We invited you to tell us about favourite birding spots on Instagram, and your contributions made for fascinating reading! From July 15 – August 15, more than 60 of you chimed in with your special places as part of Bird Studies Canada’s “Best Places to Bird in Canada” contest sponsored by Greystone Books.
Here are just a few of the wonderful tips that we received:
Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary Photo: Graham Sorenson
“The Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Ladner BC. In the winter there’s an abundance of birds including; birds of prey, owls, songbirds, and waterfowl. A waterfowl highlight are the thousands of Snow Geese touching down after their long migrations from Russia. In migration season, there’s also a variety of shorebirds to be seen. Nesting swallows, ducks, and songbirds are a treat and if you’re lucky you might spot a Sandhill Crane colt! It doesn’t get much better than this gem of a spot!” – @sammact98
“Cold Lake Alberta during the warbler migration! Saw some incredible lifers there this year.” -@anansi_girl
“Point Pleasant Park, Halifax NS.” -@brodiebp
“Grand Manan, NB Fabulous pelagic birding” – @wendyrogers33
“Grasslands National Park (in Saskatchewan) – love to see all the grassland birds, including Burrowing Owls, and fingers crossed for sage grouse!” – @sarah_306
“BAY OF FUNDY!!! SHOREBIRDS!!” – @mud_lab_mta
“Montreal Technoparc wetlands beside the YUL airport. 171 species so far this year.” – @alley666cat
“Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto!! The way it has naturally transformed from a construction debris dump to an ecologically significant habitat for migrating birds is incredible! The mix of native, non-native, and migratory species there is fascinating. It’s the perfect place to start looking for birds and other natural phenomena, not too far from a bustling city.” – @judaiddoesit
“Churchill Manitoba Northern Studies Centre.” – @linda.curtis.1428
“Birding in the Okanagan is spectacular … especially Vaseaux Lake and the cliffs nearby.” – @tedgoshulak
“My backyard. We have a 10 acre acreage and have most of it is left natural. I’ve found three nest so far this year and that’s not counting the ones that I can’t see! From redwing blackbirds to bank swallows and horned larks to killdeer and hawks and a variety of ducks, it’s a bird paradise!!” – @emilykroeker
The contest winners were selected through a random draw. The grand prize winner, Dan Macneal, scooped up a set of all three of Greystone Books’ Best Places to Bird birding guides. Runners-up Cathy Lachine and Christine Pezeshki each claimed a copy of Best Places to Bird in Ontario.
Do you have another favourite birding spot that Canada needs to know about? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or email Ellen at ejakubowski@birdscanada.org. Stay tuned to Bird Studies Canada’s enews to find out about different contest opportunities in future.
Minas Basin, Bay of Fundy Photo: Jerry Lockett
