Sixteen participants met for Nature Guelph’s Bird Wing walk at one of Ontario’s premier bird migration destinations: Rondeau Provincial Park. Birding conditions were favourable with lower overall numbers of birds than some years, but a good variety of species.
The group met at the park store and began with a walk down Water Street, with great looks at Eastern Kingbird, Yellow Warbler, Cape May Warbler, Red-Bellied Woodpecker, Orchard Oriole, and White-crowned Sparrow. A short walk down the first section of the Marsh Trail off Water Street yielded a Tree Swallow visiting a nesting box.
The group then visited Warbler Way and back to the park store to see a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Downy Woodpecker, Black-throated Green Warbler, Palm Warbler and Eastern Bluebird. They also observed a nesting colony of Purple Martins, along with Tree and Barn Swallows.
A short trip to the Pony Barn included a Carolina Wren, Gray Catbird, Rusty Blackbird and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
The group proceeded south into the park and checked out Bennett Road, where they were treated to views of Great Crested Flycatcher, Blue-headed Vireo, Black-and-white Warbler, Northern Parula, Blackburnian Warbler, and Philadelphia Vireo.
After a lunch break, the group rounded out the day with a quiet walk down the Tulip Tree Trail to look for the famous Prothonotary Warbler; while it was not visible during the walk, it was heard singing a few times, along with a distant Yellow-throated Vireo.
It was a very successful walk, with 75 species observed in total. We wish you good birding this spring, whether it be at a birding hotspot such as Rondeau, or at your local park.
Photo Credit: Patty Quackenbush
