After coming from an entire day of hiking, I pitched my tent, spread the camping paraphernalia, hung my favorite Aventura Outdoors solar LED lantern and mosquito zapper lantern, turning both of them on, and read couple of articles in my favorite Explore magazine’s spring 2023 issue. It was 8:30 pm. However, I could not keep awake for long. I slept like a baby only to be woken up at 5 am by songs of all kinds of birds around me.
I was solo camping at Rondeau Provincial Park and a Baltimore Oriole (above) was singing his heart out on the trees above my tent. Something I could not observe at Point Pelee National Park earlier in that month, I was able to observe here. This was late May and the Park was full of migrating song birds singing their hearts out for attracting a mate.
Rondeau Provincial Park was created in 1894 as the second provincial park in Ontario one year after Algonquin Provincial Park was established. It was established only 12 years after the first national park of the world, namely, Yellowstone, which was established on March 01, 2023. The park is located in Southwestern Ontario and is a peninsula extending into Lake Erie.
first stop – visitor centre
I hiked on a combination of Rondeau Road and Lakeshore Road to a well stocked and informative Visitor Centre, 5 km south of the campground.
I explored the interactive displays that highlighted park history, Indigenous culture, and live animal viewing. Then I spent lot of time outside watching birds at the bird feeders or in the car parking nearby. Later, a gang of racoons raided the bird feeders, but this did not seem to bother birds at all.
tulip tree trail
Continuously exchanging notes with a photography and hiking loving lady in a small group of three, I hiked through this 1.2 km loop trail that went through a mature Carolinian forest. Majority of the trail was a boardwalk. We saw Carolinian trees that are rare in Ontario such tulip trees, sassafras, and Shagbark Hickory. Although it was mid-spring, we were not able to see the endangered Prothonotary Warbler.
south point trail
Since the middle part of the trail was washed out by high Lake Erie waters, I hiked on the Lakeside road (west side of the peninsula) going south for 5 km and then joined the trail near the south end of the park. The trail followed an old roadway around the tip of the Rondeau peninsula.
south shore
I reached south shore where the waters of Lake Erie were quite rough. It may have been a beach, but the destruction of flora was visible here.
beach
On my return hike on the Lakeside Road, I saw a beach sign and decided to explore it. There are 11 km of sandy beaches on Lake Erie, but the time I was on this beach, it was almost empty.
rondeau bay
On my return hike to the campground, I noticed a roadside restaurant on Rondeau Road (east side of the peninsula) and decided to explore it. It was the Bay area, a popular place for canoeing, kayaking, sailing, windsurfing, kite boarding and motorboats. I saw a boat being launched at the boat launch in the park by the park’s Main Office.
However, being a wildlife lover, I was more attracted to the birdhouses, where eastern kingbirds and tree swallows were busy choosing nest boxes.
I was exhausted and decided to put up my tent in the campground, which meant hiking for another 3 km northwest.
warbler’s way
I had noted this trail on the side of Rondeau Road the day before. So soon after waking up and having a quickly prepared breakfast, I hiked to this trail and continued on it listening to singing of many song birds.
I took shots of a tree swallow and a Baltimore Oriole and then had my first glimpse and snap of a Blackpoll Warbler (last shot).
black oak trail
Next, I hiked on the Rondeau Road for 3 km to Bennett Road. From there, hiking to the west, I reached the trailhead of the Black Oak Trail. The trail wound through a narrow strip of Pine-Oak Savanna. Several meadows along the trail bloomed with Wild Columbines and trilliums. Unfortunately, I did not see any birds or deer that this trail is famous for.
spice bush trail
Hiking back east on Bennett Road to Rondeau Road, I reached the trailhead of Spice Bush Trail. The 1.5 km loop trail wound through a southern hardwood forest of old growth Tulip Tree, American Beech, and maple. The forest floor was carpeted in wildflowers and many kinds of ferns making the trail a botanists delight. The trail turned out to be an excellent site for bird watching.
where to stay
The town of Chatham and Kent are close by where one kind find decent accommodation. I chose to go solo camping though.
K2, the Kuvasz, and me 