When Bobolinks are mentioned in mixed audiences, you invariably get muffled laughter, quizzical looks and finally the question, “A bobo-what?”
Bobolinks are small songbirds in the same family as grackles and meadowlarks. The breeding male is most recognizable by its black body and white back with a buff patch at the nape.
Today’s post comes from Natural Heritage Education and Marketing Specialist Dave Sproule.
A trip out to Misery Bay Provincial Park on lovely Manitoulin Island is always a treat. To go during the spring migration is doubly so.
Today’s post comes from Eva Paleczny, Learning & Education Leader with Ontario Parks.
On my drive to work one morning, I noticed a bunch of Mourning Doves sitting in a row along an electrical line. As I continued driving, I wondered why birds gather in groups like that…are they being social? Is it advantageous to their survival?
Birds are among the most commonly seen wildlife in our parks and cities, yet probably among the most difficult to observe and identify, due to their intricate colour patterns, quick movements, and ability to stay hidden from view. Not to mention the HUGE variety of bird species out there!
Despite this, I’ve seen many young children express awe and excitement when they see a bird fly by or land on a nearby window sill. These are new sightings for them and they are curious…but eventually, they become ordinary sightings.
How can you tap into discovering birds with your children at home? How can you spark a lifelong curiosity in birds and creatures?
Some fun ideas you can try out:
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?
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 12, 2018) is 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 Natural Heritage Education and Marketing Specialist Dave Sproule.
Migrating birds are already arriving along the edges of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and many southern parks have birding events and festivals.
But for most of the migrants, these parks are just a rest stop after crossing those big stretches of water. Their destination may be much further north: the boreal forest.
Continue reading The boreal forest: Ontario’s songbird nursery
This post was written by David Bree, Natural Heritage Education Leader at Presqu’ile Provincial Park.
While Presqu’ile is not the busiest park in Ontario, it can get quite hectic at times in the summer. However, I am pretty sure most people could not guess where the busiest place in the park is.
It is not the Friday line-up to register your campsite, or the beach on a sunny Sunday in July. It is not even the line-up for ice cream at the park store on a hot summer day.
It is a place most campers never go…
Continue reading Pecking away at Presqu’ile: High Bluff and Gull Island bird colonies
Today’s post was written by Laura Penner, Natural Heritage Education Leader at Rondeau Provincial Park.
Watching a forest wake up and spring back to life after a long winter is something almost everyone looks forward to. While the winter has charm and stunning beauty, the thought of those long, warm days simply change the pace of outdoor activity.
We aren’t the only ones anticipating the change of seasons. In fact, nature has been investing large amounts of energy in order to take advantage of this relatively short burst of warmth and the seemingly limitless supply of food that comes with it. This is evident in the countless flocks of birds that migrate north each spring.
Like morning chimes or an evening serenade, a loon’s call gently wakes us up in the morning, and tucks us in at night.
This month’s FREE digital download features a pair of loons gliding serenely along the water.
Today’s post comes from our Northwest Regional Planning Ecologist Bill Greaves.
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park is typically visited for its jaw-dropping geological feature, but it’s also one of the better birding hotspots in the Thunder Bay area.
What might you see at Ouimet Canyon?
Continue reading Ouimet Canyon: a northwestern birding hotspot
