Birding season in full flight at Point Pelee

By Mark Ribble

Thousands of birding enthusiasts will flock to Point Pelee National Park this month as the annual Festival of Birds kicked off Monday of this week.

The festival, which will run through May 22, will feature lots of things for birders and locals alike.

Sarah Rupert, the Promotion Officer for Point Pelee National Park — an expert birder herself — says they are happy to have everything back to normal after the COVID pandemic.

“We are expecting a full turnout again this year,” she says. “I’m looking forward to it.”

The festival will feature many familiar activities and programs as well as some new features for this year.

There will be four art workshops in partnership with Art Windsor-Essex — each with a different medium and/or theme.

The workshops are included with park admission.

Also included with park admission is a birding open house in partnership with the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO), which will have a Pride theme.

“We are also bringing the Wildflower Walks back,” says Rupert. “They are extremely popular.”

ERCA will partner with OFO for their Shorebird Celebration each Wednesday and Saturday throughout the festival period.

The 100-species challenge also returns, giving birders an opportunity to get a pin once they identify and record 100 different species anywhere in this area, including hotspots such as Hillman Marsh, Kopegaron Woods and other birding havens.

“Last year, we had an exceptionally good year with the pins,” she says. “We ran out of pins at one point.”

Several spotlight sessions and panel sessions in the theatre at the Visitor Centre are also planned.

The popular Friends of Point Pelee breakfast and BBQ lunch returns to keep birders nourished throughout the festival.

For locals, Sarah says the best time to visit is late afternoon if you want to avoid the crowds.

“It will be very busy in the morning,” she says.

On Saturday, May 20, Point Pelee will hold a Dark Sky Night where they will be open until midnight.

During their twilight nature hikes, park staff will also lead a Woodcock Walk. The sounds and rituals of the American Woodcock at dusk are unique and a wonder to take in. The Point Pelee Transit will be running daily from 6 am to 8 pm, departing from the Visitor Centre to the tip and back — up until May 22. After May 22, it will return to its regular daily schedule.

For a full calendar of events, visit parks.canada.ca/pn-np/on/pelee/ activ/festival where you can sign up for the nature walks and read about the 100-species challenge.

These birders from Quebec were part of the 2022 Festival of Birds at Point Pelee National Park. Thousands of birding enthusiasts are expected to converge on Point Pelee from May 1-22. SUN archive photo