Today’s post comes to us from David Bree, our Discovery Program Lead at Presqu’ile Provincial Park.
Butterball was a bit of a miracle child.
The way the year went, it was amazing that his egg was ever laid, let alone hatched. And he never should have flown.
But, somehow, he did.
To truly understand Butterball’s story, and the miracle it was, we must go back eight years. And oh yeah, you should know: Butterball is a Common Tern.
Today’s post comes from Laura Penner, a Discovery Program Group Leader at Rondeau Provincial Park.
Thousands of birdwatchers flock to Rondeau each spring to take part in one of natures most spectacular events, the annual songbird migration.
The male warblers, in their attempt to attract mates, are in their finest plumage with bold patterns and bright colours. Their unique songs fill the air! Beginner birders focus on the bird’s appearance to identify it. For more advanced birders, the songs may help identify birds that aren’t out in the open putting on a show.
But for those who are ready to take their warbler identification skills to the next level, there is the fall migration!
Continue reading Fall warbler migration at Rondeau Provincial Park
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?
Welcome to the September installment of “IBAs in provincial parks,” brought to you by Ontario IBA Coordinator Amanda Bichel of Bird Studies Canada.
Today’s Important Bird & Biodiversity Area 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
Today’s post comes from Tanya Berkers, Resource Management Group Leader at Pinery Provincial Park.
You may be seeing spots the next time you visit Pinery’s Visitor Centre, and hopefully the birds will see them too!
The park has just installed thousands of vinyl dots on the windows to make them visible to our feathered friends.
The signs of spring always grab our attention.
We’re excited by the arrival of the familiar birds, butterflies, and fish that we see each summer. Perhaps it’s simply because we yearn for the end of winter. Or maybe it’s the feeling that a good friend has returned from a long vacation down south.
What we neglect to notice sometimes though, is the beauty of their departure.
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.
Today’s post was written by David Bree, Natural Heritage Education Leader at Presqu’ile Provincial Park.
It’s a blustery late-May day on Presqu’ile’s beach and a few birders are out watching the shorebirds. The birds wheel in and land for a few minutes of frantic feeding before lifting off again and heading out to disappear over Popham Bay.
One can’t help but be in awe of their flying skill and wonder. Where are they going? Where have they have come from? Questions no doubt asked by people since questions could be formed.
One may also ask, “where does the wind go?” since it seems impossible to track the wind and the birds that ride it. But, of course, we now do know where many of these birds go, thanks to bird banding.
Welcome to the May installment “IBAs in provincial parks,” brought to you by Ontario IBA Coordinator Amanda Bichel of Bird Studies Canada.
Did you know Saturday (May 11, 2019) was International Migratory Bird Day! What a wonderful reason to highlight sites renowned for migrating songbirds!
In today’s post, we’re chatting about two of Ontario’s southern-most Important Bird & Biodiversity Areas:
Continue reading IBAs of Ontario Parks: spring migration on Lake Erie
Today’s post comes from Assistant Ecologist and Piping Plover specialist Ian Fife.
If you’ve visited some of our popular Great Lakes beaches, you may have noticed restricted areas for a tiny bird no larger than a sparrow.
What’s so important about these birds, and why do we fence off parts of our beaches to protect them?
