Ontario, Season by Season

Guided birding and wildlife experiences shaped by Ontario’s changing seasons and landscapes.

SIGNATURE ONTARIO EXPERIENCES

Explore Ontario through the birds, wildlife and seasons that define it.

A black and yellow bird in flight against a blurred green background.

THE DAY IS YOURS: PRIVATE BIRDING

Year Round | Full Day | Easy to Moderate

Spend a day exploring some of Ontario’s best birding locations, shaped around the season, recent sightings and the birds you most want to experience.

  • Sometimes the best birding day is simply the one that follows the birds.

    A Day of Birding is a flexible, full day private experience designed around what is happening in the field. We may follow spring migration along the lakeshore, explore wetlands and grasslands in summer, search for shorebirds during fall migration or spend a winter day working through open country and productive waterways.

    There is no fixed species list or rigid itinerary. The route is shaped around the season, recent observations, weather and your interests, allowing us to spend more time where the birding is best.

    Whether you are new to birding, visiting Ontario or hoping to find particular species, the day is built around your experience and pace.

  • Expect a relaxed day exploring several productive birding locations, generally travelling between sites by vehicle with periods of walking throughout the day.

    Before the tour, we can discuss your interests, experience level and any species you would particularly like to see. From there, the day is planned around the strongest opportunities available.

    Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
    Duration: Full day
    Season: Year round
    Group: Private, 1 to 4 participants
    Experience level: All levels

  • 1–2 guests: $400 CAD | 3 guests: $475 CAD | 4 guests: $550 CAD

    Custom destinations or trips requiring significant additional travel can be arranged separately.

  • The birds we encounter change dramatically throughout the year.

    Depending on the season, a day may include migrating warblers and vireos, waterfowl, shorebirds, grassland species, raptors, owls, winter finches and many other Ontario specialties.

    Rather than promising a particular checklist, each tour focuses on finding the best birding the season has to offer.

Frozen Skies: The Winter Raptor Tour

November to March | Full Day | Easy

Ontario’s open winter landscapes come alive with raptors. Spend the day searching for owls, hawks, falcons and eagles while experiencing the quieter beauty of the season.

  • Winter transforms Ontario’s open country into one of the province’s most rewarding wildlife landscapes. Frozen Skies is a full day experience focused on finding and observing the raptors that make these fields, woodlots and rural corridors their winter home.

    Throughout the day, we follow the birds and the conditions, taking time to observe behaviour, learn identification techniques and understand how each species survives the challenges of the season.

    Viewing and photography are always approached responsibly. We maintain appropriate distances, never bait wildlife and allow the behaviour of the birds to shape the experience.

  • A relaxed day spent exploring a variety of winter habitats by vehicle with short periods outside at productive locations. The exact route changes with recent sightings, weather and wildlife activity.

    Tours typically begin around 10:00 a.m. and continue toward sunset, when some species become particularly active.

    Difficulty: Easy
    Duration: Full day
    Season: November to March
    Group: Private, 1 to 4 participants

  • $400 CAD per private group | 1–4 guests

  • Every day is different, but possibilities include Snowy Owl, Short-eared Owl, Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Harrier, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle, along with other winter wildlife.

A colorful bird with a yellow and black striped head, orange chest, and white belly perched on a green branch with blurred green background

Through the Lens: Capturing Nature’s Story

Seasonal | Full Day | Easy

A day in the field devoted to wildlife, light and observation, combining natural history with thoughtful guidance to help you create stronger and more meaningful images.

  • Great wildlife photography begins long before the shutter is pressed.

    Through the Lens combines field craft, natural history and photography in a full day experience designed around finding compelling subjects and understanding how to photograph them responsibly.

    We explore composition, light, positioning, behaviour and the decisions that turn an encounter into an image. Rather than staging photographs or disturbing wildlife to create a shot, the emphasis is on anticipation, patience and learning to work with the opportunities nature provides.

    The experience can be valuable whether you are becoming comfortable with your camera or already have substantial photography experience and want to refine your approach in the field.

  • The location and subjects are selected according to the season, weather and current wildlife activity.

    Expect a relaxed field based experience with plenty of time to photograph, review techniques and discuss composition, camera settings, field positioning and ethical wildlife photography.

    Difficulty: Easy
    Duration: Full day
    Experience level: Beginner through experienced
    Photography equipment: Bring your own camera equipment

  • Private Experience | 1 to 4 participants
    $400 per group

    Small Group Experience | 5 to 10 participants
    $80 per person

  • Field craft
    Approaching and positioning around wildlife responsibly.

    Light & composition
    Using changing conditions to create stronger images.

    Wildlife behaviour
    Anticipating movement rather than simply reacting to it.

    Ethical photography
    Creating authentic photographs without baiting or disturbing wildlife.

GATHERING SKIES: CRANES & SWANS OF LONG POINT

February-March | Full Day | Easy

Spend the day following Sandhill Cranes and Tundra Swans through wetlands, agricultural landscapes and the Lake Erie shoreline, accompanied by waterfowl, raptors and other birds of the late season.

  • Sandhill Cranes gather throughout the region while migrating Tundra Swans move through southern Ontario, creating opportunities to experience both species within the landscapes they depend on.

    Our route follows current concentrations rather than a predetermined circuit. Depending on conditions, we may explore wetlands, agricultural areas, shoreline habitats and other productive locations across Norfolk County.

    The flexible format allows us to spend more time wherever activity develops.

  • Duration: Approximately 7 hours
    Group Size: 2–6 guests
    Walking: Light
    Travel Style: Primarily vehicle-based with short walks and roadside viewing
    Meeting Area: Port Rowan / Long Point area
    Accessibility: Highly adaptable, with many productive locations requiring minimal walking
    Equipment: Spotting scope provided

    Bring binoculars, warm layered clothing, suitable footwear, water, lunch and snacks.

  • $150 CAD per person | Minimum 2 guests | Maximum 6

  • Sandhill Crane and Tundra Swan are the signature species of this experience.

    Other possibilities include Bald Eagle, Northern Harrier, Rough-legged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, geese, wintering waterfowl and other late-season migrants.

    Wildlife movements vary with migration, weather and local conditions.

The Migration Spectacle: Point Pelee National Park

Spring | 7 Days | Easy | Returning 2027

Experience spring migration at one of North America’s legendary birding destinations, where each morning can bring an entirely new cast of birds arriving from across the continent.

  • Each spring, Point Pelee becomes a meeting place between continents. Warblers, vireos, thrushes, tanagers, flycatchers and countless other migrants concentrate along the Lake Erie shoreline as they continue their journeys north.

    The Migration Spectacle is a guided experience built around the unpredictability that makes migration so exciting. Rather than following a rigid checklist, each day is shaped around weather, migration conditions and where the birds are moving.

    From the first activity of the morning through quieter moments later in the day, we take the time to identify what we are seeing, understand migration as it unfolds and enjoy one of Ontario’s great natural events.

    Throughout the day, we follow the birds and the conditions, taking time to observe behaviour, learn identification techniques and understand how each species survives the challenges of the season.

  • Days begin early and may involve several hours in the field as we explore Point Pelee and other productive locations in the region.

    Expect a mixture of boardwalks, trails, woodland, shoreline and open habitats. The pace remains flexible so we can respond to migration conditions and spend more time where activity is strongest.

    Difficulty: Easy
    Duration: 7 days
    Season: Spring migration
    Availability: 2027
    Format: Small group journey

  • 2027 pricing coming soon.

  • Spring at Point Pelee can produce remarkable diversity. Warblers are often among the stars, with possibilities including Blackburnian, Cape-may, Bay-breasted, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Canada, Prothonotary and many more.

    Vireos, thrushes, tanagers, orioles, flycatchers and occasional southern overshoots add to the unpredictability of each day.

HAWKS ON THE MOVE: Fall Raptor Migration

September–November · Half Day · Easy

Experience one of autumn’s great movements as hawks, falcons and eagles make their way south. Visit productive migration locations and learn to identify raptors by shape, flight style and behaviour.

  • Each fall, thousands of raptors move south through Ontario, concentrating along shorelines, ridges and other natural migration corridors. Hawks on the Move is a half-day experience focused on witnessing this seasonal movement while learning how to identify raptors in flight.

    Rather than relying on plumage alone, we use shape, proportions, flight style and behaviour to work through identification as birds pass overhead.

  • We’ll spend the outing at one or more productive raptor migration locations selected according to weather, wind direction and recent activity. Much of the experience involves stationary observation with short walks as needed.

    Difficulty: Easy
    Duration: Half Day
    Season: September to November
    Experience Level: All levels
    Group: Private, 1 to 4 participants

  • Private Half-Day Tour | 1 to 4 participants
    $250 per group

  • Migration changes throughout the season, but possibilities include Broad-winged Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, Osprey, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon and Bald Eagle.

    Large movements can occur under favourable conditions, making every outing different.

WINTER WATERS: HAMILTON’S WATERFRONT BIRDS

December to March | Half Day | Easy

Explore Hamilton Harbour and the surrounding waterfront in search of diving ducks, loons, grebes and other wintering birds while learning how to identify the species that gather here each year.

  • Hamilton’s sheltered bays, harbour and open shoreline support an impressive diversity of birds throughout the colder months.

    We move between productive waterfront locations selected according to weather, ice conditions and current bird activity.

    Along the way, we spend time comparing similar species, discussing behaviour and ecology, and observing the changing concentrations of birds using the harbour.

    The relaxed pace makes this experience equally suitable for developing birders and experienced observers looking to enjoy one of Ontario’s classic winter birding areas.

  • Duration: Approximately 4 hours
    Group Size: 2–6 guests
    Walking: Light to moderate
    Travel Style: Short drives between waterfront locations with easy walking and stationary viewing
    Meeting Area: Hamilton / Burlington waterfront
    Accessibility: Many locations are paved or relatively level and the route can be adapted where required
    Equipment: Spotting scope provided

    Bring binoculars, warm layered clothing, winter footwear, water and snacks.

  • $95 CAD per person | Minimum 2 guests | Maximum 6

  • Possible highlights include Long-tailed Duck, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Greater and Lesser Scaup, Red-breasted Merganser, White-winged Scoter, Common Loon and Red-necked Grebe.

    Bald Eagles, Peregrine Falcons and other wintering birds may also be encountered.

SPRING PASSAGE: LONG POINT IN MIGRATION

April-May | Full Day | Easy to Moderate

For a few remarkable weeks each spring, Long Point becomes part of one of the greatest movements in the natural world.

  • Spring Passage is a full day immersed in migration across the Long Point region.

    Rather than following a predetermined circuit, we use weather, migration conditions and current bird activity to determine where the day takes us.

    We may explore forests, wetlands, shoreline habitats and migration hotspots throughout Long Point and Norfolk County.

    Some days are defined by diversity. Others by exceptional movements of a particular group or the unexpected appearance of something unusual.

    Throughout the day, we combine bird finding with identification, behaviour, migration ecology and interpretation of the landscape around us.

  • Duration: Approximately 7–8 hours
    Group Size: 2–6 guests
    Walking: Moderate
    Travel Style: Several birding walks with short drives between locations
    Meeting Area: Port Rowan / Long Point area
    Accessibility: Routes can be adjusted to favour shorter walks and more accessible locations where required
    Equipment: Spotting scope provided where useful

    Bring binoculars, comfortable footwear, weather-appropriate clothing, water, lunch and snacks.

  • $180 CAD per person | Minimum 2 guests | Maximum 6

  • Spring migration can bring an exceptional diversity of warblers, vireos, thrushes, flycatchers, orioles, tanagers, sparrows and other songbirds.

    Shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors and unexpected migrants may add to the day depending on conditions.

    No particular species is guaranteed. Migration determines the experience.

YOUR NEXT DAY IN THE FIELD STARTS HERE

Whether you have a particular bird in mind or simply want to experience the best of the season, we’ll help shape the day around you.

PLAN A PRIVATE EXPERIENCE