Sunburned and Alive

The winter was so long. I gained weight. I slept a lot. I got stiff and out of shape, pasty white and lethargic.

Not unlike a grub dormant in the cold earth.

Today, though.

Today I am so glad I let Sylvain talk me into a day trip to Point Pelee. How could we not go? It’s peak migration and we live an hour away. We have an annual family pass to the park. Feeling despondent or not, I couldn’t say “nah.”

Do you know what a migrant trap is? If you look at migration routes for the Americas, you can see that a major flyway passes right over the Great Lakes. Many birds are hungry and tired when they spot the first bit of land jutting out into Lake Erie. And so they land, rest, and feed before continuing the journey to their breeding ground. Some stay and nest right there in the park.

When we arrived, Sylvain asked me which trail I wanted to do. “I don’t care,” I said. I lost my appetite for birding a few years ago when I no longer had a car and so couldn’t get out in the bush when I felt like it. My identification skills are rusty. As any perfectionist, even a recovering perfectionist, can attest…once you’re no longer at the top of your game, that game doesn’t seem as fun anymore. In fact, my once vast ornithological library has now been whittled and Freecycled down to one old field guide held together with duct tape.

I didn’t know Sylvain had said a little prayer. He so hoped something would happen to make it fun for me. We decided it was prudent to park near the visitor centre, as those prime parking spots would go fast.

“Do you want to take the tram to the point?” Sylvain asked me.

“Whatever you want,” I said. The trolley left in 20 minutes, so I meandered across the grass while Sylvain held our place in line.

When I looked back, an older gentleman sitting on a bench was talking to him. I wandered back and joined the conversation.

“You’ve just arrived?” he asked us. We confirmed this.

“I’ve been here for three days,” he said. “If you really want to see some stuff, go 10 minutes down the Woodland Trail. You’ll get Prothonotary, Black-throated Green, Blackburnian…”

“Let’s do THAT!” I said. Sylvain smiled.

“You’ll know you’re there when you see a knot of people all stopped on a bridge,” our angel added.

Here is our list of sightings for the half day we spent in the park:

Mourning Dove, Brown-headed Cowbird, two Rose-breasted Grosbeaks either mating or fighting and making the sneaker on the gym floor sound, Yellow Warbler, Common Grackle, White-throated Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Chipping Sparrow, Northern Oriole, Orchard Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Pine Warbler (all by the visitor centre).

On the Woodland Trail we got: Northern Cardinal by ear, Grey Catbird by ear, Black-throated Green Warbler singing and posing for the camera, Black and White Warbler, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler, a female Cerulean Warbler (lifebird for me), Northern Waterthrush, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Wood Thrush by ear, Carolina Wren by ear, American Redstart, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Veery, Turkey Vulture, Blue Jay, Downy Woodpecker, Red-Tailed Hawk, female Scarlet Tanager and an American Robin on her nest.

In the beach area across the road from the visitor centre, we got Eastern Kingbird.

From the parking lot having a tail-gate picnic, we saw four Sandhill Cranes flying in the distance.

After lunch we went to the point and had Blue-grey Gnatcatcher, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Tern, Ring-billed Gull, Double-crested Cormorant, Barn Swallow, Tree Swallow.

At the marsh boardwalk we saw a pair of Canada Geese with young and Common Yellowthroat all through the marsh.

Driving out of the park we saw a Killdeer in flight.

I am sunburned and I am alive. I’d forgotten how being out in wind and sun, communing with nature leaves no room in the head for rumination.

I’d forgotten how darned friendly and kind birders are. Everyone smiles and says hello or bonjour as we pass each other on the path. We tell each other where the good birds are.

For Sylvain’s photos of today’s outing, go here.