Imagine you’re standing in Pinery Provincial Park.
You close your eyes and take in the peace of nature all around you. All of the sudden, a loud yodel interrupts the quiet! That unbelievable sound is actually thousands of birds yodeling en masse as they fly over the park in search of their next feeding ground.
This unforgettable experience is courtesy of the Tundra Swan.
Today’s blog post comes from bird researchers Alex Sutton and Koley Freeman, PhD candidates at the University of Guelph.
In the world of Canada Jays, winter means one thing: it’s breeding season!
Canada Jays are common in Algonquin Provincial Park. Continuing a 55 year-old tradition, a dedicated team of researchers is monitoring breeding pairs. This is the longest study of its kind in the world!
With each passing year, more is learned about the breeding behaviour and life history of these remarkable birds.
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.
During March, spectacular events are taking place at Ontario Parks. One of them takes flight at Presqu’ile Provincial Park’s on March 21-22, 2020.
It’s the 44th anniversary of Waterfowl Weekend, hosted by park staff and Friends of Presqu’ile Provincial Park volunteers.
Make plans to witness one of the best waterfowl migrations in the world!
Port Burwell Provincial Park is a hot spot for large raptors.
Two local Osprey (affectionately named Ollie and Oona) fish Big Otter Creek and the shores of Lake Erie, regularly bringing their “catch of the day” back to the park’s radio tower to settle in for some fine dining high above the park.
In February of 2019, local volunteer Cliff Dickinson approached the park about the feasibility of installing an Osprey nesting platform.
“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.
Today’s post comes from Barb Rees, our Discovery Program 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.
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 great 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.
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
