Van Wagner's Beach

Keen bird watchers hoping to view pelagic Jaegers, Gulls and Shorebirds watch for ideal weather conditions at Van Wagner's Beach from late August through November. This page provides an overview of the site and how to improve your chances of success at this unique location.

Quick Overview

Key Species: Parasitic Jaeger, Long-tailed Jaeger, Pomarine Jaeger, Sabine's Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Red-necked Phalarope, Red Phalarope, Brant, Northern Gannet.

Peak Season: Late August through November under ideal weather conditions, which are generally onshore Northeast to East winds, and the stronger the better.

Location: Today the most common vantage point is the viewing platform at the Lakeland Centre in Hamilton, Ontario. Considerations of shelter from wind and rain can be important, with Hutch's having a protected overhang for rain but it comes with reduced visibility. Sunny morning viewing is likely better on the south shore.

Considerations:

Pelagic birds are typically well offshore, meaning many (but not all) sightings require a spotting scope to be appreciated. Observations are often noted as "jaegers" too distant to identify to species.

Jaeger identification is complex even with ideal views. See their species sections for ID tips.
Strong onshore winds can make for a relatively cold day in any month. Bring warm clothes!

ML207911041 Long-tailed Jaeger Macaulay Library

ML47422981 Sabine's Gull Macaulay Library

Important Weather/Conditions

While observations of pelagic species could occur regardless of weather, there are some key conditions which can greatly increase the likelihood of a successful day in the field. These include:

Monitoring feeding frenzies of Double-crested Cormorants from August to early October in both the morning hours and mid to late afternoon. This often occurs on calm or lake-breeze conditions, but any feeding frenzy can yield results. Being in viewing proximity of the feeding action is key, and can, with time, help spot jaegers and gulls occasionally moving into visual range from further offshore. This type of activity often occurs between Van Wagner's Beach and Fifty Point in Grimsby.
Lake breeze east winds. These conditions are most common from late August through mid September, during sunny days with light to calm winds. Solar heating is greater over land, which as the day progresses, creates a cyclic wind pattern and can generate a light but steady easterly wind. They are often below 20 kph and peak from 3-5pm. Up to three factors can be variably in-play with a lake breeze:
- - Competing land and lake breezes can sometimes create convergence zones where surface material is concentrated in wavy lines, which are popular foraging sites for Phalaropes and small gulls. Some luck is required for these features to be visible from shore.

Ring-billed Gulls return from inland foraging to the lake in the mid to late-afternoon. They generally flee Parasitic Jaeger attacks by flying towards shore with the tailwind, ultimately encouraging the Jaegers closer to observers stationed on shore.
In September Parasitic Jaegers, Long-tailed Jaegers and Sabine's Gulls will utilize these conditions to begin overland migratory flights in the mid to late afternoon. They often undertake "trial runs" where they increasingly get closer to shore and often gain altitude. With luck, these flights can result in reasonably close to overhead viewing. "Failed" attempts at leaving result in birds rushing back down to the surface of the water and retreating offshore.

During low-pressure or storm-associated east winds (north through east). These winds generally need to be above 20 kph, or when small "white caps" appear on the surface of the lake to start being effective. Bird activity is often the highest in the morning hours. Storm associated east winds are somewhat rare early in the season, increasing as we move through meteorological fall. Winds above 40 kph are generally very fruitful throughout the day, and winds above 60 kph have the potential to provide notable displacement conditions and truly enthralling birding. Rain and especially passing squalls often aid in bringing birds closer to shore. All in-season species are possible under storm conditions. Further comments:
- - The most intense conditions are often associated with the extratropical remnants of tropical storms or hurricanes, where heat energy from the ocean has been converted into wind energy, providing intensities not normally experienced under our local climactic norms. Many of these "post-tropical" storms are not transporting displaced birds, but have the potential to "ground" overland arctic migrants on the lake. Birds entrained by post-tropical storms will be covered under a future article.
  - Strong winds generated by the outflow of high pressure are often, but now always, less productive than low pressure generated winds.

Feeding frenzies of Red-breasted Mergansers from mid October through November. Powerful west or southwest winds can, surprisingly, generate ideal late-season conditions for feeding frenzies of gulls, loons, and mergansers which draw in pelagic gulls, jaegers, and when present, Northern Gannet. Due south winds are also highly effective; however, activity is generally focused from Stoney Creek east towards Grimsby.

It is worth noting that there is a reasonable hit-or-miss potential with viewing pelagic birds, with ideal conditions resulting in few observations and vice versa each year. In any given day, it is not uncommon for 11am-2pm to be the slowest parts of the day. Be aware of winds south of east (the dreaded southeast), which frequently but not always leads to surprisingly fewer observations of pelagic birds.

Key sources of weather information include the Lake Ontario Operational Forecast System (Wind), the Western Lake Ontario Marine Forecast, as well as hourly observational data from the Burlington Lift Bridge and the offshore Grimsby Buoy.

ML47425621 Black-legged Kittiwake Macaulay Library

ML609305048 Parasitic Jaeger Macaulay Library

Species Notes

Parasitic Jaeger: Generally present throughout the season, observations are made under most viewing conditions, with numbers peaking from early September through mid October. The best views are often had during afternoon late afternoon lake breeze conditions in September or storm conditions throughout the season. Mixed groups including Long-tailed and/or Pomarine Jaeger are frequently observed. Their presence throughout the season provides a steady source of excitement as they powerfully chase other birds to steal their food.

Long-tailed Jaeger: Arrive early with the first Parasitic Jaegers in August, with numbers peaking late August through mid September. Low numbers of juveniles are generally present through the third week of October, rarely until the end of the month. Lake breeze conditions can provide ideal viewing conditions in September, as well as storm conditions or near feeding frenzies of Double-crested Cormorants. A frequent identification pitall occurs with Parasitic Jaegers rapidly gaining altitude when chasing other birds, making them appear fast-flapping and slim.

Pomarine Jaeger: Rare as adults or subadults from very late August into early September, they are generally not observed until the first juveniles arrive from mid to late September. Possible under any conditions, yet most observations likely occur in stormy east winds in October through early November. Beware the trap of considering all November jaegers to be Pomarines, as juvenile Parasitic are still present at this time.

Sabine's Gull: Most observations are of juveniles; however, sightings of adults have been increasing. Both may arrive in the last few days of August through early September, peaking shortly thereafter. Small numbers of juveniles may linger into the beginning of October. The largest numbers are generally observed under afternoon lake breeze conditions, but sightings are made under other conditions within their season. They can be surprisingly resilient to low-end (~20kph) storm conditions. Although distinctive, distant juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake can appear remarkably similar to Sabine's Gull and extra consideration of this ID challenge is warranted in October and November.

Black-legged Kittiwake: Their occurence is more enigmatic than the above species, with occasional irruptions which can occur at any point in the season. Generally however, most records are of juveniles in October and November during storm or feeding frenzy conditions. Individuals may forage along the shoreline more frequently than other pelagic birds.

Red-necked Phalarope: Observed with some frequency in August and September, their small size and habit of frequently landing on the water can make viewing challenging. Most observations are of juveniles, possibly due to adults "over-flying" Ontario, but also possibly due to their migratory season occuring before observers are generally stationed along the lake to watch for pelagic birds. Small numbers linger into October.

Red Phalarope: Rare and isolated records throughout the season, records peak from mid October through mid November, generally under storm conditions. Individuals are sometimes observed foraging along the shoreline following intense storms. Identification between these two phalarope species can be surprisingly difficult with distant birds bobbing in the waves at a distance.

Brant: While not a "pelagic" species, fall sightings at Van Wagner's Beach are generally associated with storm conditions that are productive for Jaegers and Gulls. Brant follow relatively narrow migration corridors through eastern Ontario but can be deviated off course during easterly gales from mid October through mid November.

Northern Gannet: This is one of the best places to see this vagrant species in Ontario; however, their occurrence is sporadic and may be tied to breeding success in eastern Canada. Nearly all observations are of Juvenile birds from mid October through November. They have a strong affinity for feeding frenzies of Red-breasted Mergansers but can also occur on storm conditions. Occasionally a bird will remain in the area for days to weeks and is then observed regardless of weather conditions.

Other Bird Species: Although not strongly associated with Van Wagner's Beach, observers have encountered the following species with some frequency while searching for pelagic birds:

Short-eared Owl - regular yet always surprising when observed in flight over the lake during storm conditions.
Sanderling - the most commonly encountered shorebird along the narrow sandy shoreline.
Black Tern - becomes a "pelagic species" in August and September with sporadic observations.
Little Gull - more frequent than one might expect considering the relatively low numbers of Bonaparte's Gulls observed here.
Lesser Black-backed Gull - regular in small numbers, often in juvenile plumage.
Peregrine Falcon - a local pair often pass by on hunting forays; but there is also a peak of northern migrants in late September and early October here.
Notable waterfowl numbers from dabbling ducks early in the season to sea ducks late.
Uncommon Shorebirds including Piping Plover, Hudsonian Godwit, Willet, Purple Sandpiper and more have been recorded multiple times each from this location.

ML77392261 Northern Gannet Macaulay Library

ML511767291 Pomarine Jaeger Macaulay Library

Counting Pelagics

Although there is no "right" answer for how to count birds, it is common at this location for the same individual(s) of the target species to be observed multiple times over a period of minutes to hours, and even over multiple days. Generally, the maximum number of a species observed at one time has been used to identify high counts (e.g., several sightings of one juvenile Black-legged Kittiwake during the day would be a count of one) or a reasonable estimate of maximum counts plus distinctive plumages (e.g., up to three juvenile Parasitic Jaegers at once and two adult Parasitic Jaegers at once is a count of five, even though adults and juveniles were variably recorded in small groups throughout the day). With that said, to each their own!