BIRD WATCHING IN POINT PELEE, ONTARIO

Every year, we say that we are going to go bird watching at Point Pelee National Park for the Spring migration and this year we finally made it. I got some great photos and would highly recommend it as a destination for anyone who enjoys photographing birds. Here's a travel guide to bird watching in Point Pelee that I wrote for the Improve Photography website.

Dramatic skies on a Spring morning at the tip of Point Pelee National Park

Point Pelee, Ontario is a long spit of land that runs south into Lake Erie. It is the southernmost mainland point in Canada (the very most southern point is on nearby Middle Island, also in Lake Erie). Many people may be surprised to learn that this part of Canada is on the same parallel as Northern California! (Or, perhaps they wouldn't but it came as a surprise to me, although I live only 3.5 hours away. What can I say? Geography was not my best subject).

What makes Point Pelee so special for bird watchers and photographers is the incredible number of bird species that can be seen there (over 370) and that 340 of those can be seen during the Spring migration period. This area is arguably the best spot in all of mainland North America to view migrating songbirds, who usually arrive in droves during the first few weeks of May.