GyrKite Birding Tours

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.

11/01/2024

Happy Halloween from GyrKite Birding Tours! 🎃👻🎩 We hope everyone is having a safe and fun evening.

Here’s a nice Boreal Owl to brighten your night! These gorgeous northern birds are experiencing a massive irruption south this fall, so keep your eyes on the coniferous trees over the next few months👀

This Boreal Owl was captured and handled for research purposes by trained and permitted bird banders 🧡

10/29/2024

Species spotlight: Rough-legged Hawk!

We thought it would be a good time to focus on this species, because Rough-legged Hawks (Roughies, or RLHA) are just starting to arrive in good numbers across Ontario. These raptors breed in the high Arctic of Canada and Alaska, nesting on cliff ledges and hunting lemmings on the tundra. They have a very broad range, stretching from far eastern Newfoundland to northwestern Alaska. In the fall they migrate south across the boreal forest, wintering in southern Canada and throughout much of the United States.

Rough-legged Hawks are one of our favourite Ontario raptors, and seeing one is always an exciting experience. They have a graceful and powerful presence, often appearing overhead seemingly out of nowhere, then disappearing over the horizon with only a few wingbeats.

* Rough-legged Hawks occur in both light and dark morphs, which have very different looks to them. Here in Ontario dark morph birds account for roughly 12% of the birds we see, so they’re always a treat to find.
* When you see them hunting in fields, Roughies will often sit atop of very small trees, or at the end of limbs and thin branches. Red-tailed Hawks by comparison usually sit on sturdier perches and limbs.
* Rough-legged are the tallest and longest winged member of the genus buteo that occurrs in Ontario.
* The oldest Rough-legged Hawk recorded was 18 years old, though there’s not much data on these birds compared to other raptors.

We hope you cross paths with one of these amazing and beautiful birds over the next few months!

Check out the eBird weekly range animation in the comments ⬇️

Photos by Kiah Jasper

10/21/2024

Species Highlight: Golden-crowned Kinglet! 💛🧡

This tiny titan of the forest is a favorite among birders! The Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa, or GCKI for short) is a migratory songbird that spends its summer in the far northern boreal and coniferous forests and comes down to visit southern Ontario and much of the United States during the winter.

Did you know?

-They are one of the smallest songbirds in Ontario, averaging around only 6 grams! The only other songbirds that can match them for size are the Blue-grey Gnatcatcher and the Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Kinglets weigh less than a loonie!
-The oldest wild GCKI recorded was a male in Minnesota who, at the time of his recapture, was at least 6 years old!
-These birds are insectivores, feasting on spiders, aphids, and caterpillars.
-Golden-crowned Kinglets are known for their remarkable endurance and incredibly fast metabolism! They need to eat constantly to survive the harsh winter months in Ontario, if they go without food for only a couple of hours they could face starvation or hypothermia.

Many kinglets are making their way south to their wintering grounds, so keep an eye out for these flashy and fiesty friends this week!

📸 All birds pictured were handled with proper training and permits for research purposes

10/17/2024

We’re Back! 🦅

After a brief hiatus since the summer, the GyrKite Birding Tours team is thrilled to return to social media, refreshed and ready to share our passion for birds with you!

This fall, we’ve been busy working on exciting projects, but we’ve missed connecting with our flock. Now, we’re eager to dive back into sharing:

-Fun bird facts to fascinate and delight 🦆
-Expert bird ID help to solve your mystery sightings 🪶
-Sharing our list of exciting trips for next year! ☀️
-Updates from our recent owling tour to Hilliardton Marsh (spoiler alert: it was a hooting success!)🦉

Stay tuned for regular posts, and let’s get back to fall birding together!

📸 Ruby-throated Hummingbird at Long Point by Kiah Jasper

08/14/2024

Species Spotlight: The Yellow Warbler

The Yellow Warbler (YEWA) is well known by birders across Ontario, being one of most widespread and abundant breeding songbirds, it’s range extends from Point Pelee all the way up to Hudson Bay! In fact, Yellow Warblers have the broadest distribution of any Warbler in the genus Setophaga (which contains most of our Warbler species), and can be found in every state and province of the US and Canada. Their preferred nesting habitat is along wetland edges (especially where willows are found) and early successional forest, where they construct cup nests right around eye level.

Despite being such a colourful and easy to observe species, Yellow Warblers are often overlooked because they are so abundant, passed over in favour of more uncommon warblers.

Yellow Warbler is similar in appearance to female/immature Wilson’s and Hooded Warblers, but note the yellow on the flight feathers and the yellow tail. YEWA is also brighter yellow than the other warblers with yellow plumage.

Here in Ontario YEWA is one of the earliest migrant warblers to leave the province, with most departing between the 2nd week of august and 1st week of September. In regions further away from the southern Great Lakes, you’re unlikely to even encounter a YEWA after August. In fact even now they could be on the move! Be sure to check out the range animation map in the comments, it’s one of the coolest in North America!

07/26/2024

We heard you, birders!
Earlier this month, we asked for your help in identifying which bird groups you struggle with, and you responded! We're thrilled to announce our first identification-focused video, a gentle dive into the the basics of gull ID and specifically, how to identify Herring Gulls!

In this video, we'll share tips, tricks, and advice to make Herring Gull identification a breeze, including features to look out for when separating Lesser Black-backed Gull. Say goodbye to intimidating gull masses, because with Herring Gull ID down, you can start to more easily pick out different species from the madness!

So, grab your binoculars and get ready to take your birding to the next level! Watch our video through this link:
https://youtu.be/q8-flzl4oxA?si=It0nny5SU-1oU-gj

Stay tuned for more ID videos in the future, and thank you for helping us create content that meets your needs! Happy birding! 🪶

07/17/2024

Species Spotlight: the Tennessee Warbler (TEWA)!

This gorgeous warbler can be distinguished from other warblers by its striking dark eyeline and pale creamy undertail coverts. They often have a short-tailed appearance and have a thin pointy bill in close comparison to other species. Despite their unassuming appearance, these warblers are actually incredibly variable, ranging from bright yellow, to green, grey and even blue! Males typically have more blueish colouration on the head while females are more greenish-yellow, however there is considerable overlap (especially in younger birds) so often sexes can’t be told apart.

The name Tennessee is kind of a misnomer because these warblers breed widely across Canada and only briefly migrate through the states to reach their wintering grounds in Central and South America. Check out the comments for the animated range map to learn more about their migration!

During migration, TEWAs spend a majority of their time foraging below the canopy, often in the undergrowth, and will practice singing their insect-like series of trills. There are already some early reports of migrating Tennessee warblers in southern Ontario, so keep your eyes and ears peeled!

📸 Alessandra Kite, bird handled by a trained professional for research purposes

07/09/2024

Calling all bird enthusiasts! 🐦

Do you find yourself scratching your head when trying to identify certain bird species? You're not alone! Bird identification can be tricky, and we're here to help.

We’ll be posting a video later this month discussing tricky bird groups and photos that you sent in to us, as well as answering any bird identification related questions!

Let us know in the comments if there are any specific bird groups you find difficult to identify (e.g. sparrows, gulls, peeps, etc.) or if you have any photos of birds you'd like help identifying. Our team is here to assist you and help you improve your birding skills!

07/02/2024

Species Spotlight: Dickcissel

Since there’s been a large increase in Dickcissel reports this week in Ontario, we thought it would be the perfect time to share some information about this interesting species!

Dickcissel is in the family Cardinalidae, which also contains some familiar birds such as Indigo Bunting, Northern Cardinal and Scarlet Tanager. While it’s in the same family, it’s not too closely related to the others and is the only member of it’s genus, Spiza.

Dickcissels breeding range includes most of the American Midwest, where they favour pastures and farmland with shrubs and exposed perches to sing on. In the winter they migrate to Venezuela, with some only going as far as northern Central American depending on the conditions.

They’re an interesting species when it comes to their occurrence in Ontario, some years they’re barely present at all and other years they are breeding in low numbers all across southwestern Ontario. So what causes this change year to year? Well there are a few factors involved, but it seems like it’s mainly related weather conditions in their core range. If a drought occurs or their food is in low supply (often related), then many Dickcissels will venture ourside their usual range and set up shop when they find appropriate habitat.

This year a large heat wave event occurred over much of eastern North America during mid June, and immediately following that lots of Dickcissel reports started popping up across Ontario.

If you have any pastures or grassland habitat in your area, it might be worth checking out in the next few weeks… you never know if there might be a Dickcissel around!

📸 - male Dickcissel on the Bruce Peninsula, June 30

06/29/2024

This October we have a very exciting adventure in store! We’re taking to the backroads and exploring Hilliardton Marsh, a hidden gem located in the wilderness of the boreal forest in northern Ontario. We’ve lined this trip up perfectly with the lunar phase because we’re on the prowl for migrating owls! This three day trip includes a private night of owl banding courtesy of the Hilliardton Marsh Research and Education Centre! If you’ve never seen owls up close, this is the perfect opportunity to learn about these fascinating creatures and be a part of important conservation and population research. Here are a number of owls that have been banded during the owl program at Hilliardton Marsh!

Make sure to check out our website for more info about the tour 😉 There’s only 4 spots left but if there is more interest we will consider doing a 2nd tour.

https://www.gyrkitetours.com/service-page/hilliardton-marsh-overnight-tour

📸 Alessandra Kite, all birds held by trained professionals for research purposes.
1, 2: Boreal Owl
3: Alessandra holding a Long-eared Owl
4: Northern Saw-whet Owl
5: Alessandra banding a Boreal Owl

06/26/2024

Have you heard?? A new blog post is out! In Part 1 of the Pelee Island Spring 2024 series, Alessandra recounts one of the best birding days she’s ever experienced!

Read it here!
https://www.gyrkitetours.com/post/pelee-island-spring-2024-part-1-the-arrival-and-the-apocalypse

If you need more convincing to come tour the Island with us, definitely give this a read and check out our Pelee Island services for next spring. We’ve refurbished the 3 day tour so that it will be cheaper for those who want to visit with a group of friends! We even have a new short morning tour at Fish Point for those who want an affordable intro to birding on the Island, or a fun family activity for your trip.

Happy summer birding everyone!

06/22/2024

Our June Newsletter is out! Contact us on our website or private message us your email if you want to sign up and learn more about what we’ve been up to this summer 🙂
We have some exciting summer tours to offer this July including our trip to Carden Alvar and some family friendly naturalist hikes on the Bruce.

We hope to see you in the field! 🙌🌿