Birdwatching in Ontario Birding contacts and birdwatching information Local Birdingpal Contacts Local Birdwatchers Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club. Initial Last Name Area Available Language J Coey Barrie Anytime G Post Barry's Bay Anytime Englishsome Frenchsome Spanish I live in a small town in the Ottawa Valley with good day trips to Algonquin Park, a good birding area for boreal species such as Gray Jay, Boreal Chickadee, Spruce Grouse and a wide variety of boreal warblers and vireos. Also to Ottawa Valley sites such as the Westmeath Peninsula. Presqu'ile (a good spring and fall migration trap) is about 2 hours away. Carden Alvar (field birds) is also a day trip away. D Milsom Bolton Anytime Englishsome Frenchsome Spanish Birding around Bolton: I bird all the Toronto & Hamilton areas, all within an hour from here. The Bolton area has Palgrave, the Bolton Tract, Cold Creek, Humber Trails, Schomberg Lagoons, Holland Landing Lagoons, Albion Hills and Tullamore fields all within a 30-minute drive. Wasaga Beach and Georgian Bay are 1 hour away, while the Carden Alvar is 90 mins. away. Algonquin Park is 2.5 hrs. driving from Bolton. I usually charge $ 50 per day for a "tour" but allow people to stay at my home for "free" (incl.meals). I often also take short, local trips with them for "free" as well. Sometimes, if a long journey is involved, I also ask for gas assistance. R Dorio Brampton Anytime D Witzell Brampton Weekend English R Curry Burlington Anytime English A Millman Burlington Anytime English I'm a retired software developer. My birding ID skills are poor but I'm interested in bird photography. I have a Canon f4.0 500mm lens and try to get out most days all year round. Burlington is situated at the western end of Lake Ontario about 30 miles from Toronto. It is situated right in the centre of some major migration routes and has an interesting mix of habitats close at hand. R Elliott Delta Anytime English/ItalianSpanish I have 250 acre farm in Chantry just north of Delta, in Rideau Lakes Township a rich and diverse habitat. We are on the edge of the Frontenac axis Biosphere Reserve which means we in an area were Carolinian Forest and Boreal forest meet and inter mingle. The Queens University Biology station located on Opinicon Lake (Rideau Canal) is about 1/2 SW of our farm. As for our farm our forest as been certified Eastern Model Forest under their FSC program. Its a hardwood forest with a maple (black and sugar) dominant canopy. It's home to many Warblers, Tanagers, Rose-breasted Grossbeaks, Warbling, Yellow and Red-eyed Vireos, Veeries and Wod Thrushs...to name a few. Access to our forest is along an old used concession road which also holds an abundance of edge species. You are welcome anytime. B Kinch Elk Lake (Summer only) Anytime English A Rider Forest Anytime A Salvadori Guelph Anytime English/ItalianSpanish I travel a great deal but when at home would be very willing to take visitors out. Our 'team' also band birds throughout the year. H Shapiro Hamilton Anytime B Korol Huntsville Weekend P Mackenzie Kingston Anytime English I am a retired Obstetrician with a life long birding hobby. Have over 700 for ABA area and over 5000 for world. I am willing to assist other birders with info re Kingston area which is rich in migrating and breeding birds. Kingston is at the origin of the St. Lawrence river as it flows from Lake Onatario. The Canadian shield area north of the city has breeding Cerulean, Golden-wing Warbler, Louisiana Waterthrush and Yellow-throated Vireo. Amherst island has breeding Wilsons Phalarope and Upland Sandpiper.. Amherst can be good for Saw-whet, Long-eared and other Owls some winters. Kingston lies on migration routes for Brant in May and Greater Scaup in March. Prince Edward Point bird observatory is about 90 minutes drive from Kingston. H Baal Lakefield Anytime English/FrenchGerman/Spanish I am a retired high school science teacher who travels a lot, but I am delighted to show people our local birds when we are around. We do travel for months at a time, especially in the winter, so you may miss me. Lakefield is a small village of 1500 near Peterborough and the Kawartha lakes, and on the edge of the Canadian shield. We have a lot of spring migrants coming through (including sandhill cranes) and for the rest of the year our lakes and marshes are fairly productive. We currently have a family of bald eagles on an island in the lake beside our village and a couple of mute swans. E Smout London Weekend M Wagner Turkey Point, Long Point Anytime English Long Point Bird Observatory is 20 mins away. O Weir Napanee Anytime English Birding around the Napanee area at times is very good. We usually have a good showings for ‘shore birds’ (waders) and other waterfowl during September, Oct, Nov, and Dec. Warblers in the area are terrific during the month of May. Owls are usually good to excellent in Dec, Jan, Feb. March?(sometimes). B Muphy New Liskeard Anytime English/French In the winter we often have Pine Grosbeaks and we operate a bird banding site at the Hilliardton marsh every spring and as coverage allows in the fall. Our fall banding focus is on banding Northern Saw-whet Owls. My 10 year old son is bilingual French and English. K Lavigne New Liskeard Anytime K Cohen Niagara Falls Weekend English C MacNaughton Niagara Falls Anytime English I live within 25 minutes of Niagara Falls. The Niagara River is a fantastic place for ducks and gulls in the winter. And there is the Bruce Trail, Lake Ontario, and good summer birding spots here and in Hamilton. A Don Oakville/Burlington Anytime D Perrier Ottawa Anytime French/EnglishSpanish I own a cottage on a lake with good birding near Ottawa. T Hanrahan Ottawa Weekend English H Tremblay Ottawa Anytime French/EnglishItalian/SpanishGerman D Sangster Ottawa Anytime English/French The birding in Ottawa is very good as it is situated on the Ottawa River, which is a major flyway for many species. For the same reason it often receives many unusual species. The Ottawa bird info number is 613-860-9000. J Castle Ottawa Anytime English I Wilkes Ottawa Anytime English Ottawa is an excellent area for birding as it has several park and wetland areas within or close to the city. Birding along the Ottawa river can be excellent for waterfowl with occasional rarities showing up during migration. Parks such as Mud Lake and Bill Mason CA offer woodland and marsh/pond areas in one compact area. Within easy driving distance is Presquile P.P. which is excellent during spring and fall migration. Close still is Amhesrt Island which offers the chance to see as many as 6 or more owl species during the winter months. I have been birding now for close to 50 years and I regularly sites in the area and would be happy to provide direction to visitor and when possible spend a day birding. J Pratt Ottawa Weekend English K Allison Ottawa Weekend English/French I live in Kanata, just outside Ottawa. I have been birding for about 40 years and have lived in the Ottawa area for over 25 years. Ottawa is a great area for birds because it is situated so that some southern birds and more northern species breed relatively close by. This is a particularly good location in migration because the Ottawa valley provides a water corridor most of the way from James Bay to the St. Lawrence River which gives access to the Atlantic Ocean. J Skevington Ottawa Anytime English Although I live in Ottawa, I have birded extensively in Ontario and can give advice on several locations (for example I wrote a bird finding guide to Long Point and area). I am also an entomologist and general naturalist so if your interests extend beyond birding, I may be able to help out. S Rupert Pelee/Leamington Weekend T Pepper Pelee/Leamington Weekend English S Mackintosh Pelee/Leamington Anytime English D Motz Pelee/Leamington Anytimed G Prieksaitis Point Pelee/Rondeau Weekend English J McAllister Pt Pelee/Rondeau/Windsor Anytime J Thornhill Peterborough/Belleville Anytime C Cartwright Port Elgin Anytime English/French T Roach Sarnia Anytime K Perera Scarborough/Mississauga Weekend A Hamilton Sioux Narrows Anytime C Weseloh Toronto Anytime Englishsome French Birding Interests: General but professionally I specialize in colonially nesting waterbirds (gulls, terns, herons and cormorants). I have several colour-banding projects for these species and have blinds erected on some of their Great Lakes colonies for observations. I am amenable to taking seriously interested people to these blinds for photography or observations. A Eadie Toronto Anytime English/FrenchGerman K Rasmussen Toronto Anytime English/Danish For a large city like Toronto located on the shore of Lake Ontario, there are some very good birding spots within the city especially in the spring and fall season. Within a few hours drive you will also find excellent parks like Pelee NP and Carden Plain to name a few. D Boisvert Toronto Weekend J Jaxon Toronto Anytime L Marsh Toronto Anytime R Miller Toronto Anytime EnglishAmerican Sign Language R Aldred Toronto Anytime A Fust Toronto Anytime B Blake Toronto Anytime L Todd Toronto Weekend B Snell Toronto Anytime English J France Vankleek Hill Anytime English/French Within an hour or so drive of Vankleek Hill, there are some of the finest birding spots in Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec. The Morgan Arboretum and Ile Bizard are two well-known birding hotspots on the West Island of Montreal. Closer to home, Mont Rigaud has an excellent trail system. In Ontario, we can count on Voyager Park, Coopers Marsh, the nature trails near Alexandria, and the sewage lagoons of several towns, including those of Alfred. Further afield are the many sites around Ottawa/Gatineau and the boreal species found in Park Mont Tremblant. M Burrell Waterloo Weekend English The waterloo area offers great winter birding for open country birds (raptors, horned larks, snow buntings), including some of the highest concentrations of wintering raptors in Ontario, especially Rough-legged Hawk. Snowy Owls are annual in winter and Bald Eagles are common along the Grand River. In summer the region offers a mix of breeding carolinian and mixed-wood plain species, with about 10 species of warblers the maximum one can expect in a day. Spring and fall migration is good along the Grand River for passerines, although not as good as along Lake Erie or Lake Ontario. A few small reservoirs are good for migrant waterbirds. There is very little opportunity for shorebirds in the region. J Montgomery Waubaushene Anytime B Patterson Wheatley Anytime English/Frenchsome German Wheatley is located less than 10 mnutes from one of North America's premier birding desination Pt Pelee National park. We have a bed and breakfast and cater to birders in the spring and fall. D Lockrey Whitby Anytime Professional Guides Initial Last Name Area Available Language G Carpentier Ajax Anytime English I have been birding for over 40 years in 60+ countries around the world. Recently retired I bird professionally for various tour companies in such places as Antarctica, Alaska, the High Arctic, Borneo, Malaysia, Kenya, Tanzania and Cuba. I can lead tours anywhere in Ontario, but specialize in the key areas within 1-2 hours of Toronto. J Haselmayer Bruce Peninsula/Tobermory Anytime English/FrenchSpanish I am an ecologist at Bruce Peninsula National Park and a professional natural history guide. T Sprague Picton, Prince Edward County Anytime English R Preston Rondeau/Pelee Park and Island Anytime Local Information Name Description Ontario Field Ornithologists Club Norfolk Field Naturalists Club Hamilton Naturalists' Club Club Kingston Field Naturalists Club Kitchener-Waterloo Field Naturalists Club Nipissing Naturalists Club Club Pembroke Area Field Naturalists Club Peterborough Field Naturalists Club South Peel Naturalists' Club Club Toronto Field Naturalists Club The Peel Birding Class Club Ontario Hummingbird Project Club Holiday Beach Migration Observatory Banding Ontario Bird Banding Association Banding Haldimand Bird Observatory Banding Long Point Bird Observatory Banding Bruce Peninsula Bird Observatory Banding Canadian Peregrine Foundation Sites Leslie Street Spit, Toronto Park Algonquin Provincial Park Park Rondeau Provincial Park Park Thickson's Woods, Whitby Park Presquile Provincial Park Park Second Marsh Wetland, Oshawa Park Bruce Peninsula Sites Long Point Park Point Pelee National Park Park Lake Erie Archipelago Islands Park Carden Plain, Kawartha region Important Bird Area Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre, Midland Sites Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area, Clinton Sites Prince Edward County Sites Ojibway Nature Center, Winsor Sites Minesing Swamp, Barrie Ramsar site West Elgin Nature Trust Sites Larry Neily's Birding Ottawa Jacques Bouvier's Birding St-Isidore Timiskaming Birds Birding Timiskaming Natural Heritage Information Centre Information Toronto and Southern Ontario Birding Message Board Birding Hotspots around the world Sites Point Pelee Festival Prince Edward County Festival Huron Fringe Festival Carden Natur Festival Festival Breeding Birds Atlas Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ontario Local weather Yahoo Electronic maps MapQuest Find lowest prices for field guides, books, maps etc. Field guides recommended by Birdingpals Printable bird check list Knud Rasmussen's guide to Southern Ontario Last update 16/07/2008
