Canada Big Year 2022: Migration Ends and Summer Beckons

As I prepare for my trip to the Yukon, writing from 30,000 feet, on my way to British Columbia, I can look back on the great month of May and the wonderful migration season. I spent a lot of time in South Western Ontario, only venturing into my old patch in Toronto occasionally this year. I saw so many warblers and added some Lifers in Canada, including Bell’s Vireo,, Henslow’s Sparrow, Summer Tanager and an ABA Lifer the incredibly rare Marsh Sandpiper.

Sue and I had a wonderful trip to Point Pelee National Park and Rondeau Provincial Park, and of course all the exciting visits to the sewage lagoons. With two days left in May, birding in both the Vancouver area and Whitehorse, Yukon, I have already seen more than 200 species in just the past 29 days, and my year list is at 355, as I try to get to 400 by the end of June.

So much to look forward to as spring turns into summer. I’ll be in the Yukon for a week, hunting for grouse and ptarmigan and other northern specialties. I’ll be driving up the Dempster Highway to Dawson City, searching for some of the locations used to film The Big Year, standing in for Attu Island off the coast of Alaska. At the ends of the month of June I’ll be heading to the North West Territories and to Wood Buffalo National Park to hopefully see the Whooping Cranes for the first time in Canada.

Then, in the second week of July I get to be a little nostalgic and take the train to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. As a child I travelled with my sister and mother in a private cabin, watching out the windows as the prairies past by the windows and I looked forward to the announcements that lunch or dinner would be served in the main dining car. And singing, “Don’t flush the toilet while the train is at the station.” Fond memories!

My last day of birding in Ontario for may was for the shore birds, specifically the last of the spring migrants, the Whimbrels I saw a lot in flight and at a distance the last week or so, but yesterday, down in Long Point I had two different flocks land close by, offering great looks and nice photos.

For now, though, I will relax on the plane, and take a nap, so I can be ready for a full day of birding in and around Vancouver, this afternoon. I was up at 4am today to drive to Toronto for my flight. When I got to the airport there was a little stress as the baggage system was jammed up at the Air Canada check in counters. 20 minutes later, and with thousands of anxious travelers worrying about missed flights, it came back on line and I was able to quickly drop off suit case whisk my way through security and relax before boarding the plane.