PEACHFRONT SPEAKS

buffalo burger: part one of our point pelee, ontario trip report

2007-05-02 - 7:46 p.m.

This is cute. Before we headed for the airport to enjoy our free flight, we stopped at a new place, "Lager's" for lunch, which had an English or Irish pub theme. TONS of draft beers, including the half of Abita Purple Haze that I enjoyed.

Yes, my award ticket was upgraded to first class. Fortunately, I had a couple of free drink coupons that I passed on to the hubster, so I wouldn't hear too many complaints. The plane was delayed because of thunderstorms in Toledo, and he parlayed that into a double for one of the coupons. I think he had help from a semi-professional negotiator of deals who was sitting in the next seat though.

Because our flight was so late, we'd arranged to catch a free shuttle to a nearby hotel and catch some ZZZZZs. In the morning, we hopped up, caught the shuttle back to the airport, and picked up our rental car. Then it was over the bridge into historic Canada.

bridge from detroit into windsor, and yeah you have to pay a toll

We are staying in scenic Leamington, which is dominated by the Heinz factory. Just in case you miss the point, when we had lunch at the marina, they threw in some free tomatoes AND brought in a bottle of catsup the size of Godzilla.

Then to the infamous Point Pelee. The storm that delayed our flight had not actually reached Detroit, Windsor, or whatever, so there was no fall-out today because there was no storm here today. We still had a pretty good run of warblers though. The funniest might be when I noticed a Nashville Warbler amongst the Yellow-Rumped hordes, and struggled mightily to figure out how to tell DH to locate it. Once he did, there was a mini rainstorm of Nashville Warblers everywhere -- the fun was over, there was no longer any reason for them to hide.

We noticed the Palm Warbler as it flew in from over the lake, and we had great looks at its chestnut cap and all. Only one of those to a customer though.

Mean bird of the day: A family of Canada Geese with small fluffy babies, with a testosterone-charged male who insisted on HISSING at me, pink tongue in a frenzy, whenever I had to cross his path. I hate to admit it, but I was even a little intimidated. DH just laughed: What's he gonna do? Gum me to death?

canada goose family

Dinner at a pub-type place that featured "baby back ribs" on their signage. That's the way to draw the low carb customer from whole states and provinces away. I think DH even learned of a Canadian low carb beer that was completely new to us.

May 2 Bird List--listed in the order seen, with the first five being seen even before we stepped foot in the park, although we saw them inside the park grounds as well:

1. Red-Winged Blackbird -- the voice of Ontario
2. Mourning Dove
3. European Starling
4. Red-Tailed Hawk
5. Canada Goose
6. American Robin
7. Northern Cardinal
8. Downy Woodpecker
9. Veery
10. Hermit Thrust
11. Black-Capped Chickadee
12. Yellow Warbler
13. Brown Creeper
14. Red-Bellied Woodpecker
15. Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
16. Turkey Vulture
17. Common Grackle
18. Barn Swallow
19. Red-Shouldered Hawk
20. Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
21. Yellow-Rumped Warbled
22. Nashville Warbler
23. Palm Warbler
24. Double-Crested Cormorant
25. Red-Eye Vireo
26. Tree Swallow
27. Song Swallow
28. White-Throated Swallow
29. American Coot
30. Great Blue Heron

marsh boardwalk at point pelee

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