News

Migration Summary September 16th to September 30th, 2017

Black-throated Blue Warbler. Photo by Sumiko Onishi After enjoying a spectacular start to the month of September, bird migration all but ground to a halt for the following two weeks. From September 16th to 30th, PIBO’s daily banding total never rose above 25 birds, and the large, mixed flocks of warblers that had made up

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Migration Summary September 1st- September 15th 2017

Almost as soon as we turned the page in the calendar, the fall migration accelerated to an incredible pace! Unusually consistent north and northerly winds helped to push large numbers of birds through Pelee Island and into PIBO’s mist-nets, with over 100 birds being banded on both September 2nd and 3rd and over 90 being

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Migration Summary August 18th- 31st, 2017

Common Nighthawk. Photo by Sumiko Onishi Fish Point was quiet for the first few days of fall banding owing to contrary winds and some inclement weather. A few season’s firsts showed up, including some Blackburnian Warblers and American Redstarts, but the fall migration didn’t really get underway until August 23rd, when northwest winds brought in

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Migration Summary August 1st- 17th, 2017

After enjoying July off, the Pelee Island Bird Observatory has returned to the routine of migration monitoring for the fall. The census began on August 1st, a calm, quiet day, marked with sightings of local breeding birds such as Indigo Buntings and Yellow Warblers. Families of Mallards and Wood Ducks still inhabit Fox Pond, though

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2017 Spring Report

Introduction The Pelee Island Bird Observatory (PIBO)’s spring migration coverage at Fish Point Provincial Nature Reserve (Ontario Parks – Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources) ran from April 1st to June 11th, 2017, for a total of 72 coverage days. Five participants helped to record 163 species at Fish Point during PIBO’s standard count period. 659

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Migration Summary June 1st- June 11th, 2017

  American White Pelicans. Photo by Sachi Schott. The spring still had a few surprises in store for us as PIBO began to wind down its migration monitoring program for the season. From June 1st to 11th, we continued the daily 90-minute census at Fish Point, and got to know the local breeding birds very

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Migration Summary May 16th- 31st, 2017

Canada Geese and goslings. Photo by Sachi Schott As the season has moved steadily forwards, it has brought more changes to the netting area at Fish Point. More leaves have come out on the trees, making it more difficult to spot warblers as they forage in the high branches. The flowers along the trail have

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Sumiko Onishi’s 2017 Birdathon Results

  First of all, many thanks to the islanders who hosted, helped, and welcomed visitors during the Springsong weekend! On May 11th I did my Great Canadian Birdathon to support Bird Studies Canada and PIBO.  This was my second Birdathon and I didn’t have much of a strategy, and felt quite a lot of pressure to

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Migration Summary May 1st-15th, 2017

The overcast and unsettled weather from the end of April continued into the beginning of May, severely curtailing PIBO’s mist netting efforts. The wind, meanwhile, seemed to come from every direction but south, creating challenging conditions for the migratory songbirds. The arrival of warbler species such as the Magnolia and Chestnut-Sided Warbler seemed to be

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Migration Summary April 16th-30th, 2017

  As the month has progressed, the weather has grown warmer and new greenery has begun to appear. Many trees around the netting area have begun to bud and a few leaves are already beginning to show themselves. Fox Pond has become crowded with water lilies, leaving little room for ducks, most of whom now

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PIBO Migration Summary April 1st- 15th 2017

                                                                                                                            Tree Swallows by Sachi Schott The Pelee Island Bird Observatory began its 14th season of migration monitoring on April 1st, 2017. The morning was cool and overcast, and notable mainly for the large number of waterfowl in Fox Pond: 60 birds of 10 species, including Canada Geese, Wood Ducks, Buffleheads, Common Goldeneye, Northern Shovelers and

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Mother’s Day Picnic 2017

JOIN US AT 585 South Shore Road, Pelee Island We would be delighted if you would join us at our annual community gathering on Pelee Island. On May 14th the staff of Pelee Island Bird Observatory will be hosting a picnic lunch for our friends, neighbours and visitors to Pelee Island. We will be serving locally made

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