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GyrKite Birding Tours

Name: GyrKite Birding Tours
Address: Wiarton, ON, CA
Telephone: +19054837470
Price range: $$
Rating: 5

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GyrKite Birding Tours

Discover the wonders of Ontario’s bird life with GyrKite Birding Tours.
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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! 🙌🌿

06/22/2024

This week’s Species Spotlight: the Green Heron! 💚

The Green Heron (GRHE) is a spunky little bird sporting a wide variety of colours and iridescence that make it pretty distinguishable from other heron species that can be seen in Canada. They range widely across North and Central America; breeders in the south tend to stay year round while the northern breeders in Canada and northern United States are highly migratory! Check out the animated range map (retrieved from eBird) in the comments to watch their migration in action!

Most of you may be familiar with the typical Green Heron morph we get in Ontario, but did you know that there are 3 different colour morphs (plumage variations) of Green Heron? Green Herons can come in their typical morph (pale throat and maroon/green), but also two other morphs that can be seen in Central America: melanistic or dark morph (blackish blue/green), as well as erythristic (dark brown and green).
Have you ever seen a melanistic Green Heron?

Green Herons are incredibly interesting because they’re a species of bird that has learned to use tools for fishing! They will perch next to shallow water and dabble a feather, leaf or invertebrate as bait, then once their prey catches interest they will strike. How cool is that?

Fun fact! The oldest known green heron was banded in 2013 in Texas and was re-sighted in 2023 making it at least 11 years old! Hopefully they’re still kicking and living that cowboy dream 😎

📸 Kiah Jasper at Point Pelee National Park this spring

06/18/2024

We’re kicking off the start of summer by going to the beaches 😎😎 (aka the coastal fens) because who wouldn’t want to spend summer diving into nature??
Join us on a 2 hour morning hike at Petrel Point Nature Reserve, a gorgeous naturalist spot perfect for getting to know the unique plant life and local breeding birds and butterflies!
Dates for the hike are June 30th, and July 2, 9, 12, 14, 17.
Book while you can because there are only 12 spots available per hike!

📸
1. Black-throated green warbler (left), long-tailed blue (right)
2. Blackburnian Warbler (left), freshwater coastal fen (right)
3. Yours truly!

For more information, check out our website through this link!
https://www.gyrkitetours.com/service-page/summer-naturalizing-on-the-bruce?referral=service_list_widget

06/12/2024

Species Spotlight: Wood Thrush

The flute-like song of the Wood Thrush is one of the most iconic and beloved birds songs out of all of Ontario’s breeding birds, and lucky for us they can be heard in forests throughout the southern part of the province. This species is highly migratory, breeding in temperate forests throughout the United States and Canada and Wintering in Central America. Check out this cool weekly range animation made with eBird Data in the comments!

Unfortunately this charismatic thrush has been in steep decline over the past 50 years in our region, due mainly to habitat loss (on both its wintering and breeding grounds), pesticide use, and human introduced mortality during migration such as collisions with windows and feral/outdoor cats.

📸 - Kiah Jasper

06/10/2024

Looking for an exciting summer adventure? Look no further! In early July we’re journeying to Carden Alvar for a day of exploring the unique limestone alvar and grassland habitats. Throughout the day we’ll be searching for speciality species at risk such as Loggerhead Shrike, Grasshopper Sparrow, Upland Sandpiper, Bobolink, and Golden-winged Warbler! There’s even a chance we’ll get a view of Black Bear or Moose, as well as a variety of elusive snake species. If you’re interested in joining us, check out our website for more information!

📸
1. Loggerhead Shrike
3. Upland Sandpiper
5. Grasshopper Sparrow
6. Prairie Rose with sweat bee
9. Red-bellied Snake

Check out the tour through this link!
https://www.gyrkitetours.com/service-page/carden-alvar-adventure

Address

Wiarton, ON

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Thursday	9am - 5pm
Friday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 5pm

Telephone

+19054837470

Website

http://www.gyrkitetours.com/

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Just checking in with everyone interested in our Point Pelee Tour Giveaway!! Remember, you have to follow our page in order for your entries to count! The winner will be announced in a reel this Saturday. Best of luck!! #tourguide #birdingtours #pointpelee #pointpeleenationalpark #ontariotourism #explorecanada #exploreontario #canadatour #birds #birding #birdwatching #birdwatcher

Come birding with us this year and experience raptor migration in southern Ontario! Kiah’s favourite hawk to watch is the dark morph Rough-legged Hawk! Late March through late April, and late September through to mid November are the best times to look for migrating raptors in the Great Lakes area, with tens of thousands of birds concentrating along the lakeshores. #raptors #hawks #eagles #hawkwatch #birdwatching #birding #birders #ecotourism #birdingtours #birds #photography #wildlifephotography #escapetoronto #explorecanada #exploreontario #ontarionature

I bet we’re all missing the sweet song of spring right now 💚🌼 If you’re looking for an excuse to spend early spring outside then we have the perfect get away for you! Come join us at Long Point this spring for a full day of watching early spring migration, the blackbirds flooding in, gorgeous sunsets, thousands of ducks on the water, hundreds of cranes resting in golden fields, serene views of the marsh, sandy beaches, and more! Check out our Long Point Ducks ‘n’ Cranes Hike on our website. —Link in our bio— #longpoint #beaches #todotoronto #getaway #tour #tourist #explorecanada #ontario #ontariotourism #tourcanada #escapetoronto #escapethecity #birds #birding #guidedhikes #naturelovers #nature