Bird Watching in Ontario/Québec
From loons to snowy owls
Bird watching in Ontario is a birders' paradise. The official bird of Ontario is the common loon. Ontario is also world-renowned for countless unique other species of birds.
Point Pelee, located on Lake Erie is considered to be one the Top 10 birding spots in North America. Migrating birds are attracted here spring and fall. Warblers are everywhere, and huge flocks of blue jays can be seen in fall alongside Monarch butterflies. Also in Lake Erie, Long Point offers amazing hawk flights and warbler migrations in the spring. At the Long Point Bird Observatory, you can get information and pick up an annotated checklist.
Birdwatchers in Niagara Falls often see gulls including the lesser black-backed, black-headed, Iceland and little gull. Ducks can also be found on the river. Come December, visit Amherst Island to spot owls in the woods and on the ice floes just offshore.
Bird watching in Québec is a great place to see the snowy owl. In summer, several thousand breeding seabirds such as the common murre, northern gannet, razorbills, blacklegged kittiwakes and even Atlantic puffins can be seen on the steep rocky cliffs of Bonaventure Island and Forillon National Park.
In George Montgomery Bird Sanctuary, species uncommon to Québec breed, including the northern rough-winged swallow, yellow-throated vireo and field sparrow. Birdwatchers also enjoy the Montréal Botanical Gardens in winter, when feeding stations attract birds, and therefore raptors, in excellent numbers.
Mount Royal Park, near downtown Montréal, is one of the largest remaining green spaces on the island of Montréal, and is fantastic in spring. Nearby, Mount Royal Cemetery is home to screech owls, red-shouldered hawks and bluebirds, and even indigo buntings and olive-sided flycatchers can be seen in early summer.
Birding in Mont St-Bruno is great as it is home to unusual species like the turkey vulture, red-shouldered hawk and barred owl while Mont St-Hilaire offers nesting peregrine falcons and common ravens. For gulls and terns, the area surrounding the Beauharnois Dam is one of the best, and concentrations have reached 20,000 from September to January.
If you're in area head over to the Prince Edward County Birding Festival in May to see the warblers, vireos, flycatchers and thrushes.
