Huron Fringe Birding Festival 2025 Pt. 1

trip report I had heard of this awesome Bird festival through my fellow birders, they all say it's a must do, and the birds and habitat are so different from what we have down here.  The Huron Fringe Birding Festival is set at McGregor Point Provincial Park, just outside of Port Elgin on Lake Huron.

I started my day leaving the house at 4 am to get to the park, it's a 2.5 hr drive, check in at registration and be ready for my 7:15 tour 'On the fringe' with Paul Riss.  I am a big fan of Paul's and I have seen his CBC POV documentary 'Rare Bird Alert' a few times! I have a link to his documentary at the bottom of my post.  If I thought I had a rough morning, well he just got in at 2am from a birding tour in Trinidad!  Talk about climate change! coming into the park with 7 C temp and light rain.

Yellow Ladies Slipper
Fringed Polygala

The rain let up and we ventured out on the Tower Trail where about 10 of us got good looks at Least Bittern Botaurus exilis(lifer for me!) and many warbler species.  There was amazing botany as well, with me pointing out the Yellow Lady's Slipper Cypripedium parviflorum and Fringed Polygala Polygaloides paucifolia.

Chestnut Sided Warbler Setophaga pensylvanica breeding male.


We carpooled to drive around the perimeter of the park where we got good looks at some amazing birds, as well as a lifer for me, Yellow Winged Warbler Vermivora chrysoptera, breeding male, which is a near threatened species.  The GWWA was too far away for my 300 mm to get in focus, but here he is singing his heart out, very beautiful song and we noted that their were a pair!  If you had seen it in person, you would agree that it is, as Paul would say "a facemelter".

Paul is an engaging, very educational leader who took every opportunity to tell us details of particular birds.  We had a young 10 year old boy with us who was very enthusiastic and it was wonderful to see his early curiosity and passion for birds!

They do bird banding here at the park from 6:15 am to 10 am.  Dave is a very experienced bander and he caught a few birds that he allowed us to view, I even had the privilege to document the Magnolia Warbler that was caught in the net. Bird banding is a very important way that scientists document the journey of birds.  The banders are very gentle and they know what they are doing, no birds get hurt during his process, and they are released less than 10 minutes after caught.  

Dave putting the band on a Common Yellowthroat Geothlypsis trichas breeding male.

Magnolia Warbler Setophaga magnolia breeding male.
Bay Breasted Warbler Setophaga castanea breeding male, just before being released.

The Friends of McGregor Point put on a good festival!  I only stayed one day, maybe next year I will stay longer!  The visitor centre was good, with some donated books and vendors, only thing that was missing was tee shirts!  I always buy a tee shirt from PP's I visit to support the park, not a one in sight, nor any park maps!  Oh well next time!  The pulled pork on a bun with coleslaw was to die for, but the birdseed cookie and coffee was what saved me after the first hike!
and though the sign says that there is an active bear in the park...didn't see him,,,win win!  though I would have loved to see him! or her


ebird checklist for the day

Rare bird alert

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