Long Point Provincial Park is part of the 40-km-sandspit in Lake Erie, which has been recognized as a biosphere reserve by the United Nations. The park’s delicate dunes and marshes make it a prime destination for a variety of wildlife, particularly spawning fish, turtles and frogs. It’s also become a world-renowned refuge for migrating birds in both spring and fall.
Birds to see
September: Ruby-throated hummingbird, cedar waxwing, osprey, mourning dove, belted kingfisher, American golden-plover, Long-billed dowitcher, common snipe, American woodcock, great blue heron, blue-winged teal, wood duck, sharp-shinned hawk, blue jay, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, sandhill crane, ruby-crowned kinglet, Lincoln’s sparrow, eastern phoebe, savannah sparrow, Canada goose, mallard, green-winged tea, 15 different types of warblers and multiple thrushes, among others.
October: American robin, song sparrow, common grackle, red-winged blackbird, rusty blackbird, horned lark, black-capped chickadee, fox sparrow, lapland longspur, common loon, sandhill crane, winter wren, ruby-crowned kinglet, brown creeper, Canada goose, mallard, green-winged teal, long-billed dowitcher, common snipe, American woodcock, multiple scoters, sparrows, warblers, and owls, among others.
November: Common loon, red-breasted merganser, horned grebe, American wigeon, northern pintail, lesser scaup, American coot, bonaparte’s gull, little gull, redhead, canvasback, bufflehead, common goldeneye, greater scaup, and multiple scoters, owls and ducks.
How to get there: From Toronto, travel east on Highway 401 toward Highway 19. Just south of Ingersoll, take exit 218 until you come to a fork. Keep right, following signs for Tillsonburg and merge onto Highway 19 S/Plank Line. From there, turn left onto Oxford Street. Turn right onto Highway 3, and after nearly 3 km, turn right onto Highway 59, continuing onto Erie Blvd. After taking a slight left, you should see the destination on the right.
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