OFO’s Rare Bird Ambassadors
OFO’s Rare Bird Ambassador plan is about empowering Ontario birders with the tools and resources needed so that they can coordinate with property owners to ensure the best outcomes for all parties.
When a rare bird appears on private property or public property where access and/or crowd control may become an issue, careful planning is required to ensure that the owner/host/property manager, birders, photographers and the bird all have a positive experience.
The goal is to promote positive relations between landowners, birders, and photographers, ultimately resulting in happy people and happy birds. Birders can still decide if they want to share sightings or not; we just hope that this makes the decision easier and spreads out the workload related to managing rare bird observations.
Find out more about this exciting program at: Finding Birds / Rare Bird Ambassadors
What to do if you have found a rare bird? Instructions for landowners and birders
Want to be a Rare Bird Ambassador? You don’t have to belong to OFO.
Find out more about being a Rare Bird Ambassador
Register to be a Rare Bird Ambassador
Photo Credit: Marsh Sandpiper by Matt Parsons
Recent Photos
There are new photos of American White Pelican, Willet, Harris's Sparrow, Glossy Ibis, Cerulean Warbler, Summer Tanager, Marsh Wren and Yellow-headed Blackbird in the current gallery.
There are new photos of Harris's Sparrow, Cerulean Warbler, Northern Mockingbird, Summer Tanager, Common Tern, Marsh Wren, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Northern Flicker and Northern Cardinal in the checklist gallery.
Recent Trips
There are recent trips reports for Peterborough Area, Prince Edward County, Hullett Marsh and Long Point on the current trip reports page.
Upcoming Trips and Webinars
May 2, 2024: Pelee Island Trip #2: Four-Day Weekend
May 4, 2024: Parry Sound Rose Point Trail
May 5, 2024: Pelee Island Trip #1: Four Weekdays
May 11, 2024: Birding Walk: Rosetta McClain Gardens,Toronto
Shorebird Viewing at Hillman Marsh
Join OFO experts at the Shorebird Cell to watch shorebirds migrating to Arctic breeding grounds
May 1, 4, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22 and 25 From 3:00 to 5:00 p.m.
DIRECTIONS: Hillman Marsh main entrance is at Mersea Rd 2 and County Rd 37. From Point Pelee, take County Rd 33 (Pelee Dr). Turn right (north) on Mersea Rd 12 (Nobel Rd) for 5 km to Mersea Rd 2 (Oak St). Turn right (east) for 3.5 km. Hillman entrance is on right. From main parking lot take walking trail to shorebird cell. Hillman Marsh is open daily from dawn to dusk.
ADMISSION: Daily entry fee $10 at self serve kiosk or purchase annual pass ($80) or Hillman Marsh Spring Birding Pass ($25) from Essex Region Conservation Authority. Three-day Birding Pass (combo Point Pelee and Hillman Marsh) available at the park gate.
Birding With Pride
Join the Ontario Field Ornithologists (OFO) at Point Pelee National Park on May 4th for the second annual Birding With Pride event open house during the Festival of Birds! Join us at the North West Beach pavilion for refreshments and to meet fellow members of the birding community, learn more about OFO, and join guided bird hikes. Opening remarks will be made at 9:30 am.
This event is a celebration of the 2SLGBTQIA+ Community but all are welcome. We encourage all experiences including beginner and first-time birders to join. Creating a respectful, welcoming, and accessible environment is our priority as we enjoy spring migration at Point Pelee.
Hikes will leave from the North West Beach Parking Lot at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm and will be about one hour long. We recommend arriving about 15 minutes early if you are joining a hike so we can assign groups to leaders. OFO will have a table set up with refreshments in the North West Beach pavilion from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm so stop in for a visit at any time!
OFO Merchandise Available
Bird of the Year 2024 and more
Alessandra Kite’s rendition of a flying male Bobolink gained the most votes from members, making it our first Bird of the Year logo! You can purchase it at on a variety of items the OFO Redbubble store. While you are at it, why not purchase a t-shirt or mug with the OFO Pileated Woodpecker logo or Birding Buddies Red-breasted Nuthatch?
Statement on Safety
OFO is committed to fostering a safe and welcoming organization that is free of discrimination and harassment.
OFO’s 2023 statement on safety in the Ontario birding community can be found on the EDI webpage.
2023 Convention Highlights
OFO’s 2023 Convention and AGM took place in Peterborough in September, with a Northern edition in Timmins. Here are some highlights:
- AGM materials package (includes President’s message, reports from Treasurer, directors and committees, and more)
- Jeff Skevington’s AGM Presentation
- AGM and Saturday night presentations (including awarding of the Distinguished Ornithologist to Bruce DiLabio and keynote presentation with Stu Mackenzie) video
- Birds and Beers video
- From the Daily Press in Timmins
OFO Birding Buddies
We are excited to introduce OFO Birding Buddies! Do you ever travel to parts of the province that you are not familiar with and wish that you could talk to local birders to get their advice on how to bird the area? Or even better, find someone local to go birding with? OFO Birding Buddies will provide you with contact info for OFO members across Ontario who are willing to provide you with that advice or take you out birding. When you join or renew your OFO membership this year, you’ll have the option being a part of OFO Birding Buddies by providing your general location, contact info, and a short description of the assistance you’re able to provide for other OFO members that are visiting your area.
Login here to find your OFO Birding Buddies, update your profile, donate, and register for field trips.
OFO Birdathon 2023 trip report
The OFO Big Day Birdathon took place this year on May 22, 2023. Our four celebrity young birders, Rowan Keunen, Max Segler, Piper Smith, and Liam Thorne, decided to do a county Big Day and chose Norfolk as the county to do it in. They recently published an account of their trip report, which summarizes the results of their all-out, 24-hour rush to find as many species as possible.
Many thanks to our Birdathon supporters. The 2023 Birds Canada Birdathon effort raised funds for OFO’s Young Birders Program and to support bird research and conservation through Birds Canada. Please note that donations can still be made, and all proceeds will go to the OFO Young Birders program.
Two ways to donate! Tax receipts will be issued for amounts over $20.
Canada Helps: https://www.canadahelps.org/me/6NJzbSN
Birds Canada: https://www.birdscanada.org/you-can-help/birdathon then search for OFO’s Celebrity Birders
Link to trip summary: http://wp.ofo.ca/norfolk-county-big-day/
Cheat Sheets for Birding I.D.
After taking a 101 Birding course in 2019 with Anthony Kaduck, newbie bird nerd Jenny Newton initially had difficulty identifying small birds because she just didn’t know the differences between sparrows, warblers and others.
So she decided to create a Perch Bird Cheat Sheet for Ontario birds sorted by colour and size. It worked for her!! Today, there are 17 cheat sheets of Ontario birds (e.g. ducks, owls) all with photos sourced from Macaulay Library available for both learning and as a refresher.
Just follow this link to download them.
Enabled Birding
Help make birding for EveryBody!
Ontario Field Ornithologists and Birds Canada, with the help of Toronto Ornithological Club, and have teamed up to create an interactive map featuring the accessibility details of nine great Ontario birding sites.
Click here for more detail and the latest update.
OFO is generously sponsored by
Ontario Field Ornithologists © 1984. All photographs on the site © the photographer.