Warblers and Whimbrels weekend in Presqu'ile Provincial Park | May 15 & 16, 2026

It took a while to get this video posted. First, I broke my toe the day after we got home — boo! That made everyday tasks slow for about a week. Despite baby toes being small, they sure hurt A LOT when they break. Second, our trip was emotionally overwhelming. We arrived to an abysmal campsite that in no way reflected what we selected online. We spent HOURS searching for an alternative for the remaining nights of our trip. We made multiple phone calls to the Ontario Parks phone booking service only to find open sites in the region had been snapped up by the time our call got through. We even raced over to the Presqu'ile office to book a roofed accommodation that opened up, only to walk in the door and learn that it had been booked during the 5 minutes between leaving our site and walking up to the kiosk. We managed to get a dry campsite across the road from our flooded site on the day we arrived. Unfortunately, parks across the whole region were booked solid for the additional nights of our trip (it was the May long weekend), leaving us no choice but to drive home the next day. We even debated staying at a hotel, in Brighton. We were so disappointed and frustrated. It really didn't feel like a vacation at times. Despite the time wasted trying to resolve the situation, we still managed to have some incredible birdwatching and wildlife watching experiences during our brief stay. One of the most amazing sights of our trip — which was too sudden and quick to capture on camera — was a mob of grackles chasing a fisher down a tree in the forest just a few meters from the park road and the trail that cuts through the forest. We heard the birds and thought, "there must be an owl or something nearby." I looked into the woods and saw this large brown weasel race down a very tall tree — a FISHER! — and then dart off into the forest. Such a thrill! It was only the third or fourth time I have ever seen one in the wild. For such a narrow and urban-skirted provincial park, Presqu'ile is an incredible destination for birding and wildlife. MAJOR TAKEAWAY FROM THIS TRIP: Next time we plan to visit this park, we will try our luck at one of the other parks in the region — such as Ferris Provincial Park — or even opt for a hotel. We could still bring a pack with our camp stove and picnic our meals at the beach throughout the day. FEATURED IN THIS VIDEO: Warblers & Whimbrels weekend https://www.friendsofpresquile.on.ca/... Willow Beach Field Naturalists https://willowbeachfieldnaturalists.o... These are the wonderful folks who ran the bird banding. ------- Music in this video curtesy of the YouTube creative commons audio library. Thanks as ever to my amazing spouse for the photos and videos he contributes to my content and for his patience with me when I am immersed in "making" of any kind: video, painting, printmaking, etc.