A birdwatchers delight at Point Pelee as European travellers flock for May migration

A camera in one hand, binoculars in another, birdwatchers have flocked to Point Pelee.

The national park is one of North America's top spots for birdwatchers who are hoping to tick off a rare sighting on their proverbial or literal lists.

Harrow resident Donny Moore, who moved to Canada 14 years ago from Ireland, first recognized the importance of Point Pelee through his photography work.

"I didn't notice how good [the birding] was. I started just saying, "Oh that's a cool bird, I'll take a picture of that," and then I found out that this was the Mecca for birding. That really got me into it - and it really is a draw," he said.

Moore has a large social media presence thanks to his nature photography, where he often highlights birds that he spots throughout Essex County.

On a birdwatching walk on May 13th, Moore spoke to the CBC News about the community that has developed with the hobby for those both near and far. 

"The guys I've got with me today, they have come over from Ireland. It's a birding vacation. The only reason they're here is because May in Essex County, and Point Pelee especially…it's probably second [best] in North America."

Travellers Stuart McKee and Steve Wing joined Moore for some birding last week, in the hopes they would spot some birds they hadn't seen before.

"If we had a place like this back home, it would be very heavily used. You have to think, it's a narrow peninsula going right out into Lake Erie. It keeps the foliage from developing too early, so you can actually see the birds," said McKee. 

The first three weeks of May mark the best time for birdwatchers to go to Point Pelee with their scopes, cameras and binoculars. The positioning of Canada's southernmost mainland point on Lake Erie is ideal for the passing of around 100 species of birds, including 32 species of warbler.

In addition the peninsula's reach into the lake, the tree cover is not as thick at this time of year, making for an excellent chance to spot a bird before they head further north for breeding. 

"Most of the birds here - they overwinter along the tropics," said Moore. "As they fly up this way [to come north for breeding], they're stopped by the lake. It's a stopping point before they start moving further north."

The majority of birds head to the Algonquin area, he said.

"We expect these birds to be on [breeding] territory by June, staying for the summer months, and we expect them to start coming back down through September," said Moore.

Point Pelee is the only spot in Canada where certain species can be seen due to its southerly latitude, on par with locations such as Rome and Barcelona.