I was due for an outing to Point Pelee, so I finally went today. The roads were not too bad getting there, but the trip back was nerve-racking. The wind picked up causing drifting snow on the roads. Along Point Pelee Drive just north of the park, the wind was pushing snow off the lake and drifting among the cottages. Huge drifts were along the west side of the road. It was fine inside the park though, but hard walking in the deep snow.
Just south of Marsh Boardwalk area along the road, there was a huge gathering of American Robins. Over 100 were scattered around looking for berries. A few White-throated Sparrows were along the road as well.
American Robin
I first walked part of Chinquapin Oak Trail. Only a couple of Yellow-rumped Warblers were in that area. I heard a Purple Finch at one point. Towards the south end of the trail I was surprised to find a flock of 7-8 Eastern Bluebirds in the woods. They did not co-operate for good photos.
Eastern Bluebird
At the Tip area, I first saw a couple of White-winged Crossbills circling over the washrooms. Needless to say, those were the first crossbills I have seen in the park. The Spotted Towhee was not to be seen, but I learned later that it was discovered the day before in Sparrow Field--farther north.
The Tip area was rather bleak. Out in the ice was a misplaced channel marker--an indication of the powers of ice. According to the charts, it is supposed to be out in Pelee Passage just SW of Point Pelee. My camera was on the wrong setting (unknowingly) so I did not get a good photo of the area. However, the photo I did get gives an indication what some areas were like today!
lost channel marker #E8
Near the visitor centre were a couple more Yellow-rumped Warblers and some Golden-crowned Kinglets.
The ever-present Wild Turkeys
On the way out, I stopped to walk along the road to sift through the collection of Robins, but nothing unusual was there that I could see.
I suppose I should have tried to get a better photo of the above, but with the way things were going, it did not happen.
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