“The early bird gets the worm” usually makes us think of robins.
But the real early bird isn’t Robin Red-Breast. It’s the Canada Jay, also known as the whiskeyjack or Gray Jay.
Category: Birding
Woodpeckers 101
Today’s post comes from Barb Rees, our Natural Heritage Education and Marketing Specialist in the Northwest Zone of Ontario Parks.
Winter is a great time to watch for woodpeckers. Why? Simply because there are less leaves on trees making most birds more visible.
Typically, there are also more birdfeeders placed out in the winter than the summer (since the bears are hibernating). So attracting birds closer to your home makes bird-watching possible right from the warmth of your living room window.
Birds and biodiversity
Welcome to the final installment of our series “IBAs in provincial parks,” brought to you by Ontario IBA Coordinator Amanda Bichel of Bird Studies Canada.
It’s been a terrific year sharing bird facts and stories about IBAs and provincial parks, but it’s time to step back and take a look at the bigger picture: biodiversity.
Tidewater Provincial Park and Pei lay sheesh kow IBA
Welcome to the November installment of “IBAs in provincial parks,” brought to you by Ontario IBA Coordinator Amanda Bichel of Bird Studies Canada.
It’s always exciting when we can announce a new Important Bird & Biodiversity area!
Today’s IBA started out as an area of seven IBAs and is now an amalgamated site with an added 716 km2 of area.
Tidewater Provincial Park and the tail end of Kesagami Provincial Park fit comfortably within our new IBA: Pei lay sheesh kow.
“Pei lay sheesh kow” means “an area that abounds with birds” in Cree. That couldn’t be more true!
Continue reading Tidewater Provincial Park and Pei lay sheesh kow IBA
I heard a strange sound last night – what was it?
Today’s post is from Mark D. Read, a senior interpreter at Murphys Point Provincial Park.
It’s a common question that park interpreters face almost daily during the summer and one that many folks already think they know the answer to:
Continue reading I heard a strange sound last night – what was it?
IBAs of Ontario Parks: the Frontenac Forests IBA
Welcome to the September installment of “IBAs in provincial parks,” brought to you by Ontario IBA Coordinator Amanda Bichel of Bird Studies Canada.
Break out the champagne! We don’t often add new IBAs to the Canadian family of sites, so when we do, it’s a special occasion.
The all-new Frontenac Forests Important Bird and Biodiversity Area encompasses Frontenac Provincial Park and Queens University Biological Station (QUBS), and is designated for one of the most beautiful warblers around – the Cerulean Warbler.
Continue reading IBAs of Ontario Parks: the Frontenac Forests IBA
Birding in the boreal
Lev Frid, birder par excellence, recently explored some of our northern parks, and wrote us the following post. If you love songbirds, this is a must-read!
For many Ontario birdwatchers, it’s all about the spring. Great Lakes havens such as Rondeau, MacGregor Point and Presqu’ile Provincial Parks host birding festivals and draw lots of visitors itching to see newly-arrived spring migrants.
What you might not know is that there are many opportunities to view these same birds on their breeding grounds in the boreal forest in some of our northern parks.
The call of the loon
Anyone who’s heard a loon call will tell you it’s one of nature’s most hypnotic, mysterious and beautiful sounds.
Its haunting echo can reverberate across a large lake. Like morning chimes or an evening serenade, a loon’s call gently wakes us up in the morning, and tucks us in at night.
IBAs of Ontario Parks: Turkey Point and the Norfolk Forest Complex IBA
Welcome to the August installment of “IBAs in provincial parks,” brought to you by Ontario IBA Coordinator Amanda Bichel of Bird Studies Canada.
Summer is a perfect time to talk about Turkey Point Provincial Park and the Norfolk Forest Complex IBA!
These forests are known for supporting a rich breeding bird community, as well as an astounding array of other species.
Continue reading IBAs of Ontario Parks: Turkey Point and the Norfolk Forest Complex IBA
Carden Alvar Provincial Park and Important Bird & Biodiversity Area
Welcome to the July installment of “IBAs in provincial parks,” brought to you by Ontario IBA Coordinator Amanda Bichel of Bird Studies Canada.
This month, we’ll be talking about the Carden Alvar, a terrific example of harmony between Ontario Parks and the Important Bird & Biodiversity Area program.
Carden Alvar is a very special story, weaving together its rare habitat and species, and the stewardship efforts put forth to protect them.
Continue reading Carden Alvar Provincial Park and Important Bird & Biodiversity Area