There are at least 86 varieties of bird species that spend the winter in various parts of Ontario. The shores of the Great Lakes are ideal spots for winter birdwatching, in particular for canvasbacks, common crows, common flickers, common loons, common mergansers, common scoters, glaucous gulls, gray partridges, great black-backed gulls, horned larks, red-breasted mergansers and surf scoters.
Thanks to the shelter of the Niagara Escarpment, the southern part of the province, along with Toronto and Niagara, hosts a great number of birds that wouldn’t normally be found at such a high latitude, including American kestrels, American goldfinches, American robins, bluebirds, Canada geese, Cooper’s hawks, and white-breasted nuthatches.
In northern and central Ontario, look for Bohemian waxwings, boreal chickadees, boreal owls, golden eagles and gray jays.
Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are the best ways to observe all these bird species during the winter season, and it is never too early to plan your excursions…
Excerpt from Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing in Ontario,
by Tracey Arial |
