few shorebirds were reported during the period.  Other birds seen of interest include Great Egrets at Big Creek NWA, Common Loon and Common Nighthawk over Old Cut, and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. 

August 19 - August 25

Songbird migration has finally started to pick-up in pace, with 12 or so species of warblers now being reported daily from Old Cut.  New arrivals include Canada, Magnolia, Blackburnian, Cape May, Golden-winged, Chestnut-sided and Black-and-White Warblers and Ovenbird.  Philadelphia Vireo made its first appearance at the end of the period, as did Gray-cheeked Thrush.  Large numbers of Yellow Warblers were being tallied daily at the start of the week but, as is typical for this early migrant, there were only ones and twos around at the end of the week.  Only a few Common Nighthawks have been noted so far, but Ruby-throated Hummingbirds have been moving steadily, with 20 or more birds being seen daily at both the Tip and Old Cut.  Swallows peaked in numbers early in the week, with Bank Swallows predominating - their numbers were estimated in the tens of thousands.  The Yellow-breasted Chat reported last period at Old Cut was seen again during the week, and the adult Red-headed Woodpecker with two juveniles was still being seen around Old Cut as well.  Two more White-throated Sparrows were sighted at Old Cut, along with a Northern Goshawk, which is extremely unusual at this time of year.  A pair did nest within 20 kilometres of Old Cut so perhaps it was one of these birds.  The usual shorebirds are still being seen in the BSC headquarters pond (Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, Short-billed Dowitcher, etc.) but a Buff-breasted Sandpiper spotted there on the 25th was a rare find.

August 12 - August 18

Shorebirds continued to pass through the Long Point area, with the first Pectoral Sandpiper of the season being detected during the week.  Other shorebird species sighted include Least, Baird's and Stilt Sandpiper, Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs, and Semipalmated, American Golden, and Black-bellied Plover.  A rare find was a Yellow-breasted Chat at Old Cut on the 14th.  New songbird arrivals include an early White-throated Sparrow on the 17th and a Tennessee Warbler on the 16th, both at Old Cut.  Swainson's Thrushes are being seen on a daily basis at Old Cut, and both cuckoos are around in small numbers.  An adult and two juvenile Red-headed Woodpeckers were seen in Long Point Provincial Park on the 17th.

August 4 - August 11

Fall migration has started slowly, with mainly shorebirds trickling in as August progresses.  The most interesting shorebird so far was a very early adult Dunlin on the 6th at the mudflats at the BSC Headquarters pond.  Water levels are overall very high in the Long Point area so the BSC pond has some of the best and most accessible shorebird habitat around.  Other species seen in the BSC pond include Least, Semipalmated and Baird's Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs (up to 80), Solitary Sandpiper, Black-bellied Plover, Short-billed Dowitcher, Spotted Sandpiper and Killdeer.  Passerine migrants noted at the Old Cut field station include Yellow-bellied Flycatcher, Veery and Swainson's Thrushes.  As is typical for the species, Yellow Warblers are moving south early and are being seen and banded in good numbers daily.  The Old Cut field station is now bird banding daily (weather permitting) until the end of the fall season in mid-November; visitors are welcome.

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