Entertainment at the Tip

 For a change in scenery, I headed down to Point Pelee on Sunday.  There was a brisk ENE wind that one would not think ideal for a Tip Watch.  However, it turned out rather productive as there was a flurry of activity off the Tip.

I arrived at first light to find others already stationed on the sand spit.  Hundreds of gulls were in view.

Along the trail, many birds, including kinglets and sparrows were littering the path.  There was a good fallout of birds getting out of the easterly winds.

The most entertaining aspect of the watch was the fact that small passerines were continually coming in off the lake.  Those included kinglets, sparrows, Brown Creepers and Winter Wrens.  Many landed on beach and some passed right by our feet.

Early on, we saw a Winter Wren hit the water about a metre from shore after being chased by a gull.  Amazingly it recovered and took flight for the woods!

"I made it!!"

Other birds were there too.

Even more entertaining was the fact that a large number of these migrants were Winter Wrens.  We saw many out over the water, but many were being chased by gulls.  Often we see gulls picking off passerines out over the water so that is not unusual.  Unfortunately, the wrens had a small success rate in making to land!  We saw perhaps 7 or 8 of these helpless wrens getting picked off by gulls.

This went on all morning, when usually we see the passerines coming in just after first light.

Another interesting thing was the fact that Northern Saw-whet Owls were coming in!  At one point, Jim Burk caught sight of one coming in.  Ok, that was interesting.  However, a while later we saw one barrelling in right at us!

"I think I can, I think I can..."

"Almost there...."

It came in a point blank range and flew right between us just above the ground, crashing into the underbrush.

It was certainly something I have never seen before with an owl.  No doubt it breathed a sigh of relief once it reached safety!

After several hours of entertainment at the Tip, we headed up the west side, finding several birds.  Most were sparrows and kinglets.  There were very few Yellow-rumped Warblers and one Nashville Warbler made an appearance.

Near the "serengeti tree" I was alone at one point and heard the familiar call of an Evening Grosbeak.  I could not see it but it was a certainty.  I think it is the first one of these I have come across in Point Pelee, let alone Essex County.  For some reason, these finches from the north are not too popular in Essex County.

It was an interesting day at Point Pelee, and it looks like an interesting fall with the finch irruption in the works.