Located along the country’s southern tip, Point Pelee National Park’s latitude is equal to that of California’s northern border. This 20-square-km park may be Canada’s smallest national park, but its unique blend of marshes, jungle-like forests, savannah grasslands and beachfront are able to support a diverse range of birds and other wildlife, which make this destination seem somewhere much more exotic than Ontario.
Birds to see
September: Swanson’s thrush, common yellowthroat, marsh wren, Philadelphia vireo, black-billed cuckoo, wood thrush, redstart, ovenbird, red-headed woodpecker, long-billed dowitcher, common snipe, American woodcock, dunlin, pectoral sandpiper juveniles, and nearly 10 types of warblers.
October: Golden-crowned kinglet, dark-eyed junco, purple finch, American pipit, brown-headed cowbird, long-billed dowitcher, common snipe, American woodcock, dunlin, pectoral sandpiper juveniles, turkey vulture, cooper’s hawk, eastern bluebird, American goldfinch, American robin, common grackle, eastern meadowlark, and seven types of sparrows.
November: Northern saw-whet owl, long-eared owl, red-tailed hawk, red-shouldered hawk, northern goshawk, golden eagle.
How to get there: Considering Point Pelee’s location, it’s likely you’ll be traveling south to get there if you’re in Ontario. Follow Highway 401 southwest to Detroit, exiting at Highway 77, then travelling south for approximately 70 km.
