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
Book Launch: Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder
When Julia Zarankin saw her first red-winged blackbird at the age of thirty-five, she didn’t expect that it would change her life. Join us for an engaging evening of birds, stories and music, featuring Julia Zarankin, Charles Spearin, Steven Price & surprise musical guests.
New Online Courses
We are exploring new ways to help you connect to birds and enrich your experiences in nature. Our free courses include Birding by Ear, Making Birds Feel at Home, and a Sketching Tutorial. Check them out!
Articles
Don’t Hold Back – Fall for Birds!
Rather than “confusing fall warblers”, think of them as “tricky but doable fall warblers”. Identifying these birds just takes a bit of patience and practice.
THREE WAYS YOU CAN HELP BIRDS THIS SUMMER
We created this list of specific examples that you can try this summer. If you’re spending more time than usual at home this year, maybe it’s the perfect time to take on a new project!
Two New Articles on Common Loons
Read Days of our Loons: Common Loons lead complex lives and Fantastic Loons And Where to Find Them
A Roadmap to rescuing aerial insectivores
Aerial insectivores – birds that catch insects on the wing – have experienced the most severe decline of any group of birds.
Birds in Focus
Watch and learn more about birds and some of the work we do at Birds Canada.
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.
Ontario Piping Plover Update: from tearful losses to cheerful births
Join us for a season update. We’ll share all the juicy Piping Plover gossip from each breeding beach in Ontario. We’ll chuckle at the goofy plovers, cry for the lost ones, and cheer on the young fledglings just starting their first migration.
What It’s Like to be a Bird with David Allen Sibley
The Toronto Ornithological Club’s Justin Peter speaks with David Sibley about his newest book, What It’s Like to Be a Bird
Enjoy a selection of resources, online courses, webinars and Facebook Live Events from the Toronto Bird Celebration with your host Andrés Jiménez here.
Podcasts
American Birding
The ABA’s Nate Swick is joined by a panel including Jody Allair, Jennie Duberstein, and Sean Milnes to talk “This Month in Birding” for August 2020.
Connected to the land
In the first ever Connected to the Land Podcast, Ian Sherwood speaks to Jody Allair at Birds Canada about Citizen Science, backyard birding, and how birds can keep us grounded.
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
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.
Report on 25 years of Marsh Monitoring in the Great Lakes Region
Read more about the Marsh Monitoring Program and view the entire report.
ARMSTRONG BIRD OF THE MONTH
Learn about feeder birds with Birds Canada staff.
Virtual birding
Enjoy birds from home with live videos from feeder cams.
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
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
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
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”
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 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 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
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
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
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
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”
Red-eyed Vireo (a persistent singer found in mixed wood forests across Canada) Photo: Sherri & Brock Fenton