Making The Most Of Winter

The winter of 2025-2026 is shaping up to be a proper one. Since basically the start of December we have experienced below average temperatures and an abundance of snow. We haven't had much respite from the cold, other than a brief warm spell in January quickly followed by an unrelenting Arctic blast. As I write this in early February we are mired in a long stretch with temperatures oscillating between -20 and -5 degrees Celsius. Most regions of southern Ontario have several feet of snow piled on the ground, and nearly every body of water (other than parts of Lake Ontario) is frozen solid. 

Spruce Bog - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

In an attempt to stave off the seasonal depression that is common with many at this time of year, I have been spending more time outside this winter. One advantage of the crisp days is that the sun is often shining. Even on a bitterly cold day, the sun feels just a little stronger now than it did a month ago. And the days are growing noticeably longer, with today's sunset scheduled for 5:36 PM; a full 50 minutes later than what we were experiencing in late December.

Red Squirrel - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Signs of spring are popping up too, depending on your optimism and wishfulness. Over the past few days I have heard the first Black-capped Chickadees and Northern Cardinals singing; music to my ears. The local Great Horned Owls are hooting more regularly. These are just small things, but it will ramp up soon enough. We may be only a few short weeks away from the first migrant Killdeers, Red-winged Blackbirds and Turkey Vultures appearing on the scene. I can almost hear a Western Chorus Frog creaking out its song. It's not long now...

Western Chorus Frog

But while we wait for Old Man Winter to release his icy grip on the landscape, I thought I would commemorate the winter that we have had so far and post a few photo highlights from the last couple of months. 

I'll start with a couple of lingering rare birds from late in November, before winter fully took hold. The first is a White-eyed Vireo found by Brian Johnson at Confederation Park in Hamilton. This is certainly a rare bird in Hamilton, especially for late November, but the autumn of 2025 saw well over a dozen White-eyed Vireos reported from southern Ontario (indeed, even I found one in late November at Rondeau Provincial Park). That being said, I had never seen a White-eyed Vireo in Hamilton before, nor had I observed one in the month of December, so I made sure to stop by Confederation Park on a few occasions to see the bird. The colours sure popped against the grays and browns of the withered vegetation from which it was attempting to glean insects. 

White-eyed Vireo - Confederation Park, City of Hamilton

The Townsend's Warbler in Mississauga and the Black-throated Gray Warbler in Port Colborne both hung on well into December. I never did look for the Black-throated Gray, but I saw the Townsend's on a couple of occasions. My last observation of it was November 30, seen with Laura and good friends David Szmyr and Scott Watson while they were visiting with us for a weekend. 

Townsend's Warbler - Mississauga, Peel Region

Several other rarities remained into December (and beyond, in some cases) and I managed to see and photograph them. One highlight was seeing a Summer Tanager in a suburban neighbourhood in Cambridge, just a few minutes from where I grew up. This is a bird that had eluded me locally for my whole life, while it was also a species I had never encountered in Ontario outside of the spring season. The tanager appeared alert and active, feeding frequently on bittersweet berries, but it too disappeared when the weather got too wintery. The optimist in me likes to think that it flew further south to warmer climes, even though the realist in me knows that is probably not the case. Tanagers just aren't built to survive Canadian winters. 

Summer Tanager - Cambridge, Waterloo Region

Other rarities that I managed to connect with this winter include a Dickcissel from Harrisburg (Brant County), a Spotted Towhee from Brampton (Peel Region) and a Townsend's Solitaire from Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area (Halton Region). 

Dickcissel - Harrisburg, Brant County

Spotted Towhee - Brampton, Peel Region

Spotted Towhee - Brampton, Peel Region

Townsend's Solitaire - Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area, Halton Region

I was able to share the Townsend's Solitaire experience with Laura, and it was a milestone bird as it was the 300th species that she has seen in Ontario. Of greater importance, it was her 4,200th world bird. The march towards 5,000 continues!

Townsend's Solitaire - Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area, Halton Region

Some of the other rarities from this winter are only rare because of the time of year. Virginia Rails breed throughout much of the province, but seeing one in December (as well as in January) is quite unusual.

​A Virginia Rail attempted to overwinter at F.W.R. Dickson Wilderness Area near Cambridge. I have been visiting here ever since I was a small child and it is always nice to go back, especially now that Tufted Titmice are a regular feature (things have changed in the last 30 years!). I never did think that I would see a Virginia Rail here during the winter, though...

Virginia Rail - F.W.R. Dickson Wilderness Area, Waterloo Region

But the undisputed highlight of my winter so far occurred on December 15. That morning, New York birder Tom Kerr discovered the very first Glaucous-winged Gull for the Niagara River; a mega-rarity for eastern North America. Though Tom had found the bird on the "wrong" side of the river for Ontario birders like myself, I was keen to search for it and so Jude Szabo and I headed down the QEW to my former local birding patch from back when I lived in Niagara Falls. When we arrived at the Control Gates above Niagara Falls, we could see American birders scoping the river and presumably watching the bird, but the distance was just too great, especially when combined with the robust snowflakes that were falling and obscuring our scope views. We had been there for around an hour when I did a customary scan of the break-wall close to our position on the Ontario side of the Niagara River. To my absolute shock, there was the Glaucous-winged!

Glaucous-winged Gull (centre bird) - Niagara Falls, Niagara Region

Jude and I fired off a bunch of (mediocre) photos and admired the beast. We later read that it had flown from the New York side a few minutes prior to our observation of it in Ontario. We only watched it for around 5 minutes until all of the gulls on the break-wall were flushed by something unseen and did not return. In the coming weeks, the Glaucous-winged remained on the Niagara River but it was only observed from Ontario on two more occasions. Jude and I felt quite lucky! 

Glaucous-winged Gull is one of those species that I should have seen in Ontario by now since we have five previous records, all from the last decade, and several of those birds were chase-able. However, I dipped on several chases, while I was also out of province for most of them. This redemption arc was satisfying. 

Glaucous-winged Gull (centre bird) - Niagara Falls, Niagara Region

I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to lead several private birding tours this winter and they have all been smashing successes. One advantage of being a local birding guide at this time of year is that these obligations "force" me outside, whether to scout locations for an upcoming tour, or to lead the tour itself. We all need a little extra motivation to go outside during the winter.

A January 4 tour of Toronto was a lot of fun. The temperatures, though cold, were reasonable enough and the birds cooperated. We started with exceptional views of a Barred Owl and several Long-eared Owls in a Toronto park. My client was quite keen on owl and hawk photography and so this was a great way to kick off the tour (and a relief for myself as the guide!).

Barred Owl - City of Toronto

Long-eared Owl - City of Toronto

Barred Owl - City of Toronto

There were many other highlights including a Northern Shrike, a high diversity of waterfowl and more Long-eared Owls. My personal favourite sighting was the two male Harlequin Ducks that we caught up with along the Mississauga shoreline. It is always a treat to see these beautiful and rugged ducks close to home. 

Harlequin Ducks - Missisauga, Peel Region

Harlequin Ducks - Missisauga, Peel Region

I have also spent a fair bit of time at Algonquin Provincial Park this winter leading a pair of birding tours. One of these tours happened to be on the coldest day of the year, with morning temperatures of -39 degrees (Celcius or Fahrenheit, take your pick), or -44 with the windchill. 

It has been a pretty slow winter for finches as the cone crops of spruces and pines is quite poor, but the Algonquin Visitor's Centre feeders have been very active. One usually has to wait only a few minutes until a boisterous group of Pine Grosbeaks descends. I think this is my favourite finch species locally and it is always wonderful to spend time with them. 

Pine Grosbeak - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Pine Grosbeak - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Pine Grosbeak - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Evening Grosbeaks are also around this winter, though they remain scarce in Algonquin. Fortunately, this male appeared for both of my tours. It is always appreciated when the birds cooperate for the guide!

Evening Grosbeak - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Birds were the focus on both tours but I am always on the lookout for mammals as well. We lucked out with an amazing encounter with an American Marten during the second tour. 

American Marten - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

These weasels are well-adapted to life in the boreal forest. They feel at home not only in trees, but also on the deep snowpack of the forest floor. Their footsteps sink only a couple of inches into the snow while they are also capable of traveling under the snow in tunnels. This subnivean travel protects them from the harshest cold, and makes it easier for them to hunt voles and other small rodents. 
​
American Martens are active during both day and night, though during the coldest stretch of winter they may only be active for a few hours each day to conserve energy.

American Marten - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

No visit to Algonquin in the winter is complete without hanging out with some Canada Jays. These ones were very happy to see my client and I produce a bag of peanuts. 

Canada Jay - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Hanging out with a Canada Jay - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Canada Jay numbers are declining in Algonquin and this is thought to be tied to climate change. Warmer winters on average mean that Canada Jay food caches are spoiling during freeze-thaw cycles, and these critical food sources are not lasting them until the spring.

I had a nice chat with Algonquin birding-legend Ron Tozer last week and he mentioned that there were only 7 pairs of Canada Jays noted along the Highway 60 corridor last year, down over 80 percent in just a few decades. Much like the Boreal Chickadee (a formerly common Algonquin species that appears to be gone), it is likely only a matter of time until Canada Jays are no longer resident in Algonquin.  

Canada Jay - Algonquin Provincial Park, Nipissing District

Before signing off, I wanted to include a few photos of some owls that I have seen recently. It hasn't been the best winter for Snowy Owls locally but there are a few around and I have seen six individuals over the past week or so. I photographed this one in Perth County, not too far from Listowel. 

Snowy Owl - Perth County

And this individual was in nearby Linwood, just over the county line into Waterloo Region. 

Snowy Owl - Waterloo Region

This Eastern Screech Owl from Simcoe County has been frequenting a particular tree cavity for many years. It wasn't home when I stopped by with a client, but of course it was easy to see when I had no client with me. Figures...

Eastern Screech-Owl - Simcoe County, Ontario

And I'll finish the post with some photos of a Great Gray Owl. Like with Snowy Owls it isn't a big "irruption" year of Great Gray Owls but there have been a few reported south of their typical breeding range. This one was napping in the sun on a cold but relatively calm day. 

Great Gray Owl - Simcoe County, Ontario

Great Gray Owl - Simcoe County, Ontario

Happy winter birding, everyone! Spring won't be long, now...