Wednesday, we were excited to join Risa for a day exploring the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory (PEPtBO) general surroundings. I had been looking forward to this almost (but not quite) as much as the eclipse, as it gave us a chance to to see a bunch of birds we normally wouldn’t see out west. So yes, you can skip this post almost entirely if birds aren’t your thing.
For today’s adventure, we were headed out to almost the eastern tip of Prince Edward County.
Pretty much since she retired, Risa has been volunteering at PEPtBO, where there is a one of the most important migratory bird flyways in the country. The Observatory sits on land belonging to the federal government, in the Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area managed by the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS). They have been banding birds there since the 1990s had have an extensive record of bird populations and migration patterns. It’s all very cool. Risa has been volunteering with the bird banding for a few years now, and as today was “opening day” for the Observatory, she offered to give us a tour and show us what they do!
We headed out relatively early, and it is about a 45 minute drive out there. When we arrived, the team was deep into releasing birds from the nets that they use to capture. We got to watch Risa untangle and bag a few birds, as well as watching other members of the team document the birds and band them before releasing them again unharmed. It’s an amazing process. Sadly no pictures to share of that part of our day.
While the team was trying to convince Risa to stick around and help with the day’s activities, we had other plans. We ended up doing two shortish walks, looking for birds on our own. The first walk was past the main Observatory and out to an old historic lighthouse from the 1850s that sits right out on the point.
You could see the lighthouse from the Observatory. We had a bit of a walk around the inlet to get out to it. The weather did not look to be behaving…
The map of our first walk out to the lighthouse.
The walk was a nice one, ending at the lighthouse right out on the point. It’s on shell beach with amazing views out across Lake Ontario. There’s been a lighthouse here since the 1850s I think, and while I suspect this one was rebuilt more recently, it still maintains the original form.
I really like the signs they have made for the area.
We explored around the lighthouse for a little bit. There was not a lot going on (we saw a few birds, but nothing exciting), so we eventually headed back towards the Observatory and the car.
We drove a short distance back up the road to Point Traverse, where we stopped for a second walk. This one was much more productive!
There are a series of trails around the point. They are not long - a few kilometers at most - but they ended up being very productive for us, with a bunch of new life list birds to identify. There is one in particular, that you may have noted already that was the exciting find for the trip!
Initially, it was pretty slow going. We were hearing a few birds (the damn cardinal was calling the whole time, but we bare;y caught sight of it), but not seeing alot. Eventually the trail brought us out to a cliff edge over Lake Ontario. It was hard to believe, but with the light being the way it was, the water looked almost tropical!
While looking out over the water, we spotted a few waterbirds, including one new one for us!
Red-breasted Mergansers
Long-tailed Ducks
Finally, a bird with a properly descriptive name. This was a new one for us!
They really are quite pretty little ducks - and you can see the long tail on the male.
We watched the waterbirds for a while, before some song and motion caught our attention. It started with an Easter Phoebe that we had been hearing, but hadn’t been able to see.
The rare (but often photographed) red-headed birder…
I’m pretty sure Justine is going to kill me for that one, but I couldn’t resist.
The phoebe led us to one of the more exciting discoveries of the day - yellow-rumped warblers! I am pretty sure there was more than one around, and they are such beautiful birds.
You can see how they get the name…
There was an assortment of different birds that we ended up seeing, right before the main event.
But the best sighting by far was a very rare (sadly) Eastern Bluebird. I just happened to notice a flash of blue out of the corner on my eye, and we were lucky enough to have it land in the forest and stick around for a little while. Thy are just exquisitely beautiful birds and to see one in the wild was a treat.
Definitely the highlight of the walk.
What a find. This proved to be an amazing walk, with lots of great birds (and even one deer). I didn’t get a shot of the cardinal, but we did see it briefly, a few times. But eventually we needed to be on our way.
The map of our walk around Traverse Point.
On the way back to the farmhouse, Risa made one additional stop in a park just outside of Picton. The park is home to Birdhouse City - how could we not stop? Birdhouse City is a miniature community of purposeful and whimsical hand-crafted birdhouses depicting the unique character, culture, and history of Prince Edward County. Each birdhouse rests high on its own platform and pole and provides a safe place for birds to nest in. The “city” started back in the 1908s and there are now over 100 different birdhouses. Many are modeled on local buildings, and Jeff and Risa’s house, given it’s historic nature is one of them!
It’s hard to capture the scale - this is one little section, but you get a sense.
Risa and Jeff’s house, in miniature, and for the birds!
There are literally a hundred different, interesting birdhouses to show. There was no reason to try and take pictures of them all - you should go visit for yourself! But here’s a selection.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing, sitting on the front porch and watching the birds. It only seems fitting to add one more gallery for you to peruse, if you like.
White-breasted nuthatch
Downy Woodpecker
Red-winged Blackbird
