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Held on the May Long Weekend, this special event celebrates the spring migration of the smaller birds, such as warblers, and the shorebirds like the Whimbrel, that annually stop down at Presqu’ile on their way north. Presqu’ile’s position as a peninsula sticking out into the lake, and its varied habitats, makes it a migration hot spot.
.JPG) Migrating birds concentrate in numbers throughout the park, resting and feeding before moving on north. This gives birders a great opportunity to see and appreciate a wide range of bird species, many of them quite colourful.
While the number of birds present in the park varies from day to day, there is always something to be seen in May. The Warblers and Whimbrels Weekend is aimed at those just starting out as birders or would just like to know a bit more about the birds we share the park and the world with. Naturalist-led bird walks take place at 6:30 am, 10:00 am and 2:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
 In addition, volunteer naturalists will be in the lighthouse area from 8:00 am to 10:00 am to point out what birds are around to visitors. A migration-oriented slide show takes place in the campground at 8:30 pm on the Saturday night.
The pièce-de-résistance is the bird-banding demonstration between 8:00 am and 12 noon. We are very fortunate to have Elizabeth Kellogg and Roger Frost available to demonstrate the fine art of binding birds. Not only do you find out how and why, you get a chance to see some of our feathered jewels up much closer than you normally would. Because birds are at risk being caught in rainy or windy conditions this event can only go on weather permitting.
The Lighthouse Interpretive Centre is open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, featuring the Friends’ Gift Shop selling hot drinks, as well as their range of educational materials and souvenirs. This weekend also features the last chance to get in on the Friends' raffle for great birding optics, courtesy of Bushnell. The draw will be made on Sunday at 4:00pm.
2010 dates are to be confirmed.
Contact David Bree at 613 475 4324, ext 225 or david.bree@ontario.ca for more information or if you are interesting in volunteering. |
