THE AGE OLD QUESTION

[MEGHAN]

Hey Folks,

Here is the most posted question here I think.
I was thinking of going to Pelee in May.
My question is how late is too late. Or how early is to early.
I Know May is the time to go but when :?:
Any comments or advice?

Thanks to everyone in advance.
I do apologize for repeating what I know is a much asked question.
"When to go to Pelee"....
But I get mixed messages when I do ask various people.
One person you ask says "you MUST go the first 2 weeks of May, after that is a waste of time"
The next person you ask says "you can go anytime the birding festival is on, which is the entire month of May."
 :roll:  :shock:  
I am quite confused.
Meghan

[thouc]

2nd week of May is usually best, but it all depends on the weather. First half of May is better if you want to see the birds as the foliage makes it more difficult later.

[Lloyd]

It's always a bit of a crap shoot. You want to be there when there's a lot of bird activity coupled with light foliage growth, dry weather and, finally, not too many birders. So, when is that? I've been going annually for over 20 years and I've been choosing Mother's Day weekend as my time to visit although I've been down there on Victoria Day weekend many times. I usually take the Friday before as well, so this year it's May 6, 7, 8 for my wife and I. I'll admit, however, that the birding on that weekend over the last three years has been lean to say the least, but we've had great successes, too, on those dates. So, once again, I'll roll the dice....      P.S.---Get your accommodations in order.

[Rob'in'To]

We are going May 9 to 11th.  We are psyched!  First time for Point Pelee and some surrounding areas.

And booking accommodations back in February was turning into a challenge.

We did Pelee Island last June and despite the bugs and most migrants gone, we still had a great couple days.  Herons everywhere (Blue and Green ones).  An Egret right outside our bedroom window every morning too.

Good luck!

[adonbirder]

Meghan there are diff times depending what you want to see, if you want to see the most species of warblers and not have too many leaves grown out then first 2 weeka of May are best, if you want to see more shorebirds at Hillman or cuckoos or later warblers like Mourning and Blackpoll and Connecticut then later like the 20th of May best.
ps i'll be in Rondeau Provincial Park, i find it can be just as good as Pelee and not as busy with people, also has breeding prothonotary warblers ,
am camping out there May 9th to 12th

[angieinto]

We're going to go to Rondeau Park, Hillman Marsh and the Ojibway Centre as well while down there. We planned on going to the Point Pelee Park last year but it was closed due to hurricane damage. Really looking forward to visiting the park for the first time!