(ON) Festival of Birds Weekend at Point Pelee (May 2025)

Event Details

This event will be held on the traditional territories of the Caldwell, Attiwonderonk (Neutral), Mississauga, and Myaamia peoples. We are grateful to recreate on this land.

Spring migration is on its way, and with it, we are doing something different for our third year of birdwatching in Ontario ! In partnership with Point Pelee National Park, we invite BIPOC 18+ to join us for a weekend of camping, birdwatching, and community.

What to Expect:

This is not a guided trip. We will have a guided hike with Friends of Point Pelee and will join a guided hike by the Birding with Pride event that will run that weekend. In between those activities, we will have lots of time for self guided birdwatching hikes throughout the park and to participate in some of the other programming happening at the park.

We will be staying in oTENTiks, not camping in tents. This is a more accessible option as there are beds and you just need to bring bedding, or a sleeping bag. There is a BBQ to grill food as well as a firepit. The park also has a washroom facility with showers. You can read more about oTENTiks and what to pack here.

We ask that you make sure that you are able to join before applying or email us if you are no longer available as the space is very limited. At the same time, we encourage you to try something new. Here’s what the weekend looks like:

Friday May 2nd 

• Arrive, settle in
• Review some birding resources: Merlin Bird ID app, birding booklet from the park office
• Review how to use binoculars
• Dinner, campfire

Saturday May 3rd

• 5:30am (Optional): Sunrise at the spit. An iconic experience, waking up early with all the hardcore birders to watch the birds fly into shore. A beautiful time to see lots of birds and meet lots of birding enthusiasts.
• 8:30am: Birdwatching hike with Friends of Point Pelee
• 12pm: Lunch
• 1pm: Guided hike with the Ontario Field Ornithologists for Birding with Pride
• POSSIBLE: We have heard tell of an Indigenous astronomy workshop Saturday evening, that we will aim to go to if it is going forward.

Sunday May 4th

• Sunrise at the Spit
• Self-Guided Birdwatching
• Cyanotype Workshop
• Return home

Throughout the weekend, you have the option to individually register for any of the events listed in the Festival Schedule of Events, at your own cost.

Meals

Please note that while we will provide firewood for campfires, meals will be self-organized. Once we have the group confirmed we usually discuss if we want to eat individually or cook any group meals.

Please bring refillable water bottles and lots of snacks, other than your meals. Birdwatching during the festival can be as much or as little walking as you like, but the volume and variety of birds is so captivating you can find yourself walking for hours in between meals.

Very Important Information:

Packing List

You will be doing a lot of moving (cardio) then stopping so layering is key. Sunrise is also very cold but the weather warms throughout the day. Look up the weather for the weekend and pack appropriately. Environment Canada is the most accurate source for weather information.

• Clothing
• Hiking boots or shoes for lots of walking
• Swimwear + shoes if the weather is nice (there is a beach)
• Backpack for water, snacks, camera, birding books (if you have them)
• Binoculars if you have them (we will provide binoculars as well)
• Enough food for 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners (although you can buy lunch on Saturday or Sunday from the Friends of Point Pelee – think hot dogs or burgers)

Cost: 

$75, tax included. Your ticket supports CTT creating more affordable, community minded/focused events year round. 

We have included accommodation, but not transportation or food in the cost of this event as people will have different dietary preferences. Transportation is typically self-organized between participants as carpool. Please indicate if you can drive or if you require a ride in your application, and keep in mind that we do ask folks to chip in for gas etc. if they are getting a ride.

Application:

You can apply to be a part of the trip at this link.

The application is not meant to be a barrier. Rather, as we prioritize safety of our community and we will be staying overnight in a shared space, we ask that you write a thoughtful application and highlight your investment in being a part of the CTT community. We ask that you do not treat our work like a discount service! Applications will close on April 23rd and we will email you April 23-28th as spots open up. PLEASE ADD OUR EMAILS TO YOUR SAFE SENDER LIST SO AS TO NOT MISS THE EMAIL: [email protected] and [email protected].

We love our allies, but due to very limited space, only BIPOC 18+ are invited to apply.

Colour the Trails Policies

All policies are agreed to upon receipt of payment. Please pay special attention to the following:

Cancellation Policy for Multi-day Adventure, Summits, Retreats, or Partnered Events

This policy applies to larger events, including summits, partnered events, and multi-day overnight events, where attendance planning and logistics are especially crucial. These events take us months to plan and execute. We understand that unexpected situations may arise that require event cancellations, but we want to ensure the smooth and fair execution. 

• Cancellations made less than 20 days of the event will not be eligible for a refund unless we manage to fill in the spot.
• Penalty: A six months ineligibility to attend future events. We leave a right to cancel any registration of the person under penalty in this time frame. After the six month ineligibility period has elapsed, participants can once again sign up for future events without any restrictions.

Content Creation Statement

We ask to respect our work and to not create content to promote any other brands or organizations using footage or images taken during our events. Our team is putting a lot of energy and time into creating community spaces with little support and unrelated organizations should not benefit from our hard labour. You are encouraged to share about Colour the Trails work as it shows the welcoming and safe space we are creating and word of mouth helps our community to grow!