Mother's Day at Magee - May 11, 2003 (My May 13, 2003 posting from the Toledo Naturalists Association message board)

I've not been to Pelee in the spring, because I've heard about their crowds, and it seemed too much of a hassle when Magee is only 35 minutes away. Besides, this past Sunday at Magee would be tough to beat.

I wasn't planning on going to Magee on Sunday, but my parents stopped up in the afternoon, and they wanted to go birding there. Anyone who was at Magee on Sunday knows what I'm talking about. It was probably my best day at Magee in four springs. Brian Z. said it was one of his best days there for photographing birds. Kent said it felt like the "old" days. Others made similar comments. The warblers were low, close, and numerous.

The strong southwest winds and the cold afternoon temps I guess are the reasons why the birds were so low? It was interesting to see birds spending so much time on the ground that normally don't, such as the Scarlet Tanager, Red-eyed Vireo, and Nashville, Blue-winged, Canada, and Cerulean Warblers.

At least 28 species of warblers were present on Sunday. I missed seeing the Yellow-throated and the CT. Multiple Mournings were found, and with little vegetation growing on the ground right now, the looks of all of the ground birds were excellent.

The best bird for me was the Cerulean Warbler, on the ground three feet from the boardwalk. By late Sunday afternoon and evening, there were no crowds at Magee.

What about Pelee versus Magee in late August or early September?