Northumberland-area residents and visitors from all over will be flocking to Presqu’ile Provincial Park in Brighton for the Labour Day long-weekend to marvel at the majestic migration of birds, butterflies and insects.
Bev Cook with the Friends of Presqu’ile Park – a charitable, volunteer-run organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the natural heritage of Presqu’ile – says the “Monarchs and Migrants Weekend” event is a decades-long tradition.
And that’s just one of the highlights for the two-day, last formal special weekend event of the season, notes Cook. Although, the monarch butterfly tagging demonstration is often a big attraction at the picturesque Lighthouse Interpretative Centre Saturday afternoon, she adds.
“You will not only get to witness Don tagging live butterflies, but you may also get a chance to release a butterfly yourself once it’s been tagged.”
Monarchs and Migrants Weekend – running Saturday, Aug. 30 and Sunday, Aug. 31 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. – brings together the Friends, park staff, naturalists, and more, who help visitors to understand just how important species like the endangered monarch butterflies are and the significance of Presqu’ile to the monarch butterfly colony, explains Cook.
With its abundance of nectar-producing plants and milkweed, Presqu’ile is “a major stopping place” for the butterflies on their long journey to Mexico – the park’s location also shortens their trip across the water. Attendees will get to learn more facts like these as the weekend shines a light on the stories of such species – and that’s not all.
But the butterflies aren’t the only draw for the weekend – another big focus is the birds.
“At Presqu’ile, this is prime time for seeing particularly the shorebirds because they’re easy to view and they are feeding and fattening up because they will be heading south,” explains Cook, noting the park has about 25 species of shorebirds getting ready for their winter holiday currently.
This weekend also includes activities such as guided bird walks and bird banding, with volunteers delving into why banding is important and what scientists hope to learn – and these are often also popular features.
Cook tells us more.
This includes the beach and island areas, which remain cordoned off as protection efforts continue for some young birds like the endangered piping plovers at the park. Two pairs found their way to Presqu’ile this year, and one chick was produced.
And these small, migratory shorebirds don’t come every year – it’s only in the last decade that the birds have returned to nest along the beaches at times. Before 2016, the species hadn’t been at Presqu’ile since the early 1900s.
It’s a long, slow process to build up these populations again but protection efforts work, stresses Cook, while pointing to common terns – another bird people will be able to see along the shoreline this weekend.
For this species, it’s been described as a banner year with the “highest fledgling production on record” reported.
“That population had gone down from the tens-of-thousands to just a few hundred in the entire southern Great Lakes area,” explains Cook.
Cook calls this a major step forward and a big project for the Friends, which funds the colony and scientists doing this work.
But to support such activities, the Friends need help fundraising. This weekend also marks their last fundraising barbecue at the amphitheatre Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Their gift shop is also open.)
Since the late 1980s, the Friends have contributed millions of dollars in fundraising and volunteer hours for environmental and educational projects at the park – from protecting species, to building boardwalks, shelters, enhancing programming, and more.
This year alone, the Friends pledged to raise more than $50,000 for projects, which include the “Garage to Greatness” initiative that is turning an old, unused garage attached to the Nature Centre into an all-season learning centre.
Rounding out weekend festivities are programs at the Nature Centre, displays at the Lighthouse Interpretative Centre, kid’s programming, ask the naturalist opportunities, and more.
In other words, it’s not a weekend solely for birdwatchers – young families often also enjoy the festivities, says Cook.
The monarch tagging is only happening Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. The rest of the activities are spread out throughout the weekend.
The detailed schedule for the entire weekend has now also been released online with times, locations and the like. This information is also available at the park.
The programs are all free – except the fundraising barbecue – with park admission.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
