Spring has Sprung and the Birds are on Their Way!
Every day now more migrants that have started the long trek north are beginning to show up in yards, at feeders, in ponds and just flitting through the trees. Some will stay in the area but many are moving through and heading farther north where the bug population will soon be growing by leaps and bounds. The BirdCast migration map will give you an idea as to how many birds are coming our way from the south as well as the route they are taking each day.
The species count seen so far in Bruce County this year is at 143 and soon to start steadily increasing. The first warblers have arrived with Yellow-rumped and Pine warblers being the first two but pretty well right on time. The warmer weather we have had certainly got the bugs emerging, so with food available the birds will come.
Pine Warbler
Registration for the 2024 Huron Fringe Birding Festival opened in March and many of the events have filled up or have only one or two spots left. BUT…….there are several excellent hikes and events with spaces left for those who want to have some birding and botany fun with excellent leaders. “Birds and Botany from the Boardwalk” led by Jeremy Bensette will be a real treat as it visits the boardwalks in MacGregor Park, Oliphant fen and Petrel Point. As per eBird, you can possibly see 233 species at MacGregor Park, 174 species at Oliphant fen and 186 species at Petrel Point. Of course not all of those will be there on that day but the possibilities are there for great birding as well as seeing several plant species seen only in fens or other wet areas. Its on a Monday as well, so who wouldn’t want to have a long weekend and a pretty special all day event to fill that day? 😊
Showy Lady slippers
Although these events are on a Thursday it would be tough to choose between “Outdoor Education Centre” with Doug Pedwell or “Birding the Backroads of Bruce Township” with Marshall Byle as both are local leaders with lots of insight into what birds are around and where some interesting spots to visit are. You just never know what you may find in either of the two areas that these hikes cover.
Black-crowned Night Heron
This time of year is always busy with personal birding as well as organized events but as the birds come back remember that April, May and June are the prime times to see some of the colorful birds in their best plumage and other less colourful birds trying their hardest to impress their mates. It’s a great time to put a bit of bug spray on if required and enjoy the year as the weather warms up and the birds are here to entertain you.
Meeting new people with similar interests or connecting again with people you haven’t seen in some time are two great reasons to check out the events at the Huron Fringe Birding Festival that aren’t quite fully booked. Take a few minutes and look through the schedule of events keeping in mind that each event has a leader that will do their utmost to help you see and hear parts of nature that are only present at this time of year. Hope to see many of you out and feel free to let your friends know that attending this festival is a great way to get introduced to Bruce County and some of its possible 345 species of birds.
https://huronfringebirdingfestival.ca/page/schedule-of-events
Blackburnian Warbler
Winter is Winding Down
The sunshine we have had lately starts getting the birding blood warmed up inside even if the outside temperatures don’t yet agree. Soon the cold will be behind us though and the migrants will hopefully figure it’s time to give a try at heading farther north. Several species have been seen to the south of us in southern Ontario already with the odd Turkey vulture and Red-winged blackbird showing up here. March is just around the corner and the registration active date for the Huron Fringe Birding Festival is March 15th (at 6 am for you early birds). It’s always good to decide on what events you prefer and try for an early registration as some events fill up quickly.
https://huronfringebirdingfestival.ca/page/registration
There are always some events that don’t fill quite so quickly so keep an eye on the list of events and you can decide a bit later if you like. All of the events are filled with birds, trees, and other topics of nature. It’s a great time to join in the fun and meet new people who have similar interests to yours as well.
Eastern Bluebirds
Each year the birds return to the north at very similar times of the year so if you have been entering data on ebird for a few years you can check your “my eBird” species observed list and see when in the past the first ones of the species appeared in the spring. This year there might be some early migrants with the warmer weather but it is surprising just how the birds seem to know each year when it’s time to head north. Our yard is presently still active with winter birds as the Dark-eyed juncos and American tree sparrows battle for seeds but soon they will be heading north to start families for another year.
American Tree Sparrow
As the temperatures start to rise and Spring fever starts to set in take a look at the online schedule of events and while looking at them you can click on the leaders name to read the biography of whoever you aren’t familiar with. All are knowledgeable and have experience leading hikes and answering pertinent questions.
https://huronfringebirdingfestival.ca/page/schedule-of-events
Last night we took a quick drive to see if the American woodcocks had returned yet and sure enough, they were peenting at the first place we stopped. That’s about a week earlier than the previous early sighting last year so I guess they took advantage of the warmer weather to head north. Today they might be surprised as we’ve had a major temperature drop and are presently getting some freezing sleet. March looks like it’s going to start good though so this is a small speed bump along the way to leaving Winter weather behind us.
Yellow Lady Slipper
Its just a waiting and anticipation game for now as February ends and March and the start of Spring begins. A cold and damp day like this is a perfect time to plan out the birding months ahead and don’t forget to include the Huron Fringe Birding Festival in your plans. Its always great to see returning birders as well as new ones that haven’t had an opportunity to participate in the festival yet.
As the migrants start to arrive I’ll keep you updated on the progress in Bruce County.
American Redstart
Time to Plan Your 2024 Spring Activities
The bird migration is all but over and some winter birds are already being seen as we drive the local roads to check what has appeared here. You can get an idea as to what members of the finch family you might see if you read the “Finch Forecast” by Tyler Hoar located at this link.
25th ANNUAL WINTER FINCH FORECAST (2023) – FINCH RESEARCH NETWORK (finchnetwork.org)
Pine grosbeak
So far this year finches have been a bit rare in Bruce and Grey counties but there will be a few around. Although many of the raptors have migrated south the Rough-legged hawks and some Golden eagles have moved in so keep your eyes on the sky as you’re out to see what’s around. Northern shrikes will tease you as they fly from treetop to treetop keeping just ahead of you as you try to get a good look or snap a quick photo. This time of year that quick photo will be a bit of a challenge as the heat difference between your vehicle and the outdoors may cause very fuzzy photos. In order to minimize that effect you will either have to get out of your vehicle for the photo or have your windows rolled down in order to have your vehicle the same temperature as the outdoors. There are always a few challenges to winter birding.
Even as winter has not quite officially arrived yet you can make it feel like spring is just around the corner. In mid December the schedule of events for the 2024 Huron Fringe Birding Festival will be able to be viewed at this link.
Huron Fringe Birding Festival – 26th Huron Fringe Birding Festival
Its always great to be able to look over the events being offered so you can be totally prepared to log on March 15th 2024 at 6:00 am and register for your desired events. The next three months will give you that time to consider what events you would prefer to be in and also give you time to talk to some of your friends and possibly get them interested in joining you to do some birding together.
Blackburnian Warbler
Once the snow starts to arrive seriously make sure you have your bird feeders cleaned and stocked up with food as the birds we don’t even see with no snow on the ground will then be looking for food. As their natural source is covered by snow they will visit your yard once they know that you have some seeds available to satisfy their hunger. Chickadees are already visiting our feeder as they take the seeds to hide for the long winter ahead. They can remember over 1000 locations that they’ve stored seeds so are able to survive even in some of the worst winter weather. At this time of year its always interesting to read a bit about the birds you still see around, how they are adapted for winter survival and what kind of food they enjoy the most. That way you can stock up your feeders with the type of seed most appreciated by the local birds.
Black-capped Chickadee
This time of year its always wise to be very watchful in your yard or wherever you go birding as rarities may pop up at any time. Some birds take the wrong path during migration or get blown in a different direction due to the weather so you just never know what might show up at your feeder or in a tree near you. Recently northern alcids have shown up on the great lakes, european birds have shown up in Ontario and some rare southern birds have ended up going a bit farther north than they intended and coming into Ontario. Hopefully they will all end up where they are intended to be before the colder winter weather takes over.
Those of you that use eBird can always check out what is being seen here or in the area you live and also set up an alert so you get notified when something different shows up somewhere in Ontario or even farther afield. If you do like to keep track of the birds you see and arent already using ebird, it’s a great time to sign up for it and report the birds you see. This gives good data on numbers and locations of bird species to ornithologists as well as providing you with a quick reference as to what you have seen over the years. You can enter data on your computer directly online or in the field using the eBird app on your phone. If you arent familiar with eBird im sure some of your birding friends can help you get it set up and explain it to you
One of the winter birds we enjoy seeing is the Snowy owl. In past years they have shown up in good numbers in the area but in more recent years their numbers have declined due in part to the crash of the lemming numbers in the north where the owls breed. This year seems to be another poor one for lemmings thus a poor breeding season for the owls. With less owls competing for the food fewer will have to leave the north and venture south for our enjoyment. Hopefully some will arrive but so far only one has been seen in the Bruce/Grey area. More have appeared in the prairie provinces so far, probably due to the habitat there being closer to what the owls are used to with fewer or no trees and lots of flat land.
Snowy Owl
As I watch a few flakes of wet snow coming down its always nice to have some Spring event to look forward to so check soon and see what interesting events are being offered for the 26th Huron Fringe Birding Festival. Enjoy the winter birds you see at home, go for a few walks in your neighbourhood and a few short drives in your local area and enjoy some winter birding. Spring will arrive but until then keep your eyes and possibly your camera ready to capture some interesting bird close to home. Have a Wonderful Festive Season and enjoy what nature has to offer close to your home.
Fall Migration is Keeping Birders Entertained
The 2023 Huron Fringe Birding Festival is now a success of the past but already planning is well under way for the 2024 festival. Often when summer arrives birding wanes a bit as local birds are busy raising their young and not looking too photogenic. Once summer holidays are over and young folk are back in school we also realize that “Fall Migration” isn’t far away. It’s a time of year to really put our thinking caps on and head out to see if we recognize those migrants as they return to the area on their trip to their winter homes. With many leaves still on the trees and birds in alternate plumage its quite a challenge to get a positive identification. Even those of us who bird by ear are at a bit of a disadvantage now as often these birds are only chipping or not uttering a sound. They are indeed in the area or passing over the area as can be seen from the Birdcast radar from midnight last night. Many will zoom right over us as we sleep but some will tire and stop to refuel in the morning, searching for bugs hiding on or under those tree leaves.
From now until later in October warblers, shorebirds, other passerines, and raptors will be working their way south, stopping to refuel and put on more fat for the long trip ahead. The autumn weather makes it wonderful to have a walk in the woods but knowing you might come across some rarity on the same walk gives you a good reason to be observant as well. If possible get some photos of the birds you see as its easier to see some of the identifying marks from a photo than from the momentary glimpse you get in the field. Now that most of the very hot weather is behind us an early morning walk can be productive as well as invigorating.
If you are wondering what birds might be in the area eBird is a great tool for seeing what other birders around you have been seeing as well as finding out about the rarities in other locations in Ontario or even farther afield. Perhaps you have a birding trip planned over our winter season so checking on eBird will give you an idea as to what you might see in the area you will be going to.
There are many online tools now and although initially they may look daunting, they are usually not to difficult to at least learn the basics of. Most will do much more than we need as they are used as tools for study of the avian world but using an online bird cam or using a program to identify a bird by its song or photo is amazing technology but available to us all now. Its not an exact science yet as sometimes a bird might be identified that was the result of a call or photo of a good mimic bird (starling, mockingbird, catbird). The Cornell website is a great resource to help identify your mystery bird as well as see live on a webcam the birds in some areas. The Merlin app you can download for phones and tablets is a great resource to have in the field with you.
As you enjoy this migration season and plan your winter birding trips also keep in mind the dates for the 2024 Huron Fringe Birding Festival. It will be May 24-27 and May 30 – June 02 of 2024 and the schedule of events will be able to be viewed online mid December with online registration going live on March 15 2024. Bookmark this page to keep up with what is happening in respect to next years festival.
https://huronfringebirdingfestival.ca/
These late summer and autumn days can be quite enjoyable and even at times exciting so when you go for a walk, drive or bike ride take along your binoculars, camera, and bird guide (either in paper or electronic format). You just never know what interesting view nature will provide to the ones who are prepared to pay attention and enjoy these small, treasured moments that may be presented to us.
Soon the Fun Begins with May Just Ahead
It won’t be long now as April winds down until the Huron Fringe Birding Festival is in full swing. Events are certainly filling up but there are still some events with great leaders that have some room for you or a friend to join in the fun. Leaders like James Turland, Pete Read, Kiah Jasper, Abby Collins and more would love if you could join them on the events they are leading that still have a bit of room.
Recently a few species of warblers have begun to arrive in the area and the initial shorebirds have started showing up around some of the ponds. When the weather starts to warm more in May and June many more of these migrating birds will arrive for a visit or to get ready to raise a family right in the area. It always a challenge to get a view or a photo of these bright birds as they zip through the trees looking for bugs or follow them as they head to their nest site hidden in the trees or foliage of the area.
Cape May Warbler
The thrills of seeing birds, visiting with birding friends, trying to spot that “first of year” bird are all parts of the festival that keep people coming back each year. It’s a place to learn, to enjoy and to see nature at its very best as Spring encourages the forests and grasslands to come alive with birds, animals and the green of new growth. Take a day or two or even more out of your busy life to wind down a bit and relax with friendly folks on a hike through the wilds of Bruce and Grey Counties. You wont regret it. If you don’t already have a link to the website here’s where to start your adventure.
Huron Fringe Birding Festival – Huron Fringe Birding Festival
On the Search for Those Elusive Birds
These days I notice more of our winter birds filling up at feeders or disappearing from the area entirely as they head to the far north where they raise their families. On days when the temperature rises a bit, bugs can be seen clustering together and hiding in trees providing the much-needed food that the newly arriving birds will need. It’s these early signs that get you eager to find that new bird in the yard or flying overhead. One by one new species will appear, and the numbers will steadily climb as May progresses.
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
If you’ve already signed up for some events spread the word to some of your friends that there are still some spots available on some very interesting hikes with very knowledgeable leaders. Give them the opportunity to experience this birding and nature fun provided by this the 25th Huron Fringe Birding Festival. Looking forward to seeing lots of you out enjoying some fresh spring air, fresh spring birds and all that goes with nature as it is renewed this Spring.
Our Mascot the American Redstart
25th Festival Events are Filling Quickly
After only 1 day of registration many events are already full with people on the waiting lists. There must be many of us (myself included) looking forward to some warm spring birding events! As the snow blows by the window today a sunny spring walk through MacGregor Park or a drive along some local grasslands seeing some of the migrating or resident birds has a wonderful ring to it. Although there are several events full, there are still some with the same leaders that have spaces left for more of you to join in the fun. Imagine catching sight of an Upland sandpiper perched on a fencepost.
Upland Sandpiper
Warblers are always a favourite in May and June as their bright colours really catch your eye. Some are still migrating through at this time and others are on territory getting ready to start a 2023 family. As the leaves come out the settings are even better for photographing your favourite warbler as it peeks out from behind the leafy cover of forests or grasses.
Pine warbler
No matter where you go in the MacGregor Park area there are birds to see, trees to identify, wild plants to become familiar with and basically lots to see and learn about. The leaders we have at the Festival to guide you have a wonderful knowledge of the natural world and are happy to answer any questions you have. For each of the events you can select the leaders name and a bio will pop up so you can see the varied backgrounds of each of our knowledgeable leaders.
Over the length of the festival up to 199 species have been seen each year with the average being about 180. That should be more than enough fun for the birders in the crowd and with just a bit more help from all of you maybe this year we can get to 200 species. That would be a great milestone for the 25th Huron Fringe Birding Festival to attain.
Canada Warbler
As well as seeing birds, plants, trees and insects capturing them in photos is something most of us now try to do for memories in years to come. Several of our events will help you with your photography as well as identifying what you are taking photos of. These days it doesn’t matter what you use to capture these photos as everything from phones to mirrorless cameras can be used. A festival event is a good place to learn techniques and settings.
Canada Columbine
If you missed the first day of registration for some reason there is still time to pick some interesting event or events to attend and enjoy the outdoors in this area, I hope more of you can join in and share the fun of our celebration of the 25th Huron Fringe Birding Festival.
Red-headed Woodpecker
Spring is Arriving as the Days Lengthen!
Eastern Bluebirds
The countdown is on as we’ve finally reached March so get ready for March 17th when the registration opens up for the 25th Huron Fringe Birding Festival. The days are getting a bit longer and some of them are even brighter with a bit of sunshine trying hard to find a way through the clouds. Although it appears it will stay relatively cool for the first part of March the spring migrants will be trying their best to make their first appearances of 2023. Along the sides of the roads Horned Larks and Snow Buntings can often be seen as they get ready to head north to their spring breeding grounds. Some of the larks will stay in the area as their breeding grounds extend from Bruce County to the islands far to the north of us but the buntings will all disappear until later in the year when they make their return trip south.
Snow Bunting
Common Ravens, Great Horned owls as well as other owl species will be pairing up now and getting ready to raise new families for 2023. Buds are appearing now on some trees and bushes and the birds we do have here presently are starting to sing more as the days get longer. Once we get warmer weather for bugs to start appearing the bird migration will start to accelerate with the May time period being one of the busiest as the bright warblers flit through the trees.
Blackburnian Warbler
If you haven’t already, check out the festival program, read up on the leaders bios, and decide which events would best suit you for a wonderful time of birding the Grey/Bruce area. There are also a variety of interesting programs on other aspects of nature as well, so take a few minutes and become familiar with what we are offering this special year.
If you don’t already have a bookmark, here’s a link to the Huron Fringe Birding Festival website where all the information is available to you:
https://huronfringebirdingfestival.ca/
Looking forward to seeing you in May and June for interesting outdoor activities and renewals of friendships as the 25th Huron Fringe Birding Festival welcomes everyone to our area. Join in with the fun!
Yellow Lady’s Slipper Orchid
A New Year Has Begun
Its nice to welcome in 2023 as the activity of a busy Christmas season starts to die down. For those who forgot, the Schedule of Events for the 25th Huron Fringe Birding Festival became available to view online in December. Its time to check it out and see what interesting events might appeal to each of you.
Huron Fringe Birding Festival – Schedule of Events
With the milder winter in this area so far birds have been able to find more of their food naturally and haven’t been showing up at feeders as much. If the snow arrives again as I suspect it will, I’m sure more birds will be visible in yards near the feeders. There are still some surprises when you go for a drive in the countryside as a large flock of Snow buntings may fly over or settle on the road in front of you to entertain you, before off they go across the fields again! There do seem to be fewer Snowy owls in the area this year but its still quite exciting to come across one sitting on a fence post or even trying to hide behind a rock out of the wind. They usually pick a high spot in a wide open area so once you are away from trees keep your eyes open and you may get a treat.
Male Snowy Owl
The lake is still open, so ducks and grebes are still visible along the shores or in bays that aren’t quite frozen yet. Up to 50 Bald eagles have gathered in the Baie du Dore area to spend the winter and hopefully catch some fish or duck as the season progresses. While the bay is not frozen these large birds can be seen easily from shore as they perch and watch over the area. Once the cold weather hits and the ice returns the eagles will be much farther out perched on rocks or high pieces of ice.
Juvenile Bald eagle
If you see a collection of gulls, stop, and check them out carefully as there have been some interesting gulls seen in Ontario this season. From Great-Black-backed all the way down to the smallest Little gull several species have been observed with rarities mixed in. It’s a good time to hone your gull skills as there are a variety of ages of each of the species as well.
Several other winter bird species are presently around but by spring they will again be winging their way north so get out and see if you can find some Evening grosbeaks, Pine grosbeaks, Common redpolls, Northern shrikes or other birds not seen so much in the warmer weather. EBird is a good way to see what species are being seen in your area as well as where they have previously been seen.
Pine grosbeaks
Enjoy the winter as it unfolds but as you peruse the 25th Huron Fringe Birding Festival schedule of events keep in mind that registration is active on March 17th this year at 6:00 am. You can create an account before this and be ready just to log on to select the events you want to attend.
Have a wonderful winter of birding fun and get ready for the Festival when Spring rolls around.
25th Huron Fringe Birding Festival in The Works.
At this time of year most of the fall migrants have moved through and several of the winter ones haven’t moved in yet. It is a busy time of year though for the Huron Fringe Birding Festival committee as plans are being worked on for the 25th festival in the spring of 2023. The program committee is putting together a special collection of events for a very special year.
This time of year may be a bit slow and unexciting for many birders but one of our past and future leaders has just set a new record for the most species of birds seen in Ontario in one year and there are still over two months left in the year. Kiah Jasper surpassed Jeremey Bensettes 2017 record of 346 species in a year in Ontario with a Tropical Kingbird seen in the Windsor area recently. He added a few more species shortly after that as he saw his first Purple Sandpiper, a Townsends warbler, a Cattle egret, a Red phalarope and presently sits at 351 species for the year. Other birders also doing a “Big Year” are close behind Kiah so the next two and a half months will be an exciting time for those diligent birders. It will be interesting during the next festival to hear Kiahs story of his year and see just how many birds he was able to see during the whole year.
For the rest of us its time to watch as the crops are harvested from the fields and the northern birds arrive to spend their winter here and give us great opportunities to get out to see and possibly photograph some of these species. Usually, depending on the tree seed crops, finches head south for food during the winter months. Already many have seen Evening grosbeaks visiting their feeders or flying overhead chattering. Here’s a link to the winter finch forecast so you’ll have an idea as to what bird you’ll have a better chance to see in your area this winter.
WINTER FINCH FORECAST 2022-2023 – FINCH RESEARCH NETWORK (finchnetwork.org)
Get your birding app out and listen to some of these finches as you might hear some flying over even if they don’t stop at your feeder or trees in your yard. The large open fields will be great places to spot Snowy owls, Rough-legged hawks, Snow buntings and Lapland longspur as they search for food on the open land that they are so accustomed to where they spend their summers.
Some winter day you might look out the window and see a flock of Common redpoll mobbing your platform feeder or if you have a Mountain ash tree in the yard some Bohemian waxwings visiting for a feast.
As I sit and type, the rain is coming down steadily but due to the rain some migrating birds are also driven from the sky to seek shelter and food for a day or two before continuing their journey south. Get out in the calmer parts of the day and just see what birds might have unexpectedly dropped in on you. Each day this time of year might just be the one to see a stray Mountain bluebird, Cattle egret, Townsend’s solitaire, or some other unique species for the area. Recently an American White pelican was spotted in Saugeen Shores and stayed Around for the enjoyment of several birders.
It is some time yet to the 25th Huron Fringe Birding Festival but there can be a lot of excitement even now in the birding world if you are out exploring or even watching carefully out of your window to see what is vising the yard. During these rainy days it’s also a good time to check out the festival dates, schedule of events posting date, registration date and mark them off on you calendar. To be prepared for next year and the spring migration through Bruce County.
Huron Fringe Birding Festival – 25th Huron Fringe Birding Festival
Even if the bulk of the migration is behind us more surprises may be in store for you before the end of the year and well into the winter months ahead. Enjoy each day and what it has to offer in respect to the natural world. Unfortunately the numbers of birds seems to be decreasing due to a variety of reasons so don’t delay……enjoy them, photograph them, share them with others and enjoy that smile on your face when that special species shows up for your enjoyment.
Time to Plan for Next Year!
The first in-person festival in three years is now behind us and it’s already time to mark your calendar for the next in 2023. Huron Fringe Birding Festival 2022 was a great success with many new participants as well as many that were glad to be able to participate in-person again. The weather cooperated nicely as people got out to enjoy many facets of nature as well as make new friends and reconnect with old ones. Over 180 bird species were seen and heard so even though the trees had leafed out early this year participants had a chance to see many species as they migrate through the area or arrived to set up their territories in which to raise a family.
For information on the 2023 festival use this link and be sure to note that the events will be posted online earlier and the registration will also be open earlier than in 2022. This is just a bit more “ back to normal” timing as we hope the Covid status will keep stabilizing.
https://huronfringebirdingfestival.ca/page/huron-fringe-birding-festival
The speaker at the 2023 dinner will be Steve Burrows who is the author of a series of “ Birder Murder” mysteries, the latest of which has recently been released ( A Foreboding of Petrels). Plan to attend the dinner and hear what Steve has to say about his birding past, present and future.
These days the next generation of birds is appearing for those birds fortunate enough to have a successful breeding year. You will see numerous new birds that are able to fly but still give in to a bit of pleading for food if a parent is around. Soon these 2022 birds will be on their own and ready to survive a winter in Bruce County or start their long treks to the southerly locations they spend their winters in. Already some of the shorebirds from this year are making their way slowly south and appearing at some of the ponds and lagoons in Ontario.
The 2022 Huron Fringe Birding Festival is only two months behind us but it’s time to get your binoculars cleaned up, your cameras ready, and spotting scopes close at hand ready for the fall migration. Have a good look at your bird guides as the birds we see this fall will look quite different from the brightly coloured ones of the spring. Many of the warblers look quite similar in their fall feathers so study the unique differences of each species to keep confusion to a minimum. The birds songs also may have variations as those new birds don’t quite have their songs practiced enough yet. Fall birding is always a challenge but is also a time when different migrants may wander into the area as they try to find where they are supposed to spend their winter. Special species treats are always welcomed and to stay in touch with the rarer birds others see you can have Ontbird alerts emailed to you or use the Discord app on your cell phone or tablet to see the alerts posted by other birders.
For Ontbird here’s a link for information: http://www.ofo.ca/site/content/listserv-guidelines
For Discord app go to the app stores on your iPhone or tablet to download the app.
Have a great time getting out to see some migrant birds this fall or even see the different flowers and other treats nature has to offer as the seasons change. Don’t forget to mark up your schedule now to remind you of the timing of the 2023 Huron Fringe Birding Festival and get ready for another fun filled spring in Bruce County. Looking forward to seeing you!
huronfringefest 