My Trip to Point Pelee National Park of Canada (…or What’s in a Name Anyway?)

I had already seen a Rose-Braided Grosbeak by my tent! I was excited to start the next morning with sharpened eyes. I fell asleep to the thunderous waves crashing on the Lake Erie Shore line.

The early morning darkness awakened me with songs of many birds singing to coax the dawn to rise. I was awake! Ready for what the day would bring. All of us slowly walked over to the Pavilion for a good breakfast of Cereal, Fruit and Granola Bars and of course COFFEE!

Bary started us out on the trail he had “scoped” out the day before (that was a pun). First bird that Bary pointed out was a Swainsonian Thrush. The Birds were becoming far and few-between upon arriving to the tram that would take us near the point by Tiddleywinks Woods. After leaping off the tram with Diane and the others I was ready to start my journey! Barned and Flea Swallows greeted us at the beginning of the trail along with a Blues Bird (I think they call them this because they are always sad.) They seemed excited about this in Canada where they are not as common as they are here. After seeing some Yellowed Warblers, Glued-Gray Gnatcatchers and a Chester-Suited Warbler. There in the brush was a White-Rumped Hare playing among a few Yellowish Throats.

I arrived at the point. Commoner Terns were making racket above us and a…Hey Everybody a Rudd…Someone else thumbing through their field guide.. “A what? Oh a Ruddy Turnover! In FULL PLUMAGE!!”

That reminded me. I had a banana left in my Back-Pack from breakfast and those Turnovers were making me hungry. My pack-pack had everything in it and it helped clear people out during a good bird find. I was like an upright camel jockeying for position. “Uh…excuse me.” I would say politely, while knocking others on the ground Or into a marsh, but hey I need my stuff like; breakfast and eight different Field Guides. I then looked at a Dublin through Bary’s Scope. As some Corporants flew by we all went around the bend to see a Immature Scoopers Hawk. While the debate was being discussed on how to tell a Sharp-Skinned and Scoopers Hawk apart. Then a Pengu….I mean a Pigeon or Rookie Dove as the Professional Birders call them, walked up to watch us. It had a band on its leg so it probably belonged to someone, we all hoped, (you know those stray pet pigeons always running amuck). We veered off in the trees a little to get closer to the shore but then came back in trying to be mind full of Poison Ivory. The day kept getting better as we moved North on the next tram. Orchid Orioles, Barrymore Orioles and Indigenous Buntings were just a few of the colorful birds that were seen.

Black-Eyed Blue, Blackened-white and Mr. Wilson’s were just a few Warblers we enjoyed there. Some of the Highlights made my heart stop. Like a Wide-eyed Vireo, Yellow-Bearded Green Warbler and a Moaning Warbler jumping up for all to see. There was a Kentucky Derby Warbler just a few feet from us, so close I almost missed it with my excessive talking about very important issues that had been weighing on my mind like, why they keep changing those bird names I just can’t keep up! There was a small wonder about the Northern Waterbrush, wether it was a Lousiana or Northern but the song was a giveaway. We all headed back for supper after some Flyswatters (Great and Little ones). It was a grand day with over 16 warblers seen by most of us.

When we arrived back we had a delicious feast as we watched the sun fade and the clouds move in. The fire kept us warm as we talked of the days events. Afterwards some went out to continue birding, others put their journals in order. I fell asleep satisfied with the days events and the great leadership of the Dahlem Staff and especially Bary.

The next day there were thunderstorms galore but it gave me a chance to get my Bird Checklist in order. What a great time …although those Canadians must have different names for birds? That Point Pelee checklist of Birds was all wrong, I could not find a blasted bird in there I had seen on my trip? I will have to write them a letter about this and… Hey what the sand hill crane! A Ruby-Clowned Ringlet!

-John Doe

Bird for sale

It was a hot Ozark summer in lower Missouri, the kind of summer where the sweat sticks to you like a vat of hot krazy glue. My friend and I were watching a vacation lodge deep in the woods of Doniphan, cutting grass, feeding horses and just plain goofing off… Oh yeah and eating enough meat on the grill to choke a cheetah.

Anyhoo…Sometimes we had to go into town (you must read that part with visions of Hoss from Bonanza in your head…Pa we gotta’ head into town.) and get viddles and clothing and such. Heading into the great Wally World (Wal-Mart) I was approached by a wee lad, no bigger than a little Joe who approached with a small bird in the palm of his hand. Now this bird did not seemed frightened in the least but simply sat back in the wee hands of little Joe as if it were the worlds most comfortable hammock in the shade. The boy spoke up, “Hey Mister, wanna buy a Barn Swallow?” Now there was a small problem, this was a Chimney Swift the same bird my friend Eric would call “Bats” before He was the amazing avid birder He is today. So I looked down upon the Child and blurted, “Son that there is a Chimney Swift. See The tail, now if’n that was a Barn Swallow it would have a scissor shaped tail and be more colorful. (Hoping I did not offend the Swift.)”OHH!” Said the Boy, “so ya wantum?” I then let the tyke know I was about to shop and that Wally World did not allow Swifts in the store. After we were done shopping I then walked out the front of the shopping center with a bag in hand, upon which a small boy happened upon me…” Hey Mister, Wanna buy a Chimney Swift?”

(I did end up buying the Swift for $5 and let it go. It was unharmed and seemed fine. I wonder how the kid Caught'em?)

Christmas Bird Count 1999 with Eric & Marty in Bushnell, IL

Eric and I got up before the sunrise in our friends trailer, commonly called "The Bixler Trailer". Behold the morning when all you can think is "COFFEE!"
We stepped out to embark on our birding extravaganza of counting every bird seen or heard in 500 acres.
Stepping out the front door, "Hear that!...a Kingfisher" I squealed trying to bring the caffeine up from within the depths.
Eric replied "Write it down" and then realized He had the pencil and clipboard "...ahhh got it." I love beginnings, don't you? We actually saw that Kingfisher later.
Then we saw the Redheaded Woodpeckers. ( I think the trees were growing them.)In the midst of what seemed to be the noise of machine gun fire there were 30 or so.

We saw Nuthatches, Blue Jay's, Chickadees, Goldfinches, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, Crow's, Hawk's and a cold Blue Heron ;Cute fluffy Goldfinches by the Brock's home away from home.
Eric saw a cardinal; It was breathtaking! Cardinals are so bright red against the snow. We saw a large flock of 20 or more near the end of the "Walk of Eternity". Three pair of Bluebirds were electric looking hanging out with all the Northern Junco's! The Junco's along with all of the Tree Sparrow's had a blast jumping from ground to tree to ground again, to over here to over there trying to confuse our expert capabilities of counting. Actually they may have. Now that I recollect back,..."One...Two...or, Ohhh Drat! well you say about fourteen Eric?", "Yaah...Well there's two more, Ahhh....EIGHTEEN? Ummm Yes...Sure." Above us soaring from tree to tree was a Red-tailed Hawk. Looking like your basic Red-tailed Hawk but definitely not sounding like one. It must have had a very bad cold or perhaps his voice box was deformed at birth? Instead of the majestic scream brought forth with such passion from other beaks of Red-tailed Hawks, this one simply coughed,"Keerroowahh..hack..cough...errow" Really!, No joke! Poor Hawk. I knew not too count Him twice when we heard him again. Maybe He was trying to make it easier for us, we will never know.

Walk...Walk...Walk...

Five Golden Eye Ducks flew over our heads and landed on the lake.
One Ruddy Duck hangin' out in the middle going around and around left us both wondering if the Duck had one leg. Hey, Look up there! a Redheaded Woodpecker!..."Shocking!", I said with as much sarcasm as I could muster (and anyone who knows me knows it takes a lot to muster sarcasm in me!) hmmm...was that sarcastic? Anyway.

Walk...Walk...Walk...

"Did you here that Car Alar....I mean, Blue Jay Eric", I said. Eric then replied like his mind was on something else, perhaps becuase his legs were turning to Jello or because his nose was frostbitten. I am not all sure now that I think back. Anyhow He Replied, "Yah". "Should I write it down!"...."Sure", Eric said with the same exuberance. Trying to shake Eric back to the task at hand I yelled there was a Redheaded Woodpecker above us in the tree!...SHOCKING! Up over the hill.

Walk...Walk...Walk...

There was something interesting! One, Two, Three, ...Seven Common Snipe! Sticking those long beaks into "subzero" water, obviously looking for their long Johns for those long skinny legs! Look at that one walking across the ice towards the rest of the...Woops! Slip! Turn! Slip! It was so funny to see those goofy looking tikes slip and catch their balance throwing wings about them. Hey look a Redheaded..."I got it."

Walk...Walk...Walk...

Then o'er the horizon like a hoard of Locust, It descended!
Sounding like a mad, Honking traffic Jam of VW Bugs...Geese, 4 Billion of them decided to fly over our heads and land on our lake! Later we came upon the massive gandering, gackling Goose convention and, Oh...ohh only Two hundred and eighty.
Oh well I was never very good at math anyway.

Walk...Ouch...Stumble...stumble...(a very small Break for lunch.)

Eric and I then preceded back to some fields and saw a large flock of Cardinals as well as more... You guessed it: Redheaded Woodpeckers!

I am always amazed from the colors and the combinations and the construction of each wild and living creature that has been made.
I am always amazed that my eye picks up the beauty of the sunrise in the morning and the sunset of the evening.
That each thing is geared toward Complicated measures, but then pans out into simple explosions of textures, colors and sounds, and each one is connected, made for the other in some way.
If not just for the pleasure of enjoying it! I am always amazed how people say, "There is no God." I see him everywhere, can't you?
When we all gathered in the friendly town of Bushnell, Illinois to tally our tolls of the birds we had all seen that day and eat some great food provided by Larry Hood and His wonderful wife, we realized one joyous thing!...
...Everyone else drove! (and you thought I was sarcastic!)

So, it's not just humans who are at risk when there's evil in the world. I would have thought so, yes. But in Tolkien's theology, all would be part of God's creation, and it would be an abomination to spoil it.

-Rhys-Davies'