Backyard birds in Stratford, Ontario
Which birds visit Stratford yards, when they nest at this latitude, and when to be out for the dawn chorus, all worked out from Stratford's own coordinates.
- Coordinates
- 43.367°, -80.950°
- Population
- 31,465
- June 21 daylight
- 15 h 25 min
- December 21 daylight
- 8 h 58 min
- Sunrise mid-April / late June
- 6:43 AM / 5:42 AM
- Nesting vs state average
- about the same time as the state-wide average
- Hardiness zones (state)
- Canadian zones 0a–7a (southern Ontario roughly equivalent to USDA 4–6)
Nesting timing in Stratford
The state guides give nesting windows for Ontario as a whole, weighted toward where most people live (about 44.0°N). Stratford is at 43.4°N. Going by Hopkins' bioclimatic law, spring events move about four days per degree of latitude, so breeding here starts about the same time as the state-wide average. Elevation and nearby water also play a part.
Daylight triggers breeding. Stratford goes from 8 h 58 min of daylight at the winter solstice to 15 h 25 min in June, a 6 h 27 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 Stratford
Year-round residents (43)
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
Summer breeders (35)
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
Winter visitors (2)
Cold, snowy winters; feeder flocks are dominated by chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers and finches.
When to watch: dawn chorus in Stratford
Songbirds sing hardest in the 30–60 minutes before sunrise, and most of all in spring. In Stratford, sunrise is around 6:43 AM in mid-April, 5:42 AM at the June solstice and 7:52 AM in late December (local time, America/Toronto). Fill feeders the evening before so the first birds find food.
Native plants for Stratford 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
- Woodstock — 19 mi away, nesting about the same time as Stratford
- Kitchener — 22 mi away, nesting about the same time as Stratford
- London — 30 mi away, nesting about the same time as Stratford
- Cambridge — 32 mi away, nesting about the same time as Stratford
- Hespeler — 32 mi away, nesting about the same time as Stratford
- Tillsonburg — 37 mi away, nesting about the same time as Stratford
Frequently asked
What birds live in Stratford 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 Stratford.
When do birds start nesting in Stratford?
Stratford sits at a different latitude from Ontario's population centre, so nesting runs about the same time as the state-wide average, going by the rule of about 4 days per degree of latitude.
What time does the dawn chorus start in Stratford?
Songbirds start singing about 30–60 minutes before sunrise. In Stratford, sunrise is around 6:43 AM in mid-April and 5:42 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.