Why Is Point Pelee So Famous?
Every spring Point Pelee hosts an absolutely absurd number of birds, to the point where people travel from all over the world to experience it. So today we as: why is that? Why do all these birds gather here?
EPISODE NOTES
When naturalist Dr. William Brodie visited Point Pelee in 1879 he was told of an invasion of ‘warbirds’ by the locals. Closer examination showed that they were talking about Northern Cardinals. But it’s not surprising that the locals hadn’t been exposed to them before. Brodie’s trip coincided with the start of a century-long expansion of Northern Cardinal range.
A shift in global climate was allowing them to disperse a little further North every year. But they were also aided by a rise in backyard bird feeders, which had a significant effect in letting them stick it out in unseasonable winters without starving. These days you can see Northern Cardinals across southern Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
TRANSCRIPT
Last time we learned about how Point Pelee first appeared in Lake Erie, and the long fight to reclaim the land as a protected national park.
Today we’ll learn why that protection is so important, and what brings a flood of visitors here every spring.
Birds have always been a big deal at Point Pelee. Just as an example, in 1879 naturalist Dr. William Brodie was visiting, and residents told him about ‘an invasion of warbirds’ - which he identified as Northern Cardinals.
And of course it was the birds that so struck WE Saunders when he visited in 1882. They inspired him to found the Great Lakes Ornithological Club and lead the charge to have Point Pelee designated a national park. He was stunned at both the number of birds and the sheer variety of them.
And that’s what still brings people back here year after year. Every May the forests, marshes and shorelines come alive with the chorus of countless species.
So… why is that? Why does this innocuous spit of land host such a grand menagerie of birds that it’s become world famous?
Bird migrations are divided broadly into vast aerial routes known as ‘flyways’. There are four of these flyways in North America - Pacific, Central, Mississippi and Atlantic. And two of those flyways - Mississippi and Atlantic - cross Lake Erie.
So, imagine you’re a migratory bird. You’ve already made your way from as far south as central America. On the last leg of this incredible journey, you hit a massive lake. You’re likely to take a break on the south shore because you have got a marathon ahead of you. A 50km nocturnal crossing with no chance of stopping for a rest, at the mercy of Lake Erie.
By the end of that marathon, you’re desperate, you’re exhausted. And that’s when you see it. The rising sun illuminates a 15km spit of land, like a reverse oasis in a liquid desert. It’s the closest bit of mainland you can finally make a safe landing on. You’ve found Point Pelee.
And that’s why Point Pelee is known as a ‘migrant trap’. It’s geographically perfect for funneling a huge number of birds crossing the lake in either flyway to this one, sharp point where they all congregate to rest ip before continuing on. And that is why more than 390 bird species have been recorded here, all crammed into those 15km squared.
It’s especially known for its warblers. Out of the 53 species found in all of Canada, you can see 41 of them at Point Pelee.
And as well as being a gathering point for more southerly species, Point Pelee is also famous for the chance to see much rarer migrants. Birds destined for more inaccessible northerly breeding grounds will also stop here, meaning it might be your only chance to see them in the wild.
So thanks to its accidental funnelling effect on two major flyways, in early May Point Pelee gets swarmed from two directions. From the south, by a parade of migrating birds stopping for a rest. And from the North, by a horde of birders coming down to meet them.
And next time we’re going to take a closer look at these other seasonal visitors. We’ll explore the origins of birding and find out how it evolved into the hobby, and sometimes obsession, it is today.