Birding Bonanza at Point Pelee Tip

Today I spent the morning standing at the Tip of Point Pelee with Alan Wormington and Kevin McLaughlin. There were thousands of birds!

Cave Swallows and Franklin's Gulls were the highlights. Not a photo-taking day as it was quite overcast sometimes, and the birds were flying by at great speed or distance. I'll include photos from a year ago of the subject birds.

Cave Swallow and Barn Swallow at Erieau 7 Nov. 2008

I passed through Wheatley on the way home and added some Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs at Muddy Creek.
Near St. Clair NWA I came across a large flock of mixed blackbirds. There may even have been Brewer's in the flock.

Rusty Blackbird

Looks like an influx of Franklin's Gulls right now, as Michigan has reported some as well.

Franklin's Gull at Erieau Nov. 2007

My post from Ontbirds sums up the day..........

Thousands of birds were around the Tip of Point Pelee this morning during a five hour lake watch by myself, Kevin McLaughlin and Alan Wormington. A total of eight (8) Cave Swallows were counted.The first two at 09:05, another four about 11:35 and another two with a very pale Barn Swallow about 12:05. We also had another single Barn Swallow. All came down the East Beach.Another highlight at high noon was a remarkable flock of twenty-two (22) FRANKLIN'S GULLS heading SE! Most were first basic. Not a record high count, but impressive. (I see some were reported in Michigan today as well).Among the hundreds upon hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls, we spotted one first basic LITTLE GULL.Another interesting bird was an imm. Peregrine Falcon that set down on the sand for good looks. It was banded with a red band on the right leg, and a light blue band on the left leg.Shorebirds included a few Sanderlings and several groups of Dunlin.

Yellowlegs at Wheatley