Spend time with birds and connect with our bird experts
Interested in learning more about Canada’s birds? Need some inspiration? Or have some to share? Spend some time with birds and our bird experts virtually here. New content will be uploaded regularly. Please share your birding stories or bird activities with us at jallair@birdscanada.org, or on social media and we’ll help share the inspiration!
Latest Features
All about Project FeederWatch
Volunteers across North America contribute to bird research by watching their feeder birds from November to April with Project FeederWatch. It’s a fun winter activity you can enjoy from home – it’s easy, and it helps birds!
The Christmas Bird Count in Canada
Every year, thousands of volunteers of all ages across the Western Hemisphere count birds during the holiday winter season. In addition to being a great way to spend time in the great outdoors, the results are used to monitor the health of bird populations.
Articles
NEW GRASSLANDS CONSERVATION INCENTIVES PROJECT TO BENEFIT CANADIAN RANCHERS AND BIRDS
Birds Canada has produced a Grassland Conservation Incentives Guide available to producers and landowners to conserve, enhance or restore grasslands.
NOCTURNAL OWL SURVEY IN THE ATLANTIC REGION: ALREADY 20 YEARS OF DATA!
Our knowledge of the abundance and population trends of owl species in this region and across North America has been greatly improved over the past two decades.
HEMISPHERE-WIDE COLLABORATION TO FURTHER UNDERSTANDING OF MIGRATORY SHOREBIRD DECLINES
The State of Canada’s Birds 2019 estimated the loss of 40% of shorebirds from Canada since 1970. Understanding why that is remains a huge challenge.
eBird: New and updated alternate common names available
Whether you know Gavia immer as Common Loon, Plongeon huard or Great Northern Diver, your eBird experience can display bird names in your preferred language or dialect.
Birds in Focus
Watch and learn more about birds and some of the work we do at Birds Canada.
Sample Online Birding Course: Birding by Ear
Join Andrés Jiménez (Urban Program Coordinator, Birds Canada) for our online birding courses. These high-quality, free online courses will bring you engaging, useful, geographically-relevant, and up-to-date information that will help you connect with and conserve birds.
Report on 25 years of Marsh Monitoring in the Great Lakes Region
Fall Migration: The Best Thing Since Spring Migration
Have you noticed some differences in the bird life around your neighborhood or local natural areas recently? Join Natasha Barlow to learn how to identify and protect some songbirds traveling from their Boreal breeding grounds to their overwintering grounds.
Green File
Mark and Ben Cullen chat with Jody Allair about about the explosion in popularity for birding and ways to enjoy the past time as the weather turns cold.
American Birding
The ABA’s Nate Swick is joined by a panel including Jody Allair, Tom Johnson, and Jordan Rutter for this month in Birding – November 2020.
SONGBIRDING PODCAST
Immerse yourself in the beauty of bird song with these annotated soundscapes and podcasts. Follow these links to get started: The Bruce Peninsula and Midsummer
Activities for Families
BIRD IDENTIFICATION TOOL
Did you see a bird in your yard that you haven’t seen before? Create a downloadable and printable field guide customized for your location and time of year to help nail down an identification.
JUNIOR BIRDER GUIDE
Download and print your own Junior Birder Journal and Activity Guide! Learn about birds, how to identify them, and what you can do to protect birds in your neighborhood.
FOR THE BIRDS
Fun crafts you can make at home like do-it-yourself bird feeders, suet treats, and bird cookies to help out birds.
YARD BIRD BINGO
Yard Bird Bingo is a fun activity that will have you taking a closer look at your backyard.
Videos
ARMSTRONG BIRD OF THE MONTH
Learn about feeder birds with Birds Canada staff.
Bird Identification for Beginners
This workshop covers basic birdwatching tools, fundamentals of bird ID, and an overview of some bird groups found in Saskatchewan and the Canadian Prairies. It was presented and recorded by LeeAnn Latremouille (Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas Coordinator, Birds Canada).
The Birder’s View: Signs of a changing climate
TVO Climate Watch Shorts follows Jody Allair of Birds Canada, Mark Peck at the Royal Ontario Museum, and others at the Long Point Bird Observatory to take a look at what birds can tell us about climate change and how it’s affecting bird populations and distribution.
Virtual birding
Enjoy birds from home with live videos from feeder cams.
Your Bird Moment
As one of the largest, fastest, and most nimble eagles in North America, this raptor is able to target much larger prey than others. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
The Long-eared Owl is one of Canada’s most widespread species. It is found in almost every province, and throughout the northern hemisphere, including Eurasia and northern Africa. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
The Tennessee Warbler is a renowned spruce budworm specialist, with breeding populations at certain sites known to increase as much as tenfold in five years in response to budworm outbreaks. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
Not just a king by name, the kingbird also has a small red patch on its crown, although this feature is usually hidden and seldom seen. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
The Wood Thrush is revered for its ethereal song throughout its eastern North American range. In Canada, it is found in southern Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec, Ontario, and occasionally Manitoba. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
The Bonaparte’s Gull is the only gull to build a stick nest in a tree, usually a conifer. It also tends not to gorge on garbage or carrion, feeding on insects, fish, crustaceans, and molluscs instead. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
The Evening Grosbeak might be one of the most misunderstood birds in North America. Even its name – meant to suggest that it sings only in the evening – is based on a misconception. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
Grebes have lobed (rather than webbed) feet – a feature that sets them apart from ducks and geese. Grebes’ feet are also set toward the back of their body, which is an adaptation for steering while diving. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
Despite its name, the Philadelphia Vireo is seldom seen in Philadelphia. The oldest recorded Philadelphia Vireo was at least 8 years and 10 months old when found in Guatemala in 1970. It had been banded in Ontario in 1962. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
The Long-eared Owl is one of Canada’s most widespread species. It is found in almost every province, and throughout the northern hemisphere, including Eurasia and northern Africa. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
Common Redpolls are small, acrobatic, and lively finches found in the northern boreal region during the summer. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
The Least Flycatcher’s fiery attitude is well-concealed beneath a bland exterior. Birders sigh in frustration over the drab plumage that makes it nearly indistinguishable from other closely-related species. + “Your Bird Moment”
YOUR BIRD MOMENT
The Yellow Warbler’s song is easy to remember. It sounds like it’s saying “sweet, sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet” – which is very fitting! + “YOUR BIRD MOMENT”
Your Bird Moment
This species is known for the “dance” it performs during courtship and territorial disputes. Two birds of the same sex face off and bop their heads, often while an individual of the opposite sex watches. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
This stocky Buteo is easiest to spot during migration, when it forms spectacular “kettles” – swirling masses of soaring birds. + “Your Bird Moment”
Your Bird Moment
Canada Jays survive without fresh food for long periods by storing food at all times of year in thousands of widely-scattered caches throughout their territories. + “Your Bird Moment”
Red-eyed Vireo (a persistent singer found in mixed wood forests across Canada) Photo: Sherri & Brock Fenton