CANADA Point Pelee and Michigan, USA 8–23 May 2009 Leaders: Dave Milsom and Peter Lansdown

Point Pelee is a peninsula located on the north shore of Lake Erie. It has a long-standing reputation for being one of the two best sites in North America to observe migration. Given the right weather conditions, it can rival even Eilat in Israel for the spectacular passage of birds. Nearby are several other good birdwatching sites and, not far to the northwest in Michigan, USA, are a number of other good areas with different boreal-type habitat; this broadens the diversity of birds which we can expect to see.

Day 1 Flight from London to Toronto and drive westwards, with comfort stops, to Kingsville, our base for the next seven nights.

Day 2 After an early breakfast we make the forty-minute drive to Point Pelee. Our first stop will be at the information centre to find out the latest bird news and, if there is a particularly good bird around, we will look for it. Otherwise we will take the tram toward the point itself and walk the trails. It is unlikely, however, that we will make much progress with our walk as we will be stopping all the time for birds! Warblers may include Blue-winged, Golden-winged, Yellow, Chestnut-sided, Magnolia, Yellow-rumped, Blackburnian, Black-and-white, Black-throated Green, Cape May, Black-throated Blue, Tennessee, Bay-breasted, Wilson's and Canada. Other warblers (but not by name!) include American Redstart, Northern Parula, Common Yellowthroat, Ovenbird and Northern Waterthrush. Vireos may be represented by Blue-headed, Yellow-throated, Red-eyed, Warbling and Philadelphia. Just in case that is not enough for you to take in, Scarlet Tanagers, Baltimore and Orchard Orioles and Blue Jays will help to brighten the place up! When we finally reach the point we can give our necks a welcome rest and look at waders, gulls, terns and ducks. Regular birds from the shore here include Bonaparte's and Ring-billed Gulls, Common, Caspian, Black and Forster's Terns, Common Loon (Great Northern Diver), Double-crested Cormorant and Spotted, Semipalmated and Least Sandpipers. Returning to the visitor centre via other trails, we will look for less colourful species that we undoubtedly overlooked on our way out. The Empidonax flycatchers, in particular, are a test of identification skills but, with a great deal of perseverance, we should be able to add Yellow-bellied, Alder, Least and Willow to our lists. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Ruby-crowned Kinglet also test the patience high up in the trees. Checking in at the information centre will be a regular feature over the next few days, as only by doing this can we find out about recent discoveries such as roosting Eastern Screech-owl and Whip-poor-will. The centre also has an excellent shop, refreshments and rest rooms! Having covered the point area, we will now look at the marshland trails. There should be Pied-billed Grebes around and ducks should include Wood, Ruddy and American Black Ducks and Blue-winged Teal. There may also be the odd lingering Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, Redhead or Canvasback. Herons frequent these marshes and we should see Great Blue and Green Herons and Black-crowned Night-heron as well as Great Egret. American and Least Bitterns may be less easily found though! Red-winged Blackbird and Swamp Sparrow are easy to see, but Marsh Wren takes a bit more effort. All the time we must keep one eye on the sky as, apart from the constant procession of Turkey Vultures, Sharp-shinned, Broad-winged and Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels will be passing. There are also areas of more open fields, some of which have been set aside for birds, and, in these, we can find American Goldfinch, Indigo Bunting and Savannah, Field, White-crowned, White-throated, Lincoln's and Song Sparrows. At the end of this first eventful day we will have plenty to write up in our logs back at the motel.

Days 3–6 We will visit a number of sites on and around Point Pelee, adding more species to our lists including Killdeer, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Belted Kingfisher, Mourning Dove, Eastern Kingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, Tree, Cliff and Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Chimney Swift, American Crow, Black-capped Chickadee, Gray Catbird, Brown Thrasher, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Eastern Bluebird, Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Northern Cardinal and Eastern Towhee. One evening we will visit a site for displaying American Woodcock. As the days progress we will be more relaxed as we become familiar with the birds. We will also visit other sites such as Hillman's Marsh for species including Short-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Phalarope and Baird's, Pectoral and White-rumped Sandpipers. We will also visit St Claire Wildlife Reserve which has a breeding population of Yellow-headed Blackbirds as well as both bitterns.

Day 7 Today we will drive west across the international border into Michigan, USA, then north. It is about an eight-hour drive to our destination but we will make several rest stops en route. Crossing the bridge into the Upper Peninsula we will be staying for three nights in Paradise, a small town close to Whitefish Point, on the south shore of Lake Superior. We are likely to see a number of new species here and the surrounding boreal habitat gives us a good opportunity to add Spruce and Ruffed Grouse, Black-backed and Pileated Woodpeckers, Northern Flicker, Gray Jay, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Boreal Chickadee, White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Pine Warbler, Purple Finch, Evening Grosbeak and Rusty Blackbird.

Day 8 We will spend the whole day around the Whitefish Point area looking for migrants and the specialities. The Lake Superior shoreline has nesting Piping Plovers and we will also spend some time 'lake watching' for species including White-winged Scoter and Long-tailed Duck, which pass north in some numbers. In the evening we can return to the point as there is a possibility that we may encounter one of the owls being banded at Whitefish Point if it is a good year and we are willing to stay up late. In order of likelihood these would be Northern Saw-whet, Boreal, Barred, Great Horned and Great Gray Owls.

Day 9 We will visit the huge Seney National Wildlife Reserve which supports a number of species not easily seen elsewhere. Yellow Rails can be found here with extreme luck, together with Ring-necked Duck, Hooded Merganser, Sandhill Crane, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Sedge Wren, Clay-colored, Le Conte's and Vesper Sparrows, Brewer's Blackbird and the reintroduced Trumpeter Swans.

Day 10 Today we will return south, first checking Whitefish Point again before we leave, then visiting a site en-route which is good for Gray Jay. In the late afternoon we will arrive in Grayling in the heart of the Lower Peninsula for a one-night stay.

Day 11 Today we have to be up early for the Kirtland's Warbler tour. This critically endangered bird is easy to see given the right weather conditions but if necessary we have most of the day to see it. If we see it early we may drive east and visit the Tawas area where Grasshopper and Henslow's Sparrows can be found as well as migrants on the point. Mid-afternoon we return south to Detroit and then head east again back into Ontario for a three-night stay in Kingsville, close to Point Pelee.

Days 12–13 The last two days will be spent further exploring the Point Pelee area for new migrants including Ruby-throated Hummingbird, Black-billed and Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Veery and Swainson's, Wood and Gray-cheeked Thrushes. We may also see one of the late-arriving, more difficult warblers: Connecticut or Mourning. We will also visit Rondeau Provincial Park which has several breeding species that are difficult to see at Point Pelee including Prothonotary Warbler and Red-bellied and Red-headed Woodpeckers. With the pace of new species having dropped considerably, there will now be more time for photography.

Day 14 This morning we will head back to Long Point where we will look for specialist breeding species including Prairie Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush and Grasshopper Sparrow. Overnight at Long Point.

Day 15 After early morning birding around Long Point, we will return to Toronto via Niagara Falls for a short tourist stop. Overnight return flight to London.

Day 16 Arrival back in London at the conclusion of the tour.

General Information The pace of this tour is generally moderate with a comfortable amount of walking over easy terrain. Long days may be spent in the field however. The weather can vary enormously from hot to cold and wet. Insects may be just becoming a nuisance in one or two places at the end of the tour. There are no special health requirements and visas are not required. Accommodation is in medium-quality motels with private facilities and TV. Food, which is not included in the tour price, is generally of a good standard and relatively cheap; allow about C$40 per day depending on your requirements.

Group size Minimum number for tour to go ahead: 8; maximum group size: 9 with 1 leader, 16 with 2 leaders.

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