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Boardwalk along Tulip Tree Trail
Photo by Andrew Almeida
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For many different reasons, Spring happens to be one of my favourite seasons. One of those reasons is the influx of birds that are migrating north during this time of year. Every year birds in brilliant breeding plumage will migrate north to their breeding grounds. It's pretty incredible the distances that these small creatures will travel.
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| Yellow Warbler |
Rondeau Provincial Park happens to be in a flight path used by birds during their migration, making it a hotspot for bird watching. The height of songbird migration tends to be the first three weeks of May. Rondeau Provincial Park celebrates this with their annual Festival of Flight which was held this year from May 1st to May 21st. During this time, there are special bird related activities and events scheduled such as hikes, birders' breakfasts and lunches. My husband Andrew and I decided to visit Rondeau for the first time and take in the sights and sounds of the park during this peak migration time. We were not disappointed! The moment we stepped out of the car we were greeted with a mingling of songs from different bird species.
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| Chipping Sparrow |
When we first arrived at the park we headed straight for the visitor centre. To get there is a drive through the park along it's main road. Once there, we parked the car and went inside to look around. They had a board up of all bird sightings and their locations. This was a good way to check out what had been seen within the last couple of days and where. What makes parks like Rondeau in bird migration flyways special is that they tend to be pit stops for birds that have travelled over many distances and over open water (in this case Lake Erie) and need a place to stop to rest and feed before continuing their journey north to their breeding grounds. Many of these songbirds only stay a little while and then continue on their way. Some species do breed in the park but many do not. The visitor centre has many displays of the different species of animals found within the park. There are also feeders and a garden set up in the back for bird watching.
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Boardwalk along Tulip Tree Trail
Photo by Andrew Almeida
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Our first trail was the Tulip Tree Trail, a 1.2 km loop trail through forest which is right off the visitor centre's parking lot. It is a great little trail with many boardwalks and offers the best opportunity for viewing the endangered Prothonotary warbler which nests in this location. If patient enough, you may just see it fluttering about just off one of the boardwalks. We did manage to get a few glimpses of one but unfortunately were not able to get a good photo. Many birds were seen and heard along this trail.
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| Blue Jay |
From the Tulip Tree Trail, we crossed the road and walked the boardwalk to the beach area. It was pretty but quiet. Besides some swallows flying around, not much more activity happening. We walked back to the car at the visitor's centre and decided to head out to the Marsh trail.
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Boardwalk to the Beach
Photo by Andrew Almeida
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Buried picnic tables on the beach
Photo by Andrew Almeida
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On our way we stopped at the Spice Bush Trail as there was one parking spot available. This is a 1.5 km loop trail through forest and marsh. It has several boardwalks and is another great trail for bird watching. Like the Tulip Tree Trail, there were many birds seen and heard. There were also trilliums and a few other wildflowers. It's a nice, easy trail to do.
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Boardwalk along Spice Bush Trail
Photo by Andrew Almeida
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Black-Throated Green Warbler (Female)
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After completing this trail, we crossed the road to walk along Bennett Avenue. This road is closed off to vehicular traffic. It is forested on either side and has benches along the middle where one can sit and watch the birds fly from tree to tree. It was a nice little walk and offered some great opportunities to see more birds.
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| Nesting American Robin |
We then decided to head on over to the Marsh Trail. This is a 7 km trail one way along a gravel path.
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Marsh Trail
Photo by Andrew Almeida
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There is a boardwalk and tower part way but the top section is currently closed with no mention of when it will reopen.
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Marsh Boardwalk
Photo by Andrew Almeida
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We saw different species of birds along this trail as well as other animals such as a snake, snapping turtle and a few frogs. We also saw a few large fish jump out of the water.
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Snapping Turtle
Photo by Andrew Almeida
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Marsh
Photo by Andrew Almeida
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Many barn swallows were present busily building their nests at the tower.
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| Barn Swallow |
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| Barn Swallows |
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| Barn Swallow |
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| Barn Swallow |
Rondeau Provincial Park does have several more hiking and biking trails that we just did not have the time to do during this visit but hope to return some day to explore more of the park. It is a great place to visit, especially during the spring and fall migrations where it offers great opportunities for viewing songbirds and waterbirds. Just one word of caution, please take precautions to protect yourself from ticks. There are signs in the park warning that ticks carrying Lyme disease have been found at the park and I found a tick on me.
We visited Rondeau only for a day as we had planned to spend a bit more time on our next stop, Point Pelee National Park and the Festival of Birds. Stay tuned for my upcoming post and photos from this amazing park!
Further Reading:
https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/rondeau/activities
