Thursday, May 13: This afternoon, we will visit beautiful Hillman Marsh Conservation Area and Point Pelee National Park to study and enjoy shorebirds and waterbirds, and get in some exciting songbird migration, as well! I will be carrying my spotting scope and shorebird field guides and we can study and discuss the species we encounter during the trip; given that it’s Hillman Marsh…and mid May…I suspect that we will encounter a large variety of shorebirds to enjoy! After our visit to Hillman Marsh CA, we will visit either the northern sector of Point Pelee National Park or park in the Visitor Centre parking lot and walk the nearby trails.
Field Guiding Philosophy: With birds (winged…prone to movement; i.e. not “fixed” in location), there are never guarantees, but the good news is you’ll have a professional guide at the helm with many years of experience searching for and identifying birds. As always, I will endeavour to make the most of each tour, and the philosophy I encourage is to “take whatever the day brings.” Field-guiding is far less about rarity chasing/stakeouts/listing, and far more about the flow of a particular day, time and location. As a guide, I typically don’t place pressure on the tour (i.e. have a long list of hopes and expectations); I simply allow the day to unfold before me, and interpret moments and themes to the best of my ability, on the fly. Birding is fluid, in my experience, and placing pressure on the day can lead to disappointment. If and when birding action is red hot, I will be there, guiding with bells on; the gloves are off, so to speak, and it’s “go time!” When it’s quiet, I will pull from my reservoir of information and field experience, and share information about birds and various natural history topics throughout the day.
What to pack/What to know: Please dress for the season and be sure to check on the weather conditions ahead of the tour. During spring and summer tours, it’s a good idea to pack rubber boots, extra socks (in case your feet get damp/wet) and your rain gear. Other seasonal items to pack include insect repellent, sunscreen and a field hat. If you have a camping stool (fold-up one) please pack it; this item is helpful during any periods of prolonged study. Please pack your photographical and optical equipment of your choice; if you have a spotting scope, pack it, as well. Packing a cooler with a lunch, snacks and liquids is a good idea, whether you’re on a shorter or longer tour; it’s always better to have packed more, than to have packed less, during field tours. If we are on a full day tour, we will break for lunch; if it’s a half day tour, then there will be no lunch stop.
Permits & Passes: You must make your own reservations and purchases for passes unless otherwise indicated below. A National Parks pass (day pass or season pass) will be required to enter Point Pelee National Park; and a day pass (purchasable on-site) or Spring Birding Pass will be required to enter Hillman Marsh.
eBird Checklists: I will take care of all of the checklists for the day, and share them with you when the tour is complete. Your eBird statistics will automatically update when you accept the checklist. If you are not an eBird user, that is perfectly fine; I will email the checklists after the tour. You’ll be able to browse through the sightings list without having to be an eBird user.
Washrooms: There are washrooms on-site, at Hillman Marsh. Conceivably, we would all use the washroom before the tour begins, and use it again when the tour ends. I may be able to schedule a stop a few hours into the outing (if we are heading to Couture Dyke, for example).
Activity rating: 1/5.
Meet-up time and location: 2:00 p.m. at Hillman Marsh Conservation Area.
Duration: Approximately 5 hours.
Cost: $125 per person (HST-included). I accept payment via e-transfer to eontbird@gmail.com. I also accept mailed cheques sent to Eastern Ontario Birding, 751 Namur Street, Embrun Ontario, K0A 1W0.
Payment due date: Upon registration preferred. Please be sure to review my Cancellation Policy ahead of signing up for this tour. The cancellation policy comes into effect the moment the online registration form is inputted.
Register for this outing by using this sign-up form