GyrKite Birding Tours

01/12/2025

Join us on Pelee Island this spring to experience some of the best migration the Great Lakes region has to offer! With daily lists of 100 species or more, and new migrants arriving daily there’s always something exciting to see.

Witness the bird numbers of Point Pelee at a more relaxed pace, with no crowds and a small island vibe. Visiting Pelee Island is always one of our highlights of the year, and we look forward to sharing it with you.

Two Dates still available for private group tours: April 26-28, May 4-6

More information on our website 🪶🙂 Link here - https://www.gyrkitetours.com/service-page/pelee-island-overnight-private-tour?referral=service_list_widget

Curious what we saw last year? Check that out here! https://ebird.org/tripreport/227038

This tour will cover 2.5 days of birding with a small private group led by two expert birders at your pace, covering topics of your interest. Activities will include exploring the unique Alvar habitats of Pelee Island, which are perfect for looking for endemic or rare flora and fauna, such as Blue R...

01/11/2025

It’s never too early to think about spring migration! In fact, we’re leading special private group tours to Pelee Island in late April and early May, the best time to witness peak migration. Now is the perfect time to start thinking about spring plans and booking accommodation 🦅
If you’re wanting a three day private birding experience in one of the best birding hotspots in Ontario, check out our website for more info 😉

📸Chestnut-sided Warbler on the beach by Kiah Jasper

01/10/2025

01/02/2025

Happy New Year fellow birders! 🎊🎉🦅
May your year be filled with exciting sightings, memorable adventures, and a deeper connection with nature.

We’re kicking off 2025 with a bang! Join us on our January weekend tour in Niagara, where we’ll explore the region’s renowned waterfowl and gull hotspots.
Imagine witnessing hundreds of overwintering waterfowl and gulls up close! Our expert guides will help you spot and identify a wide variety of species.

Is your resolution to get outside more? This is the perfect opportunity for beginner birders to learn more about winter birding, as well as seasoned birders to get a head start on your year list!

Click the link in our bio to learn more and reserve your spot! 🪶

12/24/2024

Happy Holiday Season from your guides at GyrKite!😁🎄 We hope you have all been enjoying the winter so far and staying safe : )

This Barred Owl dropped by our yard today, an excellent surprise on Christmas Eve☺️

12/22/2024

We are excited to annouce that we have partnered with Kowa Sporting Optics and are now brand ambassadors! This is an exciting new chapter for our company and we’re looking forward to showing birds to our clients with the best scopes and bins around : )

Stay tuned for some reviews and updates

12/21/2024

Snow Buntings are now arriving in southern Ontario in full force and gathering in large flocks due to the frequent snowfall we’ve had recently. It’s quite a spectacle to see thousands of black and white wings striking the sky, shimmering as they careen over snowy cornfields and rocky shorelines. But this isn’t a Snow Bunting! This is a Lapland Longspur, a less conspicuous species that can often be found foraging and overwintering with large groups of buntings. Whenever you see a flock of Snow Buntings it’s a great opportunity to scan through the masses to see if you can spot more uncommon species like this Lapland Longspur!

12/16/2024

We still have spaces left on our tour of the Niagara Region!

-Explore one of Ontario’s top gull-watching spots and learn ID pointers from our pros 💪
-Learn how to search for rare and uncommon species among the hundreds of gulls and waterfowl!
-Winter in the city doesn’t need to be grey and bland, experience the thrill of winter birding while you enjoy the marvellous sites of Niagara! ❄️🌊
-An adventure to fit your schedule: you can book the whole weekend for $180 or just one day for $90-100

Ready to learn more? Click the link in our bio to visit our website!

📸 Glaucous Gull by Kiah Jasper

12/12/2024

We’ve been on a bit of an owl theme recently, so why not continue the trend? 🦉 Here are some tips on how to observe one of the most gorgeous owls in Ontario!

Meet the Short-eared Owl, a farmland specialist with a hunger for meadow voles, deer mice, and other small rodents. While a majority of Ontario’s owl species are mainly nocturnal, Short-eared Owls are one of the few crepuscular species, meaning they prefer to be active during dusk and dawn. During the day they are often hunkered down resting low to the ground along forest/scrub edges, grassy ditches or atop of fence posts near their hunting grounds and can be quite a challenge to find. The best way to get eyes on one of these beauties is to watch for them flying low over open areas suitable for hunting. They have a very characteristic flight style, almost moth-like with graceful exaggerated flapping. The best time to look for hunting Shorties is during their preferred hunting times around sunrise and sunset, however they can also hunt at any time during the day especially if they need to maximize hunting time due to prior days of bad weather (snow storms or severe rain).

During spring and fall migration, Short-eared Owls can also be infrequently seen flying during the day on lake watches or hawk watches! Shorties are one of the few owl species in Ontario that migrate during the day, and they often prefer to stick close to shorelines.

📸 Short-eared Owl hunting on the Bruce Peninsula, by Kiah Jasper

12/07/2024

Our first Snowy Owl of the season! It’s always a good day when you see a snowy, especially when it’s been over a year since your last one🙂

Saugeen Bruce Peninsula - 📸 Kiah Jasper

12/04/2024

Join our guides for an in depth tour of the Niagara River/Southern Lake Ontario Region this January! We will explore one of the best areas for gull watching in the world, going over ID pointers and searching for uncommon species. Birding this area in the winter is always one of our favourite activities, and there are often some surprise birds along the way.

To make things flexible, you are able to book either both days, or join us for only one.

For more information, check out our website here ⬇️

https://www.gyrkitetours.com/service-page/niagara-winter-excursion

12/04/2024

For the 2nd year, we are donating a trip with GyrKite Birding Tours to the Lion's Head Hospital Auxiliary Christmas Auction! This year we have donated a two person gift certificate for our Point Pelee trips in May, 2025. This is one of our favourite areas to bird, and we look forward to guiding there next year!

The auction has lots of other interesting items as well, so be sure to check it out😊🎄

The Lion's Head Hospital Auxiliary Online Auction is live. Register and start bidding!

Still looking for that perfect Christmas gift, register for our Online Auction. Our catalogue has lots of amazing items donated by local businesses, artisans, crafters, residents and auxiliary members.

Register at
Looklocally.ca/LHHA

Bidding opens Friday, December 6 @ 7am

12/03/2024

The last day of our trip to Hilliardton Marsh ended with a splash… because everyone was wet from the torrential downpour that hit us the next morning… so we hit the shorelines for more birding!

When the weather is poor for songbirds and raptors, a good strategy is always to check shorelines and waterfronts for any birds that have dropped down in a hurry, as long as it is safe to do so (no lightning!). Besides, waterfowl don’t really care about getting a little wet now do they?

After saying goodbye to our dear hosts at Hilliardton, we started our journey back down south, checking the shorelines and bays along the way. The worst of the storm had passed when we arrived in North Bay, so we decided to bird various waterfront access points. During one of our stops, part of the group found a Greater White-fronted Goose! This is an excellent bird for the area, with only a handful of records for the county, and a majority of the reports much further east.

Our last stop of the journey was back in Barrie to scan Lake Simcoe for loons, grebes and gulls, and boy did we see them! We ended up counting at least 1300 Common Loons foraging and socializing in the bay, as well as 250 Red-necked Grebes! Another highlight was finding an adult Little Gull flying with the masses of Bonaparte’s Gulls. Overall, a wonderful stop to conclude our adventure!

If you’re interested in attending the trip to Hilliardton Marsh next October, contact us and stay tuned! We are working on a few changes for next year so that we can keep it fresh and make the most out of the next adventure!

11/29/2024

Snowies incoming to southern Ontario!

After two poor winters for Snowy Owls here in Ontario, it’s shaping up to be a good season for them (and other owl species). In the past two weeks there’s been a large influx of sightings across the Northeast, with many birds reported even father south than the Great Lakes.

Keep an eye on your local shorelines and fields over the coming weeks!

11/18/2024

The second day of our Hilliardton Marsh tour started off with a crisp morning typical of northern Ontario, with fog hanging in the air over the marsh and sun trying to break through it against a clear blue sky. Our group met up at the Hilliardton Marsh Outdoor Education Centre and began a walk around the edge of their expansive wetland to see what birds were around. The calls of Sandhill Cranes echoed through the fog from every direction, a species we’d see thousands of over the weekend. One of our first bird encounters of the day were a flock of American Golden-Plovers that flew right overhead calling! The rest of our walk was highlighted by Snow Geese, Wilson’s Snipe, several dabbling ducks and the gorgeous scenery of the marsh.

We spent the reminder of the morning around the banding lab, where the banding crew explained their research. The biggest surprise of the morning occurred when one of the banders came back from a net round with a Boreal Owl! This is a very rare bird to catch in the daylight, and one we definitely weren’t expecting. After it was released we were able to get good views of it as it flew away and perched in a nearby conifer, a magical experience.

In the afternoon we drove around field and forested concession roads near the marsh. Thousands of Sandhill Cranes, hundreds of American Pipits and other species such as Lapland Longspur, Pectoral Sandpiper, Ruffed Grouse and Northern Harriers were highlights.

Just before dark, we visited New Liskard Sewage Lagoons, where we added several new species to our trip list including Redhead, American Coot and Hooded Merganser.

Our group enjoyed an evening of dinner and socializing at a local restaurant, then headed back to Hilliardton Marsh for another night of owl banding. We thought we got lucky for owls the previous night, but did we ever luck out on our 2nd evening! During the first check of the nets, the banders returned with 5 Northern Saw-whet Owls, 3 Boreal Owls and the season’s first Long-eared Owl! The owl trifecta complete : ) Long-eared Owl was a lifer for several participants, and it was a great experience being able to see the 3 species side by side.

11/10/2024

Stop by the Lion's Head Christmas Market on Nov 23rd or 24th to say hi! We will have greeting cards, calendars, prints, paintings and other bird decor for sale... perfect holiday gifts for fellow bird nerds :)

Gyrkite is today's featured vendor at our upcoming 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭. Photographer and devoted birders Kiah and Alessandra will have their beautiful greeting cards, 2025 calendars and large photo prints available to purchase. You will find Gyrkite in the Outdoor Canadiana Market area.
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬: Nov. 23rd & 24th, 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Summer House Park, Miller Lake
𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Non perishable food donation for the Lion's Head and District Food Bank
𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭.𝐜𝐨𝐦/𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐬-𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭

11/06/2024

Hilliardton Marsh Owling Tour 2024 🦉

Our next few posts will be detailing each day of our most anticipated trip of the year! And what a fantastic trip it was, full of unforgettable close encounters with the elusive owls of the boreal forest, gorgeous views of the northern marsh habitat, and some unexpected (but welcome) surprises!

The first day started off with the drive up, we lucked out with good weather and clear roads the whole way up north. We made one stop along the way at Minet’s Point in Barrie hoping to chance into a migrating Pacific Loon. Although the Pacific Loons evaded us, we did however get to witness an astounding 567 Common Loons foraging in the bay as far as the eye could see! Peppered in between the loons were many Red-necked Grebes and flocks of Bonaparte’s Gulls also taking advantage of the good fishing.

When we arrived at Hilliardton Marsh just before dark, it was clear that Sandhill Crane migration was in full swing. Their haunting calls echoed across the landscape as the last of the light dissolved into the horizon. Once everyone had arrived we gathered in the main education hall to acquaint participants and discuss the plan for the tour as well as expectations for the first night. The stage was set: the new moon provided a cover of darkness for migrating owls, the wind was blowing light from the north, no sign of rain, and the temperature was expected to drop just above 0… perfect conditions for Boreal Owls. Our fantastic host from Hilliardton Marsh, Jacob Lachapelle, introduced everyone to the research station and their fantastic volunteers, and with that we began the night!

This past fall has been an unprecedented season for boreal owl banding at Hilliardton Marsh. With the season just having recently concluded, they totalled 354 Boreal Owls! During our tour on the first night during the first round we got to see researchers band and process 5 Boreal Owls, and 7 Northern Saw-whet Owls! Throughout the banding demonstration we got to participate in a thrilling nighttime adventure through the boreal spruce bog to watch the collection of the owls, and witness the banding, measuring, and release of these majestic nocturnal wonders.