Backyard birds in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Which birds visit Niagara-on-the-Lake yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Niagara-on-the-Lake's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 43.257°, -79.085°
- Population
- 17,511
- June 21 daylight
- 15 h 24 min
- December 21 daylight
- 8 h 58 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:35 AM / 5:35 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- roughly 3 days earlier than the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- Canadian zones 0a–7a (southern Ontario roughly equivalent to USDA 4–6)
Nesting timing in Niagara-on-the-Lake
The state guides give nesting windows for Ontario as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 44.0°N). Niagara-on-the-Lake is at 43.3°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts roughly 3 days earlier than the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Niagara-on-the-Lake goes from 8 h 58 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 15 h 24 min in June, a 6 h 25 min swing.
- Northern Cardinal — state window May–August
- Eastern Bluebird — state window May–August; box hole 1 1/2 in round (1 9/16 in for Mountain/Western overlap)
- Black-capped Chickadee — state window May–July; box hole 1 1/8 in round
- Purple Martin — state window May–July; box hole 1 3/4–2 1/8 in round, or starling-resistant crescent (3 × 1 3/16 in)
- Downy Woodpecker — state window May–July; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- Hairy Woodpecker — state window May–June; box hole 1 1/2 in round
- American Goldfinch — state window July–September
- Tufted Titmouse — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- White-breasted Nuthatch — state window April–June; box hole 1 1/4 in round
- House Wren — state window May–August; box hole 1 to 1 1/8 in round
Birds you can expect in Niagara-on-the-Lake
Year-round residents (50)
Northern Cardinals, Black-capped Chickadees, Downy Woodpeckers, Hairy Woodpeckers, American Goldfinchs, Tufted Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatchs, Blue Jays, House Finchs, Purple Finchs, Carolina Wrens, Mourning Doves, American Robins, Dark-eyed Juncos, Song Sparrows, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Northern Flickers, Pileated Woodpeckers, Red-breasted Nuthatchs, Brown Creepers, Evening Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, Cedar Waxwings, Eastern Screech-Owls, House Sparrows, European Starlings, Canada Jays, American Crows, Common Ravens, Red-tailed Hawks, Barred Owls, Great Horned Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, Wild Turkeys, Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Belted Kingfishers, Brown-headed Cowbirds, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Pine Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, Hooded Mergansers, Canada Gooses, Bald Eagles, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Black-backed Woodpeckers, American Three-toed Woodpeckers, White-winged Crossbills, Rock Pigeons
Summer breeders (75)
Eastern Bluebirds, Purple Martins, House Wrens, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, White-throated Sparrows, Chipping Sparrows, Red-headed Woodpeckers, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Common Grackles, Red-winged Blackbirds, Baltimore Orioles, Orchard Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, Eastern Towhees, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, Eastern Phoebes, Chimney Swifts, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Pine Warblers, Wood Thrushs, Great Crested Flycatchers, Eastern Kingbirds, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Scarlet Tanagers, Eastern Meadowlarks, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Hermit Thrushs, Winter Wrens, Gray Catbirds, Lark Sparrows, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, American Redstarts, Black-and-white Warblers, Prothonotary Warblers, Ovenbirds, Yellow-breasted Chats, Orange-crowned Warblers, Palm Warblers, Red-eyed Vireos, Warbling Vireos, Eastern Wood-Pewees, Least Flycatchers, Cliff Swallows, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Bank Swallows, Common Nighthawks, Eastern Whip-poor-wills, American Coots, Killdeers, Spotted Sandpipers, American Woodcocks, Green Herons, Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons, Turkey Vultures, Ospreys, Red-shouldered Hawks, Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, Savannah Sparrows, Swamp Sparrows, Vesper Sparrows, Horned Larks, Dickcissels, Yellow-billed Cuckoos, Bobolinks, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, Brewer's Blackbirds, Rusty Blackbirds
Winter visitors (7)
Common Redpolls, American Tree Sparrows, Snow Buntings, Lapland Longspurs, Common Redpolls, Hoary Redpolls, Bohemian Waxwings
Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Niagara-on-the-Lake
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Niagara-on-the-Lake, sunrise is around 6:35 AM in mid-April, 5:35 AM at the June solstice and 7:44 AM in late December (local time, America/Toronto). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Niagara-on-the-Lake yards
Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.
Fruit and cover.
Winter-persistent fruit.
Dense roosting cover.
Insects, seeds and cavities.
Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.
Dense evergreen roost cover and bluish 'berries' eaten through winter.
Deciduous holly holding red fruit into mid-winter.
Nearby cities in Ontario
- St. Catharines — 10 mi away, nesting about the same time as Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Niagara Falls — 11 mi away, nesting about the same time as Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Welland — 21 mi away, nesting about the same time as Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Grimsby — 25 mi away, nesting about the same time as Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Port Colborne — 26 mi away, nesting about the same time as Niagara-on-the-Lake
- Waterfront Communities-The Island — 30 mi away, nesting about the same time as Niagara-on-the-Lake
Frequently asked
What birds live in Niagara-on-the-Lake all year?
Year-round residents across Ontario include Northern Cardinal, Black-capped Chickadee, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, American Goldfinch. All of them visit backyard feeders in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
When do birds start nesting in Niagara-on-the-Lake?
Niagara-on-the-Lake sits at a different latitude from Ontario's population centre, so nesting runs roughly 3 days earlier than the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Niagara-on-the-Lake?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Niagara-on-the-Lake, sunrise is around 6:35 AM in mid-April and 5:35 AM in late June.
Sources
- eBird region overview and bar charts — Ontario
- Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada — Natural Resources Canada
- Audubon Native Plants Database
- Ontario Breeding Bird Atlas — Birds Canada
- GeoNames gazetteer (city coordinates & population)
- NOAA Solar Calculator methodology
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.