MAY AT PELEE '08 - a summary

After seven intense days of waking up every morning at 5:00am, birding for 12 hours almost every one of those days, scarfing down whatever available food I could find (I actually bought out of all the Nature Nook's stock of Snickers bars), chasing rarities, chasing common species, tick checks, sun burn, back pain, neck pain, leg pain, stomach pain, headaches, day lists, May lists, life lists, Ontario lists, Pelee lists, socializing, and few (but heavenly) naps, I'm back in Toronto regrettably shutting the door on another amazing trip to Point Pelee during spring migration. Phew, as run-ons go, that one's a marathon.

The trip was far too short. My greyhound left Friday night from Toronto at 6:45pm and I didn't get home until after 11:00pm. After quickly unpacking and preparing for the next day, I set my alarm for 5 in the morning and tried to get a wink of sleep before my first exciting day of birding commenced. Each day brought new surprises, new birds, sometimes new disappointments, but in the end, I think I put in a good week of birding. Before May, I debated the best time to take a week off during the month. Do I take off the first week and catch the early migrants but risk missing a lot of the later arrivals and rarities? Do I go at the end of the month when there are fewer people but the opportunity for some late migrants and potential late migrant gems? I ended up deciding on May 10th to May 18th, relatively in the middle but still early enough to catch some of the earlier migrants. I think I made the right choice as I ended up with 2 lifers, 4 Pelee/Ontario birds, and a final count of 170 species, the exact goal I set out upon arrival to Pelee on Saturday (hilariously and stupidly, I original set an unreachable goal of 200 species and quickly altered that number. I hope next year to get the first 2 weeks of May off and then that number will be achievable). Now, the spring season in Pelee goes on without me.

Aside from the birds, Pelee in May is simply my favourite place to be for the people as well. Birders are a special breed. Encouraging, friendly, upbeat, witty, a tad bit strange...sometimes, but always passionate. It's always great to meet up with friends that I only see once a year during spring migration, or at the odd convention or special meeting. To hear of the trips people have taken, the birds they've seen, and the experiences they've had is a pleasure and inspires me each and every time. There is one group in particular that I love to birdwatch with at least a few days, unofficially led by Ron Tozer and Mike Tate. To them, May is a time to see as many species as physically possible during their short stay, over 200 species this year, and to rack up the numbers every day they bird. To a lesser degree, I try to do the same thing. There were a couple days that I could have gotten much higher counts but decisions to stay dry or catch up on some needed sleep made my numbers slip on a few occasions. It might sound like listing, but that's simply not the case. I still appreciate all the birds I see (except for maybe Yellow Warbler, which becomes just a check-mark after the first day of birding). If I already have 1 Prairie Warbler, I'm not going to walk by a second one if it's right in front of me just because I've already ticked it off. Unless of course there's a new bird for my May list down the trail. Hmmm, maybe I'm not sounding convincing here (please note the firm placement of tongue in cheek). For me, a May list sometimes makes a common species a spectacle. Harder to find birds during spring that I see year-round elsewhere become birds to chase after. White-breasted Nuthatch, Bobolink, American Kestrel, and Pine Siskin to name a few. Mind you, it can also have its downsides. I spent a ridiculously outlandish amount of time driving around trying to hear a Bobolink while I could have been searching the under-birded sections of the park, but that's all part of the fun (or frustration depending on how you look at it). I guess the point is I'm still there to study the birds and appreciate their beauty...but there's just a kind of silly excitement I get from keeping a May list. And you still find new birds, even if you are on the hunt for a specific species.

Getting back to the birders, it's always hard to say goodbye when the days are dwindling down, and birders have to go back to their other lives and routines. Each time another birder leaves, a little bit is lost as a large part of the thrill of birding for me is the sharing of sightings. It's exciting being part of the radio system at the park where someone will throw their sighting on the airwaves while anyone listening rushes to get the bird. When you have something good, you want others to share the experience.

In the next few days, I will provide readers with each of my day list statistics, a few posts dedicated to lifers, and a heaping helping of the experiences that go into making May what it is. It's certainly been my best week of birding yet this year hands down.