28 th Annual Waterfowl Festival Returns To Presqu'ile
With the Whistling of a Thousand Wings

Weekends: March 13-14 and 20-21

A crisp morning in March and there is the faint sound of whistling in the air.   By the hundreds, and the thousands, the scaup are returning to Presqu'ile Bay in Presqu'ile Provincial Park on Lake Ontario near Brighton.   For uncounted millennia, this bay and its extensive marshes have served as staging grounds for the spring waterfowl migration.  

Huddling close to the edge of the ice, the teeming flocks of scaup form a constantly shifting mass.   Here and there, individual birds mysteriously vanish, while others seem to appear out of thin air.   Closer examination through a spotting scope reveals that the ducks are diving and resurfacing.   After staying under for up-to-a-minute, they bob to the surface like feathered corks.   Favoured foods include aquatic plants and invertebrates – especially zebra mussels.  

Although up to 25 species of ducks, geese and other waterfowl have been seen in the waters off Presqu'ile Provincial Park, the majority of ducks seen are Greater Scaup.   These ducks are strictly transients in the park.   Some scaup move into the bay as soon as the ice begins to melt, perhaps as early as January.   With fluctuating temperatures, the bay partially thaws and refreezes a number of times each winter.   By late March, the final spring thaw is well underway and the vast flocks of scaup are moving through.   The peak migration continues into early April.   Numbers are dwindling by the end of the month and the last few birds leave by mid-May.

The Greater Scaup nests on the tundra, from Alaska to Ontario and Quebec, with a few scattered populations in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.   It also breeds in Eurasia.   Fall migration is a more leisurely affair than the spring movement, with scaup passing through Presqu'ile from mid-September to late November.   Greater Scaup spend the winter on both the east coast (Newfoundland south to Florida) and the west coast (from Alaska to California) of North America with smaller numbers on Lakes Ontario and Erie.   Drakes generally winter farther north than hens.   Young birds, not yet part of the breeding population, may spend the summer in the wintering areas.

Each year, Presqu'ile Provincial Park holds an educational event to introduce visitors to

the fascinating world of ducks, geese and swans.   This year, Presqu'ile will hold its 28 th Annual Waterfowl Festival on March 13 - 14 and 20 - 21.

Viewing stations, open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on festival days, form the core of the program.   The stations are set up at various locations around the park to allow visitors to see as many waterfowl species as possible.   At each station, knowledgeable volunteers – equipped with spotting scopes, field guides and endless enthusiasm – point out the different species of birds and their courtship displays.   Up to 10,000 birds of as many as 25 different species will be present in the waters off the park.   Viewing stations are located along the southern shore of the park, at the Lighthouse, and at our new permanent viewing station at Calf Pasture.

 

For the art connoisseurs in the family, there are waterfowl carving exhibits and demonstrations in the Nature Centre.   Festival visitors can also view entries submitted by local students to our Waterfowl Poster Contest at the centre. Kids can learn more about waterfowl with an interpreter at the Nature Centre or at the self-guided Waterfowl Adventure activity.   Step inside the Lighthouse Interpretive Centre to warm up, purchase hot drinks and light snacks, and support the Friends of Presqu'ile by purchasing tickets for the annual raffle featuring Bushnell products.

Like the Greater Scaup, people who love nature have been making an annual pilgrimage to Presqu'ile each spring for many years. Each visit is a magical opportunity to join in the cycle of the seasons, to experience the wonder of the migration and to hear the whistling of a thousand wings.

For more information about Presqu'ile's annual waterfowl festival and other spring migration viewing opportunities call the park at (613) 475-4324.

Contributed by Janine DeWit, Acting Natural Heritage Education Leader,

Presqu'ile Provincial Park