Resources for Birding

e-Bird Canada

A real-time, online checklist program, eBird has revolutionized the way that the birding community reports and accesses information about birds. Launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, eBird provides rich data sources for basic information on bird abundance and distribution at a variety of spatial and temporal scales.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology:  All about Birds

Your guide to birds and bird watching with information on 585 species in the online bird guide. ID tips, sound, and video for 99 species (and counting). "Building Skills" section and free Inside Birding videos for new bird watchers.

Neily's World - Birding Ottawa :

Most comprehensive guide for birders to Canada's capital region. Bordering on the boreal forest and divided by the Ottawa River, this area has much to offer the resident or visiting birder. Northern avian visitors make each winter exciting. Over 400 Ottawa area birding sites are described with maps and directions. Sections of the guide include: When and Where to See, Rare Bird Alerts, Checklist, Winter Specialty Status, Seasonal Guide, Useful Tools, Listers' Corners for Ottawa and Canada, etc


Best Ornithology Field Guides:

Peterson's Guides including: A Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern and Central North America

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Eastern North America 

Waterproof pocket field guides by James Kavanagh: Topics include birds, edible wilds, trees and others. Available at Lee Valley, Chapters and other locations.


Birdwatching Volunteers Wanted

 Ottawa Peregrine Falcon Watch:

The Falcon Watch was established when a pair first nested downtown in 1997. They have nested there every year since.  The watch’s main objective is to assist the young birds and also to record observations about the falcons and to educate the public about these impressive birds of prey.

Ottawa Bird Breeding Count 

Headed up by the Geomatics and Landscape Ecology Research Laboratory at Carleton University: "A Volunteer Based, Scientifically Rigorous Survey of Birds in an Expanding City".  This includes their Nest-Monitoring Program, Census Plot Program and the Point Count Program.  More details on their website at GLEG.

Audubon Christmas Bird Count

The Ottawa Field Naturalist's Club has participated continuously since 1920. The count usually takes place in mid-December and involves teams of volunteers who spend most of the day outdoors tallying species and numbers of birds within a 7.5 mile radius of the Peace Tower. Other volunteers contribute by noting the birds that come to their backyard feeders on the day of the count.

Ontario Chimney Swift Program

Bird Studies Canada is looking for volunteers to observe and identify potential nesting and roosting sites throughout Ontario. Please contact them to participate in identifying Chimney Swift sites, to share your knowledge of any nesting/roosting locations, or to volunteer in a longer-term monitoring program in your community.